LOW-TEMPERATURE PEANUT DRYING USING LIQUID DESICCANT SYSTEM CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Field-dried peanuts having 25% average moisture content have been drie d by using a liquid desiccant drying system. This system consists of c limate simulation subsystem, closed loop air drying subsystem, and reg eneration subsystem. The closed loop drying subsystem used in this inv estigation provides low temperature drying with a little increase in d rying air temperature. Regeneration temperature, liquid desiccant conc entration, and air flowrate in the drying subsystem have been kept unc hanged during the experiments, but air of different humidity have been used to regenerate the liquid desiccant. Experimental measurements of the system performance have been carried out utilizing a new cost eff ective desiccant mixture (CELD) which is composed of equal portions by weight of lithium chloride and calcium chloride. The drying process h as been performed using different climatic conditions in the regenerat ion process. Experimental results demonstrate that drying peanuts by t he use of a liquid desiccant system is promising.