Abstract

The aim of this work was to simulate in 1D, the spatio-temporal evolution of the moisture content, the temperature and the mechanical stress within a highly deformable and saturated product during convective drying. The hydro-thermal model, written in a fixed coordinate system, consisted of solid mass balance equation, moisture transfer diffusion/advection equation and heat transfer conduction/advection equation. These equations were coupled by the solid phase velocity terms due to hydric shrinkage. Convective boundary conditions completed this set of equations. The hydro-thermal model had been merged with a static mechanical model which was based on the hypothesis of an elastic behavior, of a plane deformation and of an ideal shrinkage. The hydro-thermo-mechanical model had been applied to a parallelepipedical potato sample. Its thickness was small compared to the other dimensions, in order to observe an unidirectional drying and a negligible shear stress case. The transport and equilibrium properties of the product required for the modelling were determined from previous experiments which were independent of the drying trials.

Recommended Citation

Hassini, Lamine; Peczalski, Roman; Azzouz, Soufien; and Belghith, Ali (2009) "Hydro-Thermo-Mechanical Model for Highly Deformable Product during Convective Drying," Chemical Product and Process Modeling: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1, Article 26.
DOI: 10.2202/1934-2659.1258
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/cppm/vol4/iss1/26