Design and Evaluation of Forced Convection Solar Dryer Equipped with a Heat Exchanger for Crop Drying

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering of Biosystems, University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran

2 Department of Biosystems Engineering, Tuyserkan Faculty of Engineering and Natural Resources, Bu-Ali Sina University, Tuyserkan, Iran

Abstract

In this study, a pilot solar thin-layer dryer was designed and constructed. This dryer was equipped with an air-to-air cross-flow plate heat exchanger. An aluminum plate with a different design was used instead of holes in its surface. The collector, the airflow hitting the absorbent plate and passing through the surface of the pipes embedded on the absorbent plate received thermal energy and transferred it to the dryer chamber. Using the randomize complete design, influence of thickness of product in three levels of 3, 5 and 8 mm, three levels of air velocity of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 m/s and 2 modes with and without the use of heat exchanger on drying time of onion slices was studied. The crop thickness and airflow velocity had a significant effect on reducing the drying time of onion slices and the effect of crop thickness was greater than airflow velocity. However, the heat exchanger did not have a significant effect on drying time and collector efficiency.

Keywords

References

Abene, A, Dubois, V, Le Ray, M and Ouagued, A (2004). Study of a solar air flat plate collector: use of obstacles and application for the drying of grape. Journal of food engineering, 65, 15-22.
Bagheri, H, Arabhosseini, A and Kianmehr, M (2013). SELECTION OF A RELEVANT MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR DRYING OF TOMATO SLICES USING SOLAR DRYER (BREIF REPORT).
Boughali, S, Benmoussa, H, Bouchekima, B, Mennouche, D, Bouguettaia, H and Bechki, D (2009). Crop drying by indirect active hybrid solar–Electrical dryer in the eastern Algerian Septentrional Sahara. Solar energy, 83, 2223-2232.
Dadashzadeh, M, Zomorodian, A and Mesbahi, GR (2008). The effect of drying airflow rates and modes of drying on moisture content reduction for grapes in a cabinet type solar dryer.
Finck-Pastrana, AG (2014). Nopal (opuntia lasiacantha) drying using an indirect solar dryer. Energy Procedia, 57, 2984-2993.
Hedayat, M, Mortezapour, H, Maghsoudi, H and Shamsi, M (2015). Performance Investigation of a Heat Recovery Assisted Solar Dryer for Mint Drying. Iranian Journal of Biosystems Engineering, 46, 379-388.
Hu, J, Sun, X, Xu, J and Li, Z (2013). Numerical analysis of mechanical ventilation solar air collector with internal baffles. Energy and Buildings, 62, 230-238.
Koyuncu, T (2006). Performance of various design of solar air heaters for crop drying applications. Renewable energy, 31, 1073-1088.
Lamnatou, C, Papanicolaou, E, Belessiotis, V and Kyriakis, N (2012). Experimental investigation and thermodynamic performance analysis of a solar dryer using an evacuated-tube air collector. Applied energy, 94, 232-243.
Pangavhane, DR, Sawhney, R and Sarsavadia, P (2002). Design, development and performance testing of a new natural convection solar dryer. Energy, 27, 579-590.
Schirmer, P, Janjai, S, Esper, A, Smitabhindu, R and Mühlbauer, W (1996). Experimental investigation of the performance of the solar tunnel dryer for drying bananas. Renewable Energy, 7, 119-129.
Zamanian, M and Zomorodian, A (2014). Investigation of Absorber Plate Porosity effects on a Solar Air Heater Performance With Slatted Glass. Iranian Journal of Biosystems Engineering, 44, 113-118.
Biomechanism and Bioenergy Research
Volume 1, Issue 2
December 2022
Pages 32-36

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 28 October 2022
  • Revise Date: 23 December 2022
  • Accept Date: 30 December 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics