在干燥各种蔬菜和水果，取代太阳干燥或烘干使用传统燃料，可以有效地利用低温地热水。 A“地热”蕃茄脱水厂已自2001年以来，希腊北部的在新Erasmio的，生产高品质的“晒制”西红柿。该单元使用低成本地热的水加热到56-58℃，在一个专门设计的隧道式干燥机，其被导入大气中。这项工作的范围是：将上述蕃茄干燥过程中，使用低焓地热能源。建模过程分为两个阶段：^阶段集中在一个单一的番茄片的造型，而关注的是第二阶段的造型，空气干燥的番茄在隧道分批移动的托盘。空气流速，空气温度，及蕃茄托盘装载在干燥过程的影响进行了调查。流量的配置，也就是顺流或逆流操作，对干燥特性的影响进行了探讨。该模型可用于连续的干燥过程中，现有的在Neo Erasmio的设计和优化的，并且可以很容易地扩展和修改，以处理与其它农业产品和隧道设计。

Modelling Tomato Dehydration in a Tunnel Dryer Using Geothermal Energy

Low-temperature geothermal waters can be used efficiently in drying various vegetables and fruits, replacing sun-drying or drying using conventional fuels. A “geothermal” tomato dehydration plant has been operating since 2001 in Neo Erasmio, northern Greece, producing high-quality, “sun-dried” tomatoes. The unit uses low-cost geothermal water to heat atmospheric air to 56–58°C, which is introduced in a specially designed tunnel-type dryer. The scope of this work is to model the aforementioned tomato-drying process that uses low-enthalpy geothermal energy. The modelling procedure consists of two stages: the first stage focuses on the modelling of a single tomato piece, whereas the second stage is concerned with the modelling of air drying of tomatoes in a tunnel with trays moving in batches. The influence of air velocity, air temperature, and tomato tray loading on the drying process was investigated. The effect of flow configuration, i.e., co-current or counter-current operation, on the drying characteristics was also explored. The model can be used for the design and optimization of the continuous drying process existing in Neo Erasmio and can be easily extended and modified to deal with other agricultural products and tunnel designs.