Modeling and Energetic Analysis of Soybean Meal Drying in the Indirect Rotary Dryer

Abstract

The process of soybean meal industrial drying requires a high consumption of energy, and it is usually performed in an indirect rotary dryer. A study aiming for the reduction of this energy consumption is vital for the competitiveness of this product. Thus, the purpose of this work was to develop a mathematical model of soybean meal drying, in permanent regime, in order to assess the optimal operational conditions of the dryer and its energetic performance. The developed model is based on balances of mass and energy, and using constitutive and empirical equations. The model validation was carried out through operational data. From this, the influences of the initial temperature, initial moisture, and relative humidity of air, as well as the dryer energetic performance, were investigated.