Thin layer drying characteristics of hulless oats at near ambient temperatures (Avena sativa L.)

A laboratory thin-layer drier was used to obtain the thin-layer drying and rewetting data for 70% hulless oats (Avena sativa L., cv. 'AC Belmont') usi ng air at constant temperature and relative: humidity conditions. The data were collected for various combinations of initial moisture content (11 to 22% dry basis), temperature (15 to 36 degrees C), relative humidity (27 to 93%), and air velocity (0.05 to 0.97 m/s). Thin-layer drying and rewetting data were analyzed using liquid diffusion, Lewis', and Page's equations. Th e thin-layer drying and rewetting rates at constant relative humidities agr eed well with Page's equation. The effects of temperature, relative humidit y, initial moisture content, and air velocity were characterized by paramet ers k and n of Page's equation. Temperature, relative humidity, and initial moisture content had significant effects (p > 0.05) on k. Relative humidit y and initial moisture content had significant effects on parameter n. Air velocity did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) on drying or rewettin g. Due to their nonlinear distributions among the experimental tests, k and n could not be correlated with temperature and relative humidity for all t he experimental tests.