Drying of Potato Slices in a Pulsed Fluidized Bed

Abstract

This article presents experimental and modeled drying kinetics of potato slices of the Desiree variety (9 × 9 × 3 mm³) in a pulsed fluid bed as a function of the air velocity, air temperature, and rotating disk velocity of the pulse generator. A statistical multifactor experimental design (2³) was applied to analyze the drying process with two levels each of drying temperature, air velocity, and rotating disk velocity. The results showed that the significant factors were air temperature, air velocity, rotating disk velocity, and the binary interactions of air velocity with both the temperature and the rotating disk velocity. The simplified variable diffusivity model (SVDM) gave the least deviation for the experimental data. The effective diffusivity values determined in this work are similar to those reported in the literature.

Keywords:

• Diffusivity
• Drying kinetics
• Modeling
• Pulsed fluidized bed

The authors are grateful for the financial support of project FONDECYT #1040090.

Notes

(− 1) represents the lower level of codified variable;

^a Experimental design

(+ 1) represents the upper level of codified variable 1;

^b Experimental design 2 (duplicated test).

^a Experimental design 1.

^b Experimental design 2 (duplicated test).

T_w: Wet bulb temperature;

X_c: critical moisture content;

t_c: critical time.

SCDM: Simplified constant diffusivity model; SVDM: simplified variable diffusivity model; CDM: constant diffusivity model; VDM: variable diffusivity model.

∗Mean value of each experiment.