Effect of Air Velocity and Drying Temperature on Drying Characteristics of Soybean (Glycine max) Using Hot Air Drying
The effects of drying temperature on the drying characteristics of soybeans at the different position in the dryer with 28.1% (±0.8) of initial moisture content were studied. Drying temperatures varied at 35, 45 and 55ºC, with a constant inlet air velocity (3 m/s). The local air velocities at a position 1, 5, and 9 were 0.150 m/s (±0.012), 0.247 m/ s (±0.018) and 0.795 m/s (±0.036), respectively. The drying rate increased as the local air velocity increased from 0.150 m/s to 0.795 m/s. The cracked grain ratio increased as the drying rate increased. To prevent quality degradation of soybeans during hot-air drying, the local air velocity should be considered. Thin-layer drying models were applied to describe the drying process of soybeans. The Midilli-Kucuk model showed the best fit (R2>0.99). Based on the model parameters, the drying time to achieve the target moisture content (15%) was successfully estimated. The drying time was strongly dependent on the position in the dryer and the drying temperature.