Ferramentas analíticas e numéricas para a descrição da secagem de sólidos na forma de cilindros e de elipsóides.

Abstract

This work has the objective of studying the transient diffusion phenomena of mass in solids with cylindrical and ellipsoidal shape. The study presents solutions for the diffusion equation with boundary condition of the third kind. Analytical (optimizer coupled with the analytical solution) and numerical tools were developed for the description of the diffusion of mass in products with the mentioned shapes. For the numerical solutions proposed, the two-dimensional diffusion equation was discretized using the finite volume method, with fully implicit formulation, using cylindrical and generalized coordinates. For the numerical solution in cylindrical coordinates it was developed a software in the Windows platform, using the programming language Fortran, including graphic interface with the user. The software generated consistent results in all of the tests performed, and was validated for cylinders with constant or variable thermo-physical parameters. We can conclude that the tools developed are appropriate to the study of diffusive problems in general. The developed tools were used to describe drying of whole bananas and in cylindrical pieces, with several lengths. Two models were used to describe the process. Model 1, with constant volume and mass diffusivity; and model 2, in which these parameters were considered variable. Model 2 is better than model 1, and the statistical indicators are excellent in the description of the drying kinetics.