The Effect of Initial Moisture Content on Moisture Migration in a Big Bag of Sugar in the Presence of Cyclic Temperature Changes: Numerical Analysis

Abstract

The study of moisture migration in a big bag of sugar in which undergoes the fluctuation of temperature as in the shipping condition was investigated by a mathematical model. The mathematical model was derived from the conservation of mass and energy, solved by numerical method of lines, validated with the experimental data reported in the previous literature, and used to predict moisture migration for 30 days. It has revealed that the initial moisture content before shipping has the significant effect on the moisture migration. It was found that the large amount of moisture diffuses into the interfacial big bag along and the periodical adsorption and desorption takes place when the initial moisture content is high; hence, caking of moist sugar is likely to occur. The result greatly yields useful information for studying caking formation due to moisture migration.