From 25–28 August 2026, the International Drying Symposium (IDS’26) will bring together leading scientists and industrial practitioners in Paris to discuss the latest advances in drying science and technology.
As part of the Scientific Program, SteamDry is closely involved in Session 6 (Friday afternoon), where a key contribution on paper drying modelling will be presented. Session 6 will take place on Friday afternoon, with the talk scheduled from 14:40 to 15:00 and listed as Paper ID 268 under the title “Multiphysics Modelling of Paper Drying with Coupled Deformation and Moisture-Dependent Viscoelasticity.”
The paper is authored by Ahmed Saleem, R.G.M., Ruud van der Sman and Edwin Zondervan. The work brings together expertise from Sustainable Process Technology at the Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, and Wageningen Food & Biobased Research at Wageningen University & Research in Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Why this research matters
Paper drying is highly energy‑intensive and driven by tightly coupled heat transfer, moisture transport and mechanical deformation. Traditional models treat paper as rigid and cannot fully capture:
- Drying‑induced stresses and shrinkage.
- Structural changes in permeability and pore space.
- The onset of surface damage at high drying rates.
SteamDry supports approaches that go beyond these simplifications to unlock new efficiency and quality gains.
Inside the new multiphysics model
The presented work builds a fully coupled finite element framework in which paper is treated as a deformable, fluid‑saturated porous solid:
- Heat and mass transfer are integrated with poromechanics and moisture‑dependent viscoelasticity.
- Fibres are treated as hydrogel‑like constituents, enabling explicit modelling of bound water diffusion below the fibre saturation point and its link to mechanical stiffening.
- Gas and vapour generation act as internal pressure sources, affecting stress, permeability evolution and pore structure during drying.
Under realistic industrial conditions, the model predicts non‑uniform shrinkage, permeability reduction and strong stress gradients near drying surfaces—offering a mechanistic explanation for drying‑induced surface damage at high drying rates.
From modelling to industrial impact
The framework is validated against experimental drying kinetics, sorption isotherms and rheological measurements. It extends existing paper drying models and is applicable to other moisture‑sensitive fibrous and hydrogel‑based materials, offering a predictive tool to:
- Design drying strategies that improve product quality
- Reduce energy demand and support more sustainable operations
We look forward to discussing how such models can be applied to real‑world paper and bio‑based materials drying challenges during the symposium.