Drying with superheated steam: maximum drying rate as a linear function of pressure

Drying with superheated steam (SS) as heating agent is controlled through three operative variables, the steam temperature, the recycle velocity, and the system pressure. Once the other conditions are fixed, there is an optimum pressure at which drying rate reaches its maximum value. The exact optimum conditions can be found through a differential mass and energy balance over the heat exchange area, resulting in two equations. The first one to calculate the drying rate as function of the operating conditions and the second one to find the values of those conditions which make the operation optimum. Then, using these equations, this paper shows that the relationship between maximum drying rate and pressure can be rewritten in a unique linear equation. Experiments were performed in a model system to obtain a family of drying rates versus pressure curves, and in accordance with the predicted behaviour, it was observed that all maximum drying rates lay on a straight line. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.