Abstract
In order to simulate the drying of foods, calculations based on finite differences, elements, or volumes are extremely time-consuming, particularly when embedded in an optimization procedure. Such models, involving coupled heat and mass transfers and nonlinear properties and boundaries, give rise to slow simulations. This paper proposes a new method concerning the slab, cylindrical, and spherical geometries. This method gives results equivalent to those of the finite volume method but is more rapid by an order of magnitude. The method is based on an optimized 3-compartment model whose parameters are linked to physically meaningful food properties.