Study 6: Literature review and modelling of drying phenomena in an industrial convection dryer

This study presents a general model of drying phenomena designed to cover a wide range of hot-air convection dryers and products, across a wide variety of configurations.

One of the main aims of this modelling work is to ensure the reliability of the energy optimisation solutions proposed for convective dryers as part of audits: for example, to analyse the impact of air recirculation within the dryer on the drying quality of the manufactured product.

This modelling comprises two parts:

1 – Modelling the behaviour of the product during drying.
2 – Modelling the dryer and the air flow around the product.

The study identified and generalised a large number of existing models to account for a wide range of products: clay, wood, grains, fruit, vegetables, etc.