Mass and Heat Transfer in a Continuous Plate Dryer

A mathematical model for the mass-heat transfer in a continuous plate dryer has been developed. Along with a new mass transfer model, the formulas for several important parameters, such as height, volume of each granular heap and retention time, are provided. According to the penetration model of particle heat transfer, the average drying rate ([mdot]) is predicted together with the mean bulk temperature (T out) and moisture content (X out) by a straightforward stepwise calculation procedure. The only empirical parameter N mix can be predicted by the method, provided that experimental data with various initial moisture contents (X in) are given. According to the model, the optimization of a plate dryer should aim at the maximizing of the effective covering ratio (μ) and the total area-averaged heat transfer coefficient (α). The model and equations were applied in an experimental plant. In the result, the theoretical predictions are shown to be in satisfactory agreement with experimental data.