Abstract: A model for drying chickpea seeds in a batch fluidized bed has been dealt with in the present paper assuming that the bed is divided into a solid phase, an interstitial gas phase and a bubble phase with heat and mass transfer between the phases. The model considers further the bubble size, bubble rise velocity and bubble volume fraction in the rate equation for the constant rate and falling rate periods. The experimental set up consisting of an air heater and a fluidization column chamber with a provision of taking samples at a regular interval. The experimental runs for studying various effects of volumetric flow rate, initial moisture content of chickpea, its diameter, diffusivity have been compared with the simulated data found by running the listed MATLAB programme using the established working equations related with fluidized bed drying. Also the effect of varying the fluidized bed chamber-column has been studied using the MATLAB.

Keywords: Chickpea, Drying, Constant rate period, Falling rate period, Fluidized bed drying, Simulation, MATLAB.