However, in many situations, changes will occur in the inlet parameters that will affect the drying rate. These changes may occur at a low frequency and measuring the product moisture content using the laboratory or bench top methods can be used as information to change the drying process conditions to achieve constant outlet moisture content. In many processing plants, the frequency of change may be too high and exceed the ability to measure the moisture content and make changes to the drying process manually. In these cases, using online moisture sensors and a continuous control system may make economic sense to achieve constant product properties. Another strategy for maintaining constant-drying rates is to model the heat and mass transfer rates within the dryer.
Numerous instruments facilitate the measuring and monitoring of dryer operating conditions.
Obtaining air and product property measurements can lead to an increased understanding of the specific drying process as it relates to overall plant efficiency and product quality attributes. Copyright 2001 by Business News Publishing Co.