Kinetic analysis and mathematical modeling of low-rank coal drying by using swirl fluidized bed dryer on varied angles of guide vane and temperatures

Low-rank coal is currently widely used as fuel to cover the increasing needs of boilers. This kind of coal must be upgraded due to its high moisture content to increase its quality. The drying using a fluidized swirl bed has not been studied to reduce the moisture content of Low-Rank Coal. In contrast, the drying kinetic model has never been found. This study used the angle of guide vanes (AGV) 10°, 20°, and 30° to produce swirl flow. Experiments with varying temperatures used temperatures of 40°C, 45°C, and 50°C. The purpose of this work was to determine the drying characteristics, the best-drying kinetics models, the effective moisture diffusion value, SMER, MER, and SEC on swirl fluidized bed drying. The study results show that the Khazaei and Rational drying kinetic model was the most suitable for the two experimental variations. For experiments with varying AGV, the R2 values obtained are 0.9989–0.9992 and 0.9980–0.9983, while for the variable temperature, the values are 0.9990–0.9992 and 0.9983–0.9992 for each model. The research also found that the smaller AGV angle and higher temperature result in a faster drying rate and consume less energy.