Mathematical modelling and exergo-environmental analysis of drying potato samples in a waste heat-based convective dryer

Understanding the drying kinetics within a food dryer is an important step towards its improvement. This study investigates the drying kinetics of potato slices in a recently proposed waste-heat based convective dryer. Statistical analyses are conducted for ten dissimilar mathematical models to choose the best fit model for the experimental data at various drying temperatures (70 °C, 60 °C, and 50 °C). Results show that the Midilli et al. model is the best fit model to describe the drying kinetics of potato in the proposed dryer as it offers root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.0022, a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.99, reduced chi-square (χ2) of 9.2 ×10−7. Results also demonstrate that the activation energy is 47.19 kJ⁄mol and…