Artificial neural network techniques to predict the moisture ratio content during hot air drying and vacuum drying of Radix isatidis extract

Background:To predict the moisture ratio of Radix isatidis extract during drying.Methods:Artificial neural networks were designed using the MATLAB neural network toolbox to produce a moisture ratio prediction model of Radix isatidis extract during hot air drying and vacuum drying,where regression values and mean squared error were used as evaluation indexes to optimize the number of hidden layer nodes and determine the topological structure of artificial neural networks model.In addition,the drying curves for the different drying parameters were analyzed.Results:The optimal topological structure of the moisture ratio prediction model for hot air drying and vacuum drying of Radix isatidis extract were“4-9-1”and“5-9-1”respectively,and the regression values between the predicted value and the experimental value is close to 1.This indicates that it has a high prediction accuracy.The moisture ratio gradually decreases with an increase in the drying time,reducing the loading,initial moisture content,increasing the temperature,and pressure can shorten the drying time and improve the drying efficiency.Conclusion:Artificial neural networks technology has the advantages of rapid and accurate prediction,and can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for online prediction during the drying process of the extract.

Factors affecting relative humidity during wood vacuum drying

Effects of pressure and temperature in the chamber during vacuum drying on the relative humidity and evaporation of wood surface were investigated by using the vacuum chamber. The setting temperature during vacuum drying included dry-bulb temperature ta, the wet-bulb temperature tw and the temperature difference between the air in the vacuum chamber and the cooling water in the condenser. Results indicated that relative humidity during vacuum drying was affected by the dry-bulb temperature td, the wet-bulb temperature tw and the temperature difference between the air in the vacuum chamber and the water in the condenser. Relative humidity of wood decreased with the increase in temperature at the given temperature of the water in the condenser. The relative humidity was affected slightly by pressure in the vacuum chamber pA, and it decreased from 70% to 65% with pA increased from 50 kPa to 101 kPa. Moreover, there was nearly no evaporation under the vacuum without external heating.

Drying Kinetics and Energy Consumption in Vacuum Drying Process with Microwave and Radiant Heating

The general objective of this work is to analyze energy input in a vacuum process with the incorporation of microwave heating. Thus, necessary criteria for designing an efficient freeze-drying operation are considered through the analysis of strategies based on the combination of different intensities of radiant and microwave heating.The other aim of this research topic is to study the kinetics of drying in relation to mass transfer parameters.Five freeze-drying strategies using both heating systems were used. Consequently, energy input could be related to diffusivity coefficients, temperature and pressure profiles during dehydration of the product and analyzed in comparison to a conventional freeze-drying process.

Vacuum press drying studies on two fast-growing Indian wood species

Two fast-growing Indian species, Melia composita Benth. and Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm., which have different sets of physical properties, were dried together in a vacuum press dryer(VPD) under two drying conditions,i.e., above boiling point(ABP) and below boiling point(BBP). The ABP and BBP conditions were maintained by keeping the temperature constant at 75 ℃ and maintaining two pressure levels: 300 mm of Hg(ABP) and 450 mm of Hg(BBP). In order to understand pressure conditions at the core during vacuum drying, a cylindrical brass pipe was inserted in both wood cores and attached with pressure gauges placed outside of the VPD. The results indicate that the Melia wood core attained equilibrium pressure immediately with the pressure of VPD, while Eucalyptus attained it very slowly, reaching equilibrium at later stages of drying when cracks and checks advanced to the core.The drying rate was higher for Melia than Eucalyptus under both drying conditions. The drying rate of Melia(ABP) was higher than Melia(BBP), however, the drying rate for Eucalyptus(ABP) was not significantly different from the BBP drying rate.

Effect of steam pretreatment on wood moisture content and characteristics of vacuum drying

The effects of high temperature steam pretreatment on the change in wood moisture content （MC） and characteristics of vacuum drying were investigated in this study. Poplar and manchurian walnut woods were pretreated with high temperature steam at 100~C and 140~C, prior to vacuum drying. A comparison of the characteristics of vacuum drying between steam pretreated wood and untreated wood was carried out. The results show that during steam pretreatment, the MC of wood decreased within a few hours. The reduction of MC varied with the temperature; the higher the temperature, the faster the MC dropped. During the vacuum drying stage, the rates of drying ofpretreated samples were higher than those of untreated samples when MC was below the fiber saturation point. Furthermore, the total drying time of samples treated at a steam temperature of 140~C was lower than that of untreated samples. Therefore, a vacuum procedure after steam pretreatment can effectively shorten the drying time when drying wood.

Application of Vacuum Drying to Silica Sol Ceramic Mold

Silica sol ceramic mold was made at room temperature with JN-30 silica sol, silica powder and NH4Cl. It is found that the harden time of silica sol ceramic mold is only 0.5 to 1.5 h under the amount of NH4Cl solution of 7% to 8% with 15% concentration, and less surface cracks occur by using vacuum drying. The proper vacuum drying process parameters： vacuum drying temperature is 80 to 100℃, drying time is 5 h and vacuum is 0.06 to 0.07MPa. The harden mechanics, vacuum drying mechanics and the reason of less surface cracks of silica sol ceramic mold by vacuum drying： were also analyzed in this paper.

Mathematical Models for Vacuum Drying Characteristics of Pomegranate Aril

The aim of this study was to investigate and determine the best mathematical models in describing vacuum drying characteristic of pomegranate arils in the range of 55-75 ℃. The vacuum batch dryer used in the evaluation was successful in drying a thin layer of pomegranate arils from the initial moisture content of 464.02% （d.b.） to 6.18% （d.b.） within 6.5 to 13.5 hr of continuous drying at the above mentioned temperature range. The drying rates increased with an increase in temperature and drying time. Five of the well known semi-theoretical and empirical models were fitted to the vacuum drying of pomegranate arils. The semi-empirical Midilli model has shown an excellent fit to predict drying behavior of the pomegranate arils because this model gave the highest coefficient of determination （RE）, the least chi-square （X2）, and the lowest root mean square error （RMSE）. The total drying occurs during falling period, signifying the influence of moisture diffusion during the drying. The effective diffusivity varied from 1.25× 10^10 to 2.91 × 10^10 m^2/s over the temperature range. Temperature dependence of the diffusivity was well documented by Arrhenius models. The activation energy of moisture diffusion during drying was found to be 40.46 kJ/mol.

Research on vacuum drying process and internal heat conduction of Li-ion battery core

In this research, an innovative cylindrical automatic battery core oven was designed to avoid the structural deformation that frequently occurs in traditional ovens. The oven could be automatically connected with the electrolyte injection process after baking, achieving improvement in a battery's baking consistency. This contributed to the feasibility of studying the internal heat conduction process of batch battery cores during actual baking processes. A mathematical model of a certain plate battery cell during the baking process was established. The simulation results of the temperature change inside the battery core during the baking process were consistent with the calculation results of the mathematical model. The temperature distribution at each point inside the battery core could be fitted through the thermal conductivity at different temperatures and the temperature distribution between the layers of the battery core.Finally, based on the thermodynamic balance energy conservation method, the relationship between the temperature change inside the battery core and the entire baking process was established. A feasible algorithm for studying the thermal conduction of complex material and internal structure objects in the baking process was obtained.

Factors affecting relative humidity during wood vacuum drying

Effects of pressure and temperature in the chamber during vacuum drying on the relative humidity and evaporation of wood surface were investigated by using the vacuum chamber.The setting temperature during vacuum drying included dry-bulb temperature td, the wet-bulb temperature tw and the temperature difference between the air in the vacuum chamber and the cooling water in the condenser.Results indicated that relative humidity during vacuum drying was affected by the dry-bulb temperature td, the wet-bulb temperature tw and the temperature difference between the air in the vacuum chamber and the water in the condenser.Relative humidity of wood decreased with the increase in temperature at the given temperature of the water in the condenser.The relative humidity was affected slightly by pressure in the vacuum chamber pA, and it decreased from 70% to 65% with pA increased from 50 kPa to 101 kPa.Moreover, there was nearly no evaporation under the vacuum without external heating.

Drying Characteristics of Wood under Vacuum-superheated Steam

This paper presents comparison and analysis of thermal-dynamic characteristics of air-drying and superheated steam drying under vacuum. The result reveals that for both convective heat transfer coefficient and resistance of mass transfer on the surface, superheated steam drying under vacuum is superior to air-drying under the same condition. With Masson pine as specimen, we found that the inversion temperature really exists through comparable experiments of air-drying and superheated steam drying under vacuum. When temperature is above inversion point of temperature, drying speed is faster than that of air-drying; however, if temperature is below the point, the result is opposite. The inversion temperature of experiment ranges from 80 to 85 ℃.

A valid evaluation method for UPLC fingerprint analysis and moisture ratio prediction model:application to microwave vacuum drying of Radix isatidis extract

Background:Drying is a necessary component of traditional Chinese medicine extracts.The heating principle of microwave vacuum drying is different from that of the conventional heat method.However,at present,there is paucity of information on the drying process of traditional Chinese medicine extract by microwave vacuum drying,and the results of such process are unclear.Methods:To study the dynamic changes in the chemical characteristics of microwave vacuum drying under different drying conditions,ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography fingerprint profiles were established using Radix isatidis extract as a model drug and analyzed using similarity analysis,partial least squares-discriminant analysis,and semi-quantitative analysis.In addition,a backpropagation artificial neural network model was developed to predict the moisture ratio of the drying process.Results:Qualitative results showed that the similarity between different drying conditions was greater than 0.95,and 2 amino acid components(peaks 5 and 6)affected by process fluctuations were screened out.The quantitative results showed that the mass concentration of component 1 fluctuated after drying,while that of component 2 increased.The optimal backpropagation artificial neural network model structure used to predict the moisture ratio was 5-4-1,with regression and mean squared error values of 0.996 and 0.0003,respectively,after training,which were well fitted and had a strong approximation ability.Conclusion:Upon comparison of fingerprints and the evaluation of statistical methods,common components of Radix isatidis extract had little variation under different drying conditions,and the selected components provided a reference for the establishment of process evaluation indexes.The establishment of backpropagation artificial neural network provides a theoretical basis for the application of microwave vacuum drying technology and online monitoring of moisture ratio.

Preparation of highly dispersed iron species over ZSM-5 with enhanced metal-support interaction through freeze-drying impregnation

Supported metal catalysts play a vital role in the chemical industry, and the metal-support interaction is an important property of the catalyst. However, in the traditional impregnation method, it is difficult to obtain sufficient metal-support interactions owing to the mobility of the metal precursor during evaporation drying. Here, freeze drying is applied during impregnation instead of evaporation drying for enhancing the metal-support interactions. 57 Fe ZSM-5 was chosen as a representative catalyst. A quantitative analysis was conducted based on Mossbauer spectroscopy. Compared with traditional evaporation-drying catalyst, freeze-drying catalyst has stronger metal-support interactions. In addition, more iron species are confined in the channel and smaller metal sizes and less diversity are obtained. The compositional change is also proved because of the superior performance of the freeze-drying catalyst during N2O decomposition. This method can be extended to other supported metal catalysts prepared through an impregnation method, which can be used to tune the metal-support interactions and metal sizes.

Effect of vacuum impregnation on the performance of Co/SiO_2 Fischer-Tropsch catalyst

Two silica-supported cobalt catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation under atmospheric and vacuum conditions.N2 ph- ysisorption,H2 chemisorption,XRD,SEM,TEM,XPS and H2-TPR were used to characterize the catalysts.The results showed that the impregnation methods had an effect on the size,dispersion and reducibility of cobalt particles.Under vacuum conditions,cobalt-containing steeping liquor could penetrate into the inner pores of silica support and more bivalent cobalt oxides were formed in the Co3O4 crystallites.Furthermore,cobalt precursors were rarely inclined to agglomerate and the smaller cobalt particles were uniform on the support,which led to the higher activity of the Co/SiO2（B）catalyst than the normal one under the reaction conditions of 483- 523 K,1 - 2 MPa,gas hourly space velocity of 500–1000 h-1 and molar ratio of H2/CO=0.5 - 2.0.

Optimization of Bioactive Fortification in Apple Snacks through Vacuum Impregnation Using Response Surface Methodology

Fortification of apple slices with t-resveratrol glucoside was obtained by vacuum impregnation (VI) of apple slices with a solution containing grape juice using response surface methodology (RSM). Three independent variables of the VI process: vacuum pressure, application time and relaxation time, were coded at five levels in a central composite design. The VI-treated and dried apple slices were analyzed for t-resveratrol glucoside concentration and textural attributes (gradient and linear distance). Multiple response optimization revealed the following optimum VI condi-tions for the bioactive enrichment and improved textural quality of dried apple slices: vacuum pressure of 6 in. of Hg, application time of 10 min, and relaxation time of 22.5 min.

Effects of Different Drying Processes on the Effective Components of Stichopus japonicus Viscera

Drying is a basic link in seafood processing, and the effects of forced air drying and vacuum drying on the effective components of Stichopus japonicus viscera were compared with the moisture, total saponin and polysaccharide contents as the detection indexes. The contents of effective components obtained using forced air drying were slightly lower than those obtained using vacuum drying, but the forced air drying method used short drying time and low economic energy consumption. Excellent drying effects and low cost of forced air drying made it can be adapted to the requirements of large-scale production applications.

Effect of different drying methods on the taste and volatile compounds,sensory characteristics of Takifugu obscurus

Pufferfish is prone to deterioration due to abundant nutrients and high moisture content.Drying technology can extend the shelf life and enhance the flavor quality of aquatic products.The study investigated the effect of hot air drying(HAD),microwave vacuum drying(MVD)and hot air assisted radio frequency drying(HARFD)on the taste and volatile profiles of Takifugu obscurus.Different drying methods had significant influence on the color,rehydration,5’-nucleotides,free amino acids and volatile components(P<0.05).The results showed that HAD and HARFD could promote the flavor of T.obscurus by producing higher equivalent umami concentration(EUC)values,which were about two times of MVD group,and more pronounced pleasant odor according to sensory analysis.HAD is more appropriate for industrial application than HARFD and MVD considering the economic benefits.This study could provide a reference for the industrial application of drying T.obscurus.

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.

Freeze and microwave vacuum combination drying technique for sea cucumber

To improve the quality and efficiency of sea cucumber drying,an orthogonal experiment of freeze and microwave vacuum combination drying technique was carried out.Factors and levels were FD time of conversion point(8 h,16 h and 24 h),initial microwave power density(1.7 W/g,2.0 W/g and 2.3 W/g)and microwave intermittent ratio(12s-on/18s-off,14s-on/16s-off and 20s-on/10s-off).Results showed that the optimal parameters of FD-MVD were 8 h FD conversion point,1.7 W/g initial microwave power density,12 s-on/18 s-off microwave intermittent ratio,and the maximum rehydration rate of 280.71%,the lowest shrinkage rate of 14.48%,the least drying time of 9.25 h and energy consumption of 77316 kJ could be obtained.

Effects of different pulsed vacuum drying strategies on drying kinetics,phenolic composition,and antioxidant capacity of chrysanthemum(Imperial chrysanthemum)

This work aimed to discuss effects of pulsed vacuum drying(PVD)at different temperatures(45°C,50°C,55°C and 60°C),vacuum durations(5 min,10 min and 15 min)and multi-stage heating on drying kinetics,colour attributes,phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of chrysanthemum(Imperial chrysanthemum).Results indicated that successive temperature increase reduced the drying time and enhanced the drying rate and moisture diffusivity.Lower temperature(45°C)and the multi-stage(35°C-55°C-60°C)drying presented the superiority in the protection of color,preservation of phytochemical composition(chlorogenic acid,luteolin,total phenolic and total flavonoid content)and improvement of antioxidant capacity(DPPH and FRAP)of chrysanthemum,which was attributed to the low-oxygen drying environment and reduction of thermal degradation losses.Based on the results of drying efficiency and drying quality,the multi-stage heating(35°C-55°C-60°C)has the excellent potential to produce high-quality dried chrysanthemum on a commercial scale.

Effects of different drying methods on quality,bacterial viability and storage stability of probiotic enriched apple snacks

Effects of four different drying methods on the colour, texture, sensory quality, microstructure, bacterial viability and storage stability of probiotic-enriched apple snacks were assessed. The drying methods were air drying （AD）, freeze drying （FD）, freeze drying followed by microwave vacuum drying （FD＋MVD） and air drying followed by explosion puffing drying （AD＋EPD）. Overall, FD＋MVD can be used as a suitable drying method for the development of probiotic enriched apple snacks in consideration of colour, texture, sensory quality, bacterial viability and storage stability. Probiotic bacteria in FD＋MVD-dried samples remained above 1×106 CFU g 1 for 120 days at 25℃C. Interestingly, bacterial viability in FD＋MVD-dried samples turned out to be significantly higher than FD-dried samples during storage for 120 days.