Moisture Diffusivity and Energy Consumption during Microwave Drying of Plaster of Paris

The drying characteristics of plaster of paris (POP) under microwave conditions at different
microwave power input, initial moisture content, sample thickness and drying time were studied.
Further the experimental data on moisture ratio of POP for different operating conditions were
obtained and calculations were made using nine basic drying model equations. The appropriate
model with modified constants and coefficients to represent the drying kinetics of POP was found
through the analysis of the statistical analysis. The effective moisture diffusivity of the drying
process was also computed for different experimental conditions and a relationship between the
drying rate constant and the effective moisture diffusivity was obtained. The energy consumption
for microwave drying of plaster of paris at different experimental conditions were also computed.