Simultaneous Heat and Mass

Transfer (SHMT)
CHE-402
Date: 18/12/2018
Today’s topic
Cross-Circulation drying

Rates of drying

Critical Moisture content

Example No. 24.1

Cross Circulation drying
Both heat & mass transfer is involved in drying
process
The mechanism of drying depends upon
1. Nature of solids
2. Method of contacting the solids and gas
 We have three kinds of solids
 Crystalline
 Porous
 Nonporous
Cross Circulation drying
Porous solids such as crystal pellets (Contain liquid in
interior channels)
Nonporous (Colloidal gels such as soap, glue, plastic
clay, dense cellular solids include wood, leather).
Rate of drying of porous solids depend upon
 Way by which the liquid moves to surface
 Distance the liquid have to travel to reach surface
This is particularly important in case of cross-
circulation drying of slabs or beds of solids.
Drying through cross circulation method is slow
Cross Circulation drying
Characteristics of Cross circulation drying:
Slow
Happens batch wise
Not suitable for large scale drying operations (replaced
by other faster methods)
However its suitable for drying in production of
pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, where drying
must be done at a controlled rate.
Constant drying conditions
If the temperature, humidity, velocity and direction of
flow of the air across the drying surface are constant,
such phenomenon is called as “Constant drying
conditions”.

Only the condition is the airstream are constant,

whereas the moisture content and other factors in the
solid are changing with time and position in the bed.
Rates of drying

Constant rate period

Falling rate period (linear, concave or convex plots)

Two Falling rate period
Falling rate Period
Trend of the plot depends upon
A. Nature of solid
B. Mechanism of internal moisture flow
 Conditions for true constant rate period are
 Solid must be so wet that a continuous film of liquid
exists over entire external surface.
 Mechanism that brings water fast enough from
interior solid bed to the surface.
Case hardening
When wet solids are rapidly dried there surface
becomes hard, due to the enclosing of the bulk solid as
the interior moisture cannot be easily removed. Such
an effect is called Case Hardening.
Example; Drying of soap
Examples of drying with Constant rate period
1. Porous slab with wide range or pore sizes
Reason : capillary action (water will remain in small
pores while the large pores moisture will be flow
continuously).
Constant drying rate
Here drying rate depends upon
1. Vapor pressure of liquid over small pores
2. Fraction of surface that is wet
3. Rate of diffusion in boundary layers

Other example of constant rate drying are:

 Water soaked granular solids spread in a thin layer on a tray.
 During true constant rate drying surface temperature is same
as wet bulb temperature if heat transfer is only through
convection.
 Example of tray dryer
Constant drying rate
Calculation of drying rate
Relations based on mass and heat transfer
Drying rate calculated through heat transfer equations
is more reliable due to less uncertainty in the driving
force.
Estimation of coefficient of gas

Calculate drying rate by following equation

Critical moisture content
The point at which the constant-rate period ends
(whether or not the drying rate is truly constant) is
called Critical Moisture Content.
Critical moisture Content
It depends upon or varies with
 Property of material
 Thickness of material
 Rate of drying
 Resistances to heat and mass transfer in the solid

 Decreasing the thickness of the material gives a lower

critical moisture, because the internal resistance
becomes relatively small and external resistances
controls the drying rate for a longer period.
Example 24.1
Solution
Solution