Study of the drying process of wetted surfaces under conditions similar to food processing conditions.
Two experiments were carried out inside a test room in order to study the drying rate of wetted surfaces under conditions similar to those encountered in food processing plants. In the first experiment, the evaporation of water droplets on a stainless steel plate representing typical equipment was studied under different ambient conditions in the room. In the second experiment, in order to reproduce drying conditions inside a food processing plant, the floor was entirely wetted with water, the water mass evolution was measured when the discharge air was dried by a dehumidifier, and the results were compared with those obtained without using a dehumidifier. Models predicting the evaporation rate in these two experiments were developed and the numerical results show good agreement with the experimental data. Relative humidity was the factor which exerted the greatest influence on the evaporation rate. The drying rate on the stainless steel plate increased five-fold when a dehumidifier was used.