The use of low-grade heat in dehydration processes of agricultural products

Abstract

Dehydration is one of the main technological processes in the production of food and pharmaceutical products. Dehydration allows products to extend their shelf life, or is an intermediate step in product manufacturing. An important direction in improving the efficiency of production of agricultural products is to control the consumption of heat and electricity. It has been established that waste heat can be used as a free efficient source of low-potential energy for the drying process. This article discusses the benefits of using a heat pump for the drying processes of agricultural products. Heat pump drying can obtain high quality products at low energy costs. A comparative analysis of the convective drying method using a heat pump with other modern dehydration methods of agricultural products was carried out. It was revealed that convective drying with the use of a heat pump is the most advantageous method of dehydration of agricultural complex products.