Effects of the Broken Kernel on Heat and Moisture Transfer in Fixed-Bed Corn Drying Using Particle-Resolved CFD Model

To investigate the pore structure distribution and the coupled heat and moisture transfer during the drying process of the grains, this study focuses on fixed-bed corn drying with varying levels of broken kernel rate. A model of internal flow and conjugate heat and mass transfer was established for the drying process. Random packing models of whole and half corn kernels with different proportions were generated using rigid body dynamics (RBD), and the porosity, airflow distribution, and coupling of temperature and moisture transfer in fixed beds with different levels of broken kernel rate were analyzed. A fixed-bed corn drying device was developed, and the effects of broken particle contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% on drying characteristics were studied. The research findings reveal that the radial porosity in the fixed bed exhibits an oscillating distribution, with the localized porosity decreasing as the broken kernel rate increases. Increasing the broken kernel rate intensifies the curvature of the airflow paths within the fixed bed, increasing the pressure drop in the bed. The broken kernels fill the gaps between the whole kernels, improving the uniformity of the velocity distribution within the fixed bed. Under various packing models, the average discrepancy between pressure drop obtained from Particle-resolved Computational Fluid Dynamics (PRCFD) simulations with experimental remains below 15%. The increase in broken kernel rate within the fixed bed enlarges the heat transfer area, resulting in an elevation of the transient heat transfer characteristic parameters during drying. Simultaneously, the broken kernel rate increases the surface area of mass transfer, thereby enhancing the moisture transfer rate within the fixed bed. Compared to the fixed bed without broken kernels (0%), which requires 560 min to dry the corn pile to a safe moisture of 14% (d.b.), the drying time is reduced by 60 min, 100 min, and 130 min for the respective broken kernel contents of 10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively. The PRCFD method successfully simulates the processes of convective heat and mass transfer in the fluid phase and thermal and mass diffusion in the solid phase, exhibiting a strong correlation with experimental data.