Physical Properties of Green Pea in an Inert Medium FBD Dryer Assisted by IR Heating

The drying behavior of green peas is investigated in a pilot scaled Fluidized Bed Dryer (FBD) with inert particles assisted by an Infra Red (IR) heat source. The variation of shrinkage and moisture diffusivity with temperature and moisture content were investigated. The experimental drying curves were adjusted to the diffusion model of Fick’s law for spherical particles. The result was that, although the shrinkage was only a function of moisture content, the moisture diffusivity was dependent upon both temperature and moisture content. The effective diffusion coefficients were estimated at a temperature range of 35-70 and a moisture content range of 0.25- 3.8 kg moisture/kg dry solids. Some correlations were proposed for these properties.