Experimental Study of Drying Ratio and Humidity of Silica Sand Materials

Problem statement: This study investigates the relationship between heating and humidity of silica sand materials in vibrating drying machines. Hence, a prototype of drying plant for one-meter length is designed, including choosing the parameters of the drying machine and computing the factors that affect drying process in addition to studying materials' characteristics and hot air flow effect. Approach: Studying these new factors will provide better understanding of drying process and increase the abilities for improvement. This study defines the efficient parameters of material and hot air movement, humidity, necessary drying temperature to specify quality of material drying. Results: Four samples of silica sand with different amounts of water at three different temperatures are tested experimentally. The relationships of both drying ratio and humidity with temperature were determined. Conclusion: The results of this study can be implemented in many fields of the industry where dryers and silica sand are used. The application of the temperature relations can improve the revenue by increasing the quality of drying material. For further study, it is recommended to apply various temperatures on different types of materials while defining the effect of evacuation pipe on drying material is advised.