Energetic vs. Exergetic Efficiency of Food Drying Via Forced Convection with and without Electrohydrodynamic Enhancement

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This study investigated differences in efficiency quantified using an exergetic vs energetic model approach for food drying via forced convection with and without ElectroHydroDynamic (EHD) enhancement. An energetic efficiency could vary depending on the process used to condition the primary airflow. In an exergetic model, this is simplified by looking at the state difference between the primary airflow and ambient conditions. This study is a preliminary look into the variability of energetic efficiency values compared to an exergetic model. Two primary airflow conditioning processes were chosen to build an energetic efficiency model - dehumidification by saturated cooling, and by desiccant material. Energetic efficiency values were computed by recasting data from a previous study used to compute exergetic efficiency. Results showed that energetic efficiency values varied greatly for method 1 compared to method 2. It was therefore concluded that an exergy model can normalize efficiency among different air treatment processes.

Author(s):

Madeline Mitchell    
Mechanical Engineering
Grove City College
United States

Erik Bardy    
Mechanical Engineering
Grove City College
United States