• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a system to optimize drying potential energy of the exhausted hot air by changing relative humidity of the air. This study modified the conventional drying method into a drying method changing exhaust cycle and time in order to control the relative humidity of the exhausted hot air during drying process. Method: A valve on the vent was controlled according to a preset time to change the exhaust cycle and time. This study analyzed the influence of the two different types of drying method on the drying characteristics, required energy, and quality of the dried peppers: conventional drying method exhausting hot air continuously and new drying method controlling exhaust cycle and time. Results: Drying characteristics based on exhaust time showed that drying time increased with exhaust time, and specific energy consumption was reduced by 28% from 18.39 MJ/kg (conventional method) to 13.24 MJ/kg when exhaust time was set to one minute. Drying characteristics based on heating time showed that drying time increased with heating time and specific energy consumption was reduced by 30% from 18.39 MJ/kg (conventional method) to 12.87 MJ/kg when exhaust time was set to 22 minutes. Drying characteristics based on exhaust cycle showed that drying time increased with exhaust cycle, and specific energy consumption was reduced by 31% from 18.39 MJ/kg (conventional method) to 12.69 MJ/kg when exhaust time was set to one minute and exhaust cycle was set to 22 minutes before drying and 40 minutes after drying. The quality of the dried red peppers showed that capsaicin, color, and sugar content were high as 34.87 mg/100g, 66.33, and 11.87%, respectively, when exhaust time was set to one minute and exhaust cycle was set to 22 minutes before drying and 40 minutes after drying. Conclusions: In order to utilize the drying potential energy of the exhausted air during drying process, the conventional drying method was modified into the drying method controlling exhaust cycle and time. The results showed that drying with exhaust cycle of one minute was more efficient in terms of drying time, required energy, and quality of the dried peppers than the one with exhaust cycle of 20~40 minutes.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.21-26
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• 2001

Acquisition of precise information on drying characteristics of wood is indispensable for the improvement of drying schedules and wood quality. Recognition of the exact moisture content at which drying defects such as checks occur during drying with given drying conditions may be essential to reduce drying losses. In this study an image-processing system was combined with a laboratory-scale wood dry kiln for experiments and the surface of tree disk of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) was monitored to investigate the behavior of check formation over all the drying process. This system showed good potential for improving drying schedules and wood product quality.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.223-226
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• 2001

The leaf water relations and photosynthetic rate during acute soil drying were compared in potgrown grapevine cultivars, Vitis vinifera cv. Chardonnay and V. vinifera cv. Riesling. Leaf water potential in Riesling decreased significantly from day 2 after water had been withheld, while in Chardonnay leaf water potential for the water-stressed plants was almost identical with that in well watered plants during the first 4 days. Higher stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate in Chardonnay than Riesling were observed until day 3 after withholding water. Photosynthetic rate in water-stressed Chardonnay was not different from that in control plants until day 3 after withholding water, while that in water-stressed Riesling was reduced markedly from day 2. In Riesling, osmotic potential at turgor loss point was not changed irrespective of watering conditions. However, in Chardonnay osmotic potential at turgor loss point decreased more in the water stressed conditions than in well watered conditions. The osmotic adjustment in Chardonnay under water stress conditions must contribute to the maintenance of higher stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate than those in Riesling for a significant period of the drying process. Though difference in stomatal conductance between the two cultivars was shown in the process of soil drying, stomatal conductance of both cultivars responded to vapor pressure difference between leaf and ambient air, rather than soil water status and leaf water potential.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1107-1113
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• 1998

This work was to study the potential use of germinated and microwave-vacuum-dried brown rite as a raw material for enzyme food. Brown rice was soaked in water at $15^{\circ}C$ for 2 days and then germinated at $25^{\circ}C$ for 4 days. The germin ated brown rice was then dried by different drying methods: microwave vacuum drying 1(drying only), microwave vacuum drying 2 $(drying{\rightarrow}crushing{\rightarrow}drying)$, hot air drying, vacuum drying and freeze drying. Each drier except freeze drier was set to maintain the sample temperature to be $60^{\circ}C$. During microwave vacuum drying 1 and 2 the sample reached $60^{\circ}C$ much faster (5 min) and was dried much faster (2 to 3 hrs for microwave vacuum drying 1 and 2 than the other drying methods. The initial drying rate of microwave vacuum drying was ten times faster than that of hot air drying. The microwave vacuum drying produced a dry sample of the highly retained enzymic activity, followed by freeze drying, vacuum drying and hot air drying.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.860-867
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• 2007

Heat pump drying has a great potential for energy saving due to its high energy efficiency in comparison with conventional air drying. In the present study, the performance simulation for the basic design of a heat pump dryer has been carried out. The simulation includes one-stage heat pump cycle, simple drying process using the drying efficiency. As an example, the heat pump cycle with Refrigerant 134a has been investigated. For the operating conditions such as the average temperature of the condenser, the heat rate released in the condenser, the flow rate of drying air, and drying efficiency, the simulation has been carried out to figure out the performance of the dryer. The parameters considered in the design of the dryer are COP, MER, SMER, the rate of dehumidification, the temperature and humidity of drying air and those parameters are compared for different conditions after carrying out the simulation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.256-260
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• 2001

This study was initially performed to investigate current red-pepper drying methods commonly being adopted on red-pepper cultivation farm area. Based on the informations obtained from the field survey, an experiment of red-pepper drying was carried out to verify the actual drying potential of plastic covered solar house similar to the conventional pipe frame greenhouses covered with one or two layer of plastic film. Some results obtained from field survey and drying experiment for red-pepper are summarized as follows; 1. Various patterns of red-pepper drying process were found; 1) complete natural drying with red-pepper exposed in outdoor air, 2) hot air drying by dry chamber only, 3) combination drying by hot air dryer together with plastic covered passive solar house, 4) drying with plastic covered solar house unit. 2. The average air temperatures of outdoor and solar house during drying experiment period were $26.9-30.8\;and\;28.6-33.8^{\circ}C$, respectively, and the maximum air temperatures of those two were $34.2-36.4\;and\;39.8\;-52.3^{\circ}C$, respectively. Horizontal solar intensity during experiment period was $18.49-23.96\;MJ/m^{2}$, and relative humidity of outdoor and experimental solar house were 56 - 66% and 64 - 70%, respectively. 3. The weight of red-pepper during drying experiment period was decreased almost linearly from initial moisture content of 85% to final moisture content of 14%.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.636-641
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• 2008

Heat pump drying has a great potential for energy saving due to its high energy efficiency in comparison to conventional air drying. The heat pump dryer is usually operated at the temperature less than $50^{\circ}C$ and the drying temperature is limited to the operating temperature of the heat pump system. In order to increase the drying temperature, the special box-type heat pump dryer has been developed. The dryer uses the two-cycle heat pump system which has the two heat pump cycles for high and low temperature heating. The high temperature cycle uses the refrigerant 124 to get the temperature greater than $80^{\circ}C$ and the low temperature cycle uses the refrigerant 134a. The drying experiment has been carried out to figure out the performance of the dryer with the selected drying material.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.3 no.2_3
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• pp.103-122
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• 2006

Drying shrinkage of concrete occurs due to the loss of moisture and thus, it is controlled by moisture diffusion process. On the other hand, the shrinkage causes cracking of concrete and affects its moisture diffusion properties. Therefore, moisture diffusion and drying shrinkage are two coupled processes and their interactive effect is important for the durability of concrete structures. In this paper, the two material parameters in the moisture diffusion equation, i.e., the moisture capacity and humidity diffusivity, are modified by two different methods to include the effect of drying shrinkage on the moisture diffusion. The effect of drying shrinkage on the humidity diffusivity is introduced by the scalar damage parameter. The effect of drying shrinkage on the moisture capacity is evaluated by an analytical model based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and minimum potential energy principle for a two-phase composite. The mechanical part of drying shrinkage is modeled as an elastoplastic damage problem. The coupled problem of moisture diffusion and drying shrinkage is solved using a finite element method. The present model can predict that the drying shrinkage accelerates the moisture diffusion in concrete, and in turn, the accelerated drying process increases the shrinkage strain. The coupling effects are demonstrated by a numerical example.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.23.2-23.2
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• 2010

Researches on the drying of particle/polymer suspensions receive attentions in technical applications such as manufacturing display and batteries. In this study, the effect of polymers on drying behavior of silica/poly(vinyl alcohol) suspension was investigated in terms of suspension stability and stress development during drying. The effect of polymer adsorption was studied by changing pH. More strongly flocculated suspension with lower pH became more dispersed and close-packed film after drying. Evaluation of potential energy allows us to suggest that the adsorbed polymers which bridge the particles introduce steric repulsion and lead flocculated suspension to dispersed film. When the effect of adsorption kinetics was studied by changing the mixing time, the adsorption amount, characteristic stress and dried film density showed a similar behavior in the form of with a single characteristic time. It implies that the drying process can be determined by simple characteristic equation with a single time constant.

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2014

Entomopathogenic fungi are promising pest-control agents but their industrial applicability is limited by their thermosusceptibility. With an aim to increase the thermotolerance of Isaria fumosorosea SFP-198, moisture absorbents were added to dried conidial powder, and the relationship between its water potential and thermotolerance was investigated. Mycotized rice grains were dried at $10^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, $30^{\circ}C$, and $40^{\circ}C$ and the drying effect of each temperature for 24, 48, 96, and 140 hr was determined. Drying for 48 hr at $10^{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$ reduced the moisture content to < 5% without any significant loss of conidial thermotolerance, but drying at $30^{\circ}C$ and $40^{\circ}C$ reduced both moisture content and conidial thermotolerance. To maintain thermotolerance during storage, moisture absorbents, such as calcium chloride, silica gel, magnesium sulfate, white carbon, and sodium sulfate were individually added to previously dried-conidial powder at 10% (w/w). These mixtures was then stored at room temperature for 30 days and subjected to $50^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr. The white carbon mixture had the highest conidial thermotolerance, followed by silica gel, magnesium sulfate, and then the other absorbents. A significant correlation between the water potential and conidial thermotolerance was observed in all conidia-absorbent mixtures tested in this study (r = -0.945). Conidial thermotolerance in wet conditions was evaluated by adding moisturized white carbon (0~20% $H_2O$) to conidia to mimic wet conditions. Notably, the conidia still maintained their thermotolerance under these conditions. Thus, it is evident that conidial thermotolerance can be maintained by drying mycotized rice grains at low temperatures and adding a moisture absorbent, such as white carbon.