SOLAR TUNNEL DRYER WITH INTEGRATED COLLECTOR

A solar tunnel dryer with integrated collector was developed and tested. This low-cost system can be produced either by small scale industries or farmers themselves using simple tools and relatively cheap materials. Depending on weather conditions about 1000 kg grapes can be dried within 4 to 7 days. According to the drying capacity the solar drying system can be successfully applied to farms with an acreage of 0.5 to 1.0 hectare.

Compared to traditional sun drying methods solar drying reduces significantly drying time and mass losses. During drying the crop is completely protected from rain, dust, animals and insects and doesn� come into contact with foreign materials.