Batch type dryers are some of the most widespread equipment used for food dehydration. One major
drawback of dryer is the spatial heterogeneity of air distribution in the drying chamber. A new batch type
dryer with diagonally airflow inlet channel (along the length of drying chamber) has been developed. This
feature caused drying uniformity by exposing the entire food product to incoming warm air. A flow simulation
software, ANSYS-Fluent has been used to predict the profile of air distribution in drying chamber.
A spatial homogeneity of air distribution was found. To validate the designed geometry of dryer and its
performance evaluation, experiments were conducted using potatoes (slices, 4 mm thickness) as drying
material. The result, expressed as drying curves for all food buckets, showed high R2 value. The simulated
results of airflow were compared with experimental measured data. This comparison revealed a good
correlation coefficient of 87.09% for airflow distribution.