Numerical Simulation of Warm-air Drying of Mexican Softwood (Pinus pseudostrobus): An Empirical and Mechanistic Approach

S. Sandoval-Torres, E. Hernández-Bautista, J. Rodríguez-Ramírez and A. Carrillo Parra

Abstract
In this work, the numerical simulation of Mexican softwood (Pinus pseudostrobus) drying is presented by solving a phenomenological model. The model was developed by considering the heat and mass balance in the representative elementary volume, which involves the solid, liquid and gas phases. We solved a system of partial differential equations by numerical factorization in COMSOL multiphysics 3.5a©. Three primary variables were solved: the moisture content, the temperature, and the dry-air mass. The numerical results were compared against both experimental data and a semi-empirical model (Characteristic Drying Curve) previously published. The warm-air drying of Mexican softwood was simulated on a one-dimensional basis by considering two experimental conditions: air flow temperature at 60 and 80 ºC. Relative humidity was not controlled in the tunnel dryer. Simulated drying kinetics showed good agreement with the experimental data.

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Keywords
Warm-air drying, phenomenological model, multi-physics, numerical simulation, Pinus pseudostrobus wood