Dynamic optimization in drying

The most common control objective in drying is to maintain operational conditions at the aimed set-point values. For batch drying, belt drying and stepwise drying in succeeding units there is an additional control challenge. In these operations, the states of the system are continuously changing during the time the product is dried and the states are affected by the input conditions. Therefore it is beneficial to apply time varying operational conditions during drying such that energy consumption is minimal and the product quality meets its standards. To achieve the time varying operational conditions dynamic optimization has to be applied.
In this chapter the concept of dynamic optimization is introduced, explained by examples and applied to drying operations to minimize energy uptake and to keep product quality. Moreover a literature review on dynamic optimization on drying is given. The examples and literature cases illustrate the important impact on reducing energy consumption and improving product quality by applying time varying operational conditions.