Experiment No.

1
DRYING
1. Objective:
To determine the critical and equilibrium moisture contents of the wet solid being dried.
2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):
The students shall be able to:
2.1 understand the operations of tray drier.
2.2 draw the drying curve and drying rate curve for a wet solid being dried with air of fixed humidity and
temperature.
3. Discussion:
Drying is the process by which volatile materials usually water are evaporated from a material to yield
a solid product. Drying is a heat and mass transfer processes. Heat is necessary to evaporate water. The
latent heat of evaporation of water is about 2500 J/g, which means that the driving process requires a
significant amount of energy. Simultaneous, the evaporating material must leave the driving material by
diffusion and/or convection.
Heat transfer and mass transfer is not the only concern when one is designing or operating a dryer.
The product quality such as color, particle density, hardness, texture, and flavor is also very strongly
transformation occurring in the dryer.
Batch drying is bringing a whole bulk of solid to dry at the same time. Several trays in the
compartment should be identified and weighed before being placed in the drying cabinet. The trays should
be weighed at the start and at predetermined intervals. At the same time, wet and dry bulb reading over
the product should be taken. Continue these procedures until the product obtains a constant weight or is
satisfactory dried in order to establish a totally dry weight. Temperature should be high enough to keep the
relative humidity in the surrounding air at 5 percent or less.
Drying operations involve the removal of free moisture, hygroscopic moisture, or a combination of
both. Free moisture occurs when actual liquid water is used to mix or wash the product prior to drying.
Hygroscopic drying is held within the material. This moisture will take up or dispel water in relation to the
relative humidity of the air mixture to which it is exposed. When in equilibrium with air at 100% relative
humidity, the material will be hygroscopically saturated. Any hygroscopic material containing free moisture
must be hygroscopically saturated.
The removal of free moisture is a surface evaporation function and follows the calculation shown in
the sample computations. The surface water temperature should be assumed to be the wet bulb
temperature of the surrounding mixture. Air velocity is critical to the drying speed.
The removal of hygroscopic moisture depends on the relative humidity differences between that of the
product equilibrium condition and that of the surrounding air. Velocity of the air over the product has a little
or no bearing on the drying speed. Each material has a different physical from that determines how it
holds or gives up moisture. Many of the newer materials lack published data on their drying rates,

selecting appropriate air drying must be done experimentally.

4. Resources:
Equipment:
Tray dryer
Top loading balance
Stopwatch
Container
Materials:
Sand
Water
5. Procedure
1. Weigh accurately an empty tray using a top loading balance.
2. Fill a tray with sand preferably of uniform size to a depth of 10 mm. Make sure that the surface is
even.
3. Weigh and record the mass of the tray and sand.
4. Saturate the sand with water. Avoid any spillage.
5. Load the tray on the equipment.
6. Record the mass of the wet sand before drying commences.
7. Open the inlet valve for steam to preheat the equipment. Simultaneously, the outlet valve should also
be opened even during the experiment to remove all condensed water.
8. Preheat the equipment for 10 minutes.
9. Measure the moisture content of the sand at a given time. Use 2 minutes as experimental time
interval. Moisture content of the sand at certain time is obtained by:

10. Plot the drying curve relating the moisture content as a function of time.
11. Determine the critical and equlibrium and equilibrium moisture content of the sand by plotting the rate
of drying of the sand as a function of moisture content. The drying rate is computed by taking the
value of the moisture content of the sand per unit change in time. The critical moisture content is the
point before the falling rate period starts or when there is insufficient water on the surface of the sand
to maintain a continuous film of water.
12. Calculate the bound water by taking the difference of the mass of the bone dried sand and mass of
the sand after drying.
13. Calculate the unbound water by determining the amount of water in excess and can be removed by
drying.

6. Data and Results:

Course: CHEP510L1
Group No: 2

Experiment No: 1
Section: CH51FA1

Group Members: Kristine Ann Villanueva

Shamir Caparros
Shiela May Escobia
Carlo Angelo Racho
Patricia Togonon

Date Performed: 15 June 2015

Date Submitted: 22 June 2015
Instructor: Engr. Robert E. Delfin

Weight of Sand as a Function of Time:

Time (min)
Wt. of Wet Sand
(grams)
0
674.10
5
662.45
10
652.20
15
643.78
20
631.34
25
621.81
30
615.75
Weight of Sand (Bone Dry Solid): 605.72 grams
Critical Moisture Content:
Equilibrium Moisture Content:
Bound Water:
Unbound Water:

Time (min)
35
40
45
50
55
60
65

Wt. of Wet Sand

(grams)
612.94
610.14
608.45
606.12
605.99
605.82
605.77

Drying Curve:

Drying Curve
0.12
0.1
0.08

Moisture Content, kg water/kg dry solid

0.06

Drying Curve

0.04
0.02
0

Time, minutes

Rate of Drying Curve:

Rate of Drying Curve

Rate of Drying, kg water/min-sq.m

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

Rate of Drying Curve

Moisture Content, kg water/kg dry solids

7. Calculations:

Weight of Tray = 1170.28 grams

Weight of Tray + Sand = 1776 grams
Weight of Sand (Bone Dry Solid) = Weight of Tray + Sand Weight of Tray = 1776 g 1170.28 g
Weight of Sand (Bone Dry Solid) = 605.72 grams
Weight of Tray + Sand + Water = 1844.38 grams
Weight of Sand (Wet Sand) = Weight of Tray + Sand + Water Weight of Tray = 1844.38 g 1170.28 g
Weight of Sand (Wet Sand) =674.10 grams
Sample Calculation:
Moisture ( Dry Basis ) , x

Massof Wet SandMass of Sand

=(
( g gdrywater
)
)
solid
Mass of Sand

( 674.10605.72
)=0.1128904444
605.72

At time t=0 min , x=

( 662.45605.72
)=0.09365713531
605.72

At time t=5 min , x=

Average Moisture : x AV
Slope :

0.1128904444+0.09365713531
=
=0.005286497813
( ggdrywater
)
solid
2

x
g water
0.093657135310.1128904444
=
=0.00386661818
t g dry solid min
50

Assume: Atray = 1 m2
Drying Rate : R

g water
g dry solid
x 605.72
=
=
0.00386661818=2.329999996
2
area
t
1
g dry solid minm

Continuing the above Calculation

Time, t (min)

Weight (g)

Moisture (dry
basis), X (g
water/g BDS)

0
5
10
15
20
25

674.1
662.45
647.19
634.17
621.56
609.05

0.11
0.09
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02

Average
Moisture, XAV
(g moisture/g
DS)
0.1
0.085
0.07
0.05
0.03

Slope, dx/dt (g
moisture/g DSmin)

Drying Rate, R
(g water/g DSmin-m2

0.004
0.003
0.004
0.003
0.003

2.33
2.05
2.13
2.04
1.99

30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65

595.52
582.95
571.92
561.02
555.19
550.76
548.1
547.44

0.02
0.01
0.01
0.0050
0.0006
0.0004
0.0002
0.00008

0.02
0.015
0.01
0.0075
0.0028
0.0005
0.0.0003
0.00014

0.002
0.001
0.001
0.002
0.001
0.00004
0.00006
0.00002

1.13
0.56
0.56
0.34
0.47
0.03
0.03
0.01

Critical Moisture Content = 0.025876071 kg water/kg dry solid

Equilibrium Moisture Content = 0.0000825 kg water/ kg dry solid

8. Conclusion:

9. Questions/Problems:
1. How does particle size influence the equilibrium and critical moisture contents?
2. What is the heat transfer mechanism involves when a granular solid material contained in a metal tray
with insulated edges and bottom is placed inside a batch drier?
3. What is the effect of increasing the absolute humidity of the air on the value of the drying rate
constant?
4. Calculate the amount of water removed from 2000 kg/h of feed to be dried from 110% (d.b.) to 5%
(w.b.).
5. Wet solid are to be dried from 40% to 10% in 5 hours under constant drying conditions. The critical
moisture content is 20% and the equilibrium moisture content is 7%. All moisture contents are on a dry
basis. Determine the time needed to dry from 15% to 5% free moisture under the same drying
condition.
10. Answers:
1. The equilibrium will increase with decreasing size of solute particle (or droplet) because of the
additional surface energy. This effect is generally small unless particles become very small, typically
smaller than 1 m. On the other hand, critical moisture content will decrease with decreasing size of the
particle. This is due to the decrease of the surface area of the particle hence decreasing its molecular
holes for the water to bind with.
2. CONVECTION (heat transfer from the surrounding air to the drying surface) and RADIATION (the
enclosure surface radiates heat to the drying surface)
3. If the gas humidity is increased for a given temperature of the gas, then from the humidity chart, the wet
bulb temperature will increase. Then, R c will DECREASE.
4. Given: F = 2000 kg/h
Xi = 1.10

xf = 0.05
Required: V
Solution:

DRYER
F = 2000
kg/h
xi = 1.10

xi =

xf = 0.05

110 kg H 2 O
(100 kg dry solids+110 kg H 2 O)

xi = 0.5238095238

Dry Solid Balance:

Fxf = Pxp
kg wet solid
2000
h

P = 1002.506266

) kg dry solid
)( ( 210110
)
210 kg wet solid

kg wet solid
h

Overall Material Balance:

F=V+P
V=FP
V = (2000 - 1002.506266)
V = 997.49

5. Given:
xi = 0.40
xf = 0.10
xc = 0.20
xe = 0.07
T

= 5 hrs

kg water removed
h

kg water removed
h

=P

) kg dry solid
( ( 1005
100 kg wet solid )

Required:
@ xi = 0.15 & xf = 0.05

Solution:

xe=0.07 xf=0.10

T =

5=

ms
x x
xi x c + ( x c x e ) ln c e
A Rc
x f x e

xc=0.20

ms
0.200.07
0.400.20+ ( 0.200.07 ) ln
A Rc
0.100.07

ms
=12.8000387
A Rc

xf=0.05 xe=0.0 xi=0.15 xc=0.20

f =

ms
x 'x e
x c x e ) ln i
(
A Rc
xe

f =12.8000387 ( 0.200.07 ) ln

xi=0.40

0.150.07
0.07

f =0.2221969092 hrs
Note:
Under normal conditions, the final free moisture content should be equal or greater than the given
equilibrium moisture content.

11. Further Readings:

Cao, E. (2010). Heat transfer in process engineering. Boston: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Cussler, E. L. (2009). Diffusion: mass transfer in fluid systems (3rd ed. United Kingdom: Cambridge
University Press.
Koenig, D. (2009). Practical control engineering: a guide for engineers, managers and practitioners . New
York: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Mann, U. (2009). Principles of chemical reactor analysis and design. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Johnson, W. (2009). Practical heating technology. Australia: Delmar Cengage Learning.

12. Assessment (Rubric for Laboratory Performance):

TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

RUBRIC FOR LABORATORY PERFORMANCE

CRITERIA

BEGINNER
1

ACCEPTABLE
2

PROFICIENT
3

Manipulative
Skills

Members do not demonstrate

needed skills.

Members
occasionally
demonstrate needed skills.

Members always demonstrate

needed skills.

Experimental Set-up

Members are unable to set-up

the materials.

Members are able to set-up

the materials with supervision.

Members are able to set-up

the material with minimum
supervision.

Process Skills

Member do not demonstrate

targeted process skills.

Members
occasionally
demonstrate targeted process
skills.

Members always demonstrate

targeted process skills.

Safety Precautions

Members do not follow safety

precautions.

Members
follow
safety
precautions most of the time.

Members
follow
safety
precautions at all times.

Time Management /
Conduct
of
Experiment

Members do not finish on time

with incomplete data.

Members finish on time with

incomplete data.

Members finish ahead of time

with complete data and time to
revise data.

Cooperative
Teamwork

and

Members do not know their

tasks and have no defined
responsibilities.
Group
conflicts have to be settled by
the teacher.

Members
have
defined
responsibilities most of the
time.
Group conflicts are
cooperatively managed most
of the time.

Members are on tasks and

have defined responsibilities at
all times. Group conflicts are
cooperatively managed at all
times.

Neatness
Orderliness

and

Messy workplace during and

after the experiment.

Clean and orderly workplace

with occasional mess during
and after the experiment.

Clean and orderly workplace at

all times during and after the
experiment.

Ability
to
do
independent work

Members require supervision

by the teacher.

Members require occasional

supervision by the teacher.

Members do not need to be

supervised by the teacher.

I. Laboratory Skills

II. Work Habits

Other Comments / Observations:

TOTAL SCORE

RATING = (

) x 100%

Evaluated by:
_______________________________________
Printed Name and Signature of Faculty Member

Date: ___________________________

SCORE