Heat and mass transfer through fabric: a model for fabric drying with heated cylinders

Textile drying is a key operation in the textile production cycle as it represents one of the most energy-intensive stages and plays a critical role in determining both product quality and overall process efficiency. In this work we propose a mathematical model for the drying process of a generic textile material using heated cylinders, operating under low-pressure conditions. The model’s parameters are estimated by nonlinear least squares regression. Given a specific fabric, the developed model allows us to predict the drying time and the residual moisture content. The model is validated using real world data provided by a major Italian textile company.