ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

UNIT OPERATIONS LAB 2

Experiment No. 1
DRYING CURVES

Submitted by:
Arnuco, Arjay
Baligod, Jeffrey
Bernales, Candice Gareth
Lorenzo, Jan Zedric
Mata, Arrianne Jaye
Mercado, Roger Jayson

Submitted to:
Engr. Rugi Vicente Rubi

I. Introduction
Drying is the process of thermally removing volatile substances (e.g., moisture) to yield a
solid product. Mechanical methods for separating a liquid from a solid are not considered in
thermal drying. When a wet solid is subjected to thermal drying, two processes occur
simultaneously; first is the transfer of energy, mostly as heat from the surrounding environment
to evaporate the surface moisture, and second is the transfer of internal moisture to the surface of
the solid and its subsequent evaporation due to the first process.
Several types of dryers are used in different fields and specialties. The common type of
dryer in many industrial applications that involve drying operation is tray dryers (or cabinet
dryers). The dryers are made of trays held in a cabinet, which is connected to a source of heated
air by gas, diesel or biomass. The food, which is to be dried, is spread out, generally quite thinly,
on trays which the drying takes place. Heating may be by an air current sweeping across the
trays, by conduction from heated trays or heated shelves on which the trays lie, or by radiation
from heated surfaces. Most tray dryers are heated by air, which also removes the moist vapours.
The temperature of ambient air is controlled by thermostat which is usually set in the range of 50
to 700C. The air enters the bottom of the chamber below the trays and then rises, through the
trays of food being dried, and exits from an opening in the top of the chamber. Fresh air is
allowed to enter the cabinet and moist air is exhausted by using a dehumidistat to control an
exhaust fan and air intake shutters. The dryer trays are tight-fitting in the cabinet to prevent air
from bypassing the material to be dried. Depending upon the food and the desired final moisture,
drying time may be of the order of 10 or even 20 hours. Tray dryers require low capital and
maintenance costs but have relatively poor control and produces more variable product quality.
However, in recirculation designs, the moisture laden air, after evaporating water from
food, would have to be dried before being undergo recirculation, or else it would soon become
saturated and further drying of the food would stop. In such a case passing it through a desiccant
such as a bed of silica gel, or condensing moisture out by passing the moist air over cold plates
or coils could dry the air. Note also that if we are not going to dry the exhaust air for
recirculation, then the exhaust vent should not be close to the fresh air intake area, otherwise the
moist exhaust air will be drawn back through the drier and drying efficiency will be lost.

Thermometers are installed with the sensitive elements directly in the main air current
approaching the drying trays, and often also in the air current leaving trays.
One of the most important problems encountered is not to supply the same drying rate at
the all position within the tray dryers. The other is the fast drying of food in the position where
the air first enters to the system and the slow drying of food in the other position. Therefore,
additional heaters and fans may be placed above or alongside the trays to increase the rate of
drying. Tray dryers are used for small-scale production or for pilot-scale work.

II. Methodology
First, dry enough amount of sand in an oven from 102-105C and then weigh the sand for
every 10 minutes. When stable reading is obtained, remove the sand from the oven and place it in
desiccators to cool. After cooling sometime from the desiccators, screen sufficient dry sand (bone
dry) to approximately 500 mesh using sieve shaker. Set aside the oversize sand, and then pour
the undersize sand to four drying trays about a depth of 10 mm each. Consequently weigh
accurately the dry undersize sand that will be loaded to four drying trays and also weigh the
empty trays. Then place the sand on a suitable container and saturate it with water. Remove the
sand from the container and drain the excess free water. Then load the sand evenly and smoothly
into the drying trays taking care to avoid any spillage. Take note that before drying commences,
the total weight of the wet sand should be recorded. And also record the temperature and
pressure of boiler, inlet and outlet steam line of the drier. Also record the weight of sand, wet
bulb temperature of entering and outgoing air, velocity of air, and temperature (7 locations) of
the preheated air every 5 minutes until the weight of the sand becomes approximately constant.

III. Data and Results

Table 1. Weight of sand during bone dry determination
Time, mins
Weight of Wet Sand, kg
Weight (dry basis), kg

0
0.611
0.00825

10
0.608
0.0033

20
0.606
0

30
0.606
0

Table 2. Weight of sand as a function of time during drying process

Weight of bone dry sand, kg
Time, mins
Weight of Wet Sand, kg
Weight (wet basis), kg
Weight (dry basis), kg
Drying Rate

0
0.691
0.1230
0.1403

5
0.673
0.0996
0.1106
0.0036

0.606

10
0.657
0.0776
0.0842
0.0032

15
0.641
0.0546
0.0578
0.0032

20
0.627
0.0335
0.0347
0.0028

25
0.615
0.0146
0.0149
0.0024

30
0.606
0.0000
0.0000
0.0018

Table 3. Condition of Air

Entering Air
Time, mins
Dry Bulb Temp, C
Wet Bulb Temp, C
H(kg H2O/kg DA)

0
35
25
0.01
6

5
35
25
0.016

10
36
26
0.017
2

15
36
26
0.0172

20
36
26
0.017
2

25
36
26
0.0172

Temperature of Preheated Air (Drying Medium), C

Time, mins
0
5
10
15
20
25
Point 1
30.8 33.9 33.9 34.1 34.2 34.1
Point 2
31.9
35
38
38
38
38
Point 3
38
73
73
78
79
79
Point 4
38.2 65.2
65 65.8
67 67.1
Point 5
51.5 67.1 67.5 68.3 69.2 69.3
Point 6
32.2 64.6 65.5 66.6 67.2
68
Point 7
38.3 34.5 34.6 34.8 34.8 34.8
Average Temp
37.27 53.33 53.93 55.09 55.63 55.78
Relative Humidity
28
43
54
56
56
35

Outgong Air
Time, mins
Dry Bulb Temp, C
Wet Bulb Temp, C

0
35
25

H(kg H2O/kg DA)

0.016 0.029 0.034

5
40
33

10
42
35

15
44
38
0.04

20
45
39

25
46
37
0.038
0.043 5

30
36
26
0.017
2

30
34
38
79
66.5
67.8
66.6
34.7
55.23
32

30
44
35
0.0325

Table 4. Steam Condition

Time,
mins
0
5
10
15
20
25
30

At the Inlet in the Drier

Pressure
6 kg/cm2
6 kg/cm2
6 kg/cm2
6 kg/cm2
6 kg/cm2
6 kg/cm2

At the Outlet in the Drier

Temp, C Condensate,mL
66.1
1150
66.3
1120
66.3
1000
66.8
950
67
920
66.9
880

Graph:

Moisture Content vs Time

0.1405
0.1205
0.1005
0.0805
Moisture
vs Time
Moisture Content (dry
basis)Content
0.0605
0.0405
0.0205
0.0005
-0.0195

10 15 20 25 30

time (minutes)

Figure 1. Moisture Content vs Time

Rate Drying Curve vs Moisture Content

0.0033
0.0031
0.0029
0.0027
0.0025
Drying Rate (kg removed/minutes)
drying rate vs moisture
content
0.0023
0.0021
0.0019
0.0017
0.0015
0.0000

0.1000

Moisture Content (dry basis)

Figure 2. Rate Drying Curve vs Moisture Content

Relative Humidity vs Moisture Content

60
55

56

56

54

50
45
40
Relative Humidity
Relative Humidity vs Moisture Content
35
35
32
30

43

25
20
0.0000

0.0500

0.1000

28

0.1500

Moisture Content

Figure 3. Relative Humidity vs Moisture Content

IV. Discussion of Results
From the graph of drying rate versus moisture content, it was shown that the highest
drying rate is found at the initial condition wherein highest moisture content is also present. The

drying rate decreases as the moisture content decreases. The numerical values of the drying rate
are 0.0036, 0.0032, 0.0032, 0.0028, 0.0024 and 0.0018 with moisture content 0.1106, 0.0842,
0.0578, 0.0347, 0.0149 and 0 respectively. It was also observed that the moisture content
decreases with respect to time. The obtained moisture content are 0.1403 0.1106 0.0578 0.0347
0.0149 and no moisture content on last point at time 0, 5,10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes.
From the graph of Relative Humidity vs Moisture Content, it was observed that drying
occurs in three different periods, or phases, which can be clearly defined. Relative humidity is
found to be increasing linearly in points 1, 2, and 3, with corresponding relative humidity of 32,
35 and 56 respectively. It could be said that this is where sensible heat is transferred to the
product and the contained moisture. From point 3 to point 5, the relative humidity is observed to
be stagnant. The moisture content at this points are 0.0842, 0.0578 and 0.0347 with relative
humidity 56, 56 and 54. This second phase, or constant rate period, is when the free moisture
persists on the surfaces and the rate of evaporation alters very little as the moisture content
reduces. The graph from point 5 until the last point, point 7 is observed to be decreasing with
moisture content. The obtained relative humidity on this part is 54, 43 and 28 with moisture
content of 0.1403, 0.1106 and 0.0.842 respectively. The third phase, or falling rate period, is the
phase during which migration of moisture from the inner interstices of each particle to the outer
surface becomes the limiting factor that reduces the drying rate.

V. Conclusion
Based on the graph, it was concluded that the moisture content is decreasing with time.
The drying rate decreases as the moisture content decreases. Therefore, the drying rates of the
sand are varying with time. From the graph, relative humidity versus moisture content, it was
also observed that drying occurs in three different periods, or phases. The first phase is where
sensible heat is transferred to the product and the contained moisture. The second phase, or
constant rate period, is when the free moisture persists on the surfaces and the rate of evaporation
alters very little as the moisture content reduces. The third phase, or falling rate period, is the
phase during which migration of moisture from the inner interstices of each particle to the outer
surface becomes the limiting factor that reduces the drying rate.

Appendix:
Sample Calculations:
Moisture Content of dried sand
Wet Basis
wt of wet sand weight bone dry sand
Moisture content=
wt of wet sand
Moisture content =

0.6910.606
=0.123 kg / kgDS
0.691

Dry Basis
Moisture content =

moisture (wet )
1moisture (wet )

Moisture content =

0.123
=0.14 kg/kgDS
10.123

Drying rates

Rate =

wt of wet sand (0)wt of wet sand (1)

time

Rate =

0.6910.673
=0.0036 kg / min
5

Average temperature
temperatures at diff pts
Ave =
7
Ave =

30.8+ 31.9+ 38+3802+51.5+32.2+38.3

=37.27 C
7