Background of the Study

In numerous parts of the world there is a developing awareness that renewable

energy has significant role to carry out in extending innovation to the farmer in non-

industrial nations to increase their profitability. Solar thermal innovation is an innovation

that is quickly acquiring acceptance as an energy saving measure. It is liked to other

elective sources of energy like wind and tidal energy, since it is abundant, limitless, and

non-contaminating. Solar air heaters are basic devices to heat air by using solar energy

and utilized in numerous applications expecting low to direct temperature beneath 80°C,

for example, crop drying and space heating. In addition to moisture removal of biomass,

solar drying process plays a significant part in the protection of agricultural products. It

is characterized as a process of moisture removal due to simultaneous heat and mass

transfer.

Drying of microalgae is believed to reduce the high cost of energy, and the low

yield of extraction that typically make it prohibitive to produce commercially lipids from

microalgae. Multiple studies have been undertaken to develop an air-heating burner that

can be used for a variety of purpose. According to Mudhole et al., conducting a techno-

economic study of a solar-assisted drying system using a double-pass solar collector

with finned absorbents, extra heaters, and a drying chamber. The developed solar

drying system is used to dry seaweed. From potential market price assumptions, the

results of the economic analysis show that using double-pass solar collectors is best

suited to be developed or marketed in marine products since this is the lowest return

period as low as 2.33 years. According to Dhanushkodi et al., conducting economic

feasibility of substituting biomass, solar, and hybrid dryer in place of conventional steam

drying for cashew drying. Four economic indicators were used to appraise the viability

of three renewable centered drying technologies. The payback-time was 1.58 yr. for

solar powered, 1.32 for biomass, and 1.99 for the hybrid drying system. Whereas the

cost-benefit estimates were 5.23 for solar, 4.15 for biomass and 3.32 for the hybrid

system. The research also concluded that it is vital to develop solar biomass hybrid

dryer for small-scale processing industries.

Although, various types of solar dryers have been developed in many countries,

solar dryers can be classified according to their heating modes, or the manners

in which the heat derived from the solar radiation was utilized. (Gnanaranjan., 1997).

This research will present the design and development of solar dryer chamber to reduce

energy consumption, for efficient design and operation and to predict the airflow,

temperature use and humidity inside the dryer that will make the design to the most

suitable geometric configuration of the dryer.

Ana Paula Biz., (2019) Drying dynamics of microalgae dispersion droplets. Article from

Research Gate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331661483_Drying_dynamics_of_microalgae_

Chlorella_pyrenoidosa_dispersion_droplets

(PDF) Performance of hybrid solar-biomass dryer. Available from:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327593080_Performance_of_hybrid_solar-

biomass_dryer