Numerical Analysis of Three-Dimensional Heat and Mass Transfer in Cocoa Beans Under a Solar Drying Condition With a Thermal Storage Material

Abstract

This study investigated the numerical analysis of heat and mass transfer during solar drying of cocoa beans with firebrick thermal storage material. The continuity, momentum, energy, and species equations were solved for a three-dimensional ellipsoidal cocoa bean using the finite volume method with the aid of ansys, a computational fluid dynamics software. The simulated and experimental maximum product (cocoa) temperatures of 53 and 53.5 °C, respectively, were in agreement with each other. The results obtained in this study will help the stakeholders in the cocoa processing industries in the design of the drying system, selection of suitable drying conditions, prediction of heat and mass transfer in the drying process of cocoa, enhancement of better quality attributes such as color and flavor, and reduction in the cost of design and time in the drying process.