Analytical Determination of the Drying Characteristics of Carpet Tiles

Abstract

Carpet manufacturing involves a crucial energy-intensive drying stage at the end of the process to remove the moisture left from dye setting. Determining drying charac teristics for carpet tiles, such as temperature levels, transition times, total drying times, and evaporation rates, is vitally important so as to optimize this drying stage. This paper describes a way to determine the drying characteristics of foam-backed carpet tiles using experimental data along with analytical data generated by a computer pro gram developed for this purpose. The computer model is simplified by using a lumped capacitance assumption, neglecting internal conduction within each layer. The data are later collected in profiles versus time, where the transition point is identified at the point where the mass versus time profile changes slope. Similarly, the total drying time is identified at the point where this profile flattens. A decrease in the initial moisture and an increase in the oven temperature predict a decrease in the total drying time, simulating the experimental results. Both the modeling results and results from the parametric study provide a better understanding of the drying mechanisms and lead to a series of important recommendations for carpet drying optimization.