Yahya M, Fahmi Hendriwan, Hasibuan R
Fakultas Teknologi Industri, Institut Teknologi Padang, Indonesia.
Departemen Teknik Kimia, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.
Int J Food Sci. 2022 Jan 27;2022:4373292. doi: 10.1155/2022/4373292. eCollection 2022.
A large amount of heat energy is required for paddy drying processes to evaporate water from paddy grains. Currently, fossil fuels are being used as an energy source to heat air during the drying process. However, fossil fuels cause air pollution, climate change, and disruption of ecological balance. In this study, to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels for paddy drying, a pilot-scale biomass-assisted recirculating mixed-flow drying system (PSBA-RMFD) for drying paddy was designed, installed, and tested. In this PSBA-RMFD, the heat energy required for heating the drying air was provided only by biomass. The PSBA-RMFD comprises a biomass furnace, drying column, vibratory feeder, bucket elevator, and blower. This study is aimed at evaluating the performance of the PSBA-RMFD with a drying capacity of 400 kg/h. The performance metrics of the PSBA-RMFD were specific energy consumption (SEC), specific thermal energy consumption (STEC), specific moisture evaporation rate (SMER), thermal efficiency of the PSBA-RMFD, exergy efficiency of the drying section, and improvement potential of the dryer. From the experiments conducted in this study, the values of the aforementioned performance parameters were as follows: 0.806-8.656 kW h/kg of water evaporated; 0.385-4.136 kW h/kg of water evaporated; 0.122-1.308 kg of water evaporated/kW h; 7.82-83.99%; 15.28-25.64%; and 858.90-1355.62 W, respectively. The paddy moisture content was reduced from 20.90% wet basis (initial weight of 400 kg) to 13.30% wet basis (final weight of 364 kg) in 270 min, with an average temperature of 78.15°C and average relative humidity of 8.55%. The percentage of biomass energy used in the drying system was approximately 47.77% of the overall energy. In addition, the payback period of the PSBA-RMFD was 1.9 years.
稻谷干燥过程需要大量热能来蒸发谷粒中的水分。目前，化石燃料被用作干燥过程中加热空气的能源。然而，化石燃料会导致空气污染、气候变化以及生态平衡的破坏。在本研究中，为减少稻谷干燥对化石燃料的依赖，设计、安装并测试了一种用于稻谷干燥的中试规模生物质辅助循环混流干燥系统（PSBA-RMFD）。在该PSBA-RMFD中，加热干燥空气所需的热能仅由生物质提供。PSBA-RMFD包括生物质炉、干燥塔、振动给料机、斗式提升机和鼓风机。本研究旨在评估干燥能力为400千克/小时的PSBA-RMFD的性能。PSBA-RMFD的性能指标包括特定能耗（SEC）、特定热能消耗（STEC）、特定水分蒸发率（SMER）、PSBA-RMFD的热效率、干燥段的火用效率以及干燥机的改进潜力。从本研究进行的实验来看，上述性能参数的值分别如下：每蒸发1千克水为0.806 - 8.656千瓦时；每蒸发1千克水为0.385 - 4.136千瓦时；每千瓦时蒸发0.122 - 1.308千克水；7.82 - 83.99%；15.28 - 25.64%；以及858.90 - 1355.62瓦。稻谷含水量在270分钟内从湿基20.90%（初始重量400千克）降至湿基13.30%（最终重量364千克），平均温度为78.15°C，平均相对湿度为8.55%。干燥系统中使用的生物质能源占总能源的比例约为47.77%。此外，PSBA-RMFD的投资回收期为1.9年。
