99

DRYER PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

HYGROSCOPIC MATERIALS
- are those substances which are particularly variable in the moisture content which
they can possess at different surrounding air conditions. Most of the organic
materials, such as wood, leather, foodstuff, paper, tobacco, textiles, and hair are
quite hygroscopic.
- are substances that can contain bound moisture and is variable in moisture content
which they possess at different times.

BONE-DRY WEIGHT, BDW or DRY BONE WEIGHT

- is the final constant weight reached by a hygroscopic substance after being dried
out.
- it is the weight of the product and the weight if moisture.

REGAIN
– is the hygroscopic moisture content of a substance expressed as a percentage of
the bone-dry-weight of the material.

MOISTURE CONTENT
- usually expressed as a percentage of the gross weight of the body, and may refer
to both hygroscopic and purely surface moisture.

1.0 Wet Basis – the moisture content of the product in percent of the gross weight.
2.0 Dry Basis or Regain – the moisture content of the product in percent of the bone
dry weight

Weight of moisture
 Regain=  Dry basis
Gross weight

Weight of moisture
 Moisture Content=  Wet basis
Gross weight

Gross weight = Bone-dry-weight + weight of moisture

Basic Information:
1.0 Dryer capacity is always referred with the product (P) and not the feed (F)
unless otherwise specified.
2.0 The ideal dryer is always an adiabatic dryer and follows an adiabatic saturation
process.
3.0 Bone dry mass of the feed is constant.

Design Conditions Required:

1.0 To solve for the amount of air required

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
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Typical Layout of Drying a Product:

Moisture Removed from materials = Moisture absorbed by air

= ma W3 - W2 
= m4  m5

Bone dry weight of feed = Bone dry weight of dried product

Bd w 4 = Bd w5

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
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Heat supplied in heater  ma  h2 - h1 

Heat absorbed by materials

Efficiency of dryer =
Heat supplied

Moisture (dry basis) of Hygroscopic Materials, %

Moisture expressed as Regain, percent of the dry weight of the material
Per Cent Relative Humidity
Material Description
40 50 60 70 80
Bread White 4.50 6.20 8.80 11.10 14.50
Flour 6.50 8.00 9.90 12.40 15.40
Leather Oak Tanned 13.60 16.00 18.30 20.60 24.00
Paper Newsprint, wood pulp 4.70 5.30 6.10 7.20 24.00
Paper White bond, rag 5.50 6.50 7.50 8.80 10.80
Rubber Solid tire 0.44 0.54 0.66 0.76 0.88
Tobacco Cigarette 13.30 16.00 19.50 25.00 33.50
Wood Timber (average) 7.60 9.30 11.30 14.00 17.50
Activated
Steam activated 26.20 28.30 29.20 30.00 31.10
Charcoal
Domestic coke 0.81 1.03 1.24 1.46 1.67
Silica gel 15.20 17.20 18.80 20.20 21.50
Cotton Absorbent 15.70 18.50 20.80 22.80 24.30
Cotton Cloth 5.20 5.90 6.80 8.10 10.00
Cotton Raw fibers 5.50 6.60 7.90 9.50 11.50
Hemp Manila and sisal-rope 7.20 8.50 9.90 11.60 13.60
Linen Table cloth 4.30 5.10 6.10 7.00 8.40
Rayon Fibre 1.90 2.40 3.00 3.60 4.30
Silk Skein 8.00 8.90 10.20 11.90 14.30
Wool Skein 10.80 12.80 14.90 17.20 19.90

Sample Solved Problems:

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
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Problem 1:
A dryer is to deliver 1,000 kg/hr of cassava with 2% moisture and 20%
moisture in the feed. Determine the mass of air required if the change in
humidity ratio is 0.0165.

Required:
The mass of air required if the change in humidity ratio is 0.0165

Solution:
From the bone-dry material balance,

M BD1  M BD 2
m1 1  MC1   m2 1  MC2 
m2 1  MC2  1, 000 1  0.02 
m1  
1  MC1  1  0.20

m1  1, 225 kg
hr
For the moisture removed,

M v  m1  m2
M v  1, 225  1, 000  225 kg
hr
For the mass flow rate of air required,

kg
M v 225 hr
ma    13, 636.36 kg
W 0.0165 hr

Problem 2:
A dryer is to be designed to reduce the moisture content of copra from
52% to 6%. Atmospheric air at 31oC DB and 24oC WB (h1=72.0 kJ/kg d.a.,
W1=0.0161
Module kg/kg
II DRYERS d.a.)
AND is heated
DRYING by steam coils to 88oC before
PROCESSES entering
THELMA T. OBILLO, PME
the dryer. Steam enters the re-heater at a pressure ofFaculty,
135.0 kPaa and Engineering
Mechanical
95% quality (h6=2577.08 kJ/kg, h7=hf6=453.83 kJ/kg). The air leaves at
40oC (Pd3=7.384 kPaa) with a relative humidity of 80%. Copra enters the
dryer at the rate of 1.30 kg/s. Determine:
 103

Solution:

a. For the mass flow rate of air, consider the dryer:

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
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By mass balance:

ma  maW2  m4  ma  maW3  m5
maW2  m4  maW3  m5
ma W3  W2   m4  m5
m4  m5
ma       Equation1
W3  W2

Solving for the bone-dry weight of the copra:

Gross weight = Bone-dry weight + weight of moisture

m4  BDW  0.52m4
BDW  m4  0.52m4  m4 1  0.52   0.48m4
BDW  0.48 1.3 kg s 
BDW  0.624 kg s

Solving for the gross weight of copra entering,

m5  BDW  0.06m5
BDW  m5 1  0.06   0.94m5
BDW 0.624 kg s
m5  
0.94 0.94
BDW  0.664 kg s

Therefore, from equation 1,

m4  m5 1.30  0.664
ma    28.39 kg
W3  W2 0.0385  0.0161 s

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
 105

b. For the mass flow rate of steam, consider the heating chamber,

At point 2:

88oC DB and W2=W1=0.0161 kg/kg d.a.

h2  1.007t2  0.026  W2  2501  1.84t2 

h2  1.007  88   0.026   0.0161 2501  1.84 88  
h2  131.41 kJ
kgd .a.

At point 3:

40oC DB and 80%RH,

Pv 3  RH  Pd 3   0.80  7.384   5.9072kPaa

 Pv 3   5.9072 
W3  0.622    0.622  
 Pt  Pv 3   101.325  5.9072 
W3  0.0385 kg
kgd .a.

h3  1.007t3  0.026  W3  2501  1.84t3 

h3  1.007  40   0.026   0.0385  2501  1.84  40  
h3  139.376 kJ
kgd .a.

By energy balance,

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
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ms  h7  h8   ma  h2  h1 

ma  h2  h1  28.39 s 131.41  72  kgd .a.

kg kJ
m6  
h6  h7  2577.08  453.83 kJ kgd .a.
m6  0.794 kg
s

Problem 3:
A dryer is to deliver 1000 kg/hr of palay with a final moisture content of
10%. The initial moisture content in the feed is 15% at atmospheric
condition with 32oC dry bulb and 21oC wet bulb. The dryer is maintained at
45oC while the relative humidity of the hot humid air from the dryer is 80%.
If the steam pressure supplied to the heater is 2 MPa, determine the air
supplied to the dryer in m3/hr.

Solution:

Amount of moisture removed = Amount of moisture absorbed

Let: m = amount of palay in wet feed

Solid in wet feed = Solid in dried product

0.85 m = 0.90 (1000 kg/hr)
m = 1,058.83 kg/hr
Amount of moisture removed:
m = 1,058.83 kg/hr - 1000 kg/hr
m=58.28 kg/hr
from psychometric chart:
W1 = W2 = 0.0111 kg/kg; v2=0.915 m3/kg
W3 = 0.0515 kg/kg

Then,
the amount of moisture absorbed:
= ma (W3 – W2)
58.28 kg/hr = ma (0.0515 – 0.0111)
ma = 1456.015 kg/hr
va = 1456.015 kg/hr (0.915 m3/kg)

thus,
va = 1332.25 m3/hr

 LEARNING ACTIVITY (Dryers)

Name:_____________________________

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering
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Yr. & Section:_______________________

Problem Set: Solve the following problems. Sketch and label the schematic
and psychrometric diagrams for each problem.

1. Copra enters a dryer, containing 60% water and 40% solids, and leaves
with 5% water and 95% solids. Find the mass of water removed from each:
a. Kilogram of original product
b. Kilogram of final product
c. Kilogram of bone-dry material

2. A tower-type moisture dyer is to deliver 1,000 kg/hr of cassava flour with

2% residual moisture of 20% in the feed. The air to be heated in the
heating chamber is a mixture of fresh air at 33oC DB and 60% RH and hot
humid air from the dryer at 49 oC and 60% RH. The air mixture at 38oC DB
and 65% RH is heated by a steam coil to 93oC. The dryer is properly
insulated so that moisture absorption can be considered adiabatic.
Compute the:
a. Required flow of heated air mixture to dryer;
b. Capacity of forced draft fan on dryer;
c. Heat in kcal/hr for heating the air mixture in the heating
chamber; and
d. Percentage by weight of fresh air in the mixture.

3. Tobacco in a warehouse, held at 30OC and 40 per cent relative humidity,

is placed in a room at 32OC and 70 per cent relative humidity preparatory
of being worked on. For each 50 kg of tobacco moved from the
warehouse, what is the bone dry weight? What is the actual weight of this
quantity of tobacco after staying in the working room?

4. Wet material containing 215% moisture (dry basis) is to be dried at the

rate of 1.5 kgs in a continuous dryer to give a product containing 5%
moisture (wet basis). The drying medium consists of air heated to 373 K
and contains water vapor with a partial pressure of 1.40 kPaa. The air
leaves the dryer at 310 K and 70% RH. Calculate how much air will be
required to remove the moisture.

5. Eight hundred kg of dry air per hour is saturated at 46oC, then heated to
106oC, passed through an adiabatic dryer and discharged at 61 oC.
Determine the following:
a. total kilogram of water in air before heating, per hour
b. final kilogram of water in air when discharged, per hour
c. water evaporated from material in the dryer, per hour
d. relative humidity of air leaving the dryer
e. dew point of air leaving the dryer
f. percentage of saturation of air leaving the dryer
g. number of cu m of air per second before dryer

 MODULE SUMMARY

Module II DRYERS AND DRYING PROCESSES THELMA T. OBILLO, PME

Faculty, Mechanical Engineering