Operating Experience of Microwave Installations in Technology of Drying of Agricultural Raw Materials

The paper presents the experience of the operation of microwave drying plants for agricultural raw materials. The technology solutions concerning development and use of conveyor microwave ovens of drying installations for drying of vegetable raw materials are designated. The received parameters of energy consumption and dynamics of process of drying allow to define close to optimum border of transition from convective to microwave to a power supply. The optimum value of the transitional humidity (at the boundary of the microwave and convective modules) should be in the range from 120% to 140%. Application of a method of combined power supply when drying fruits and vegetables allows to reduce power consumption of process by 20-30%. Examples of successful introduction of the offered way of drying in the food industry are given.