Unit Operations in Food Processing

5. Drying of solids

Dr. JIA Yuanyuan

jiayy@tust.edu.cn
 Learning on Internet
„ Food Processing Handbook
http://rapidshare.com/files/103853443/Food_Processing_Handbook.p
df
„ Unit operations in food processing
http://www.nzifst.org.nz/unitoperations
„ Website of GEA Process Engineering Inc. ---World Leaders in Drying
Technology and Equipment
http://www.niroinc.com/about/about_Niro_Inc.asp
„ Dairy Processing Handbook, Chapter 17
http://www.ales2.ualberta.ca/afns/courses/nufs403/PDFs/chapter17.p
df
z Animations provided by Prof. Singh
http://rpaulsingh.com/animated%20figures/animationlisttopic.htm
General principles

„ Removing relatively small amount of water in

solid foods to an acceptably low value by
heat .
Mechanical separations First Cheaper. To reduce water as
much as possible before drying

Drying Next Energy consumptive

Preservation in
conjunction
with other
processing
The earliest few techniques for
preservation foods in human history
Humidity of air
Steam partial
pressure in air
Wet air = dry air + humidity
„ 1. Steam partial pressure in air
P=pa+pW Partial pressure
For saturated air, pW =ps of dry air
pw
„ 2. Humidity H = 0.622 ×
P − pw
pw
„ 3. Relative humidity ϕ=
For saturated air: ps
ps
ϕ = 1, H s = 0.622 ×
For unsaturated air: ϕ<1 P − ps

ϕ↓， drying power↑

ϕ =1，no drying power
A combination of heat transfer and
mass transfer Heat transfer by
convection, conduction
or irradiation
Driving force: t-tw
tw t Q=αA(t-tw)

Moisture
Q

Opposite
δ
direction
N
ps, Hw
pw, H

Mass transfer
Driving force:
ps-pw or Hw-H
N=kHA(HW-H)
Phase equilibrium for moist solids in air
Unbound water

This curve is nearly independent of

Water content on a dry basis X, percent

temperature.
X: mass of water per unit mass of
Free moisture bone-dry solid.
w: mass of water per unit mass of
wet solid. X=w/(100-w)

Bound water
The difference
between the total
Equilibrium

water content of
Equilibrium
moisture

the solid and X*

moisture

X*: the content of

water cannot be
removed by the air
has a definite
Relative humidity H, percent relative humidity
 Unbound water

Water content on a dry basis X, percent Unbound water exerts its full
vapor pressure and largely held

Free moisture
in the voids of the solid.

Bound water
Equilibrium
moisture

Bound water exerts a

vapor pressure less than
that of liquid water at the
same temperature.
Water in fine capillaries;
Relative humidity H, percent
in cell or fiber walls.
Continuous air dryer Convective drying
Cross-circulation

Blower Preheater Dryer

Wet
Steam solid Exhaust
air
Hot air

Air

Condensate
Dry
product
One-through. It can
Carrier of also be circulated
heat and partially to save
moisture energy
 Drying rates under constant drying
conditions
The temperature,
humidity, velocity,
and direction of flow
of the air across the
drying surface are
constant.

Critical moisture
content is not only a
property of material.
It also varies with
Equilibrium the thickness and
moisture drying rate.
Drying time under constant drying
conditions

θ = θ1 + θ 2
Governed by diffusion of
Drying time in
internal moisture to the
falling rate period
surface.
Drying time in
constant rate period
Decreasing the
Governed by the vaporization thickness of the
of surface moisture. Therefore, material gives a longer
higher temperature, faster air critical moisture content.
velocity and lower humidity
lead to higher drying rate.
Drying equipment Nozzle atomizes
the liquid into tiny
„ Spray dryers---for slurries drops. The ‘heart’
of the process

Very short drying

time; Permits drying
Click highly heat-sensitive
materials.
Example: milk
powder,
 Stationary nozzles

Counterflow Nozzle discharging in the

direction of the air flow

Spray dryers often

Rotating disc for atomizing milk
combine with
cyclones to recover
the powder in
exhaust air
NEXT PAGE
Milk powder manufacture
Fluid-bed dryers: for powders, granules, agglomerates,
and pellets between 50 microns and 5 mm.
Click Cyclone if fine particles
are present

Click

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQmfmsJpp9I&feature=related Click
Vibrating Fluid-bed dryer

Click
The VIBRO-FLUIDIZER™ from GEA Niro

http://www.niro.com/niro/cmsdoc.nsf/webdoc/webb7n3c3l
Fluid-bed dryer
Tray-dryers

Click ‹Useful when the

production rate is small.
‹Expensive to operate
because of labor cost.
‹Maybe operated under
vacuum.

Many smaller
try dryers in
our labs.
厢式干燥器（Disc Type Drier） 小 型 的 称 为 烘 箱 ， 大 型 的 称 为 烘
房，是典型的常压、间歇式、对流
适用场合：任何形状的物料 干燥设备。

优点： 对物料的适应性强。
缺点： 物料得不到分散，干燥速率低，热利用率
较差、且产品质量不均匀。产量不大。
耙式真空干燥器： 属减压、间歇、导热式

适用场合： 热敏性物料、易产生粉末的物料、易
爆物料、排出蒸汽需回收的物料
优点： 干燥温度不致过高
缺点： 整套设备均需密封，不易。
洞 道 式 干 燥 器 （ Series Flow Through Rotation
Drier）
连续或半连续操作

适用场合：处理量大、
干燥时间长的物料
优点和缺点同烘箱

逆流式 错流式
 Drum-dryers: conductive heating
Central
feed
Knife
Steam
heated Effective with dilute,
drum concentrated
Conveyor solutions and
moderately heavy
slurries, such as
high heat milk
powder or baby
foods.

More details: http://www.gmfgouda.com/drum-dryer/info-drum-dryer.html#top

A 100% closed system
气流干燥器（pneumatic conveying dryer）

连续、对流式

干燥管----长度一般10~20m

脉冲式干燥管----
颗粒变速运动，
强化了传热
气流干燥器 适用场合：
晶体和小颗粒物料，尤其是热敏
性、易氧化、不宜粉碎的物料
常用的气速约为10~20/s以上，
故物料停留时间0.5秒～几秒。
浮力 曳力

最有效的干燥段：干燥速率较快
‹传热温度差较大
1m 重力 ‹空气湿度较小
‹颗粒处在加速阶段
‹与气流的相对速度较大
气流干燥器

优点：
‹干燥时间短
‹热效率高，可高达60％
‹易实现自动化、连续生产

缺点：
‹系统的流动阻力大
‹物料磨损大
‹要求的厂房高
‹对除尘系统要求高
Freeze-drying or lyophilization:
Principles Moisture removed
from ice directly to
the vapor state by
sublimation

1Torr（托）＝1mmHg＝133 Pa
Advantages: maintaining the structure of the food; flavor retention; higher
quality.
Disadvantages: long operation time; small throughout; high operation

cost; for high valued foods.

Examples: instant coffee; backpacker meals; active enzymes; Vitamins
Special for space foods http://videos.howstuffworks.com/nasa/2205-how-space-food-
processing-works-video.htm

Schematic operation of freeze dryer

 Control
panel Trays

Necessity of cold trap

1g water Volume
Room temperature
Atmospheric 1 ml
pressure
100Pa，<-20℃ 1,200,000 ml

Vacuum
pump

Cold trap
 Industrial Freeze
dryer

Freeze dried fruit and

vegetable
Student activities

1. Watch the video. Try to tell where is the spray dryer

and where are cyclones and blowers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt25GuAf7cI&feature=rel
ated
Click

2. Tour labs and pilot plant of Food Science and

Engineering Department to see how many varieties
of driers and understand their functions.