Chapter 10: Developing and Using Mathematical Drying Models

Some readers may prefer to obtain a deeper understanding of how their products are drying rather than simply placing fresh material in the dryer and removing it when the drying is completed. This is where mathematical modelling can provide the desired insight. By monitoring the weight of a product sample during the drying process, a relationship between weight loss due to water removal and drying time under specific conditions can be established. Knowing the initial moisture of the material (or having a good estimate of it) will allow for the determination of the drying kinetics, which is how the moisture content changes during drying. From this, using a computer spreadsheet program, a mathematical equation can be found that will effectively provide a model that can be used as a predictive tool for the drying of that material. This chapter tends to have a significant mathematical component. However, every attempt has been made to reduce its level of complexity.