Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Drying is an energy-intensive process extensively utilized in food and agricultural industries for moisture reduction of products. This research aimed to investigate techniques for enhancing hot air drying performance through the application of a real-time adjustable air recirculation control system based on Internet of Things technology. Experiments were conducted under drying temperature conditions of 50°C, 60°C and 70°C combined with air recirculation percentages of 0%, 25%, 50% and 75%, while maintaining constant air velocity at 1.5 m/s. Pork tenderloin was used as the sample material for this study. The criteria used for evaluating drying performance included drying rate and specific energy consumption. The study results revealed that increasing drying temperature resulted in increased drying rate and specific energy consumption. Conversely, increasing air recirculation percentage helped reduce specific energy consumption while drying rate increased. Under drying temperature conditions of 70°C, increasing air recirculation percentage from 0% to 75% resulted in a 61% reduction in specific energy consumption and an 11% increase in drying rate. Furthermore, it was found that under conditions of 50°C drying temperature and 75% air recirculation percentage, the lowest specific energy consumption of 17.11 kWh/kg was achieved. This study confirms that integrating air recirculation percentage control systems with Internet of Things technology can significantly enhance drying performance. This approach demonstrates potential for industrial-scale applications, particularly in energy-saving drying systems and long-term sustainable development.
Institution: Ubon Ratchathani University
Language: Thai
Topic: Food Drying and Modeling
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7215548809