CHE-309: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY (I)

EXPERIMENT Title: Drying of Solids

EXPERIMENT No. MT-8

Author:

Name: MOHAMMED KHALED AL-SHAYJI

Co-workers:

Name: MOHAMMED AL-QATTAN

Group: D
Date Experiment Performed: 26-2-2018
Date Experiment Submitted: 12-3-2018

Submitted to: Mr. Abdulwadod Mohammed

 Abstract
This report presents a process of wet sand being dried by a hot air. In this report, the
purpose is to plot drying rate as a function of free moisture and to obtain humidity of
different paths that involve in the process by using a psychrometric chart. This experiment
was approached by utilizing different tools such an air duct of 492.84 cm2, 4 trays to be
dried of 508.75 cm2 each, vane anemometer to measure the air velocity at the outlet, and
aspirated psychrometer to measure the upstream and downstream wet & dry
temperature. To point out, the temperature of the atmosphere is at a condition of 21.3℃
with 73% Relative Humidity and velocity of 1.3 m/s. After the experiment was conducted, it
was found that the experimental drying rate is approximately 0.015 (Kg/m2.min).
Meanwhile, two correlations were used to predict the drying rate and they show %error of
41.7 and 43.1 respectively. In brief, this experiment was successfully shown the four
regimes that describe the nature of such drying process and it proves that at a certain
stage the drying rate is independent of free moisture.
I. INTRODUCTION

1) The importance of the process and its application

Drying is a major process in industrial field where a water is removed as a vapor from
any desired product. It is used in many industrial fields such as food industry where the
drying process is used to prevent food from microbial development, and pharmaceutical
industry. There are important factors that considered in a drying process. For example,
porosity, bulk density, size of the desired material that to be dried, and heat sensitivity. Even
though these factors are important, it relies on the type of the operation that is particularly
different from field to field.

2) Theoretical background
In the drying process, only heat transfer by convection is considered, however,
conduction and radiation are assumed to be negligible. There are crucial terms that are used
to describe the behavior of transferring rate from the solid to the air such as falling rate
period, constant rate period, constant drying conditions, Bound moisture, and Critical
moisture. The notion of this process is that mass and heat transfer involve simultaneously in
the system.

3) Equations
(1) Free moisture content ( Kg H2O/Kg Dry Solid)
𝑋 = 𝑋𝑡 − 𝑋 , Where 𝑋 = 0
(2) Total moisture content (Kg of total H2O/ Kg Dry Solid)
𝑊−𝑊𝑠
𝑋𝑡 = 𝑊𝑠
, Where W is total weight including dry & wet, and Ws is weight of
dry solid

(3) Drying Rate (Kg H2O/m2.h)

−𝑊𝑠 𝑑𝑥
𝑅=𝐴 𝑑𝑡
, Where A is the total area of the 4 trays
𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑠

(4) Theoretical constant Drying Rate (Kg H2O/m2. H)

𝑅𝑐 𝜆𝑠 = ℎ (𝑇 − 𝑇𝑤 ), TW is average of wet bulb temperature (K), 𝜆𝑠 is latent heat
of vaporization of water at TW (J/Kg), T is dry temperature (K) ((hot air))

(5) Heat transfer coefficient (W/m2. K)

ℎ = 0.0128 𝐺 0.8 , 𝐺 = 𝜌𝐴𝑖𝑟 𝑉𝐴𝑖𝑟 @ 𝐷𝑟𝑦 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 (𝐾)
(6) Theoretical constant Drying Rate (Kg H2O/m2. H)
𝑅𝑐 = 𝐺̇ (𝐻3 − 𝐻2 ) , H is Humidity (Kg H2O/Kg dry air), 𝐺̇ = 𝐺 𝐴𝐷𝑢𝑐𝑡 ( Kg/s)

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 4) Experimental Procedure
Fan control was initiated with speed that was remained constant during the experiment
and the balance of trays was settled at zero. After that water was poured evenly distributed
to the dry sand particles and the result is 2000g dry + 215g water. Before the experiment was
carried, an electrical heater was controlled to a maximum load in order to heat the air. Then
after roughly five minutes, the four trays were introduced to the air duct. For each 5g was
being evaporated, time was recorded until the water was completely evaporated. Finally, the
wet and dry temperature of upstream and downstream was reported.

II. RESULTS

Table 1: Major data about weight of solid, air velocity, temperature, relative humidity.

Weight of Dry sand (g) 2000 Air Velocity (m/s) 1.31

Dry Bulb Temperature (1) ℃ 21.3 Wet Bulb Temperature (1) ℃ 17
Dry Bulb Temperature (2) ℃ 48 Wet Bulb Temperature (2) ℃ 25
Dry Bulb Temperature (3) ℃ 47 Wet Bulb Temperature (3) ℃ 25
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%Relative Humidity 73 Area of Trays (m ) 0.2035

Figure 1: Represent the curve of Free Moisture Vs Time in minute.

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Figure 2: Drying Rate Vs Free moisture

Table 2: Regime transition points of drying process A, B, C,&D

(Free moisture, Drying rate)

A (0.11, 0.012)
B (0.1, 0.015)
C (0.05, 0.015)
D (0.01, 0.008)

Figure 3: Capillary Falling Rate Period

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Figure 4: PSYCHROMETRIC CHART

Table 3: shows a collected data from psychrometric chart

Path Dry Temp (℃) Wet Temp (℃) R.H% Moisture Content (Kg H2O/Kg dry air)
1 21.3 18 73 0.01157
2 48 25 15 0.0104
3 47 25 15.32 0.0109

Table 4: Theoretical constant Drying Rate of equation (4) and its deviation form experimental value

G (Kg/m2.min) h (w/m2.K) 𝑹𝒄 theoretical 1 (Kg/m2.min) 𝑹𝒄 experimental (Kg/m2.min) %Error

5192.8 19.14 0.01058 0.015 41.7

Table 5: Theoretical constant Drying Rate of equation (6) and its deviation from experimental value

G (Kg/m2.min) 𝑮̇(Kg/h) 𝑹𝒄 theoretical 2(Kg/m2.min) 𝑹𝒄 experimental (Kg/m2.min) %Error

5192.8 255.92 0.01048 0.015 43.1

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III. DISCUSSIONS
After the experiment was successfully conducted, free moisture is plotted as a function of time
as shown in figure 1 under a steady drying condition by using equation (1) and (2) to obtain free
moisture. In figure 1, the graph is divided into 4 regimes or intervals. Regime A-B illustrates the
adjustment period, B-C shows constant drying rate period, C-D & D-E represent falling rate period
where the amount of water is being decreased continually. Furthermore, in figure 2, drying rate,
which it is obtained from equation (3), is a function of free moisture and it shows that the drying
rate is constant throughout the regime B-C and point C is said to be the critical point where the
drying rate is not constant anymore due to the inadequate to sustain a continues film from the
liquid water at the surface of the drying particle. Table 4&5 is a reported data of predicted constant
drying rate, and it clearly shows that theoretical from equation (4) slightly predict better result than
equation (6). The “Rc,theo 1” shows a %Error of 41.7, however, Rc,theo 2 shows a %Error of 43.1.
From figure 3, it was found that the falling rate in this process is governed by capillary diffusion
action.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the drying process is a sophisticated process where it includes mass and heat
transfer. In this process, 4 major regimes are needed to be fully understood to have optimum
drying process with high quality. Two correlations were used to predict constant drying rate, Rc
theoretical 1 gives a %Error about 41.7 and Rc theoretical 2 43.1. Hence, it concludes that Rc 1 is
superior to Rc 2. Also, the diffusion is controlled by capillary action.

Source of error:
(1) Human error, when balancing the trays and taking the reading
(2) Machine error, when heating the air and the temperature is not stable. Thus, you
can not proceed to conduct experiment unless the temperature is stable.

REFERENCES
1. (2016). Laboratory Manual of CHE 309, 8th Edition.
2. Psychrometric Chart Calculator. Retrieved March 4,2018 form
http://www.sugartech.co.za/psychro/index.php
3. Latent Heat of Vaporization of Water. Retrieved March 4,2018 from
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/water-properties- d_1573.html?vA=22.333&units=C

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APPENDICES SECTION

1) Sample calculation
2) Raw data sheets

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