Temperature Field Simulation and Energy Analysis of a Heat Pump Tobacco Bulk Curing Barn

Ye Zhang, Bin Li, Zhenfeng He, Wenyan Ou, Jiahao Zhong, Xuefeng Zhang, Mingang Meng and Changyou Li ()
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Ye Zhang: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Bin Li: College of Intelligent and Manufacturing Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Yongchuan, Chongqing 402160, China
Zhenfeng He: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Wenyan Ou: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiahao Zhong: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Xuefeng Zhang: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Mingang Meng: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Changyou Li: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-16

Abstract: Recently, heat pump drying has been widely used in tobacco processing. Considering the importance of this issue, it is of significant importance to further investigate temperature distribution and energy analysis in the drying process. To develop an energy-saving, environmental-friendly, and high-quality tobacco drying method, temperature distribution, dehumidification performance, the economic issues, and thermal efficiency of a heat pump curing barn (HPCB) and a traditional coal-fired bulk curing barn (TCCB) were compared. The regional temperature eigenvalue model was applied to describe the temperature uniformity with HPCB and TCCB. Moreover, thermal efficiency was obtained through energy tests. The obtained results showed that HPCB is beneficial to improve the drying quality of tobacco. The performed analyses showed that the thermal efficiency of the TCCB and HPCB was 42.02% and 66.53%, respectively. Accordingly, heat pump technology is recommended for industrial drying of tobacco leaves and obtaining high-quality products.

Keywords: tobacco bulk curing; heat pump; temperature field; moisture dehumidification rate; thermal efficiency (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: 2022
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