Heat Pump-Assisted Dryers: Optimum Sizing, Design, and Operation Rules identifies the optimum sizing, operation, and control strategies for hot air convective batch driers coupled with air-to-air mechanical vapor compression heat pumps. It evaluates the energy requirements, most efficient operation and control methods, drying performances, and environmental issues and considerations.
Covering the physical drying process of porous solid materials (fruits, vegetables, and wood), the book discusses heat conduction and moisture migration. It investigates the optimum coupling of thermodynamic systems, examining unproved drying techniques and combining solar energy and heat pump-assisted dryers. The book explores future R&D needs, including advanced drying technologies, low GWP refrigerants, and process integration.
This book is an essential resource for professionals working with heat pumps, industrial process engineers, manufacturers, and academic researchers studying advances in drying technologies and processes.
1. Introduction.
2. Drying of Porous Solid Materials.
3. Drying of
Fruits and Vegetables.
4. Drying of Woods.
5. Heat Pump-Assisted Drying:
Whats Wrong?.
6. Optimum Coupling of Thermodynamic Systems.
7. Optimizing
Dehumidification Capacity of Mechanical Vapor Compression Heat Pumps.
8.
Efficient Operation and Control Rules.
9. Conclusions.
Vasile Minea is a Ph.D. graduate of Bucharest Technical Construction University, Romania. He worked as university professor for over 15 years, teaching courses in hydraulic/fluid and HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning) systems for civil, agricultural, and industrial processes and buildings, as well as thermodynamics, heat transfer, and refrigeration. From 1987, Dr. Minea worked for more than 30 years as a scientist researcher at the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute, Laboratory of Energy Technologies in Quebec, Canada. His research activity mainly focused on industrial refrigeration and heat pumps, heat recovery technologies in large-scale commercial/institutional HVAC systems, and various industrial processes (such as heat pump-assisted drying), low- and medium-temperature geothermal heat pumps, and medium-enthalpy power generation cycles. During this period, Dr. Minea collaborated with the Canadian and American heat pump industry and R&D drying community in developing laboratory- and industrial-scale experimental heat pumpassisted drying systems.
