Development of a Laboratory Unit for Assessing the Energy Intensity of Grain Drying Using Microwave

Abstract

The energy cost of grain drying currently reach up to 9.5 MJ per kilogram of evaporated moisture. Theoretically the minimum value of the energy cost of this procedure is the 2.8 to 3.5 MJ per kilogram of evaporated moisture. Existing technologies appropriate for the minimum cost have low performance (less than 2 tons in a hour). Thus, the development of technologies allowing to provide the required performance with the lowest cost of energy currently is useful for a wide range of agricultural producers. The intensity of drying depends on the physico-chemical properties of the material and the driving force of the process. The use of microwave fields allows reducing the cost of the thermal treatment on 15–20% depending on the process and type of the processing material.