Investigating the influence of the belt IR dryer regime parameters on kinetics of carrot drying process

Introduction. In the process of convective drying, there is a contradiction between drying speed and energy efficiency. One of the solutions to this contradiction is the use of targeted energy supply to the product. The method of targeted energy supply is the use of electromagnetic radiation in the drying process. Aim of the Article. The study was aimed at obtaining the coefficients of a logarithmic model for calculating the performance of a belt IR dryer for drying carrots. Materials and Methods. There were studied a modular belt IR dryer with the ability to control the speed of the belt and the power of the emitters. To describe the process, there were used standard models of the dependence of relative water content on drying time. Results. An analysis of the drying rate curves showed an extreme effect of the belt speed on the drying rate. At belt speeds above 10 mm/s, an increase in belt speed leads to an increase in the duration of the drying process. To describe the kinetics of the drying process at IR powers of 170, 300, and 450 W, there was used a logarithmic model, as it most adequately describes the experimental data. Discussion and Conclusion. For this type of dryers it is recommended to use the belt speed of about 10 mm/sec. The obtained coefficients of the logarithmic model are used to calculate the capacity of the drying unit.