Shroff S.R.

Rotary Institute of Chemical Technology

Principle Supporter & Sponsor-United Phosphorous Ltd(UPL)/Shroff family
Managed By Ankleshwar Rotary Education Society
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Gujarat & GTU Affiliated

Mass transfer II
Drying equilibrium and batch
drying
Prepared by: Tarun Chauhan
140990105011
 Drying equilibrium

 The moisture of wet solids exerts a definite vapour

pressure depending upon the temperature and the
nature of solid and the moisture.
 Consider that the wet solids containing water which
exerts a vapour pressure of PA are exposed to a
continuous supply of a fresh gas with a fixed partial
pressure of the vapour(PA). If PA is grater than PA ,then
the solid will lose moisture by evaporation till the vapour
pressure of moisture of the solid equals the partial
pressure of the vapour in gas.
 The solid and gas are then said to be in moisture
content. The equilibrium data in case of drying
operations are given as the relationship between the
moisture content of a solid and the relative humidity of a
gas in contact with the solid.
 When the humidity of air is less as compared with the
moisture content of solids, then solid will lose the
moisture by evaporation and dry to equilibrium and if
the air is more humid then the solids, then solids will gain
moisture until the equilibrium is attained.
 A typical equilibrium curve for drying a certain wet solid
is shown in fig. where the ordinate is the relative humidity
of the gas and the abscissa is the moisture content on
dry basis.
 When solids having very high initial moisture content (X)
is exposed to continuous supply of air with relative
humidity of (RH1), the solids will lose moisture by
evaporation and thus go on drying until the moisture
content corresponding to the point A is reached.
 Beyond this, no drying takes place even if solids are
exposed to this air for an infinitely long period.
 The moisture content of solids can be reduced below X*
only by exposing them to air of a lower humidity and to
obtain solids bone-dry, we have to expose it to perfectly
dry air which corresponds to the origin of curve.
 Constant drying condition

 These condition mean the conditions under which the

temperature, humidity, velocity and direction of flow of
the hot air or gas across the drying surface are constant
during drying operation.
Rate-of-drying curve
 The drying characteristics of wet solid are generally described by the drying rate
curves obtained under constant drying condition.
 Figure 1 is such curves with moisture content v/s time.
 Generally, the experimental evaluation of these curves is done before performing
design calculations.
 Consider that the wet solids with an initial moisture content (X1)
are exposed to air of constant temperature and Humidity.
 If we then measure the moisture content as a function of time,
then a curve such as shown in fig 1 is obtained from the collected
data.
 The curve related the moisture content on a dry basis with time.
 It is clear from the curve that the moisture content of solids
decreases with time and after some time it remains constant at
X*, which is the equilibrium moisture content.
 From curve, we can draw another type of curve which is known
as rate of drying curve.
 This curve gives information regarding the drying process.
 The rate of drying curve gives a relationship between rate of drying,
expressed as the moisture evaporated per unit time per unit area of the
drying surface and moisture content on a Dry basis.
 This curve can be constructed by measuring the slope of tangents drawn to
the curve of fig 1 at various values of the moisture content and then
𝑑𝑋 1
calculating the rate as 𝑁 = − 𝑆𝑠 𝑑𝑡 ×𝐴 , where 𝑆𝑠 is the weight of dry solids
and A is the area of drying surface ,x=moisture content of any time t.
 This figure shows the rate of drying curve.
 The section AB of the curve represents a warming up period during which the
temperature of the solid is becoming equal to the temperature of drying air.
 From B to C, the curve is a straight line parallel to X-axis representing the constant rate
of drying, thus the straight section BC is called the constant rate period during which a
layer of water on the surface of solid is being evaporated.
 The rate of drying is constant from B to C as the drying takes place from a
saturated surface.
 The section (CE) of the curve represents the falling rate period composed
of first falling rate period (CD) and second falling rate period (DE).
 From point “ C “ onwards some dry patches start forming on the surface of
the solid.
 The rate of drying decreases for the unsaturated portion and hence rate for
total surface decreases.
 The section CD of the curve represents the period corresponding to the
zone of unsaturated surface drying.
 The moisture content at which the constant rate period ends and at which
the drying rate starts to fall is known as the critical moisture content.
 After point D, the surface of the solid is completely dry and now internal moment of
moisture starts coming to the surface and this is continued upto point E, where the
equilibrium is attained.
 The rate of drying over section DE is governed by the rate of internal moisture
movement.
 The second falling rate period (DE) represents the zone where internal moisture
movement controls.