Researches on designing and functioning an innovative model of vertical heat recovery drying for agricultural seeds

Abstract

The drying process is affected both by the complex thermo physical processes (diffusion, thermal diffusion etc.) that take place inside the particles forming the product which is dehydrated and by the mass and heat transfer in the boundary layer that separates the surface of the solid body from the thermodynamic agent, also called drying agent. In order to study the drying process of the agricultural seeds and to optimize the parameters of the dehydration process a innovation vertical drier with heat recovery was designed and built. The drier allows the surveillance of the parameters involved in the drying process of the agricultural seeds. The following parameters are continuously measured and recorded: ambient air temperature and humidity, the temperature and humidity of the drying agent, the temperature and humidity of the seeds, the energy consumed. The drier is equipped with a frequency converter which allows the continuous adjustment of the velocity of the drying agent and with a data acquisition card (DAQ) to secure the transfer of data to a PC.