Ultrasound-assisted fluidized bed drying of paddy: Energy consumption and rice quality aspects

Several studies have been conducted on equipping conventional fluidized bed with some technologies to increase drying efficiency and its performance. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of high-power ultrasound (HPU) on fluidized bed drying of paddy in terms of drying kinetics, grain quality (percentage of cracked kernels and bending strength of grain kernels), and specific energy consumption (SEC). To decrease the initial moisture content of paddy from 26.5 +/- 0.5% (kg/kg, d.b) to the final moisture content of 13 +/- 0.5% (kg/kg, d.b), the experiments were conducted in a factorial design at three levels of ultrasound power densities (11.1, 14.6, and 18.7kW/m(3)), four levels of frequencies (20, 25, 28, and 30kHz), and three levels of drying air temperatures (30, 40, and 50 degrees C). Application of HPU in conjunction with conventional fluidized bed drying led in 23% decrease in drying time as well as improvement in grain quality, in terms of percentage of cracked kernels and bending strengths. In addition, SEC reduced approximately by 22%, as HPU applied at selected drying condition.