Avaliação da aplicação de modelos para a secagem de pastas e suspensões em leito de jorro com alimentação contínua

This work studies the development, implementation and improvement of a macroscopic model to describe the behavior of the spouted bed dryer with continuous feeding for pastes and suspensions drying. This model is based on the CST model (Freire et al., 2009) and the model of Fernandes (2005), whose theoretical foundation is based on macroscopic mass and heat balances for the three phases involved in the process: gas, liquid and solid. Because this technique is quite relevant, the studies of modeling and simulation of spouted bed drying are essential in the analysis of the process as a whole, because through them it is possible to predict and understand the behavior of the process, which contributes significantly to more efficient project and operation. The development and understanding of the phenomena involved in the drying process can be obtained by comparing the experimental data with those from computer simulations. Such knowledge is critical for choosing properly the process conditions in order to obtain a good drying efficiency. Over the past few years, researches and development of works in the field of pastes and suspensions drying in spouted bed has been gaining ground in Brazil. The Particulate Systems Laboratory at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, has been developing several researches and generating a huge collection of experimental data concerning the drying of fruit pulps, vegetables pastes, goat milk and suspensions of agro-industrial residues. From this collection, some data of goat milk and residue from acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) drying were collected. For the first time, these data were used for the development and validation of a model that can describe the behavior of spouted bed dryer. Thus, it was possible to model the dryer and to evaluate the influence of process variables (paste feeding, temperature and flow rate of the drying air) in the drying dynamics. We also performed water evaporation experiments in order to understand and to study the behavior of the dryer wall temperature and the evaporation rate. All these analysis will contribute to future works involving the implementation of control strategies in the pastes and suspensions drying. The results obtained in transient analysis were compared with experimental data indicating that this model well represents the process

Influência de atividades antrópicas sobre a salinização da água em área de dunas no Município de Guamaré RN

The municipality of Guamaré is located on the north coast of RN, Salineira zone, with a land area of 259 km2 and a population of approximately 12,500 inhabitants (IBGE, 2010). Presents strong morphological instability caused mainly by the influence of human activities in the region. The present study aims to assess the existing levels of salts in the springs of the region, by evaluating the electrical conductivity, pH, salinity, chlorides, hardness, calcium, magnesium and heavy metals in the water. The collection and analysis methods adopted in the survey are based on APHA (2005). The electrical conductivity, salinity and chloride behaved similarly throughout the study. Some points suffered the direct effect of the salt ponds and others. Given the existence of a drainage ditch between the saline and monitored region, there was little change in the environment, including the native vegetation. The opposite situation occurred in farms where the region is fully committed local vegetation and water holes and wells used in the past for domestic use are practically disabled (high salt content). In Rio Miassaba formation of an estuary is reversed, with the farther out from the sea showing higher salt concentracions, which may be associated with the discharge of organic matter and natural evaporation rate. In periods of no rainfall had a few points higher than the levels of salts found in seawater and may be associated with high evaporation in the region. Detected a positive factor is the high resilience and reducing salt, after periods of rainfall incidence