Modeling the Amount of Required Energy and Kinetics of Lavender Drying Using Artificial Neural Network

Subject Areas : Optimizing the use of fertilizers and poisons

Mohammad Younesi Alamooti ¹ , Hamid Khafajeh ² , Mohammad Zarein ³

1 - Associate professor of Farm Power and Machinery,, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.
2 - PhD student in Biosystem Mechanics Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
3 - PhD student in Biosystem Mechanics Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2023-03-14 Accepted : 2023-07-22 Published : 2023-08-23

Keywords: Prediction, Artificial Neural Network, efficiency of microwave energy consumption, lavender, medicinal plan,

Abstract :

Lavender with the scientific name Lavandula stricta Del is a perennial medicinal plant with a height of about half a meter that grows in different regions of Iran. Drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving materials. The use of neural networks can be used in the design and selection of optimal working conditions and dryer control. In this study, various parameters of drying, evaluation of mathematical models to determine the best model, evaluation of different topologies of MLP artificial neural network to determine the best network for lavender plant with microwave dryer with power range of 100-1000 watts and The frequency of 2450 MHz is provided in four power levels of 300, 500, 700 and 900 watts. MLP artificial neural network was used to predict the relationship between drying kinetic parameters (moisture ratio and drying rate) and efficiency of energy consumption with changes in microwave power consumption using Statistica software. Among the fitted models, the Midili model was chosen as the best model according to R 2, χ 2 and RMSE criteria. Microwave power levels had an effect on drying time, with drying times of 3 minutes for 900 W power and 11 minutes for 300 W power. In order to predict drying kinetic parameters and energy consumption efficiency, MLP network with one input and three outputs was successfully used. The results generally showed that the MLP artificial neural network is a very powerful tool in predicting drying kinetic parameters and energy efficiency of lavender medicinal plant based on microwave power consumption values.