Thin-Layer Drying of Flax Fiber: III. Influence of Layer Thickness on Drying Parameters

Abstract

Wet flax fiber was dried after rinsing at four layer thicknesses of 5, 10, 15, and 20 mm using four drying air temperatures of 30, 50, 70, and 100°C. The coefficients of diffusion of flax fiber at different drying conditions were estimated using a three-term series solution of Fick's second law of diffusion. The Page model was used to model the drying characteristic curves. The estimated coefficient of diffusion of the flax fiber and the drying constant of the Page model were both linearly proportional to drying air temperature and increased exponentially with the thickness of the drying layer.

Keywords:

• Flax fiber
• Page model
• Thickness
• Thin-layer drying