Drying rate curves of porous solids in steam and in air under low-pressure conditions

Drying of porous solids such as sintered glass beads, baked clay, and cemented glass balloons in both steam and air streams was investigated under low-pressure conditions. There was no significant difference between the normalized observed drying rate curves in air at low pressures of 0.71-1.19 kPa and those in steam at low pressures of 0.97-0.99 kPa. However, lower critical moisture contents and higher drying rates in superheated steam at subatmospheric pressures of 8.27-8.33 kPa were observed compared to those in steam at pressures in the range of 0.97-0.99 kPa. Moreover, two models were validated for the prediction of drying rate curves of sintered glass beads at subatmospheric and low pressures. The patterns of the drying rate curves, which depend on the drying medium and its pressure, were common to these materials.