Optimization of Drying–Tempering Periods in a Paddy Rice Dryer

Abstract

Intermittent drying is a process in which the drying and tempering stages are performed sequentially. This process has been carried out using different strategies. In this research, the goal was focused on the calculation of the time required for each stage and the appropriate conditions. In order to accomplish such an objective, a model was established to study the governing phenomenon by considering all parameters affecting the performance of the drying process. This model comprises two submodels, namely, macroscopic and microscopic. These two submodels are coupled to each other for use in the optimization problem that defines the total drying time as the cost function and the drying–tempering conditions as the constraints. Different aspects of the optimization results, for example, the effect of the number of intervals and fulfilling of the constraints, are presented.

Keywords:

• Drying
• Modeling
• Optimization
• Paddy rice
• Tempering

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Financial support from the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization (IFCO) is acknowledged.

Notes

This article was part of the 17th International Drying Symposium (IDS2010), held October 3–6, 2010, in Magdeburg, Germany. Other articles from IDS2010 were published in special issues of Drying Technology, 29(13) and 29(16).