ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the microwave-assisted drying in fluidized and spouted beds. Fluidized and spouted bed dryers have been studied extensively in the literature and have also found numerous industrial applications to dry particulate materials in continuous as well as batch models. Pulsating fluidized and spouted bed dryers can be used in processing many products such as vegetables, fruits, edible mushrooms, aquatic products, and snacks. Compared to conventional fluidized and spouted bed dryers, microwave-assisted fluidized and spouted bed dryers can enhance thermal efficiency, shorten drying time, and, sometimes, improve product quality, as well as extend the size range of particulate products to be dried because of rapid volumetric heating of microwave heating. Pulsed fluidized and spouted bed microwave vacuum drying and pulsed fluidized and spouted bed microwave freeze drying combine the advantages of pulsed fluidized and spouted bed drying, microwave vacuum drying, and microwave freeze drying.
