ABSTRACT
Although the concept was originally proposed over 100 years ago and the fi rst industrial applications were reported some 70 years ago in Germany, superheated steam drying (SSD) has emerged as a viable technology with immense potential only in the past decade or so. Essentially, SSD involves the use of superheated steam (SHS) in a direct (convective) dryer in place of hot air, combustion, or fl ue gases as the drying medium to supply heat for drying and to carry off the evaporated moisture. Any direct or direct/ indirect (e.g., combined convection/conduction) dryer can be operated as an SHS dryer, in principle. However, the SSD technology is more complex, and hence this conversion is not simple. Also, additional criteria must be considered when selecting a dryer for possible adaptation to SSD conditions.
