Optimization of single-zone drying of polymer solution coatings using mathematical modeling

Optimal conditions for drying polymer-solvent coatings result from a trade-off between minimizing the residual solvent level and creating defects. This article describes an application of automated constrained optimization with a detailed mathematical drying model to find the optimal drying conditions for a prototypical coating in a single-zone oven. The optimization process seeks oven conditions that minimize the residual solvent level for a fixed oven residence time without boiling the solvent within the coating. The optimal oven conditions include the air temperature and coating-side and substrate-side heat-transfer coefficients. The conditions are constrained to physically reasonable values. According to our results, the optimal coating-side heat-transfer coefficient is always equal to or greater than the optimal substrate-side heat-transfer coefficient.