Thermophysical characterization of cassava drying kinetics using finite element method

The numerical characterization of the drying dynamics of cassava pellets during convective hot air drying, using experimentally obtained results were studied.TMS 30572 cassava tubers were cut into slabs with a rectangular mold (40mm × 20 mm × 10 mm).The drying tests were conducted using a hot air-convective dryer that can dry samples weighing from 0 to 100 g.The response of the drying curve or the drying kinetic depends on the applied drying conditions.The drying dynamics dictated by Fick's second law for a 2-dimensional element as influenced by both initial condition and Neumann Boundary condition was used to define the mass transfer process, by assuming isotropic behavior of the samples.The comparison between the experimental results and the proposed analytical solutions of the equation of diffusion represented by Fick's law, applied to 2-dimensional analysis for a finite shape, allows determination of the values of the diffusion coefficient.The logarithmic kinetic model used in determining the experimental moisture ratio as a function of drying time gave consistently high coefficient of determination (R 2 ) values in the range of 0.9852-0.9967for the rectangular pellets.No constant rate period was seen, and the entire drying process of cassava occurred in the falling rate period at the applied air temperatures.The relative drying curve, drying rate and surface temperature of the numerical simulation were in good agreement with the experimental data.