DESIGN AND CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF A SOLAR CONVECTION DRIER WITH AN AUXILIARY HEATING SYSTEM

A solar drier of the through-draft type (4 trays at 0.5 m² surface area) with natural air convection and an auxiliary gas heating system was constructed. General relationships between the climatic conditions of the ambient air, product load and drying characteristics were established. Test runs with the drier as continuous equipment were carried out over a period of 24 h, using carrot dice as experimental material. Air flow rates through the dryer between 100 and 140 kg/h and overall drying rates between 1.5 and 2 kg/h were reached. The overall energy efficiency coefficient for the hybrid heating system amounted to 27 % as compared to 31 to 37 % for the solar energy heating alone and to 22 to 27 % for gas heating energy alone. A combination of continuous drying in the first stage with subsequent batch-wise finish drying in the same or a supplementary drier seems to be advantageous.     

Energy–exergy–ANN analyses of solar-assisted fluidized bed dryer

In this study, a temperature-controlled solar air collector was designed and tested for drying. Solar drying systems have two disadvantages. First one is the lack of ability to store energy and the second one is the lack of temperature control. This study presents the experimental analysis of an air collector that is able to keep the drying air temperature at 40°C even in cases where the level of solar radiation received by the collectors changes. Most of the tests were performed at a solar radiation level ranging from 500 to 900?W/m² and at an air flow of 3 to 5?m/s. The system tested for drying three different crops separately performed 21?h of a total of 27-h drying period at or above the temperature set of 40°C. The thermodynamic analysis of the relationship between solar radiation, air temperature, flow, and the produced energy was performed. The relationship between productivity, energy produced, and set temperature was analyzed using distribution charts. Moreover, an artificial neural network model was used to estimate outlet air temperature from the solar collectors based on air flow, solar radiation, and outside air temperature.     

Design and Performance Evaluation of a Solar-Assisted Biomass Drying System with Thermal Storage

A solar biomass hybrid air heating system that does not require a conventional auxiliary heater but can still provide a daily load fraction exceeding 90% and supply hot air at a steady temperature and flow rate continuously for 24 h a day has been developed. The system, which combines an unglazed transpired solar collector, rock bed, and a biomass gasifier stove with heat exchanger, was evaluated by drying chilli using air at 60°C and 90 m³/h. The chilli was dried from 76.7% moisture (w.b.) to 8.4% over 32.5 h of continuous drying. The dryer reduced the drying time by 66% compared to open sun drying and provided 91.6% load fraction during the 24-h operation. The temperature of hot air supplied was stable at 60±3°C for about 21 h during the entire drying duration.     

Effect of drying using solar energy and phase change material on kiwifruit properties

Solar energy has great potential as an alternative energy source, but variations in solar radiation require the use of additional energy sources to maintain a continuous drying process. We developed a process for drying kiwifruit using a solar dryer and an energy accumulation system with paraffin wax as phase change material. The final moisture content, total polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity were evaluated and compared with freeze drying. The analyzed experimental factors were kiwi slice thickness and the use or nonuse of fuzzy logic control systems to regulate the air flow through the devices. Critical moisture content, shrinkage, solar panel, and solar energy accumulator efficiencies were calculated. In addition, five empirical models were fitted to the drying curves. The solar panel showed an efficiency between 56 and 76%. The use of the fuzzy logic control system extended the period of available energy, thus prolonging the use of the solar panel and solar energy accumulator and using only 10% of the stored energy; otherwise, without the control system, 43% of the stored energy was used. The highest drying rates were achieved for kiwifruit slices 4?mm thick, using the solar dryer with the control system. The loss of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity were minimal for kiwifruit slices of thickness 8?mm without the control system.     

Energy and exergy analysis in solar drying of pistachio with air recycling system

A solar drier with and without air recycling (Methods I and II) along with a sun drying system (Method III) were used to reduce the moisture content of pistachio from 40 to ～5% (wet basis) at similar weight conditions. Although the ΔT’s of ambient air in Methods I and II reached, respectively, to 18 and 14°C, it did not increase more than 2°C in Method III. The drying air of Method I obtained ～55% more enthalpy from its solar collectors and transferred ～35% more heating energy to the product than the one in Method II. Consequently it’s thermal and pickup efficiencies became, respectively, 40 and 80% more than Method II. Although the highest exergy efficiencies of Methods I and II were equal to each other (～95%), the maximum exergy loss of Method I was higher than Method II due to its higher air temperature and pressure loss (because of continuous air circulation). Although its energy utilization ratio and drying rate were, respectively, 30% more than Method II and 20% higher than Method III, its drying time was 20 and 30% less than the ones in Methods II and III. Overall, the pistachio dried with Method I used much less energy than those dried with other methods and had a higher quality than those dried with commercial driers due to drying temperature <50°C.     

DESIGN,EXPERIMENTAL AND ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF A COMMERCIAL-TYPE SOLAR DRYER FOR PRODUCTION OF HIGH-QUALITY HAY

Abstract

Design features, development, experimental functional performance and economic evaluation of an energy efficient solar energy dryer for commercial production of high-quality hay and processed forage products are presented. The solar hay dryer consists of an improved solar collector with selective coated aluminum absorber plate and spaced fins, and a drying shed connected to the collector by an insulated duct and having a perforated metal grate floor, swing-away plywood frames and polyethylene curtains for effectively sealing the hay stack, and a crawl space below the floor where a 3-hp in-line centrifugal fan is housed for air circulation by suction. In late August and in early September, 1996, 160 small rectangular bales of alfalfa hay with about 25% bromegrass were successfully dried from 33% initial moisture content to 13%, and from 25% to 11% moisture in 4 and 3 days, respectively, under average weather conditions in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. With about 18 m³/min per tonne airflow, 10-15 °C temperature rise above ambit was obtained during peak bright sunshine hours. Relatively high daily average collector Effciency of 76%, high drying effectiveness, drying uniformity, uniform air distribution and tight sealing of the stack were achieved which resulted in an attractive green color of hay, no mold growth on hay, and an overall system drying efficiency of about 79%. Compared to a conventional natural gas drying system or field-drying method, the payback period on extra investment costs recovered through drying cost savings of $3/ t to $6/ t or through over two times higher prices for high-quality hay produced by the solar drying system may be just one or two years, respectively.     

Experimental evaluation of fuzzy control solar drying with thermal energy storage system

Drying is a highly energy-demanding operation, traditionally taken up from fossil fuels, with high-operating costs and CO₂ emissions. Solar energy has great potential as an alternative energy source. However, variations in solar radiation require the use of additional energy sources, to keep a continuous drying process. An option is to accumulate solar energy using phase-change materials. In the present work, an advanced multivariable control system using fuzzy logic was implemented and applied to a solar dryer equipped with thermal energy storage system, with a capacity of 25?kg of agro-products. Two control systems were implemented: the first considering the ambient temperature and solar radiation as input variables, where the manipulated variables were the opening level of the solar panel and energy solar accumulator valves. The controlled variable in the second control system was the relative humidity content at the outlet of the drying chamber, and the manipulated variable was the opening of the air recirculation valve. The opening of the valves in both control systems was performed properly with variations of solar radiation, ambient temperature, and air moisture during the dehydration of mushrooms, plumbs, and peaches. Solar drying, together with a proper control system, reached 80% energy savings compared to conventional drying.     

太阳能与热泵联合干燥木材特性的实验研究

介绍了国内外利用太阳能干燥木材的概况、太阳能与热泵联合干燥系统的组成与工作原理、太阳能与热泵联合干燥木材的特性和干燥木材的工艺实验。实验结果显示。太阳能与热泵联合供热可以弥补太阳能或热泵单独供热的缺点。太阳能比联合干燥节能3．8％,而联合干燥比热泵干燥节能11．8％;联合干燥比太阳能干燥时间缩短了14．9％。从能耗及生产效率综合考虑。太阳能与热泵联合干燥是值得推荐的一种干燥方法。     

Saffron Drying with a Heat Pump–Assisted Hybrid Photovoltaic–Thermal Solar Dryer

Saffron is the most expensive spice and Iran is the largest producer of this crop in the world. Saffron quality is profoundly affected by the drying method. Recent research has shown that hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar power systems are more efficient in comparison with individual photovoltaic and thermal systems. In addition, heat pump dryers are highly energy efficient. Furthermore, they are suitable for heat-sensitive crops such as saffron. Therefore, in the present study, the performance of a hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar dryer equipped with a heat pump system was considered for saffron drying, in order to obtain a high-quality product and reduce fossil fuel consumption. The effect of air mass flow rate at three levels (0.008, 0.012, and 0.016 kg/s), drying air temperature at three levels (40, 50, and 60°C), and two different dryer modes (with and without the heat pump unit) on the operating parameters of the dryer was investigated. The results of the investigation showed that total drying time and energy consumption decreased as air flow rate and drying air temperature increased. Applying a heat pump with the dryer led to a reduction in the drying time and energy consumption and an increase in electrical efficiency of the solar collector. The average total energy consumption was reduced by 33% when the dryer was equipped with a heat pump. Maximum values for electrical and thermal efficiency of the solar collector were found to be 10.8 and 28%, respectively. A maximum dryer efficiency of 72% and maximum specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) of 1.16 were obtained at an air flow rate of 0.016 kg/s and air temperature of 60°C when using the heat pump.     

Energy and Exergy Analyses of Thin-Layer Drying of Potato Slices in a Semi-Industrial Continuous Band Dryer

This article is concerned with the energy and exergy analyses of the continuous-convection drying of potato slices. The first and second laws of thermodynamics were used to calculate the energy and exergy. A semi-industrial continuous-band dryer has been designed and used for drying experiments. The equipment has a drying chamber of 2 m length and the inlet air used for drying is heated by gas power. The experiments were conducted on potato slices with thickness of 5 mm at three different air temperatures of 50, 60 and 70°C, drying air mass flow rates of 0.61, 1.22, and 1.83 kg/s and feeding rates of 2.31 × 10^?4, 2.78 × 10^?4, and 3.48 × 10^?4 kg/s. The energy utilization and energy utilization ratio were found to vary between 3.75 and 24.04 kJ/s and 0.1513 and 0.3700, respectively. These values show that only a small proportion of the supplied energy by the heater was used for drying. The exergy loss and exergy efficiency were found to be in the range of 0.5987 to 13.71 kJ/s and 0.5713 to 0.9405, respectively, indicating that the drying process was thermodynamically inefficient and much energy was vented in the exhaust air. In addition, the results showed that the feeding rate and the temperature and flow rate of the drying air had an important effect on energy and exergy use. This knowledge will provide insights into the optimization of a continuous dryer and the operating parameters that causes reduction of energy consumption and losses in continuous drying.     

A GRAPHICAL DESIGN METHOD FOR A PARTIAL SOLAR DRYER FOR CORN

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the application of a design method for a partial solar heating system of polyvalent modular dryers called “GJ-ABAQUE” to the drying of thick layers of grains.

This method is based on the use of charts or polynomial correlations. In the actual case where the drying air is not recycled, we only need one chart which allows one to determine the fraction of the monthly heating load supply by solar energy as a function of two dimensionless parameters. The latter implies the use of monthly average radiation data, the collector surface and estimates of drying loads.

The “GJ-ABAQUE” method was applied for drying 777 kg of corn, corresponding to 1 m³ of fresh product, in a thick layer in each modular dryer.     

Analysis of Energy Consumption in Drying Process of Non-Hygroscopic Porous Packed Bed Using a Combined Multi-Feed Microwave-Convective Air and Continuous Belt System (CMCB)

In this study, the analysis of energy consumption during the drying of non-hygroscopic porous packed bed by combined multi-feed microwave-convective air and continuous belt system (CMCB) was investigated experimentally. By using a combined multi-feed microwave-convective air and continuous belt system drier, the microwave power was generated by means of 12 compressed air-cooled magnetrons of 800 W each that give a maximum of 9.6 kW. The power setting could be adjusted individually in 800 W steps. Hot air with the maximum working temperature of 240°C was generated using 24 units of electric heater where the total power capacity is 10.8 kW. Most importantly, this work focused on the investigation of drying phenomena under industrialized microwave processing. In this analysis, the effects of the drying time, hot air temperature, porous structure (F-Bed and C-Bed), and location of magnetrons on overall drying kinetics and energy consumption were evaluated in detail. The results showed that the overall drying and energy consumption depend upon the porous structure, hot air temperature, and location of magnetrons. Furthermore, using the continuous microwave application technique had several advantages over the conventional method, such as shorter processing times, volumetric dissipation of energy throughout a product, and less energy consumption. The results presented here provided fundamental understanding for the drying process using a combined multi-feed microwave-convective air and continuous belt system in industrial size.     

Drying Characteristic of Porous Ceramic Microspheres in a Microwave Heated Fluidised Bed

This paper presents drying characteristics of both water and nitrate salt solution (simulated waste) impregnated ceramic microspheres in a pilot‐scale (10 kg), batch fluidised bed drier heated with microwave energy, under isothermal bed conditions. For comparison, some constant microwave power experiments with water saturated microspheres were also conducted. The effects of bed temperature, fluidising gas flow rates and initial moisture content on drying kinetics were examined. For a given initial moisture and gas flow rate, the total microwave energy consumption for both isothermal bed and constant power level experiments was found to be approximately the same. The decline in drying rates in the presence of nitrate salts was attributed to a decrease in the effective diffusivity resulting from changes in structural properties of salt solution impregnated powders. The use of fluidised bed coupled with microwave heating produced controlled drying of 10 kg batches of simulated waste loaded ceramic powders without any significant agglomeration or coating.     

Analysis of Energy and Environmental Parameters during Solar Cabinet Drying of Apple and Carrot

A modular solar cabinet dryer equipped with an air collector including a drying chamber with different tray arrangements was developed to determine moisture changes in different sizes and forms (slices and cubes) of apple and carrot pieces and to carry out serial measurements of temperatures, solar radiation, and air humidity distributions during the drying process. The initial and final moisture contents (w.b.) of fresh products were 88 and 26% for apple and 71 and 13% for carrot with initial weights of 1.56 and 3 kg, respectively. The results revealed that the temperature inside the chamber was strongly negatively correlated with air humidity (R² = 0.91) and that the length of the drying period was influenced by the weather conditions, as the cloudy weather retarded drying of carrots. It was possible to reach an air drying temperature over 41°C with a daily total solar energy incident on the collector's surface of 857.2 kJ/(m² day) for apples and 753.20 kJ/(m² day) for carrots. The analysis of energy requirements to remove moisture from apples and carrots during the total drying period showed values of 3300.19 and 7428.28 kJ/kg, respectively. The amount of air to remove water from the samples was also determined as 126.93 m³ for apples and 928.56 m³ for carrots.     

CRAPE DRYING : FROM SAMPLE BEHAVIOUR TO THE DRIER PROJECT

ABSTRACT

A drier project necessitates the efficient formulation of the behaviour of product samples. When the temperature gap is great, the drying rate must make explicit the influence of the thnc air parameters : temperature, moisture, velocity. The case of the grape demonsnates that the adimensional expression formulated by Van Meel and Keey. must be completed in order to be adjusted to experiments.

The hot air drier model composed of the equations of conservation and thin layer drying rate can sometimes be simplified into a form of analytic integral equation around the drying rate. W e drying can be considered generally as adiabatic.

Two examples of grape driers are presented and show the value of simplified tools for the project. In a tunnel drier with a high air temperature one can speak of the celerity of a drying front which progress along the trolleys. In a short drier connected to an agricultural solar collector, the integration of the drying rate takes into account the variation of the meteorological data.     

Drying of grape pomace with a double pass solar collector

This study aims to analyze the performance of a novel design of the double pass solar air collector (DPSAC)-assisted drying system and investigate the drying kinetics of grape pomace which is an agricultural by-product. The samples were dried to a moisture content of 0.01?g water/g dry matter between 100 and 250?min depending on the weather conditions. The average thermal efficiencies of DPSAC were calculated as 79.77, 79.85, and 69.46%. Average values of the coefficient of performance of DPSAC were determined as 5.32, 5.13, and 4.32. The highest specific moisture extraction rate value was achieved as 617.18?g water/kWh. Whereas the mass transfer coefficient (h_m) values ranged from 9.15E?11 to 1.04E?7?m/s, the effective moisture diffusivity (D_e) values were obtained between 3.04E?13 and 1.02E?10?m²/s. The qualitative analysis showed that the drying using DPSAC may be an alternative for drying applications in terms of short drying time and energy usage. Nevertheless, these results clearly suggest a complex and effective interplay between thermal performance and drying kinetics.     

An experimental study on the performance of a condensing tumbler dryer with an air-to-air heat exchanger

The performance of energy consumption in the closed-loop tumbler dryer with a condenser for clothes drying is evaluated as a function of the heater capacity, the drying air flow rate inside the dryer, and the cooling air flow rate. The clothes dryer in laundries used in this study consists of a tumbling drum, condenser for condensing the humid and hot air flowing out the rotating drums, and electric heater for heating the circulating drying air. Tests were performed at the heating capacity of 1.9 kW to 2.7 kW, the drying air flow rate of 60 m³/h to 140 m³/h, and the cooling air flow rate of 100 m³/h to 240 m³/h. The total energy consumption, the drying time, and the condensate water rate were also investigated. Parametric results showed that a larger heater power resulted in shorter drying time. With increasing heater power, the air temperature and the condensate rate increased due to the higher humidity ratio in the air. The drying air flow rate and the cooling air flow rate did not have a significant effect on drying performance.     

Assessment of new in-bin drying and storage technology for soybean seed

On-farm, in-bin drying and storage of soybean in environments with unconditioned air often result in repeated drying and rewetting of the grains which may have adverse effects on quality metrics; if done using natural air, as recommended for soybean destined to the seed market, the in-bin drying and storage method require operation at well-defined local weather-dependent strategies to maintain the seed quality. This study simulated in-bin drying and storage of soybeans. Different fan control options and drying strategies were used to assess performance in terms of drying duration to target final moisture content (MC), percent over drying, energy expenditure, and drying cost. Fan operation included running the fan continuously, only at night, only during the day, at a set window of equilibrium MC (EMC) of natural air, and set EMC window with supplemental heating of ambient air as an option (EMC-H). Drying and storage performance were tested for soybean at initial moisture content (IMC) (16–22%, wet basis), air flow rate (1.04–5.0?m³?min^?1 [air] t^?1 [soybean]), and harvesting start dates (August 15 to November 15). Simulation model was validated using a bench-scale pressure drop system filled with soybeans with IMC of 22% wet basis. The result shows that fan control strategies, air flow rates, harvest date, and initial MC of the soybeans significantly (P?χ² was 0.88.     

Solar Drying of Peeled Longan Using a Side Loading Type Solar Tunnel Dryer: Experimental and Simulated Performance

This article presents experimental and simulated results of drying of peeled longan in a side-loading solar tunnel dryer. This new type of solar tunnel dryer consists of a flat-plate solar air heater and a drying unit with a provision for loading and unloading from windows at one side of the dryer. These are connected in series and covered with glass plates. A DC fan driven by a 15-W solar cell module supplies hot air in the drying system. To investigate the experimental performance, five full-scale experimental runs were conducted and 100 kg of peeled longan was dried in each experimental run. The drying air temperature varied from 32 to 76°C. The drying time in the solar tunnel dryer was 16 h to dry peeled longan from an initial moisture content of 84% (w.b.) to a final moisture content of 12% (w.b.), whereas it required 16 h of natural sun drying under similar conditions to reach a moisture content of 40% (w.b.). The quality of solar-dried product was also good in comparison to the high-quality product in markets in terms of color, taste, and flavor. A system of partial differential equations describing heat and moisture transfer during drying of peeled longan in this solar tunnel dryer was developed and this system of nonlinear partial differential equations was solved numerically by the finite difference method. The numerical solution was programmed in Compaq Visual FORTRAN version 6.5. The simulated results agreed well with the experimental data for solar drying. This model can be used to provide the design data and it is essential for optimal design of the dryer.     

CRAPE DRYING : FROM SAMPLE BEHAVIOUR TO THE DRIER PROJECT

A drier project necessitates the efficient formulation of the behaviour of product samples. When the temperature gap is great, the drying rate must make explicit the influence of the thnc air parameters : temperature, moisture, velocity. The case of the grape demonsnates that the adimensional expression formulated by Van Meel and Keey. must be completed in order to be adjusted to experiments.

The hot air drier model composed of the equations of conservation and thin layer drying rate can sometimes be simplified into a form of analytic integral equation around the drying rate. W e drying can be considered generally as adiabatic.

Two examples of grape driers are presented and show the value of simplified tools for the project. In a tunnel drier with a high air temperature one can speak of the celerity of a drying front which progress along the trolleys. In a short drier connected to an agricultural solar collector, the integration of the drying rate takes into account the variation of the meteorological data.