"Study of the influence of the physical properties of soursop mixtures drying in spouted bed with intermittent feeding"
drying, intermittent feeding, properties physics, mass and energy balance
The objective of this work is to analyze the influences of the physical characteristics of formulated mixtures and the operational conditions for a definition of mathematical equations, macroscopic heat and mass balances, that describe a production of powder and the behavior dryer the pulp of soursop-milk or soursop-albumin in spouted bed with intermittent feeding and HDPE or PP as inert particles. The drying tests were carried out following 2³ factorial planning with 4 repetitions at the central point. The following independent variables were considered: inlet air temperature (60 - 80ºC) and solids concentrations (30 - 50%). From the physical properties of the mixtures, the models that represent the flow of powder in the function of time were determined. Considering suspension accumulation inside the device, develop models to evaluate a temperature and humidity of the air at the dryer outlet. The system of ordinary differential balances, implemented and resolved numerically using Fortran routines, in which the influence of process variables on drying dynamics were assessed. The results obtained in modeling and mathematical simulations were compared with experimental data, indicating that the model fits the process well, based on outlet air temperature and moisture.