Influence of molar transfer coefficient on pressure distribution in beech lumber during its convective-vacuum drying

Using a base system of three differential equations as suggested by Luikov and Mihaylov, a non-linear 2-dimensional mathematical model has been developed and solved for computation of transient distribution of temperature, moisture content and pressure in prismatic wood materials subjected to convective-vacuum drying. The model relates to heat and mass transfer in longitudinal and transversal directions of wood materials. This paper presents the influence of the molar transfer coefficient and the direction of steam-air flow to wood fibres on the pressure distribution in beech wood materials during their convective-vacuum drying. The results of computational experiments are graphically presented and analyzed.