Modeling and simulation of microwave drying of variation of intensity microwave, velocity, and temperature drying air with reaction engineering approach (REA)

Abstract

Drying is a complex process which involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Complicated structure and heterogeneity of food add to the complexity of drying. A simple and effective drying model is desirable for evaluation of dryer performance, optimization, and evaluation of product quality. It should be able to model the phenomena of the drying process and yet be favorable for quick decision-making in industries. One of the models that can be used is reaction engineering approach is divided into two part: Lumped Reaction Engineering Approach (L-REA) is represented in the ordinary differential equations to model the whole part of food ingredients and Spatial Reaction Engineering Approach (S-REA) is represented in partial differential equations to model the pore section of food ingredients. Reaction Engineering Approach (REA) can already be applied to a variety of applications for microwave drying yet untried, therefore the aim of this study is to implement REA on microwave drying and analyze the accuracy for modelling microwave drying. Results of the modeling using the REA match well with the experimental data reported previously. In addition, for microwave a new definition of ΔEv,b (maximum activation energy) and Qmicrowave (intensity microwave) had to introduced. The overall REA concept is expected to contribute substantially for better and cost-effectively representation of transport phenomena of drying process.