Abstract
Recently utilization of far infrared radiation attracts public attention on the processing of food industries. In this paper, drying experiments of potato were carried out, using some far infrared radiation heaters. Moreover, the relation between supplied electric power and surface temperature of heaters was discussed. And the following results were obt ained. (1) In far infrared heaters which were used in our experiments, the heater with the strongest emissive power provided the largest drying rate. (2) When supplied electric power to far infrared heaters was strong, temperature of the sample was high, drying rate became large, and constant-rate period was short. When supplied electric power was weak, const ant-rateperiod became long. (3) Surface temperature of far infrared heaters was lower than that of black body, because the Joule's heat is deprived from the surface of the heater to the surrounding air by natural convection.
