Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS IN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER, cilt.159, sa.108212 , ss.1-10, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
In this study, the impact of drying air humidity on moisture transfer in Tombul hazelnuts (Corylus maxima) investigated and calculated the diffusion coefficient of hazelnuts experimentally, theoretically, and thermodynamically. The experiments were carried out under the climatic conditions of Trabzon, Turkey. Throughout the experiments, the drying air temperature was consistently maintained at 45 ◦ C, with varying relative humidity levels (45 %, 55 %, 60 %, and 70 %) and air velocities (0.2 m/s, 0.3 m/s, and 0.6 m/s). The theoretical model utilized diffusion coefficients based on the Dutta model, which accounted for the high sphericity of the hazelnut samples. The coefficients “a” and “b” in the mathematical expression of the diffusion coefficient were modeled as functions dependent on drying air humidity. The diffusion coefficients ranged from 7.3 × 10 9 h at 0.2 m/s, 7.1 × 10 9 to 6.5 × 10 9 m 2 /h at 0.3 m/s, and 6.95 × 10 9 to 6.7 × 10 9 m 2 to 6.7 × 10 9 m 2 / /h at 0.6 m/s, across minimum (40 %) and maximum (70 %) drying air humidity levels. To evaluate the thermodynamic validity of the process, thermodynamic modeling verified the experimental data. These results thermodynamically substantiate that the diffusion coefficient of hazelnuts, as identified in experimental studies, diminishes with increased relative humidity.