This paper presents comparison and analysis of thermal-dynamic characteristics of air-drying and superheated steam drying under vacuum. The result reveals that for both convective heat transfer coefficient and resistance of mass transfer on the surface, superheated steam drying under vacuum is superior to air-drying under the same condition. With Masson pine as specimen, we found that the inversion temperature really exists through comparable experiments of air-drying and superheated steam drying under vacuum. When temperature is above inversion point of temperature, drying speed is faster than that of air-drying; however, if temperature is below the point, the result is opposite. The inversion temperature of experiment ranges from 80 to 85 ℃.
