Problem Based Learning
SHMT (CHE-330)
Problem No 1: A wet solid is dried from 25 per cent to 10 per cent moisture, under constant
drying conditions in 15 ks (4.17b). If the equilibrium moisture content is 5 per cent and the
critical moisture content is 15 per cent, how long will it take to dry to 8 per cent moisture
under the same conditions?
Problem No 2: Strips of material 10 mm thick are dried under constant drying conditions
from 28 to 13 per cent moisture in 25 ks. If the equilibrium moisture content is 7 per cent,
what is the time taken to dry 60 mm planks from 22 to 10 per cent moisture under the same
conditions, assuming no loss from the edges? All moistures are expressed on the wet basis.
The relation between E, the ratio of the average free moisture content at time t to the initial
free moisture content, and the parameter J is given by:
E 1 0.64 0.49 0.38 0.295 0.22 0.14
J 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.7
It may be noted that J = kt/l2, where k is a constant, t is the time in ks and 2l is the thickness
of the sheet of material in mm.
Problem No 3: A granular material containing 40 per cent moisture is fed to a countercurrent
rotary dryer at 295 K and is withdrawn at 305 K containing 5 per cent moisture. The air
supplied, which contains 0.006 kg water vapour/kg of dry air, enters at 385 K and leaves at
310 K. The dryer handles 0.125 kg/s wet stock. Assuming that radiation losses amount to 20
kJ/kg of dry air used, determine the mass flowrate of dry air supplied to the dryer and the
humidity of the outlet air. The latent heat of water vapour at 295 K is 2449 kJ/kg, the specific
heat capacity of dried material is 0.88 kJ/kg K, the specific heat capacity of dry air is 1.00
kJ/kg K and the specific heat capacity of water vapour is 2.01 kJ/kg K.
Problem No 4: 1 Mg (1 tonne) of dry mass of a non-porous solid is dried under constant
drying conditions with air at a velocity of 0.75 m/s. The area of surface drying is 55 m2. If
the initial rate of drying is 0.3 g/m2s, how long will it take to dry the material from 0.15 to
0.025 kg water/kg dry solid? The critical moisture content of the material may be taken as
0.125 kg water/kg dry solid. If the air velocity were increased to 4.0 m/s, what would be the
anticipated saving in time if the process is surface-evaporation controlled?
Problem No 5: A rotary countereurrent dryer is fed with ammonium nitrate containing 5%
moisture at the rate of 1,5 kg/s, and discharges the nitrate with 0.2% moisture. The air enters
at 405 K and leaves at 355 K; the humidity of the entering air being 0.007 kg of moisture per
kg of dry air. The nitrate enters at 294 K and leaves at 339 K. Neglecting radiation losses,
calculate the mass of dry air passing through the dryer and the humidity of the air leaving the
dryer.
Latent heat of water at 294 K = 2450 kJ/kg.
Specific heat of ammonium nitrate = 1.88 kJ/kg K.
Specific heat of dry air = 0.99 kJ/kg K.
Specific heat of water vapour = 2.01 kJ/kg K.
Problem No 6: A rotary dryer is fed with sand at the rate of 1 kg/s. The feed is 50% wet and
the sand is discharged with 3% moisture. The air enters at 380 K with an solute humidity of
0.007 kg/kg. The wet sand enters at 294 K and leaves at 309 K and the air leaves at 310 K.
Calculate the mass of air passing through the dryer and the humidity of the air leaving the
dryer. Allow a radiation loss of 25 kJ/kg of dry air.
Latent heat of water at 294 K = 2450 kJ/kg.
Specific heat of sand = 0.88 Id/kg K.
Specific heat of dry air = 0.99 kJ/kg K.
Specific heat of vapour = 2.01 kJ/kg K.
Problem No 7: Air containing 0.005 kg of water vapour per kg of dry air is heated to 325 K in
a dryer and passed to the lower shelves. It leaves these shelves at 60% humidity, reheated to
325 K and passed over another set of shelves, again leaving at 60% humidity. This is again
reheated for the third and fourth sets of shelves, after which the air leaves the dryer. On the
assumption that the material in each shelf has reached the wet bulb temperature and that heat
losses from the dryer may be neglected, determine:
(a) the temperature of the material on each tray;
(b) the rate of water removal if 5 m3/s of moist air leaves the dryer;
(c) the temperature to which the inlet air would have to be raised to carry out the drying in a
single stage.
Last date of Submission: 12 May 2026