Desempenho de secadores contínuos operando em sistema intermitente

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of five continuous dryers, of different manufacturers, operating in an intermittent system and drying maize. Three tests in each dryer were carried out and the results of each test were analyzed independently and compared as an experiment, since each test does not characterize a repetition. The initial moisture of the product was different for each test performed. For the evaluation of the physical quality of the product, the iodine coloration drying test was used. To evaluate the energy efficiency of the system, the consumption of both fuel and electric power was measured. Taking into account the conditions in which the tests were realized, it was possible to observe that the drying speed of the maize seeds in continuous dryers operating in an intermittent system may range from two to three percent points per hour, at drying air temperatures ranging from 80°C to 120°C; the physical quality of the product, dried in dryers whose drying temperatures suffered variations in a higher level, is relatively inferior to that of the product submitted to drying at lower levels of temperature variation.