Simulation of food solar drying

This chapter discusses the simulation process of food solar drying, presenting the basic issues of mass and heat transfer under time-varying conditions. Food drying embraces several phenomena, and scientists do not completely understand its underlying mechanisms. However, mathematical simulation and modelling provide comprehensions to improve the knowledge on the drying mechanisms, allow the prediction of the drying behaviour as well as being essential tools in the design of solar drying equipment. The major difficulty in simulating food solar drying arises from variable meteorological conditions that change air temperature, moisture and velocity inside the solar equipment, during the drying process. Therefore, an integrated mass and heat transfer model under dynamic conditions is presented, and appropriate assumptions are discussed. A meteorological model and desorption isotherms are taken into consideration as well. The integrated model includes food’s shrinkage, changing boundary conditions and variable thermal properties and water diffusivity with time and space (non-isotropic characteristics).