MATHEMATICAL-MODEL OF SUGAR DEHYDRATION DURING STORAGE IN A LABORATORY SILO

In the industrial processing of sugar beet, after drying and cooling, rile sugar crystals are still likely to contain water During storage i n silos, the bound water on the crystal surface is changed into free w ater that enhances caking and the formation of lumps. Preventing cakin g requires a goon knowledge of mass and heat transfer phenomena. To ob tain this information, a laboratory silo was built and equipped out wi th thermohygrometers. Moreover; a model based on transient mass and he ar balances was conceived which correlated well with experimental resu lts (i.e. the temperature and humidity of air and the moisture content of sugar). Identification of certain parameters such as the mass tran sfer coefficient for sugar dehydration was thus possible. (C) 1998 Els evier Science Limited. All rights reserved.