Soponronnarit et al. (1996b) investigated
the performance of commercial fluidized bed dryer with capacities of 1-2, 2.5-5.0 and 5-10 t/h
having the provision of recycling the exhaust air while the heat source was from burning diesel
or oil fuel. They reported that energy consumption decreased with increasing moisture content
of paddy and drying temperature. In order to reduce paddy moisture down to 22% (db) in a
single pass, they recommended the use of maximum drying temperature of 150°C for acceptable
quality of product.