Modelling the Drying of Porous Coal Particles in Superheated Steam

The modelling and simulation of drying porous coal particles in superheated steam was investigated in this paper. Improved transport and kinetic parameters as well as particle shrinkage were considered in arriving at the results. The resulting partial differential equation describing the drying process was solved numerically using the finite element analysis in addition to other useful equations. This is an improvement over the finite difference analysis that some previous researchers have been using. The simulated results obtained showed very reliable results, as experimental results were properly matched. This is very good justification that the model considerations as well as the good mathematical analysis of the drying process undoubtedly led to a better understanding of the process. This will aid future researchers to design better experiments, equipment and products.