Diffusion moisture, temperature-humidity

Since many chemicals are processed wet and sold dry, one of the more common manufacturing steps is a drying operation (13) which involves removal of a liquid from a solid by vaporization of the liquid. Although the only basic requirement in drying is that the vapor pressure of the liquid to be evaporated be higher than its partial pressure in the gas stream, the design and operation of dryers represents a complex problem in heat transfer, fluid flow, and mass transfer. In addition to the effect of such external conditions as temperature, humidity, air flow, and state of subdivision on drying rate, the effect of internal conditions of liquid diffusion, capillary flow, equilibrium moisture content, and heat sensitivity must be considered. 

Drying. The water used as solvent in the polymerization is removed from the polymerized gel by evaporation in continuous-operation, hot-air convection dryers or in contact dryers such as steam-heated drum dryers. In hot-air convection dryers, the rate of moisture removal depends on the heating gas temperature, humidity and flow rate, and the diffusion characteristics of water from the gel. Drying occurs in three general stages. For high water content in the gel, the drying rate is constant, as the rate is limited by heat transfer into the gel. At low water... 

The cure rate of a sihcone sealant is dependent on the reactivity of the cross-linker, catalyst type, catalyst level, the diffusion of moisture into the sealant, and the diffusion of the leaving group out of the sealant. For one-part sealants, moisture diffusion is the controlling step and causes a cured skin to form on the exposed sealant surface and progress inward. The diffusion of moisture is highly dependent on the temperature and relative humidity conditions. 

Equation (12-31) assumes that Df is constant however, Df is rarely constant but varies with moisture content, temperature, and humidity. For long diying times, Eq. (12-31) simphfies to a limiting form of the diffusion equation as... 

Permeability of an FML is evaluated using the Water Vapor Transmission test.28 A sample of the membrane is placed on top of a small aluminum cup containing a small amount of water. The cup is then placed in a controlled humidity and temperature chamber. The humidity in the chamber is typically 20% relative humidity, while the humidity in the cup is 100%. Thus, a concentration gradient is set up across the membrane. Moisture diffuses through the membrane, and with time the liquid level in the cup is reduced. The rate at which moisture is moving through the membrane is measured. From that rate, the permeability of the membrane is calculated with the simple diffusion equation (Fick s first law). It is important to remember that even if a liner is installed correctly with no holes, penetrations, punctures, or defects, liquid will still diffuse through the membrane. 

The utilization of IR spectroscopy is very important in the characterization of pseudopolymorphic systems, especially hydrates. It has been used to study the pseudopolymorphic systems SQ-33600 [36], mefloquine hydrochloride [37], ranitidine HC1 [38], carbovir [39], and paroxetine hydrochloride [40]. In the case of SQ-33600 [36], humidity-dependent changes in the crystal properties of the disodium salt of this new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor were characterized by a combination of physical analytical techniques. Three crystalline solid hydrates were identified, each having a definite stability over a range of humidity. Diffuse reflectance IR spectra were acquired on SQ-33600 material exposed to different relative humidity (RH) conditions. A sharp absorption band at 3640 cm-1 was indicative of the OH stretching mode associated with either strongly bound or crystalline water (Fig. 5A). The sharpness of the band is evidence of a bound species even at the lowest levels of moisture content. The bound nature of this water contained in low-moisture samples was confirmed by variable-temperature (VT) diffuse reflectance studies. As shown in Fig. 5B, the 3640 cm-1 peak progressively decreased in intensity upon thermal... 

For a prepreg equilibrated with moisture at a particular relative humidity, in order to prevent the potential for pure water void growth by diffusion at all times and temperatures during the curing cycle, the pressure at all points of the prepreg must satisfy the following inequality ... 

Drying of seed may be performed at room temperature with no additional equipment, or with hot-air dryer. The first stage of drying consists of the removal of external moisture from the fresh seeds. Internal water diffuses outward, evaporating in the external part of seeds. After a certain time, seeds reach a hygroscopic equilibrium state at which the moisture content remains constant. The equilibrium depends on ambient temperature and relative humidity of the surrounding air. Figure 15 is a representation of these values for different temperatures 10°C, 25°C, and 40°C [based on Mazza and Jayas (51)]. 

Another factor augmectting the heat conductivuty of plastic foams under conditions is the absorbed moisture. For example, for CCljF-foamed polyurethane at 25 °C and a relative humidity of 65%, the ambient moisture diffusion rate is 10-20 g/m for 24 h. Especially strong is the effect of moisture on heat conductivity if the temperature differential across the sample is considerable. For example, in plastic foams used in cryogenic technology, the inner layers are exposed to low temperatures the water vapor first condenses and is then convected into ice. Since the thermoconductivity of water and ice are 0.5 and 1.5 kcal/m x h °C, respectively, even minor tunounts have a considerable detrimental effect of the heat insulating capacity of a foam material... 

Table II. Percent Moisture Uptake and Diffusion Coefficient for Samples with and without Post Mold Curing as Functions of Relative Humidity and Temperature...

For non-hygroscopic materials, the equilibrium moisture content is essentially zero at all temperatures and humidities. Equilibrium moisture content is particularly important in drying because it represents the limiting moisture content for given conditions of humidity and temperature. The mechanisms of drying during this phase are not completely understood, but two ideas can be considered to explain the physical nature of this process— one is the diffusion theoiy and the other the capillary theory. 

Diffusion is characteristic of slow-drying materials. The resistance to mass transfer of water vapor from the solid surface to the air is usually negligible, and diffusion in the solid controls the overall drying rate. The moisture content at the surface, therefore, is at or very near the equUibriinn value. The velocity of the air has little or no effect, and the humidity of the air influences the process primarily through its effect on the equilibrium-moisture content. Since diffusivity increases with temperature, the rate of drying increases with the temperature of the solid. 

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