The effect of trays’ slope in the tunnel dryer on drying rate of carrot cubes

Drying of food is perhaps the oldest method of food preservation. The aim of this study the analysis of the effect of changing the slope angle of trays in a tunnel dryer model on the drying rate. Real experiments were carried out for trays’ slopes of 0, 5, 10 and 15°. Carrots’ cubes were dried at a constant temperature of 60°C, with air flow velocity of 1.2 m/s. Also this process was simulated using the COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3 software. The research results showed that increasing slope angle of tray disrupted the laminar flow of the dried cubes layer through the drying air stream and forced the partial air flow through the layer. Thus, the contact surface of the heated air with the material particles and the drying rate have been increased and made it possible to shorten the duration of the drying.