Maize drying is a critical step for ensuring grain preservation, yet it poses significant energy and economic challenges. This work introduces an innovative modeling approach based on cellular automata to simulate heat and moisture transfers at the silo scale. The model, built upon the fundamental physical equations of drying (conduction, convection, and diffusion),offers a valuable compromise between computational efficiency and physical accuracy. Parametric studies have demonstrated the model's ability to realistically capture the influence of key factors such as initial moisture content, temperature, and grain size. Validation was carried out using experimental data on barley drying, due to the lack of maize-specific data in the literature, and the simulated results showed good consistency with observed trends. This work lays the groundwork for improved control of drying processes and highlights the potential of further developments to refine the model and investigate phenomena such as tempering.
| Date | 13 Jun 2025 |
|---|
| Original language | French |
|---|
| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
|
|---|
| Supervisor | Philippe Bocher (Supervisor) |
|---|
Marcaillou, M. (Author),
Bocher (Supervisor),
13 Jun 2025Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Mechanical Engineering