Abstract:
One of the most significant process intensification schemes in drying is microwave
drying. Modeling the process of microwave drying is very useful. The lumped reaction
engineering approach (REA) is now coupled with appropriate equations for modeling
microwave heating. Here, a slight modification of the equilibrium activation energy is
needed since the product temperature is higher than the ambient temperature. Unlike the
diffusion-based approach, the REA drying parameters were generated from minimum
number of drying runs. It has been found that the modifications lead to excellent
agreements between the predicted and experimental data. The results of modeling match
well with the experimental data. The overall model is accurate to describe the moisture
content and temperature profiles. Comparisons with the diffusion-based approach
indicate that the REA can achieve comparable or even better agreement towards the
experimental data. This exercise has demonstrated that a simple combination of the LREA
and the microwave energy absorption is versatile in predicting the microwave drying process accurately, thus this worked example will be illustrative for future needed
studies.
