The effects of grain texture and phenotypic traits on the thin-layer drying rate in maize(Zea mays L.) inbred lines

To explore the relation of maize grain texture and phenotypic traits with grain thin-layer drying rate,we observed the ultra-structure of maize grain,and tested three traits about the maize grain texture and four phenotypic traits.The vitreous part percentage was different（P〈0.05） among different maize inbred lines.There was a significant relationship between the drying rate with grain texture and phenotypic traits.Main factors that influenced the drying rate were different during different drying stages.New results observed that empirical constants（k and N） in drying equation were different for seed of the 30 inbred lines of maize.The k of simplified diffusion equation and N of page equation were significantly influenced by both grain texture and phenotypic traits.These results could be used as guideline parameters for drying maize seeds having different grain characteristics during different drying stages.

Study on drying rate in contact drying with flexible screen

The moisture contents (MC) of popular veneers were tested in Composition Board Laboratory of Northeast Forestry University by contact drying with flexible screen. The influence factors considered included temperature, initial moisture contents (IMC), and veneer thickness. Veneer-drying laws under different hot press conditions were analyzed. The results showed that the drying rate increased with temperature rising. 160°C was considered to be more efficient than 140°C and 180°C because excessive high temperature has no significant contribution to drying rate. IMC had significant effect on drying rate. The veneer with high IMC had a higher drying rate at above fiber saturation point (FSP) and a lower drying rate at below FSP, compared to the veneer with low IMC. Average drying rate also varied with thickness in power law.

Microwave drying characteristics and kinetics of ilmenite

The microwave drying of ilmenite was investigated.The effects of power levels and sample mass on drying characteristics of moisture content,drying rate,moisture ratio were studied,with microwave power ranging from 119 W to 700 W and sample mass from 5 g to 25 g.The drying processes were completed within 2-8 min at different conditions.The moisture content and drying rates are found to be dramatically affected by microwave power density.For all drying processes the prior microwave absorption of moisture produces an accelerating peak on the drying rate curves in the initial stage.For the sample mass of 25 g and power of 385 W,the drying kinetics were studied.The experimental results fit better to the Henderson-Pabis index model rather than the Page＇s semi-empirical model;the drying rate constant k is increased with the increase of microwave power and decrease of sample mass.

Liquid drying of BeO gelcast green bodies using ethanol as liquid desiccant

BeO gelcast green bodies were dried by liquid drying method with liquid desiccant ethanol.Effects of ethanol concentration,solids loading and aspect ratio of green body on the moisture and shrinkage of green bodies were studied through measuring mass and dimension.Additionally,liquid drying stress was analyzed and a model of the initial stage drying stress was established.The results show that higher ethanol concentration,lower solids loading and higher aspect ratio of gelcast green bodies increase the drying rate.Increasing the ethanol concentration decreases the shrinkage rate.Liquid drying stress is generated due to a non-uniform drying rate.During the process of liquid drying,the inner drying stress of the green body changes from compressive stress to tensile stress,while the outer drying stress changes from tensile stress to compressive stress.

Copper base materials prepared by gel-casting process

Gel-casting process was developed as a new molding process in the field of copper base powder metallurgy to manufacture metal parts with excellent performance and complex shapes.Through changing the parameters of gel-casting process,such as dispersant and solid loading,the corresponding effects on the rheology of Cu slurries,molding and sintering behaviors were studied.The results show that the viscosity of Cu slurries was significantly reduced with an increase in dispersant.The most appropriate solid loading was found to be 61% and the sintering temperature was 910°C in these experiments.After the optimization of parameters of gel-casting process,copper composite parts with relatively high density and better properties were obtained.

Compact plant type rice has higher lodging and N resistance under machine transplanting

To identify the major factors that contribute to the difference in lodging among different rice varieties under machine transplanting and their responses to nitrogen(N),field experiments were conducted at Danyang County(a representative eco-site of the Lower Yangtze River)in Jiangsu Province,China in 2017 and 2018,22 hybrid indica varieties(HIs),22 inbred japonica varieties(IJs)and two indica japonica hybrid varieties(IJHs)were transplanted by machine with three N rates(N0,N150 and N300,0,150 and 300 kg ha–1,respectively).Lodging-related physical parameters,morphological characteristics and apparent transport rates of dry matter were examined.Significant difference in yield was observed among different types of rice,and followed by IJs<HIs<IJHs.The average lodging index(LI)of hybrid varieties(HIs and IJHs)was higher than that of the inbred varieties(IJs)with higher plant height;moreover,lower apparent export rate of dry matter resulted lower LI in IJHs than in HIs.The HIs had a large difference in the LI,which came from the difference in bending stress(BS)induced by the difference in the apparent export rate of dry matter,varieties with lower leaf angle of upper three leaves possess strong lodging resistance capacity;however,the gap among the IJs was due to the difference in the cross section modulus(Z).The LI in the IJs or IJHs increased slightly with the increased N application,and there was no lodging incidence under the high N level,which was due to the low leaf angle and barely changed under high N;there was a significant interaction between varieties(HIs)and N rates in lodging rate and LI,varieties with lower leaf angle of upper three leaves were resistant to high N.These results suggest that compact plant type rice has higher lodging and N resistance at machine-transplanting method.

Kinetic model research on drying characteristics of artificial magnetite green pellet

In this study,the effects of drying temperature,hot airflow speed and diameter of green pellet on drying rate of artificial magnetite pellet were deeply investigated to clarify the drying characteristics of artificial magnetite green pellet.The results show that the drying process of artificial magnetite green pellet has three stages,accelerated drying stage,constant drying stage and decelerated drying stage.And drying temperature and hot airflow speed both have significant reciprocal effects on moisture ratio and drying rate of green pellet during the drying process.However,the diameter of green pellet has little effect on drying process of green pellet.Then the drying fitting models of Correction Henderson and Pabis,Lewis,Correction Page(III),Wang and Singh are used to describe the drying kinetics of artificial magnetite green pellet.The fitting results indicate that the drying process of artificial magnetite pellet can be described by Correction Page(III)model accurately.Finally,the contrast experiments demonstrate that the fitting model can well describe the actual drying process.

Effects of Food Additives on Rehydration Properties of Frozen Dumpling Wrappers

With the vacuum freeze-drying technology, frozen dumpling wrappers were prepared, to investigate the effects of six kinds of food additives, including modified starch, compound phosphate, maltodextrin, guar gum, distilled monoglycerides and transglutaminase （TG enzyme）, on the drying rate, rehydration ratio and sense value of the frozen dumpling wrappers. The results showed that, with respective addition of 6% modified starch, O. 1% compound phosphate, 10% maltodextrin, 0.4% guar gum, 0.4% distilled monoglyceride and 0.3% transglutaminase, the drying rate, rehydration ratio and sense value of the frozen dumpling wrappers were the highest.

Drying Characteristics of Microwave-assisted Foam Drying of Corn Soaking Water

To improve the industrial utilization of corn soaking water, the yeast protein powder was produced by microwave-assisted foam drying. Firstly, preparation experiments were carded out, which included the foaming characteristic experiments of fermentation broth and that about the effects of carbon and nitrogen ratio on solid content in the fermentation broth. Secondly, the drying characteristics experiment of corn soaking water was studied, which selected the microwave power, material amount and thickness as the influencing factors for the single experiment. The results showed that the final moisture content （d.b.） and drying rate were significantly affected by those factors.

Influences of Different Habitats on Asexual Propagation of Wild Gastrodia elata f. glauca being Domesticated in Ganzi

[Objective] The influences of different habitats on asexual propagation of wild Geg(abbreviation for Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow) being domesticated in Ganzi prefecture was studied. [Method] The research trial was carried out in the following three kinds of habitats at the same time: the plastic greenhouses, the birch forest of shady slope and the shrubbery of sunny slope, and the results were analyzed with group data average hypothesis test method. [Result] The overall tuber(the juvenile tuber, the immature tuber and the mature tuber) yield and the mature tuber yield were both very significantly higher in the plastic greenhouses than in the other two types of habitats, and respectively reached 9.52 and 6.70 kg/m2; the mature tuber drying rate was dramatically or very dramatically lower in the plastic greenhouses than in the other two types of habitats, and was 23.84%; the stabilities of the overall tuber yield, the mature tuber yield and the drying rate were all reduced in the order of greenhouses, birch forest and shrubbery; and the dry mature tuber yield of the plastic greenhouses was the highest in the three kinds of habitats, and was 1.60 kg/m2. [Conclusion] A good habitat had to be created or chosen in the domesticating cultivation of the wild Geg in Ganzi prefecture. The preferred choice was the plastic greenhouse, the alternative one was the deciduous broadleaved forest of shady slope. The imitating wild planting of the wild Geg should be done in the warm moist deciduous broad-leaved forest of shady slope.

Multiple Phase Change Materials for Performance Enhancement of a Solar Dryer with Double Pass Collector

The fluctuation in drying temperature influences the food products’quality and drying time significantly during the drying process using an indirect solar dryer.One of the effective methods to reduce these variations in the temperature is based on thermal storage materials to control the drying temperature.An experimental investigation is presented in this study to evaluate the performance of an indirect solar dryer with air double pass using multiple phase change materials(PCM)as thermal storage materials.Two PCMs with different melting points are used to store the available heat energy during peak sunshine periods and reduce the drying temperature fluctuations.Drying tests on a food product sample are conducted in three cases,the first was without PCMs using natural convection.The second and third cases are based on forced convection with and without using multiple PCMs under Baghdad city conditions.The results showed that;approximately a steady temperature of hot drying air was obtained during relatively low ambient temperatures when the dryer was incorporated with multiple PCMs.The drying time of the product sample for the natural,forced convection without PCMs and forced with PCMs was 87,72 and 47 h,respectively.The higher performance of the dryer was for the forced convection with PCMs.The reduction percentage in drying time was about 17.2%and 46%for the forced convection without and with PCMs respectively compared with natural convection.The average drying rate for the natural,forced without PCMs and forced convection with PCMs was 0.0093,0.0135 and 0.0172 kg/h,respectively.The enhancement in thermal efficiency of the solar collector and drying chamber with multiple PCMs was 43%and 25.5%,respectively,compared with a typical solar dryer.

Effect of Tree Species and Dosage of Rhizomorph Wood on Asexual Propagation of Wild Gastrodia elata. Bl. f. glauca S. Chow in Ganzi

The effects of the tree species and the dosages of Armillariella mellea rhizomoph wood on asexual propagation of wild Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow were studied in Ganzi prefecture. The results showed that tree species had a very significant effect on asexual reproduction yield of wild Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow. The drying rate and yield of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow cultured by close grained woods such as Quercus spinosa David ex Fr. was extremely significant higher than that cultured by coarse grained wood such as Betula platyphylla Suk. The dosage had a very significant effect on the yield of wild Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow whereas it had no influence on the drying rate.

Modeling and optimization for prediction of moisture content,drying rates and moisture ratio

There were needs to develop some preservation technique to enhance the shelf life of Paneer because it is highly perishable in nature at ambient conditions.Drying can be one of the methods to increase shelf life of paneer.This study was undertaken to dry 1.5 cm3 paneer at 62,72 and 82℃temperatures and 10,14 and 18 kPa absolute pressures with superheated steam.Moisture content,drying rate and moisture ratio data were generated by conducting the experiments in low pressure superheated steam dryer.These data were used to develop Artificial Neural Network(ANN)models.Optimized ANN models were developed for rapid and more accurate prediction of moisture content with two hidden layers and seven nurons having R20.9991,drying rate with two hidden layers and nine nurons having R20.9846 and moisture ratio with two hidden layers and seven nurons having R20.9991 in drying,based on two hidden layers and one to nine neurons in each hidden layer.Measured values of moisture content,drying rate and moisture ratio were predicted with an R^(2)>0.98.System equation has been developed to predict moisture content,drying rate and moisture ratio at any given conditions.

Drying rates of some fruits and vegetables with passive solar dryers

Two passive solar dryers were designed and constructed with available local materials.The passive solar dryers which were direct and indirect types were tested with pepper(Capsicum annum L.),okro(Abelmoschus esculentus L.)and vegetables(Amaranthus hybridus L.)in order to evaluate the drying rate of these produces.The moisture content of 78.9%(w.b.)for 180 g freshly harvested peppers was reduced to 24.0%(w.b.).The drying rate in the direct passive solar dryer was found to be higher than the indirect passive solar dryer.The initial moisture content of 92%(w.b.)for 1000 g okro was reduced to 20%(w.b.).The drying rate in the direct passive solar dryer was also found to be higher than in the indirect passive solar dryer.The initial moisture content of 90%(w.b.)for 400 g vegetable was reduced to 20%(w.b.).The drying rate with the direct passive solar dryer was found to be higher than that with indirect passive solar dryer.During the course of drying,after each crop was kept inside the drying system,the temperature of the drying was monitored at an-hour interval;the moisture content was also monitored at a three-hour interval until there was no more change in the weight of the crop.The crops dried faster with the direct passive solar dryer than with the indirect passive solar dryer.As a result of the highest temperature attained in the direct passive solar dryer,the rate of moisture removal was the highest in this dryer.

Comparison of Drying Rate and Energy Consumption between Vacuum and Ambient Pressure Drying for Chinese Fir

In this work, Chinese fir samples with a size of 400 mm (L) by 50 mm (W) 30 mm (H) weretaken as specimens, and drying rate and energy consumption were compared under the conditions, inwhich the absolute pressure was 0.02 , 0.04 , 0.06 and 0.10 MPa, respectively, and the temperature was80 oC. The results showed that, when the moisture content (MC) of the samples was above fibersaturation point (FSP), the vacuum drying rate was 0.96-1.24 times as high as the ambient pressuredrying rate. However, when it was below FSP, the vacuum drying rate was 1.26-1.32 times as high as theambient pressure drying rate. At the same time, when the MC was above FSP, the energy consumptionof vacuum drying was 81.1%-95.9% of that of ambient pressure drying; when the MC was below FSP,the energy consumption of vacuum drying was 62.40%-69.40% of that of ambient pressure drying.Therefore, the vacuum drying was superior to the ambient pressure drying in terms of drying rate andenergy consumption.

Effect of Initial Moisture Content on Solar Drying Ratefor Eucalyptus grandis × E. urophylla

Wood drying is one of the most important process links in wood products processing.However, the existing drying methods mainly depend on heat to desiccate wood, which makes wooddrying consume roughly 40% - 70% of the total energy in the entire wood process. Using solar energyfor drying is greatly significant in two aspects of energy conservation and environment protection. Themoisture content (MC) of lumber affects not only the target value of wood drying, but also the heattransfer properties, moisture rate of expansion, etc., affecting dried lumber quality and drying rate.Eucalyptus grandis × E.urophylla lumbers were collected from Guangdong as test materials and dried inthe solar dryer with low temperature schedule and the effect of initial moisture content were primarystudied on drying rate. Experiments showed that solar drying was suitable for timber with high MC. Interms of drying rate and dried lumber quality, solar drying was as good as traditional steam drying withthe same schedule. And the solar dryer had distinct energy-saving effect.

Drying characteristics and mathematical model of ultrasound assisted hot-air drying of carrots

In order to improve the heat and mass transfer process in hot-air drying,power ultrasound was coupled directly to hot-air drying of fresh carrot slices.The effects of ultrasonic power,radiation distance,hot air velocity and temperature on drying characteristics were studied.In addition,the Page equation was used to fit the ultrasound assisted hot-air drying process of the carrot slices.The results showed that the drying rate of carrot slices increased with the increase of ultrasound power and the decrease of radiation distance.Power ultrasound had a greater enhancement on hot-air drying at lower air velocity(0.5 m/s)and temperature(40ºC),especially at the middle and later periods(controlled by internal diffusion).The drying time of carrot slices using ultrasound assisted hot-air drying was shortened by 37.5%compared to that using hot-air drying at the condition with power of 150 W,radiation distance of 15 cm,air velocity of 1.0 m/s and temperature of 40ºC.All test indicators of the model meet the accuracy requirements,which show that the model can better fit the experimental values.

Performance Study of a Hybrid Heat Pump Dryer based on Numerical Analysis and Experimental Set-up

Seafood,especially sea cucumbers and oysters are an expensive delicacy in several Asian countries.Traditional sun-drying of these products takes 3 to 4 days and fetches a lower market price.Modern industrial drying machines used for seafood drying are unable to dry sea cucumbers and oysters without texture and color degradation as they are delicate,temperature-sensitive and have longer drying time.An economical drying system that does not cause texture or color degradation is the heat pump drying system and is commonly applied for agriculture and fabric drying.In this study,the heat pump technology is applied to develop two hybrid dryer models(bottom discharge and front discharge)to dry shellfish and sea cucumbers in large scale for storage and transportation.Each model is tested in a laboratory-scale with wet sponges as input material for its dehumidification capacity and the power consumed to attain the target dryness.The front discharge model is found to have rapid drying capability and economy.Computational fluid dynamic tools are used to study the hot air flow behavior and flow uniformity inside the drying chamber.The front discharge model showed smooth uniform flow over the trays with fewer losses in the flow velocity.The front discharge model with higher drying rate,lower power consumption and uniform airflow distribution over the trays is chosen for the industrial-scale design.

Modelling of microwave assisted hot-air drying and microstructural study of oilseeds

A modelling study was performed to solve the heat and mass transfer problems between grain and the ambient air encountered during drying by microwave assisted hot-air dryer,under low microwave(MW)density of 0.2 W/g.Canola(Brassica napus),soybean(Glycine max)and corn(Zea mays)seeds were chosen due to their inherent high oil content.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)was used to study the effect of drying conditions on the structural characteristics of these oilseeds.A mathematical model was adapted to simulate drying of one seed of canola,soybean and corn.The process of water transfer was modelled based on the effect of vapour pressure on the water molecules inside the seed.It was observed that when the difference between the vapour pressure inside the grain and the surrounding air was higher than,the drying rate increased which led to cracks in the grain.Results showed that the drying rate decreased when the temperature of air inside the cavity of the microwave increased for all the oilseeds studied,because of the reduced differential vapour pressure between the grain and the ambient air.On the other hand,the drying rate increased if the temperature of the inlet air was reduced because the difference between the two pressures increased.It was concluded that by controlling the ambient air,the grains could be protected against popping and cracking because of lower vapour pressure differential during MW assisted hot-air drying.