Numerical simulation of air temperature and air flow distribution in a cabinet tray dryer

Abstract

The quality of dried product can be enhanced in cabinet tray dryers through a uniform distribution of drying air flow and temperature. In this work, a numerical investigation is conducted to examine the consequence of air movement on the quality of product dried in a convective tray dryer. The temperature and velocity contours of air in the drying chamber are numerically determined for three different geometries of cabinet tray dryer and are compared. A good harmony is found between the predicted data from CFD and experimental data from the literature. This work will enable us to optimize the drying chamber design for uniform dispersal of air flow and temperature and to improve quality of dried product for large scale applications.