Translated from Chinese (Simplified) to English - www.onlinedoctranslator.

com

No.34roll No.5Expect Journal of Agricultural Engineering Vol.34 No.5

248 2018Year 3moon Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering Mar. 2018

· Agricultural products processing engineering·

Structural optimization and testing of radio frequency drying system based on heating uniformity

Xie Yongkang, Lin Yawen, Zhu Guangfei, Yu Xianlong, Xue Lingyang, Gao Zhenjiang, Liu Yanhong※

(College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing100083)

Summary:In view of the existing radio frequency drying system's problems such as uneven radio frequency heating when the loading amount is large, and the inability to weigh in real time during the drying process, this

article designed a hot air convection heating device, a charging device and a weighing device. The hot air convection heating device is mainly composed of a heat source supply system, an air temperature and speed control

system and an air distribution room; the loading device is composed of a special multi-layer material tray; the weighing device is composed of a weighing sensor, a weighing tray and a support. Computational fluid dynamics

software was used to simulate the air flow distribution chamber. The results showed that after changing the air flow distribution chamber to a bell mouth shape and adding a splitting cylinder, the uniformity of the wind

speed at the strip outlet was improved, and the speed deviation ratio was from31%reduced to10.5%, the velocity uneven coefficient is from19%reduced to7.6%. Taking corn seeds as an example, an optimized performance

verification test was conducted. The results showed that: the hot air convection heating device can provide uniform temperature and wind speed; the automatic weighing device can monitor the quality of the material in real

time, and its maximum range is24kg, the maximum processing capacity of thin layer materials after layering is18kg, the deviation range is1~5 g; Under the appropriate matching parameters of hot air and radio frequency,

radio frequency drying combined with hot air convection technology and layered loading method can solve the thermal offset problem and corner effect problem caused by radio frequency drying of large load of corn

seeds, thereby improving RF heating uniformity. This study avoids the influence of external temperature and humidity during the drying process and reduces10%The drying time provides a reference for improving the

uniformity of radio frequency heating. Key words:Drying; structure optimization; radio frequency; hot air convection; layered loading; automatic weighing doi:10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2018.05.033 CLC classification

number:S226.6; S126

Document identification code:A Article ID:1002-6819(2018)-05-0248-08

Xie Yongkang, Lin Yawen, Zhu Guangfei, Yu Xianlong, Xue Lingyang, Gao Zhenjiang, Liu Yanhong. Structural optimization and experiment of radio frequency drying system based on heating uniformity [J]. Chinese Journal of

doi:10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2018.05.033 http://www.tcsae.org
Agricultural Engineering, 2018, 34(5): 248-255.

Xie Yongkang, Lin Yawen, Zhu Guangfei, Yu Xianlong, Xue Lingyang, Gao Zhenjiang, Liu Yanhong. Structure optimization and
experiment of radio frequency dryer based on heating uniformity[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural
Engineering (Transactions of the CSAE ), 2018, 34(5): 248-255. (in Chinese with English abstract)
doi:10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2018.05.033 http://www.tcsae.org

Increase, causing excessive heating of materials at the corners, resulting in corner effects and uneven
0 Preface-
heating.[7-8]. Thermal offset problems and corner effects that occur during the radio frequency heating

RF (radio frequency,RF) is a high-frequency alternating electromagnetic wave[1], its frequency range is3 kHz~ process not only reduce the overall drying rate of the material, but also reduce its drying quality, which

300MHz. To avoid interference with communications, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (Federal are the main obstacles affecting the promotion of radio frequency technology.[9-10].

Communications Commission,FCC) stipulates that internationally used in industry, scientific research and The drying process of materials is mainly caused by internal moisture diffusion and surface water evaporation.

pharmaceutical industries3The radio frequency frequencies are respectively13.56,27.12and40.68MHz[2]. Radio hair or external moisture diffusion. Therefore, the lower concentration difference between the moisture that has

frequency can penetrate into the material, causing the polar molecules and charged ions inside the material to not diffused in time near the surface of the accumulated material and the evaporated moisture on the surface

oscillate and migrate, rubbing against each other, converting electrical energy into heat energy, and the temperature weakens the convective mass transfer drive, thereby reducing the drying rate.[11]. Uneven drying caused by thermal

of the material increases accordingly, thereby achieving the purpose of drying.[3]. At the same time, compared with offset and edge effects mainly include2Category 1, the hot spots of the entire sample are overheated, and the

microwave heating, radio frequency technology has the advantages of small equipment investment, large penetration second is that the material at the cold spots has not been reduced to safe moisture. These two types of unevenness

depth and high product quality.[4]. Taking advantage of the large penetration depth of radio frequency energy, it can will make it difficult to guarantee the quality of the materials.[12]. Therefore, it is necessary to improve and solve the

solve the problem of limited charging thickness and improve productivity.[5]. However, excessive charging thickness thermal offset problem and corner effect problem.

can easily lead to obstruction of the diffusion of heat and moisture inside the material, resulting in local high The hot air convection method can take away the drying process and migrate to the surface of the material.

temperatures. Since the dielectric loss factor, which is positively related to the RF heating rate, increases with of moisture. According to the relative movement direction of convective hot air and materials, hot air drying methods

temperature, RF energy tends to be concentrated in local areas where the temperature is relatively high. high parts, can be divided into cross-flow drying, downstream drying and counter-current drying. Among them, the cross-flow

causing the parts to overheat and cause thermal offset.[6]. In addition, when a regular tray containing materials (such drying method has a greater air flow loss in the direction of hot air flow, and is generally used for drying thin-layer

as a rectangular parallelepiped tray) is placed between the upper and lower plates for heating, the electric field lines materials. , and the downstream drying method is often used for drying large-load materials.[13]. Literature research

acting on the edges of the tray will bend, and the electric field density at the corners will shows[14], hot air mainly plays a role in the radio frequency drying process.2There are two functions: first, to

strengthen the air circulation on the surface of the material, so that the vaporized moisture on the surface of the

material can escape to the surrounding environment as soon as possible, strengthening the convective mass transfer

Received date:2017-10-27 Revision date:2018-01-29 effect, thereby increasing the drying rate; second, to cool down when the temperature of the material is high. When

Fund project: Dabeinong Project-Research on radio frequency quality-preserving drying technology of corn seeds (1071-2415002)
the temperature of the material is low, it plays a heating role to keep the temperature of the material within a suitable
About the author: Xie Yongkang, male, from Shenqiu, Henan, doctoral candidate, research direction is agricultural product drying
range, thus improving the uniformity of radio frequency heating. At the same time, literature research also found that
equipment and automatic control research.Email:xykang@cau.edu.cn ※Corresponding author: Liu Yanhong, female, from

layered loading of multi-layer trays can dissipate the heat generated inside the material, thereby improving the
Wendeng, Shandong, Ph.D., associate professor, doctoral supervisor, mainly engaged in research in the field of agricultural

product processing engineering.Email:liuyanhong@cau.edu.cn uniformity of radio frequency heating.

 No.5Expect Xie Yongkang et al.: Structural optimization and testing of radio frequency drying system based on heating uniformity 249

sex[14-15]. Therefore, this article uses radio frequency drying combined with horizontal hot air convection Take away the heat and moisture generated by multi-layer materials and improve drying

drying technology and a layered charging method to solve the problem of thermal offset and corner uniformity. Teflon pillars and polypropylene weighing tray avoid RF2 There is a metal problem

effects when radio frequency heats large-load materials. between the plates. The weighing system reads and stores the quality data of the material at

Because metal materials reflect radio frequency energy, electromagnetic waves will certain intervals, and can monitor the moisture content of the material in real time.

The excited electrons generate a large current between the metal material and the radio frequency plate, which

then discharges and generates sparks. In severe cases, it can breakdown the plate and burn out other components.

Therefore, general weighing equipment cannot be placed directly next to the radio frequency drying device.2

Between the two plates, the material needs to be taken out and weighed after the radio frequency heating is

stopped, and then the relevant parameters are calculated and the equipment parameters are adjusted, which is

extremely inconvenient to operate. At the same time, during the process of picking and placing materials and

opening and closing the radio frequency equipment, external environmental conditions will inevitably affect the

state parameters of the materials and drying chamber (such as temperature, relative humidity, etc.), making it

impossible to achieve precise control of the drying process.[16]. At present, there is no automatic weighing device for

radio frequency heating systems in relevant literature and patents. However, in the microwave system, which is a

dielectric heating system like radio frequency heating, Dong Haojie et al.[17]An online weighing system for

microwave drying equipment is disclosed. Although this weighing system can detect the quality changes of

materials in real time, the weighing object is the entire microwave drying equipment. Compared with microwave

drying equipment, the mass of the material accounts for a small proportion, so the measurement The quality error

of the obtained materials is large, and the test accuracy is not high. Therefore, it is very necessary to design an

online weighing device for radio frequency-hot air convection combined drying equipment to improve the

automation and test accuracy of radio frequency-hot air convection combined drying.

1.Heating pipe2.Centrifugal fan3.Metal ventilation ducts4.Split cylinder5.trumpet mouth6.

This article focuses on the existing radio frequency drying system’s thermal offset and
Polypropylene vent duct7.Trays8.Weighing system9.RF equipment10.Strip air outlet panel
In order to solve the problems such as uneven drying caused by the corner effect and the inability to weigh in real
1. Heating pipe 2. Centrifugal fan 3. Metal ventilation ducts 4. Diversion
time during the drying process, a hot air convection heating device, loading device and weighing device were cylinder 5. Trumpet 6. Polypropylene ventilation ducts 7.Trays 8. Weighing
system 9. RF equipment 10. Striped wind board
designed, using radio frequency drying combined with hot air convection technology, and at the same time, the thin

layer was installed The method of stacking multiple layers of material trays together with appropriate gaps in the picture1 Physical and structural diagram of radio frequency-hot air convection combined dryer

middle can solve the problem of thermal offset and corner effect, thereby improving the uniformity of radio
Fig.1 Prototype structure and schematic of combined
RF and hot air convection dryer
frequency heating; at the same time, the designed weighing device can monitor the drying of materials in real time

Moisture content during the process. surface1Main technical parameters of hot air convection heating device

Table 1 Main technical parameters of hot air convection

1 Structure and working principle of radio frequency-hot air convection combined drying equipment heating device

Characteristic ParametersCharacteristics of parameters numerical valueValue

1.1Overall structure of radio frequency-hot air convection combined drying equipment

The overall structure of radio frequency-hot air convection combined drying equipment is as shown in the
Air inlet diameterInlet diameter/mm Air flow uniformity chamber length 133

figure1shown. The system is mainly composed of hot air convection heating device, charging device, weighing
Airflow uniform room length/mm Area of strip air outlet panelStriped wind 500

device and control system. board area/(mm×mm) Wind speed adjustment rangeAir speed range/(m·s-1) 300×185

The heat supply system consists of centrifugal fans, heating pipes and ventilation ducts. Air temperature adjustment rangeAir temperature range/℃ Single strip air 0~3

The air temperature and wind speed control system includes the adjustment of the air outlet temperature outlet areaSingle strip outlet area/(mm×mm) Room temperature~100

and wind speed. The air flow distribution room is composed of a bell mouth, a splitting cylinder and a strip 280×10

air outlet plate. The loading device consists of a multi-layer material tray made of polypropylene material

2
[18]. The weighing device consists of a sensor (KNX-6type, Beijing Aerospace Times Sensor Co., Ltd., China),
Key component design
trays and pillars. The control system consists of relays, transmitters and control boxes. The main technical

parameters of the hot air convection heating device are as shown in the table1shown. 2.1Simulation analysis and structural optimization of air flow distribution room

2.1.1 Gas governing equations and boundary conditions

1.2working principle The airflow enters the airflow distribution chamber through the air inlet and moves in the form of turbulent flow.

During operation, external air enters the heating tube under the action of the centrifugal fan. Affected by the pressure difference, it is ejected from the strip-shaped air outlet and is widely used in the fluid part.

The chamber is heated and sent into the bell mouth air distribution chamber. Under the action of the diverting k-ε Turbulence model is used to calculate the convective heat transfer boundary conditions between the fluid and

cylinder in the air distribution chamber, the gas flows out evenly from the strip air outlet. When the gas the wall. standardk-εturbulent continuitykEquations andεequation[19]as follows

temperature and wind speed reach the predetermined value, the radio frequency drying equipment is turned on, ---k- ---ku i-
- -
and the radio frequency and hot air convection dry the materials in the tray. When the air outlet temperature
-t -t
detected by the temperature sensor is lower than the preset value, the heating tube starts to heat, and when the
- -- -t- -k-
temperature exceeds the preset value, the heating tube stops heating. Within the allowable loss range of gas flow, ---- - - -Gk-Gb----YM-SK (1)
hot air from the horizontal direction can be used along the length of the material tray. -xi--- - k- -i--x
 250 Journal of Agricultural Engineering (http://www.tcsae.org) 2018Year

----- ---- i-- layout3bIt can be seen that although the above measures have reduced the speed deviation ratio and speed
- -
-t -xi uneven coefficient to a certain extent and improved the uniformity of the air outlet, they have not completely

eliminated the phenomenon of high wind speed in the middle and low wind speed up and down and on both sides.
- -- --t--- - -2
---- - - -C-1- -Pk-C-3Gb--C- -2
-x---
j --- -x-- j k k
in the formulaρis the fluid density,kg/m3;kis the turbulent kinetic energy,J;μiis the fluid flow rate,m/s;μtis

the turbulent viscosity,Pa-s;μis the viscosity,εis the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, Gkis the

turbulence term generated by the average velocity gradient,Gbis the turbulent kinetic energy generated by

buoyancy,J;YMis the turbulence caused by diffusion,σkforkThe turbulence Trump number,SKFor user-

defined source items,PKis produced by the mean velocity gradient

- -
The raw turbulence term,C-1k PkTo generate items,C-1 C-3Gcorrectedbfor buoyancy
k
1.Inlet2.air distribution room3.Strip air outlet panel
-2 1. Inlet 2. Airflow distribution room 3. Striped wind board
item,C-2- is a dissipative term.
k picture2 Optimize the front air distribution chamber structure and strip air outlet velocity distribution

Boundary conditions: Select the velocity inlet as the inlet boundary condition, along the normal direction Fig.2 Structure of airflow distribution room and velocity
distribution of strip outlet before optimization
Intake, inlet velocity selection0.5~2.5m/sEvery time within the range0.5 m/svalue below. The

strip outlet is the pressure outlet boundary condition, and the definition type is static pressure.

The solid wall uses no-slip conditions and uses the standard wall function method.

Make corrections[20-21].

2.1.2 Structural optimization of air distribution chamber

The air flow distribution room is mainly responsible for optimizing flow field distribution and even distribution

The air outlet flow rate plays an important role. Unreasonable design will lead to uneven air flow speed

at the air outlet, which will then affect the diffusion of heat and moisture inside the material.[twenty two].

Therefore, in order to ensure that the wind speed of the strip air outlet is uniform, the SolidWorks

Establish an airflow distribution room model, set boundary conditions, and use Flow SimulationPlug-in
picture3 Bell mouth air distribution chamber structure and strip air outlet velocity distribution
performs flow field simulation analysis. speed deviation ratioE Used to evaluate the degree of deviation
Fig.3 Structure of flared air distribution room and velocity
of the air flow velocity of the strip outlet in different height directions, the velocity non-uniformity
distribution of strip outlets
coefficientMUsed to evaluate the uniformity of velocity distribution[twenty three].
Based on the above measures, in order to eliminate the phenomenon of high intermediate speed, it is necessary to

VL-Va It creates a turbulent effect on the gas passing through the bell mouth air distribution chamber to make the gas flow
E- -100% (2)
Va out evenly. Therefore, it is necessary to add a spoiler device in the bell mouth air distribution chamber.[26]. Due to

1 n
limited space, this article directly gives a schematic diagram of the optimized air flow distribution chamber structure,

-(v-v)2
n-1 i-1 i a as shown in the figure4ashown. The diameter of the splitting cylinder is20mm, 3The line connecting the center points

M- -100% (3) of the top view of two shunt cylinders forms an isosceles triangle, with the length of its base40 mm,high100mm.
va
in the formulaEis the velocity deviation ratio of each row of strip air outlets;VLis the average According to the optimized simulation results, the speed deviation ratio reduction is calculated.

speed of each row of strip air outlets,m/s;Vais the overall mean of the speed distribution,m/s; for10.5%, the speed uneven coefficient reduces to7.6%. picture4bis the optimized strip outlet velocity

distribution diagram. Pictured4bIt can be seen that the gas at the air inlet is3Under the dispersion effect
Mis the velocity uneven coefficient of each row wind speed monitoring point;nis the number of nodes;vi
of two splitting cylinders, the air flow is evenly distributed in the bell mouth air distribution chamber.
is the speed of each point,m/s.

The speed at the strip outlet is consistent, eliminating the phenomenon of high wind speed in the
picture2The original model of the air flow distribution room and the simulation analysis results of

middle and low wind speed up and down and on both sides.
the strip outlet velocity are shown in Fig.2bIt can be seen that when the original model is a rectangular

parallelepiped structure, since the air inlet area is smaller than the air flow distribution room, the wind

speed of the strip outlet directly opposite the air inlet is larger, while the air flow passing outside the air

inlet is larger. less, causing the wind speed at the top, bottom and sides of the strip air outlet to be smaller

than the speed at the center[twenty four]. Based on the air inlet speed value2.5m/sThe simulation results when

are analyzed as an example, the speed deviation ratio is31%, the velocity uneven coefficient is19%.

In order to improve the speed uniformity of the strip air outlet and eliminate the phenomenon of high wind

speed in the middle and low wind speed at the top, bottom and both sides, the diameter of the air inlet is increased

and the rectangular air flow distribution chamber is changed into a bell mouth air flow distribution chamber.[25], after

a large number of preliminary simulation results, we selected a strip-shaped air outlet with better uniformity and a

smaller air inlet diameter.133 mm,slope19.3° bell mouth air distribution chamber, the structural diagram is as shown
1.Inlet2.Split column 3.Bell mouth air distribution chamber4.Strip air outlet panel

1. Inlet 2. Shunt column 3. Flare air distribution room 4. Striped wind board
in the figure3ashown.
picture4 Optimized structure of air distribution room and velocity distribution of strip air outlet
According to the simulation results, the speed deviation ratio is calculated to be reduced to22.4%, the
Fig.4 Optimize structure of airflow distribution room and
velocity uneven coefficient is13.5%. According to the calculation results and the speed of the strip air outlet, velocity distribution of strip outlets
 No.5Expect Xie Yongkang et al.: Structural optimization and testing of radio frequency drying system based on heating uniformity 251

Use the equal area method to select each row of strip-shaped air outlets.6Compare the plate. The size of a single strip air outlet based on the above design (length×high) for 280mm×10mm,2

measured wind speed values at each point[26], the measuring points are as shown in the figure5As The distance between the strip air outlets is30 mm, in order to make the horizontal hot air take away the

shown,1~6represents the number of rows, 40~240Represents the position of each row of measurement moisture and central heat generated by the material in the center of the material tray, the height of the

points. By means of a hot-wire anemometer (Chemau, FranceVT100, resolution0.01 m/s)right1arrive6 left and right ribs of the material tray is designed to be lower than the height of the front and rear ribs,

row, each row6The wind speed is measured at equidistant measurement points and the simulation and the gap above the material in the material tray corresponds to the height of a single strip air

results are experimentally verified. The accuracy of the anemometer is0.01 m/s. During measurement, outlet ,for 10mm, its width is slightly smaller than the width of the strip air outlet, select the width as 250

the hot-wire anemometer anemometer is placed directly in front of the measurement point.0.01mat , mm, the height is2The distance between the strip air outlets. In order to minimize the loss of wind speed

select the air inlet velocity value as2.5and1.0m/sCompare the measured average speed with the in the length direction of the material tray, the speed value at the air outlet is0.5~

simulated average speed at each vertical position of each row and column. 2.5m/sUnder the conditions, an anemometer was used to measure the speed values of the left and right ends of different material

tray length directions. The statistical measurement results found that under different speed values, the speed of the left and right

ends of the material tray showed a trend of higher left and lower right, and as the air outlet speed increased, the The relative error at

both ends increases. by table2Data analysis shows that the velocity value of the strip air outlet2.5m/sUnder the conditions, when the

length of the material tray is long, the wind speed loss is large; when the length of the material tray is short, although the wind speed

loss is small, the material loading capacity is reduced accordingly. Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, the length of the

material tray is selected as350mm. In the designed layered material tray, the hot air passes through the upper part of the corn

seeds, resulting in low Reynolds number turbulent flow, and the material characteristics have little impact on the medium flow

characteristics. In the preliminary test, it was found that when there are no holes around the edges of the material tray, the

temperature around the material tray is higher; when holes are added at the corners, the temperature around the material tray

Note:1~6is the number of rows of air outlets,40~240is the distance from the measurement point to the left, indicating the
decreases. This is because the layered structure does not change the bending degree of the electromagnetic field at the edge, but

numerical position of the measurement point,mm.

the hot air flowing through and the increased pores at the corners of the material tray accelerate the heat and mass transfer effect at
Note: 1-6 is rows No., 40-240 is distance of measuring points to
the corners, thereby reducing the temperature at the corners. . The shape of the inner hole of the material tray is square, and the
left, presents the numerical position of measuring points, mm.
side length is4 mm.
picture5air velocity measurement point

Fig.5 Air flow velocity measurement point

The comparison between the measurement results and the simulation results is shown in the figure.6shown. The results
surface2Wind speed and range values on both sides of different tray lengths
show that the simulated values are basically consistent with the measured values.0.5~2.5m/sWithin the range, the relative error
Table 2 Air velocity and range on both sides of different tray length
range between the simulated value and the measured value is0.01%~5.60%.
Tray length Wind speed on the left side of the material tray Wind speed on the right side of the material tray Very poor

Length of Velocity of tray Velocity of tray Range

tray/(mm) left side/(ms-1) right side/(ms-1) /(ms-1)
300 2.50 2.40 0.10
350 2.50 2.28 0.22
400 2.50 2.15 0.35
450 2.50 2.00 0.50

2.3Design and production of real-time weighing device

Because metal materials reflect radio frequency energy, radio frequency2There should be no

metal material between the two plates. In addition, when the metal weighing sensor is close to the plate, it

is easily affected by the radio frequency field, resulting in inaccurate weighing. Therefore, the metal

weighing sensor is fixed below the lower plate20 cmon the base plate. However, the heating of the

material is2It is carried out between the plates and cannot be directly connected to the weighing sensor.

Therefore, through the lower plate (not in contact with the lower plate)4Two equal-height Teflon material

pillars connect the weighing sensor and the polypropylene material weighing tray, and the materials are

placed on the weighing tray. The structure and measuring range of the weighing sensor are determined

according to the structure of the plate under radio frequency and the maximum mass and weight of the

test material. choose4A commonly used cantilever weighing sensor[27], the measuring range of a single
picture6 Comparison of simulated and measured values of outlet velocity at different inlet wind speeds
sensor is6kg,4The maximum range of a sensor is24kg, the accuracy is0.05%, the weighing error range is0~
Fig.6 Comparison between simulated and calculated velocity
value under different inlet wind velocity 12g. Taking into account the actual material tray structure, size and electrode plate spacing, it has been

verified by experiments that the maximum processing capacity suitable for drying thin-layer materials is
2.2Design and production of feed trays
18kg. picture7Model and actual drawings of the weighing device.
Before the structure optimization of the radio frequency drying system, corn seeds were loaded in a single thick layer.

In the quantitative state, since the hot air direction is perpendicular to the upward direction of the material, the hot air flows

through the porous medium in the corn seeds, and its flow characteristics are greatly affected by the loading capacity of the corn
2.4Control System
The function of the control system is mainly to realize the internal temperature of the material and the ambient temperature
seeds and the characteristics of the material itself. Considering that the heat in the center of the sample tray to be dried needs to

be dissipated in time, this experiment designed a material that can be stacked in multiple layers.
and material quality monitoring. Control solid state through digital signal output from microcontroller
 252 Journal of Agricultural Engineering (http://www.tcsae.org) 2018Year

Relays to control heating tubes and centrifugal fans. The adjustment and control of wind speed is Heating uniformity comparison test before and after RF system optimization: for comparison

completed by a separate transformer regulator. The heating uniformity effect before and after radio frequency system optimization was carried out.2

Group comparison experiment. In the preliminary test, it was found that the appropriate matching of hot

air (wind temperature and wind speed values) and RF output power (related to the plate spacing) has a

significant effect on eliminating the RF drying energy enrichment area. When the target temperature and

wind temperature remain unchanged, To maintain good uniformity, there is a negative correlation

between the polar plate spacing and the wind speed. For example: when the polar plate spacing

decreases, the hot air wind speed must increase; when the polar plate spacing increases, the hot air wind

speed must decrease. Therefore, after pre-test, the designed comparative tests and conditions are as

follows: The design test before optimization is: Quality2kgCorn seeds are not placed in layers2In the

middle of each plate, at the distance between the plates180mm, cross flow hot air temperature40℃, wind

speed1.5 m/sHeating under conditions 30 minutes. The optimized design test is: quality2kgCorn seed
1.Lower plate2.Weighing sensor3.Teflon pillar4.base plate5.Weighing tray
points3 layer placed on2In the middle of each plate, at the distance between the plates180mm,
1.Bottom electrode 2. Weighting sensor 3. Teflon cylinder 4. Bottom board
5. Weighting tray downstream hot air temperature40℃, wind speed1.5 m/sHeating under conditions30 minutes. Repeat

picture7Automatic weighing device model and actual picture each set of tests3Take the average every time, and the corn seeds are heated each time30 minutesAfter

Fig.7 Model and physical diagram of automatic weighting device that, quickly inTi55Infrared thermal imaging camera (Fluke International Corporation, Utah, USA), take a

picture of its surface temperature, and then useSigmaPlot 12.5The data is processed to calculate the

3 Experimental verification
average temperature and uniformity coefficient of the material surface to verify whether the optimized

design of the radio frequency-hot air convection combined heating system structure and the shape of the
3.1Test materials and conditions
material tray solves the problem of heat and moisture diffusion in the center of large-load materials. The
The performance verification test uses corn seeds (Zheng Dan958) is the test material, its
radio frequency heating uniformity coefficient is an important parameter used to evaluate the uniformity
initial wet basis moisture content is29.21%±0.45%(drying method,130℃, 38 hours ±2 hours).
of radio frequency heating and has been widely used.[29-30]. Calculated as follows:
Change the mass to12kgThe experiment uses corn seeds placed in0~ 4Store in the refrigerator
2
at ℃, take it out before testing, and let it balance at room temperature.3 hours[28]. -21- -0
-- (4)
Uniformity test of wind temperature and speed at monitoring points: as shown in the figure8ashown1~7 ---0
Marking points are used to monitor the wind temperature and wind speed reaching the material tray, and the in the formulaα0andαRepresent the initial and final average temperatures of the material, respectively, in degrees Celsius; σ0andσ1

marking points not drawn are8Used to monitor the air temperature at the air outlet. In actual measurement,3Place represent the standard deviation of the initial and final material temperatures respectively,λThe smaller the value, the better the

the material tray in the middle of the lower plate as shown in the figure8bshown. Since the hot air direction is from radio frequency heating uniformity.

left to right, the monitoring point6,3and1Used to verify whether wind temperature and wind speed appear in the Weighing test: The installation of the automatic weighing device must first not affect the radio frequency

horizontal direction, with the phenomenon of high left and low right; monitoring points5,3and7used to verify 3Is By using the automatic weighing device, observe the changes in the anode current on the RF panel

there any difference in wind temperature and wind speed in the vertical direction at the center of each material under different plate spacing and2Is there any sparking phenomenon between the two plates to verify

tray? Click1~4 and6Used to verify whether there are differences in temperature at different locations on the same whether the automatic weighing device has any impact on radio frequency? Place the standard weight

horizontal plane. The wind speed at each monitoring point adoptsVT100Hot-wire anemometer (France Kaimo on the weighing tray and read the mass of the standard weight under the conditions of no hot air and

Company, resolution0.01 m/s)Measurement3The average value is taken; the temperature of each monitoring point hot air. To verify whether the hot air has any influence on the weighing results.

isFOT-Ltype fiber optic temperature sensor (CanadaFISOcompany) monitoring15 minutes. Data adoptionSPSS19.0 3.2results and analysis

Perform significance analysis. 3.2.1 Analysis of uniformity of wind speed and temperature at monitoring points

As shown in the table3, according to the wind measuring point1,3,6The wind speed, range value and significance can be

known: in the horizontal direction, the wind measuring point at the rightmost end of the material tray1and wind measuring points3,

wind measuring point6There is a significant difference between the wind speed values. This is because the material tray has a certain

length and there will be a certain flow loss in the length direction. However, judging from the extreme difference values, the wind

speed can meet the test requirements. by wind measuring point3,5, 7The analysis of wind speed values and their significance shows

that in the vertical direction, the wind speed is evenly distributed, and the difference between the speed values at the wind

measurement points is not significant.

surface3Wind speed and range values at each wind speed monitoring point

Table 3 Air velocity and range of monitoring points ms-1

Set wind speed Monitoring point wind speedVelocity of monitoring point
Very poor
Setting air
velocity 7 6 5 3 1 Range

1.0 0.98a 1.01a 1a 0.97a 0.88b 0.13

Note: in the picture1-7is the monitoring point, and the other numbers are the size of the material tray.mm.

Note:1-7 means monitoring point, other figures mean tray size, mm. 2.0 1.99a 2.1a 2a 1.98a 1.90b 0.20
2.5 2.48a 2.47a 2.5a 2.42a 2.25b 0.25
picture8Wind temperature and wind speed monitoring point layout and physical map
Note: Different lowercase letters in the same row indicate significant differences in the speed values of different
Fig.8 Monitoring point location diagram and physical wind measurement points (P<0.05). Note: Different lower case letters in same line indicate significant difference
monitoring diagram of air velocity and temperature within each velocity values (P<0.05).
 No.5Expect Xie Yongkang et al.: Structural optimization and testing of radio frequency drying system based on heating uniformity 253

Uneven distribution of wind speed will lead to uneven distribution of wind temperature. Depend on Observe the control panel under the plate spacing with and without the automatic weighing device.Iavalue, from the

picture9It can be seen that the temperature measurement point1~4and6Indicates the temperature value of the table5It can be seen from the dataIaThe value of does not change by more than0.01A, so installing an automatic

same material tray horizontal surface, the temperature value is42℃±1.5℃, therefore, there is no phenomenon of weighing device will not affect radio frequency heating. The overall accuracy of the weighing device used in this study

high temperature on the left and low on the right. Temperature measuring point5,3and7Respectively represent is0.05%Within, the measuring range is24kg, the error range is0~12g. Use this automatic weighing device to weigh

upper, middle and lower3The temperature at the center point of each material tray is42℃±1.5℃, therefore,3The standard weights with or without hot air. The standard values and test values are as shown in the table6As shown,2

temperature difference between the layers is also very small. Temperature measuring point8Indicates the The deviation between the test quality value and the standard quality value under these conditions is1~10g. With and

temperature of the air outlet, the temperature is44℃ fluctuates up and down. Both horizontal and vertical without hot air, the deviation between the test quality values is1~4g, indicating that the impact of hot air on the

weighing results of the automatic weighing device is less than the basic error of the instrument. By setting the
directions meet the test requirements for uniform temperature distribution.

correction coefficient to correct the test mass value of the weighing instrument, the deviation between the test value

and the standard value under hot air conditions can be reduced to1~5 g, the overall accuracy of the automatic

weighing device can be improved to0.02%. This automatic weighing device has a larger measuring range. It can also

be seen from the data in the table that the greater the material mass, the more accurate the weighing. It is

recommended that the material mass be greater than1 000g.

surface5Effect of presence or absence of weighing device on current parameters of RF panel

Table 5 Influence of weighing device on RF

panel current parameters

Plate spacing anode currentAnode currentIa/A

picture9 Temperature curves of each air temperature monitoring point
Electrode
gap/mm No weighing sensor With weighing sensor
Fig.9 Temperature profile of each wind
temperature monitoring point 120 0.33 0.33
130 0.33 0.33
3.2.2 Heating uniformity analysis 140 0.33 0.32
by table4It can be seen from the data in that before structural optimization, the temperature 150 0.33 0.33
difference between the corn seed layers reaches3.5℃, the maximum uniformity coefficient is0.237, the 160 0.33 0.32
average temperature of the upper material is lower. This is because the cross-flow hot air loses more air 170 0.33 0.32
flow in the hot air flow direction. The upper material lacks hot air insulation, and the surface heat is 180 0.33 0.32
quickly lost to the air. The average temperature of the middle material is higher. This is because Hot air

surface6 The measurement value of the weighing sensor with or without hot air and
rarely penetrates the thickly loaded materials, and the heat cannot be dissipated. After optimization, the
Measured value and maximum deviation value after correction
temperature difference between the corn seed layers is2Within ℃, the maximum uniformity coefficient
Table 6 Measurements of weighing sensor under having or
is0.091, the uniformity index improves61.6%. Therefore, under the appropriate matching parameters of
having not hot air and measured values after correction
hot air and radio frequency, using radio frequency drying combined with hot air convection technology, as well as maximum deviation value g
and stacking multi-layer material trays containing thin layers of materials together, leaving an
standard quality
Test qualityTest quality maximum deviation

appropriate gap in the middle, can solve the problem of thermal offset problems and corner effect Standard quality Maximum deviation
No hot air, hot air after correction
problems, thereby improving the uniformity of RF heating.
500 490 491 495 5
1 000 1 006 1 003 1002 2
surface4Temperature and uniformity coefficient (average value) of the material surface before and after optimization±standard deviation)
1 500 1 505 1 501 1501 1
Table 4 Temperature and uniformity index of material surface
2 000 2 006 2 005 2003 3
before and after optimization (average ± standard deviation)
2 500 2 503 2 501 2501 1
Average temperature and standard deviation
Heating uniformity coefficient
Average temperature 3 000 3 002 3 001 3001 1
Material location
Heating uniformity index (λ)
Material location and standard deviation/(℃)
3 500 3 500 3 498 3499 1
Before optimization Optimized Before optimization Optimized

upper layerTop layer 39.0±1.27 39.5±1.09 0.196±0.004 0.075±0.002

4 Conclusion
middle levelMiddle layer 42.5±1.65 40.3±1.40 0.237±0.006 0.091±0.004

lower levelBottom layer 41.6±1.15 41.5±1.05 0.185±0.004 0.068±0.003 This article optimizes the structure of the radio frequency drying system. The optimized system is composed of thermal

It consists of air convection heating device, charging device and weighing device.

3.2.3 Real-time weighing analysis 1) Changing the airflow distribution chamber to a bell mouth shape and adding a splitting cylinder

The radiofrequency heating system used in this study was developed by the British Strayfield can improve the uniformity of the strip air outlet. The velocity deviation ratio of the air outlet monitoring

InternationalProduced by the companyCOMBI 6-Stype equipment with a power of 6kW, the point is from31%reduced to10.5%, the velocity uneven coefficient is from19%reduced to7.6%. The relative

frequency is27.12MHz, its instruction manual indicates that the anode current under the same error range between the wind speed calculation results and the simulation results is0.01%~ 5.60%.

plate spacingIaIf the change is greater than0.01AIt means there is material loaded between the

plates or there are other signals that affect the radio frequency heating. at different poles 2) below the lower plate20 cmInstall an automatic weighing device with its anode
 254 Journal of Agricultural Engineering (http://www.tcsae.org) 2018Year

The current change value does not exceed0.01A, the installation location will not affect radio frequency heating. With Research[D].Yangling: Northwest A&F University,2016.
Wang Kun. Model Validation and Distribution Uniformity on
or without hot air2The deviation between the test quality value and the standard quality value under these conditions
Top Electrode Voltage of Radio Frequency Heating
is 1~10g;The deviation between the test quality values is1~4g, indicating that the impact of hot air on the weighing
Systems[D]. Yangling: Northwest Agriculture & Forestry
results of the automatic weighing device is less than the basic error of the instrument. Under the downstream hot air, University,2016. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[13]Xiao Hongwei, Zhang Shixiang, Bai Junwen, et al. Gas jet impact drying
by setting the correction coefficient to correct the test quality value of the weighing instrument, the deviation between
characteristics of apricots [J].Journal of Agricultural Engineering,
the test value and the standard value can be reduced to1~5g, the overall accuracy of the automatic weighing device
2010,26(7):318-323. Xiao Hongwei, Zhang Shixiang, Bai Junwen, et
can be improved to0.02%. The maximum range of the weighing device is 24kg, the maximum processing capacity of al. Air impingement drying characteristics of apricot[J]. Transactions

thin-layer materials after stratification in each test is18kg, within the maximum processing capacity range, the larger
of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 2010, 26(7): 318-
323. (in Chinese with English abstract)
the weighing mass, the more accurate the weighing. It is recommended that the material mass is greater than1 000g.
[14]Zhang Li. Research on radio frequency hot air combined drying technology of red dates[D].Yangling:

Northwest A&F University,2010.

3) In the optimized RF system, the temperature difference between the material layers is2Within ℃, the Zhang Li. Study on the Combined Radio Frequency & Hot
Air Drying of Chinese Date[D]. Yangling: Northwest
uniformity coefficient is0.091, improved compared with before optimization61.6%. Therefore, under the appropriate
Agriculture & Forestry University, 2010. (in Chinese with
matching parameters of hot air and radio frequency, radio frequency drying technology is combined with hot air English abstract)
convection technology. At the same time, by stacking multi-layer material trays of thin-layer materials together and [15]Wang Yunyang. Research on radio frequency drying technology of macadamia nuts[D].Yangling: Northwest A&F

University,2012.
leaving appropriate gaps in the middle, the problem caused by thermal deviation is solved. Uneven RF heating
Wang Yunyang. Study on Radio Frequency Drying Protocol of
problems caused by shift and corner effects.
Macadamia Nuts[D]. Yangling: Northwest Agriculture & Forestry
University,2012. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[references] [16]Ju Haoyu. Design and test of hot air drying device based on temperature and humidity

[1] Zhang P, Zhu H, Wang S. Experimental evaluations of radio control[D].Beijing: China Agricultural University,2016.

frequency heating in low-moisture agricultural products[J]. Ju Haoyu. The Design and Experiment of Hot Air Drying
Emirates Journal of Food & Agriculture, 2015, 27(9): 662- Technology Based on Being Controlled Temperature and
668. Humidity[D]. Beijing: China Agricultural University, 2016. (in
[2]Liu Yanhong, Yang Baoling, Mao Zhihuai. Application of radio frequency Chinese with English abstract)
technology in agricultural products and food processing[J].Journal of [17]Dong Haojie, Su Jianyong, Wang Xiaodong. Automatic lifting material device for microwave

Agricultural Machinery,2010(8):115-120. Liu Yanhong, Yang Baoling, Mao drying equipment[P].China Patent:201220692694.6,2013-07-10.

Zhihuai. Radio frequency Technology and its application in agricultural
product and food processing[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society for
Agricultural Machinery, 2010(8): 115-120. (in Chinese with English
abstract)
[3] Liu Y, Tang J, Mao Z, et al. Analysis of bread loss factor
[18] Zheng A, Zhang B, Zhou L, et al. Application of radio
frequency pasteurization to corn (Zea mays L.): Heating
uniformity improvement and quality stability evaluation[J].
Journal of Stored Products Research, 2016. 68: 63-72.
[19]Chen Yue, Zhao Gaohui, Zhong Liangwei, etc. Based onSolidWorks Flow Simulation

using modified Debye equations[J]. Journal of Food Heat exchanger flow field simulation analysis and optimization[J].software

Engineering, 2009. 93(4): 453-459. guide, 2017,16(3):11-14.

[4]Deng Yun, Wang Zhuyi, Zhong Yu, et al. Radio frequency technology Chen Yue, Zhao Gaohui, Zhong Liangwei, et al. Flow field
and its application in low water activity foods[J].food and machinery, analysis and optimization of heat exchanger based on
2013(3):250-253. Deng Yun, Wang Zhuyi, Zhong Yu, et al. Radio SolidWorks flow simulation[J]. Software Guide, 2017. 16(3):
frequency heating technology and its application in food with low 11-14. (in Chinese with English abstract)
water activity[J]. Food and machinery, 2013(3): 250-253. (in Chinese [20]Zhao Jiangtao. Based onFlow SimulationHydraulic component fluid simulation [J].

with English abstract) coal mining machinery,2016(5):194-196.

[5] Zhao Y, Flugstad B, Kolbe E, et al. Using capacitive (radio Zhao Jiangtao. Hydraulic Valve Fluid Simulation Based on
frequency) dielectric heating in food processing and Flow Simulation[J]. Coal Mine Machinery, 2016(5): 194-
preservation-a review[J]. Journal of Food Process 196. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Engineering, 2010, 23(1): 25-55. [twenty one]Guo Bin. Based onSolidWorksImproved design of exhaust box structure for fluid simulation

[6] Tang J, Chan TVC T. Microwave and radio frequency in [J].Technological innovation and productivity,2014(6):92-93.

sterilization and pasteurization applications[M]// Yanniotis Guo Bin. Improved Design of Fume Cupboard Structure of
S, Sundn B. Heat Transfer in Food Processing. Flow Simulation Based on SolidWorks[J]. Science and
Southampton: WIT Press, 2007: 102-157. Technology Innovation and Productivity, 2014(6): 92-93. (in
[7] Orfeuil M. Electric process heating[M]. Columbus: Battelle Chinese with English abstract)
Press, 1987: 519-573. [twenty two]Dai Jianwu, Xiao Hongwei, Bai Junwen, et al. Flow field simulation and structural

[8] Barber H. Electroheat[M]. London: Granada Publishing optimization of the air distribution chamber of gas jet impingement dryer [J].Journal of

Limited, 1983: 226-278. Agricultural Engineering,2013. 29(3):69-76.

[9] Tang J, Wang Y, Chan TVC T. Radio-frequency heating in Dai Jianwu, Xiao Hongwei, Bai Junwen, et al. Numerical
food processing[A]// Barbosa-Canovas GV, TapiaMS, simulation and optimum design on airflow distribution
CanoMP. Novel food processing technologies[C]. NEW chamber of air-impingement jet dryer[J]. Transactions of the
York CRC, 2005: 501-524. Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 2013, 29(3): 69
[10] Birla SL, Wang S, Tang J, et al. Improving heating - 76. (in Chinese with English abstract)
uniformity of fresh fruit in radio frequency treatments [twenty three]Lei Xianliang, Li Huixiong, Zhang Qing, et al. Adjustment performance and optimal design of flue gas

for pest control[J]. Postharvest Biology & Technology, adjustment screen in boiler steering chamber [J].Journal of Huazhong Science and Technology,2011,39(10):

2004. 33(2): 205-217. 128-132.

[11]Zhu Wenxue. Principles and techniques of food drying[M].Beijing: Science Press, Lei Xianliang, Li Huixiong, Zhang Qing, et al. Regulation
2009. performance and optimal design of the gas adjust-screen in
[12]Wang Kun. Model verification and distribution uniformity of plate voltage on radio frequency heating system
boiler steering rooms[J]. Journal of Huazhong University of
 No.5Expect Xie Yongkang et al.: Structural optimization and testing of radio frequency drying system based on heating uniformity 255

Science and Technology, 2011, 39(10): 128-132. (in Detector design and testing[J].Journal of Agricultural Machinery,2013,44(5):188
Chinese with English abstract) - 193.
[twenty four]Wang Qinghui. Design and test of walnut hot air drying device[D].Beijing: China Agricultural Guo Wenchuan, Zhao Zhixiang, Yang Chenchen. Moisture
University,2015. meter for coarse cereals based on dielectric properties[J].
Wang Qinghui. The Design and Experiment of Hot-Air Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural
Equipment for Walnut[D]. Beijing: China Agricultural Machinery, 2013. 44(5): 188-193. (in Chinese with English
University, 2015. (in Chinese with English abstract) abstract)
[25]Tian Songtao, Gao Zhenjiang. Based onFluentImproved design of gas [28]Jia Honglei, Cai Sensen, Xu Yanyang, et al. Research on optimization of
jet impact oven air distribution chamber [J].modern food technology, corn hot air and microwave combined drying process[J].food
2009,25(6):612-616. Tian Songtao, Gao Zhenjiang. Improved design research and development,2011(07):61-64. Jia Honglei, Cai Sensen,
of airflow distribution chamber in air-impingement oven based on Xu Yanyang, et al. Studies on process optimization of maize
fluent[J]. Modern Food Science and Technology, 2009. 25(6): 612-616. dehydrated by a combination of hot-air and microwave drying[J].
(in Chinese with English abstract) Food Research and Development, 2011(07): 61-64. (in Chinese with
[26]Ju Haoyu, Xiao Hongwei, Fang Xiaoming, et al. Design and test of vacuum-steam pulsation blanching English abstract)
machine for fruits and vegetables [J].Journal of Agricultural Engineering,2015,31(12):000230 [29] Jiao S, Johnson JA, Tang J, et al. Tolerance of codling
- 238. moth, and apple quality associated with low pressure/
Ju Haoyu, Xiao Hongwei, Fang Xiaoming, et al. Design and low temperature treatments[J]. Postharvest Biology &
experiment of vacuum-steam pulsed blancher for fruits and Technology, 2013. 85(11): 136-140.
vegetables[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of [30] Wang S, Tang J, Johnson JA, et al. Heating uniformity and
Agricultural Engineering, 2015. 31(12): 000230-238. (in differential heating of insects in almonds associated with
Chinese with English abstract) radio frequency energy[J]. Journal of Stored Products
[27]Guo Wenchuan, Zhao Zhixiang, Yang Chenchen. Moisture content of small grains based on dielectric properties Research, 2013.55(4):15-20.

Structure optimization and experiment of radio frequency

dryer based on heating uniformity

Xie Yongkang, Lin Yawen, Zhu Guangfei, Yu Xianlong, Xue Lingyang, Gao Zhenjiang, Liu Yanhong※
(College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing100083,China)

Abstract:Drying of agricultural products immediately after harvest is critical to preserve their quality and prevent mildew
deterioration. Fresh agricultural products must be dried to the required moisture content level for long-time storage in an
ambient environment. Considering its great penetration depth and volumetric heating advantages, radio frequency (RF)
technology can be used in agricultural products drying for its high efficiency, quick speed and high quality. However, the
heating non-uniformity caused by the edge or corner effect and the thermal runaway heating restrict its industrial applications.
Therefore, the structure of RF system need to be optimized. In order to solve the problems of non-uniform heating during RF
drying caused by internal heat and moisture accumulation due to large material thickness and caused by the edge or corner
effect due to bending electric field lines, a convective hot air heating device and a charging device were designed. The
convective hot air heating device was composed of heat source supplying system, hot air velocity and temperature control
system and air distribution room. The charging device was composed of many trays. weighing system, which was composed of
weighing sensor, weighing trays and supporting pillars, was also designed in order to realize real-time weighing during drying
process. The air distribution performance, inlet diameter, size and shape of shunt cylinder were simulated using computational
fluid dynamics software named Flow Simulation. When changing shape of the air distribution room to trumpet with tilt angle of
19.3° as well as length of 500 mm and adding 3 shunt cylinders with diameter of 20 mm, the air distribution uniformity could be
improved, with the velocity deviation ratio decreasing from 31% to 10.5% and the velocity non-uniformity index decreasing from
19% to 7.6%. The result showed that the velocity magnitude of simulation seemed to be basically equal to the velocity
magnitude of measurement. Taking corn seeds as an example, the optimized performance verification tests were carried out.
Installation location of automatic weighing device would not affect the RF heating; hot air would not affect the weighing quality,
and weighing relative deviation was within the deviation range. The deviation range is 1~ 5 g with a maximum range of 24 kg.
The maximum capacity of flake or granular material treated is 18 kg. In the maximum range, if the weighing quality was larger,
the weighing was more accurate. The drying conditions were electrode gap of 180 mm , hot air temperature of 40℃,and hot air
velocity of 1.5 m/s. After RF heating for 30 min, the corn seeds were immediately removed out of the cavity. The surface
temperatures of 3 layers of corn seeds were sequentially measured using an infrared camera. The result showed that thermal
runaway heating phenomenon and edge or corner effect phenomenon were not observed for corn seeds during RF drying
process with auxiliary convective hot air heating device and layered loading of corn seeds under the suitable matching
parameters of hot air and RF. The study avoids the influence of outside temperature and humidity in the drying process and
reduces the drying time by 10%. The results can provide a reference for improving the uniformity of RF heating.

Keywords:drying; structural optimization; radio frequency(RF); convective hot air heating; layered loading of material; automatic
weighing