Three Dimensional (3D) Modeling of Heat and Mass Transfer during Microwave Drying of Potatoes

Huacheng Zhu
1,2
,Tushar Gulati
1
and Ashim K. Datta
1
1
Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2
Institute of Applied Electromagnetics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Microwave drying of fruits and vegetables has been found to result in large
textural changes in the product such as puffing, crack formation and even
burning due to the inhomogeneous heating of the microwaves.
Microwave drying of potatoes is a complex interplay of mass, momentum
and energy transport.
Three phases are considered in the system: solid (skeleton), liquid (water)
and gas (water vapor and air).
Concentration of different species was solved for using the Transport of
Dilute Species module (for liquid water) and Maxwell-Stefan Diffusion model
(for vapor and air) together with Darcy Law (to calculate Gas Pressure).
Microwave oven worked in 10% power level (Cycle Way). Shrinkage effects
have been ignored.

Modeling Framework
Potatoes treated as a
porous material
Transport Model
Conservation of energy
Bulk flow
Conduction
Phase change
Conservation of mass
Water: bulk flow, capillary flow
and phase change
Gas (air, vapor): bulk flow phase
change, binary diffusion
Conservation of momentum
Darcys flow
The microwave oven
works in a cycle way
Total samples average water
saturation with drying time
Tushar Gulati
175 Riley Robb Hall
Email: th237@cornell.edu
Ph: 607-255-2871
Ashim Datta
208 Riley Robb Hall
Email: akd1@cornell.edu
Ph: 607-255-2482
Conclusions
A mechanistic approach that predicts the microwave drying process of potatoes
has been developed.
The model could aid in predicting key quality attributes associated with the
microwave drying process.
Geometry & COMSOL Implementation
Results
Boundary Conditions
- Forced convection heat
transfer
- Moisture loss through
evaporation

COMSOL Implementation
- Electromagnetic
- Transport of Dilute Species
- Transport of Concentrated Species
- Heat Transfer in Fluids
- Darcy Law
The coupled Electromagnetic and Transport Model developed above was solved in
COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a to obtain the moisture content and mass fraction of vapor.
Calculated surface mass fraction of vapor in the first microwave heating cycle
0s 2s 7s 12s 17s 22s
Calculated surface water saturation with drying time
0s 44s 88s 132s 176s 220s
Microwave oven model
GE JES738WJ02

Potato Sample size
1cm
Introduction
Electromagnetic
Model

Maxwells Equations
Faradays Law of Induction
Amperes Law
Gauss Law for electricity
Gauss Law for magnetism
Power Dissipation
Poynting Theorm
Governing Equations

c
w
t
+ v
w
v
s
( )
c
w
+ c
w
v
w
= D
w
c
w
( )
I
Conservation of Mass
Water:

c
v
t
+ v
g
v
s ( )
c
g
+ c
g
v
g
= j S
g
C
2
r
g
M
a
M
v
D
eff ,g
x
v

+ I

c
g
t
+ v
g
v
s ( )
c
g
+ c
g
v
g
= I
Gas:
Vapor:

t

i=s,w,v,a
c
i
c
p,i
T
( )

+
i=w,v,a
v
i
v
s
( ) c
i
c
p,i
T
( )
+
i=w,v,a
c
i
c
p,i
T v
i ( )
c
p,w
T D
c
c
w
( ) = k
eff
T
( )
l I
Conservation of Energy
Darcys Law:
(water and gas)

v
i
v
s
=
k
i
k
r,i
S
i

i

i
P
Conservation of Momentum
Maxwells Equation
0
*
( ) 0
0
j
j

E H
H E
E
H
Faradays Law of Induction:
Amperes Law:
Gauss Law for electricity:
Gauss Law for magnetism:
Poynting Theorm:
0
1
( , ) ''( *)
2
P T x E E
Power Dissipation
Huacheng Zhu
175 Riley Robb Hall
Email: hz78@cornell.edu
Ph: 607-255-2871