Energy-Efficient Vacuum Sublimation Drying of Camel Milk: Numerical Simulation and Parametric Analysis

Arshyn Altybay, Ayaulym Rakhmatulina (), Dauren Darkenbayev () and Symbat Satybaldy
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Arshyn Altybay: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, U. Joldasbekov Institute of Mechanics and Engineering, Shevchenko Str. 28, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan
Ayaulym Rakhmatulina: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, U. Joldasbekov Institute of Mechanics and Engineering, Shevchenko Str. 28, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan
Dauren Darkenbayev: Department of Computational Sciences and Statistics and Department of Computer Science, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
Symbat Satybaldy: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, U. Joldasbekov Institute of Mechanics and Engineering, Shevchenko Str. 28, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: This study describes both experimental and numerical investigations into the heat and mass transfer processes governing the vacuum freeze drying of camel milk, with a specific focus on improving the energy efficiency. A three-dimensional model was developed and solved using the finite element method to simulate temperature evolution and sublimation interface progression during drying. The numerical model was validated against experimental data, achieving strong agreement, with an R 2 value of 0.94. A detailed parametric analysis examined the effects of the shelf temperature, sample thickness, and chamber pressure on the drying kinetics and energy input. The results indicate that optimising these parameters can significantly reduce the energy consumption and processing time while maintaining product quality. Notably, reducing the sample thickness to 4 mm shortened the drying time by up to 40% and reduced the specific energy consumption (SEC) from 358 to 149 kWh/kg. These findings offer valuable insights for the design of more energy-efficient freeze drying systems, with implications for sustainable milk powder production and industrial-scale process optimisation.

Keywords: heat and mass transfer; specific energy consumption; numerical simulation; thermal optimisation; porous media; vacuum freeze drying; sublimation; camel milk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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