Diseño y construcción de un secador tipo bandejas para biomasa requerido por el CESTTA-ESPOCH

Abstract

The design and construction of a tray dryer for biomass was carried out to reduce the humidity in different materials belonging to this type, basing the design on the drying of blue grass. The research topic was developed in the School of Chemical Engineering, at the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo. Based on the experimental method, we proceeded to design the equipment. First, a simulation was carried out in a dryer of the same type to acquire the appropriate drying conditions for the material. Considering these conditions, we proceeded to the construction of the equipment itself. The equipment was manufactured in stainless steel AISI 304, whose dimensions are 56cm wide, 68cm long and 56cm deep. It has 5 trays of dimensions 42.5cm long, 38cm wide and 3cm thick each, each tray has a MESH 40 type metallic mesh. It also has an automatic PID control board, a fan with a power of 1700rpm and an electric resistance of 2000W as heating medium. The equipment operates with 220V current. The tray dryer allowed us to reduce the humidity of the bluegrass from 80% to reach a humidity equal to 30% without affecting its main properties, which are protein and fiber. It is concluded that the equipment built will be of great help at the time of analysis and different research processes. The present research topic is directed to people interested in the drying operation for biomass.