Intelligent Control in the Application of a Rotary Dryer for Reduction in the Over-Drying of Cut Tobacco

The drying process is fundamental for cut tobacco processing. However, there are some problems related to the drying process such as overheating, or inconsistent control of moisture content. This paper shows how an intelligent controller is designed for an industrial rotary drying system. This controller is applied to a tobacco production unit to reduce overdried cut tobacco and improve the overall unit performance. The proposed control system aims to keep the content of moisture at the dryer outlet as close as possible to the optimal value and improve the homogeneity of the product without any operator intervention. The study shows that, if a reduction of humidity in the cut tobacco drying process is achieved using AI, the quality of the final product improves. In particular, if compared to regulatory control, the proposed method constantly monitors and adjusts the moisture content level in order to reduce the amount of overdried product. The findings of this paper indicate that the suggested process can save at least 222.2 kg of cut tobacco for each batch in the first stage of the drying process.

Multi-objective optimization of a steady-state rotary dryer

The multi-objective optimization of a direct current rotary dryer that operates with pozzolan in a Paraguayan company is detailed in this article. Three objective functions in steady state are minimized using a NSGA-II algorithm, these are: (1) moisture at the exit of the rotary dryer, (2) heat released to the environment through the dryer and (3) operating costs of the production process in the Paraguayan company. Furthermore, the optimum operating conditions of the drying process are obtained and compared with the real process. Experimental results prove the ability of the proposed algorithm to decrease the moisture content of pozzolana by 28%, the heat released to the environment by 38 % and the operating costs by 52%.

A Novel Rotary Dryer Filled with Alumina Ceramic Beads for the Treatment of Industrial Wastewaters: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study

In this study, a new type of rotary dryer filled with inert alumina ceramic bead (ACB) fillers was introduced to treat the industrial wastewater, e.g., the high-salt wastewater and landfill leachate. Numerical simulations based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM) on the motion trajectory of ACB fillers in the rotary dryer were conducted, and the parameters of flight structure, rotational speed, and filling degree on the dynamic behavior of ACB fillers were optimized. Under various rotational speeds and filling degrees, the experimental results fit the numerical-simulated results very well. The optimized flight configuration was the straight flights with a length of 65 mm, and the optimized rotational speed and filling degree were 35 rpm and 15%, respectively. Under the optimized condition, both the response variables, the mass of particles in the airborne phase (MAP) and the percentage of occupied area in the airborne region (OAR), have the optimal values, in which the dryer will have a better drying performance. Besides, the lower-right area of the drum is empty which is convenient for the installation of the inlet pipe. The drying experiments of industrial wastewaters were also studied using this ACB filled rotary drum dryer under the optimized conditions. Under the optimal operational conditions, the evaporation capacities of the high-salt wastewater and landfill leachate could reach as high as 49.7 kg/h and 90 kg/h, respectively. This study highlights the integration of evaporation and drying processes of this novel ACB filled rotary dryer and provides an efficient and zero-liquid-emission strategy for the thermal treatment of industrial wastewater.

Analisa Kebutuhan Batu Bara pada Unit Dryer dalam Pengeringan Pupuk NPK di PT AGS Medan

<p class="E-JOURNALAbstractBody">PT. A<span lang="EN-US">GS Medan </span>merupakan <span lang="EN-US">pabrik</span> yang bergerak dalam produksi pupuk NPK yang <span lang="EN-US">s</span>alah satu produk<span lang="EN-US">nya</span>adalah formula 12.12.17<span lang="EN-US"> dengan komposisi</span> 12% unsur <span lang="EN-US">nitrogen</span>, 12% unsur <span lang="EN-US">fosfor dan</span>17% unsur <span lang="EN-US">kalium</span>. Salah satu tahap<span lang="EN-US">an</span> dalam proses pembuatan pupuk NPK yaitu proses pengeringan<em>. </em>Jenis <em>dryer</em> yang digunakan adalah <em>rotary dryer</em> dengan putaran 5 rpm dan kemiringan 20^o. Pengering yang digunakan adalah udara panas yang berasal dari pembakaran batu bara <span lang="EN-US">jenis </span><em>bitminious</em> di dalam <em>furnace</em><em><span lang="EN-US">.</span></em><span lang="EN-US">Untuk menentukan jumlah batu bara yang dibutuhkan dalam proses pengeringan pupuk NPK sebagai bahan bakar </span><em><span lang="EN-US">furnace</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> maka diperlukan perhitungan jumlah panas. Pengambilan sampel, analisis kadar air dan suhu serta menghitung panas dengan prinsip neraca massa dilakukan dalam penelitian ini. </span>Berdasarkan perhitungan yang telah dilakukan untuk mengeringkan pupuk NPK dengan kapasitas pupuk NPK 7000 kg/jam dibutuhkan energi sebesar 6136<span lang="EN-US">268</span>,<span lang="EN-US">402</span>Kkal/jam. Jumlah bahan bakar yang dibutuhkan untuk mengeringkan pupuk NPK adalah sebesar 789,<span lang="EN-US">219</span>kg/jam. </p>

Effects of different drying methods on the chemical, nutritional and colour of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) leaves

This work investigates the effect of different drying processes on chemical, nutritional and leaves colour characteristics for Ilex paraguariensis leaves. These processes were composed of typical drying techniques (roasting + rotary dryer and roasting + conveyor dryer), and cutting-edge techniques (microwave oven [MW], freeze-drying (FD) and oven dryer [OD]). The MW can be an alternative technique, this is because the content of phenolic compounds (77 mg/g), antioxidant capacity (DPPH and ABTS) (∼370 and ∼1040 μM TE/g), methylxanthines and caffeoylquinic acids (2–4 mg/g) were similar, and sometimes higher, to the conventional drying processes. Leaves dried with MW also exhibited satisfactory nutritional analysis for protein (16.4%), dietary fibre (52.3%), ash (6.4%), lipid (6.1%) and moisture (5.7%), implying that yerba mate is a potential source of fibre and protein. Furthermore, the MW preserved leaves green colour (high and low scores of b* and a*, respectively).