Development of a new moisture transfer (Bi-Re) correlation for food drying applications

In this paper, newly developed Biot-Reynolds (Bi-Re) correlation to determine the moisture transfer parameters is presented. Development of the new correlation is based on the experimental data taken from various sources in the literature. Moisture diffusivity and moisture transfer coefficient are calculated using the previously developed model. The moisture distribution profiles are then obtained for regular objects such as slab, cylinder and sphere. The results obtained from the present study are compared with the experimental data and a correlation available in the literature. It is found that they are in good agreement. Hence, it is believed that the developed correlation is of great significance for design and practicing engineers working in the drying industries.