Simple Analysis for Development Process of Dry Layer and Estimation of Evaporation

Abstract

A theoretical study of combined steady thermal energy and vapor diffusion equations has been performed to estimate temperature and evaporation in an unsaturated porous media under temperature gradient due to the radiation. The results calculated were compared with experimental results and the availability of the present model was confirmed. For a simulation of drying process an application of the present model to the successive steady method was tried, and could produce a couple of attractive results, that is, Q ∝ t^a (Q: cumulative evaporation, t: time, a ≈ 0.5) and D ∝ t^b (D: thickness of dry layer, b ≈ 0.4).