Hydrodynamics investigation of pepper drying in a swirling fluidized bed dryer with multiple-group twisted tape swirl generators

Abstract

The present work aims to investigation the behavior of drying peppers in a swirling fluidized bed dryer (S-FBD) fitted with multiple twisted tape swirl generators. A multiple-group twisted tape swirl generator was located at the air inlet at the bottom of the bed. The effects of the superficial air velocity (U*=U/Umf = 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2) on the moisture content (MC), moisture content ratio (MR) and drying rate (DR) were examined. The experimental results showed that the S-FBD can reduce the moisture content of peppers more rapidly than a conventional fluidized bed dryer (FBD). The S-FBD gave a higher DR and decreased drying time compared to that of a FBD. The results also indicated that operation at higher superficial air velocities resulted in a greater DR, especially at the beginning stage of the drying process. For the S-FBD, the reduced of MC, MR and DR at a high superficial air velocity (U*=U/Umf = 1.2) was better than at low superficial air velocities (U* = 1.0 and 1.1). Furthermore, five different drying models were evaluated to predict the performance of the S-FBD.