Analysis of Transient Inhomogeneous Flow and Thermal Characteristics in a Drying Room via Large Eddy Simulation

To optimize the flow structure in a soft-capsule drying room, the notable inhomogeneous characteristics of flow behavior and thermal feature are numerically explored. An advanced three-dimensional numerical model is established and a verified large eddy simulation (LES) model is adopted. The results indicated that there is a highly inhomogeneous flow structure especially approaching the bilateral region of the drying room, mainly caused by the large velocity gradient whereas a relatively uniform flow structure is observed in the middle region. In the drying process, the inhomogeneous flow feature is sensitive to the increased inlet velocity and aspect ratio λ. It was found that a suitable inlet velocity and a small aspect ratio λ can provide a better drying flow environment.