Part of the book: Clay Minerals in Nature
The processes of simultaneous moisture and heat transfer, which are often nonstationary, and the distinct nature and properties of the material to be dried complicate the description of the drying process. The theory of moisture migration and modeling of drying process has been the subject of many studies. Three theories, the diffusion, the capillary flow, and the evaporation-condensation, have won general recognition for the explanation of moisture transfer in porous media. This study has several objectives. The first one was to present a new method for calculation of the variable effective diffusivity as well as to identify different drying mechanisms and its exact transitions during isothermal drying of clay tiles. The second and main objectives were to analyze all obtained isothermal data, to create a link with the comprehensive theory of moisture migration during drying, and to set up the non-isothermal drying process. The procedure was based on the principle of controlling the mass transport during the drying process. Proposed regimes were consisted from several isothermal segments. Isothermal segments were selected and specificated in accordance with the clay raw material nature and the moisture migration theory.
Part of the book: Operations Research