Simulation of walnut drying under hot air heating using a nonequilibrium multiphase transfer model

A nonequilibrium multiphase moisture and heat transfer model was developed to simulate the drying of a single walnut under hot air heating. The walnut was modeled as a 3-layer sphere by differentiating the shell, kernel, and an air gap between them. Drying characteristics of walnuts at 43, 55, 65, and 75 °C under 1.4 m/s air velocity were simulated using finite element method. The simulation results agreed well with experimental data, and the...