Tutorial 4

Tutorial 4 (Water Activity and Evaporation)

Question 1
The diagram shows the experimental setup used to determine the equilibrium
moisture content of a guava sample at different relative humidity conditions.
All experiments were conducted at a constant temperature of 30C.

Desiccator
Guava Sample
Wire Mesh
Wire Mesh
Saturated Salt solution
Salt
Oven

Experimental data is summarized in the table below.

Water Activity
(aw)
0.11
0.22
0.33
0.44
0.53
0.64
0.75
0.84
0.90
0.97

Equilibrium Moisture Content

(g moisture/100 g dry solids)
1.63
2.47
3.71
5.63
9.22
12.60
20.90
35.20
217.0
613.0

Calculate the monolayer moisture content of guava by fitting the experimental

data to a) BET model b) GAB model.

S Gautam

Tutorial 4

Question 2
A climbing film evaporator is used to concentrate liquid food at 1000 kg/h
from an initial concentration of 12 wt% solids to 25 wt% solids in a single
pass operation. Feed enters at its boiling point (45C) and the process steam
used for heating is at 135C. Estimate the number and length of evaporator
tubes required if the internal diameter of the tube is 30 mm.
Liquid properties: density = 1000 kg/m3; viscosity = 3.010-3 N-s/m2;
specific heat = 4.2 kJ/kg.K; thermal conductivity = 0.9 W/m.K; latent heat of
vaporization = 2.310 6 J/kg
Vapour properties: density = 0.04 kg/m3; viscosity = 110-5 N-s/m2
Steam side heat transfer coefficient = 8000 W/m2K

S Gautam