CFD simulation of drying rice paddy in a deep-bed dryer with inclined false floor

Rice paddy drying in a deep-bed dryer with an inclined false floor was simulated using ANSYS Fluent. The objective is to compare the moisture content during drying between a flatbed and a 27 inclined bed dryer. The predicted data of the average moisture content using the simulation model was verified using experimental data from a previous study by calculating the Mean Relative Deviation (MRD) and t-test. The resulting MRD values are below 10%, wherein below this is regarded as good accuracy. The t-values of the t-test result are lower than the t-critical; there is no significant difference in moisture content between the experimental and predicted data. The validated simulation model was used to compare moisture content changes between flatbed and dryer with a varying inclination angle of the false floor. A strong correlation between moisture content and inclination angle was found, indicating an increase in moisture content when the inclination angle of the false floor is increased. However, even with the negative relationship between moisture content changes and inclination angle, the t-value of the t-test result shows lower than the t-critical; there is no significant difference in moisture content changes in a 27° inclined bed than a flatbed.