Finite element modeling of convective drying of banana with radial shrinkage effect using Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method

Finite element method was used in order to model the simultaneous heat and mass transfer in cylindrical banana samples. The thermophysical properties of banana were considered as the function of moisture content and temperature. The simulation was carried out in the form of axisymmetric model. The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) approach was used in order to incorporate the radial shrinkage effect in the model. The validation of the model was checked by comparing the predicted results with experimental data in various drying conditions. Results showed the mean relative error percent (E%) for estimating the moisture content and core temperature of banana samples in different drying conditions were in the range of 4.23-8.83% and 1.12-1.82% respectively. Therefore, the presented model was able to predict the average moisture content and core temperature satisfactorily. With considering the importance of estimating the moisture content and temperature, the model can be used as a confident tool in order to optimize drying process of banana from the quality and efficiency view. It is expected the presented model can be easily extended for drying of similar products with cylindrical shape.