Mathematical Modeling of Heat and Mass Transfer during Moisture–Heat Treatment of Castor Beans to Improve the Quality of Vegetable Oil

Abstract

An important process in the technology of plant oil production by mechanical pressing is the wet–heat treatment of crushed oilseeds, in which the oilseed (compressed seed) is exposed to saturated vapor and a conductive heat supply. Optimal mode selection of wet–heat treatment based onadetailedstudyofthephysicalprocessestakingplaceinthecompressedseedincreasesoilrelease, improves its quality indicators, and decreases energy consumption. Mathematical modeling is an advanced method for studying the dynamics of humidification and frying in the compressed seed. The article introduces a mathematical model and a numerical method for calculating heat-and-mass transformation and phase conversion in the process of the humidification and frying of compressed seeds of the castor plant in a continuous multi-stage heating kettle. This study provides equations for calculating the intensity of phase transformation on the inner and outer surfaces of the wet layer. Data verification indicates the adequacy of the mathematical model, effectiveness of the numerical method, and possibility of their use in optimizing the modes of wet–heat treatment for compressed seed raw material.