Solar Dryer Report - NEW

Design and Performance evaluation of indirect type Solar Dryer
CHAPTER-I
INTRODUCTION
1.1: Food preservations
Food preservation is the process that inhibits visual deterioration, such as the
enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut during food preservation.
Preserving fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat has been practiced in many parts of the
world for thousands of years. Methods of preservation include: canning, freezing,
curing (smoking or salting), and drying. Food spoilage is caused by the action of
molds, yeasts, bacteria, and enzymes. The drying process removes enough moisture
from food to greatly decrease these destructive effects.
Reduction of post-harvest losses can significantly contribute to the availability
of food. A significant percentage of these losses are related to improper and/or
untimely drying of foodstuffs such as cereals, grains, pulses, tubers, meat, fish,
perishables etc. The drying of agricultural produce under the sun is a common
practice most especially in developing countries. This traditional method of drying
involves spreading the crops on concrete floor, mats, tarred surface roads and other
forms of material and turned regularly until they are sufficiently dried to the desire
moisture content. The method is characterized by a number of shortcomings
including; lack of process control, non-uniformity in the drying rate, soaking by rain,
theft and vandalism, contamination by dust, rodents, and other domestic animals.
Also prolong open sun drying often caused deterioration of vital ingredients like
vitamins, minerals and sensory characters of dried product and thus less market value
(quality falls below domestic and international market standards). However, the
method is economical to poor farmers. Solar drying is alternative for drying varieties
of agricultural produce at superior drying rate compared to open sun drying method
with improved quality of dried product at a relative low cost. A solar collector is used
to convert the sun‟s radiation into heat energy for drying application. Solar dryers can
be constructed from locally available materials and are useful in areas where fuel or
electricity are expensive, land for sun drying is in short supply or expensive, sunshine
is plentiful but the air humidity is high (Fellows, 1997). Besides, solar drying offers
reduction to the environmental risk compared to mechanize drying. Different types of
solar dryers with varying sizes and designs have be developed and tested with some
G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 1

degree of proficiency. This paper presents the potentials of direct solar dryers, indirect
solar dryers, mixed mode solar dryers, solar dryers with heat storage media and
performances of solar tunnel dryers for solar drying of fruits, vegetables, spices,
cereals, grain, legumes, medicinal plants and fish with a view to providing some of
the benefits accruing to farmers as a result of their utilization for the preservation of
food crops.
1.2: Methods of food preservations

 Solar drying
 Smoking
 Cooling
 Freezing
 Canning

1.2.1: Solar Drying

All the above methods, solar drying is an excellent and cheapest way to
preserve food and solar food dryers are appropriate food preservation technology for
sustainable development as shown in figure 1. Drying was probably the first ever food
preserving method used by man, even before cooking. It involves the removal of
moisture from agricultural produce so as to provide a product that can be safely stored
for longer period of time. It also slows the chemical changes that take place naturally
in foods as when fruit ripens. “Sun drying” is the earliest method of drying farm
produce ever known to man and it involves simply laying the agricultural products in
the sun on mats, roofs or drying floors.
Figure No.1: Solar dryer

1.2.1.1: Advantages of solar dryer:
1. Drying is faster because inside the dryer it is warmer than outside.

2. Less risk of spoilage because of the speed of drying (if the drying process
is low the fruit starts to ferment and the product is spoilt).
3. The product is protected against flies, pests, rain and dust.
4. It is lab our saving. The product can be left in the dryer overnight or during
rain.
5. The quality of the product is better in terms of nutrients, hygiene and
color.
1.2.1.2: Disadvantages of solar dryer:
1. The farm produce are laid in the open sky and there is greater risk of spoilage
due to adverse climatic conditions like rain, wind, moist and dust.
2. Loss of produce to birds, insects and rodents (pests); totally dependent on
good weather and very slow drying rate with danger of mould growth thereby
causing deterioration and decomposition of the produce.
3. The process also requires large area of land takes time and highly labor
intensive. With cultural and industrial development, artificial mechanical
drying came into practice, but this process is highly energy intensive and
expensive which ultimately increases product cost. Recently, efforts to
improve “sun drying” have led to “solar drying”.
1.2.1.3: Applications:
1. Solar dryers used in agriculture for food and crop drying ,for industrial
drying process, dryers can be proved to be most useful device from
energy conservation point of view. It not only save energy but also
save lot of time, occupying less area, improves quality of the product,
makes the process more efficient and protects environment also.
2. Agriculture crop drying.
3. Food processing industries for dehydration of fruits, potatoes, onions
and other vegetables‟.
4. Dairy industries for production of milk powder, casein etc.
5. Seasoning of wood and timber.

CHAPTER-II
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1: WORKING PRINCIPLE OF SOLAR DRYER:
Drying is the process of moisture removal from the product, or grain in this case.
Since grain is a hydroscopic material which can either absorb or reject moisture from
the air or its surroundings depending on the difference in vapor pressure, moisture
transferred from a higher vapor pressure, to the lower one.
In the sun-drying process, grain is heated by solar radiation thus creating a
higher vapor pressure in grain than the surrounding air. In the same manner, the
heated air drying process starts when the grain is heated (by conduction) when it
Comes in contact with the air. Higher velocity air flow in heated air drying has the
advantage of reducing the boundary layer of the grain, thereby increasing the heat
Transfer coefficient of the grain, as well as increasing the rate of moisture movement
from grain to the surrounding air. Therefore, the drying rate of a specific kind of
Figure No.2
Temperature and air flow rate.

2.2: SOLAR RADIATON – THE ENERGY SOURCE FOR SOLAR DRYING:

The sun is the central energy producer of our solar system. It has the form of sphere
and the nuclear fusion takes place continuously in its canter. A small fraction of the
energy produced in the sun hits the earth and makes life possible on our planet. Solar
radiation drives all natural cycles and processes such as rain, wind, photosynthesis,
ocean current and several other which are important for life. The whole world energy
needs has been based from the very beginning on solar energy. All fossil fuels (oil,
gas, coal) are converted solar energy.
The radiation intensity of the ca60000c solar surface corresponds to 7,000 to
8,000 kW/m2.Our planet receives only a very small portion of this energy. In spite of
this, the incoming solar radiation energy in a year is some 200,000,000 billion kWh;
this is more than 10,000 times the yearly energy need of the whole world.
The solar radiation intensity outside the atmosphere is in average 1,360 W/m2
(solar constant). When the solar radiation penetrates through the atmosphere some of
the radiation is lost so that on a clear sky sunny day in summer between 800 to1000
W/m2 (global radiation) can be obtained on the ground.

2.3: CLASSIFICATION OF SOLAR DRYERS:

All the drying systems can be classified primarily according to their operating
temperature ranges into two main groups of high temperature dryer sand low
temperature dryers. However, dryers more commonly classified broadly according to
their heating sources into fossil fuel dryers (more commonly known as conventional
dryer) and solar-energy dryers. Strictly, all practically- realized designs of high
temperature dryer are fossil fuels powered, while the low temperature dryers are
either fossil fuels or solar-energy based systems.
To classify the various types of solar dryers, it is necessary to simplify the complex
constructions and various modes of operation to the basic principles. Solar dryers can
be classified based on the following criteria.
 Mode of air movement
 Exposure to insulation
 Direction of air flow
 Arrangement of the dryer
 Status of solar contribution
Solar dryers can be classified primarily according to their heating modes and the
manner in which the solar heat is utilized in broad terms; they can be classified into
two major groups, namely
1. Active solar-energy drying systems (most types of which are often
termed hybrid solar dryers),and
2. Passive solar-energy drying systems (conventionally termed natural-
circulation solar drying systems).
Three distinct sub- classes of either the active or passive solar drying systems can be
identified (which vary mainly in design arrangement of system components and the
mode of utilization solar heat, namely
 Integral- type solar dryers
 Distributed- type solar dryers and
 Mixed-mode solar dryers.

Solar
Dryers
Active Passive
Dryers Dryers
Indirect
Direct Type
type
Fig No. 3: Classification of solar dryers

Table No.1:
Classification Advantages Disadvantages

Direct sun  Least expensive  UV radiation can
 Simple damage food
Indirect sun  Product protected  More complex
from UV. and expensive
 Less damage from than direct sun
temperature
extremes.
Mixed mode  Less damage from  UV radiation can
temperature damage food
extremes  More complex
and expensive
than direct sun
Hybrid  Ability to operate  Expensive
without sun  May cause fuel
reduces chance of dependence
food loss.
 Allows better
control of drying.
 Fuel mode may be
up to 40x faster
than solar(drying
ITDG)

2.3.1: Passive solar dryers:

Passive solar dryers are also called as natural circulation or natural convection
systems. They can be either direct (e.g. tent and box dryer ) or indirect (e.g. cabinet
dryer) .Natural-circulation solar dryers depend for their operation entirely on solar-
energy .In such systems , solar-heated air is circulated through the crop by buoyancy
forces or as a result of wind pressure ,acting either singly or in combination.
2.3.1.1: Tent dryers:

Tent solar dryers, are cheap and simple to build and consist of a frame of wood poles
covered with plastics sheet. Black plastic should be used on the wall facing away
from the sun. The food to be dried is placed on a rack above the ground .Drying times
are however not always much lower than for open-air drying (-25%). The main
purpose of the dryers may be to provide protection from dust , dirt, rain, wind or
predators and they are usually used for fruit, fish , coffee, or other products for which
wastage is otherwise high Tent dryers can also be taken down and stored when not in
use. They have the disadvantage of being easily damaged by strong winds.
Figure No.4

2.3.1.2: Box Dryers:

The box- dryer‟s solar dryers have been widely used for small scale food drying. It
consists of a wooden box with a hinged transparent lid. The inside is painted black
and the food supported on a mesh tray above the dryer floor. Air flows into the
chamber through holes in the front and exits from vents at the top of the back wall.
Pioneering works on solar cabinet dryers were reported by the Brace Research
Institute, Canada. The fundamental features of the standard Brace institute solar
cabinet dryer. Brace type dryers achieve higher temperatures, and thus shorter drying
times, than tent dryers. Drying temperatures in excess of about 800c were reported for
the dryer.
Figure No. 5: Box Dryer

2.3.1.3: Seesaw Dryer:

The traditional seesaw drier has a rigid, rectangular frame, the length of which being 3
times the width resting on support with an axis. This support is oriented north-south
and is sufficiently high to allow the frame to be tilted 30^.-toward EAST in the
morning and towards west in afternoon.
The material for drying is placed on no. of trays which have wooden frame
10050cm and mesh bottom, which can be made of variety of material such as wire
netting, old fishing net, bamboo lattice or any other material that will allow vertical
air circulation and maximum evaporation.
The bottom of the improved seesaw dryer is made of galvanized corrugated iron
sheets reinforced crosswise by wooden planks and lengthwise by wooden planks,
about 15cm high. The upper surface of the bottom is painted black .Good thermal
insulation can be provided by attaching insulation plates made of lignified wood fiber,
expanded polystyrene various layers of corrugated cardboard etc. to the underside of
the bottom.
The removable trays are placed on top of the corrugated iron bottom either in a
continuous row or with space between them, which will result in better heating of the
air above the blackened surface of the corrugated iron bottom. In this case the edges
of the trays should be propped up with wooden supports.
Figure No.6: Seesaw type of solar dryer

2.3.1.4: Cabinet solar dryers:

The crop is located in trays or shelves inside a drying chamber .If the chamber is
transparent, the dryer is termed as integral-type or direct solar dryer. If the chamber is
opaque, the dryer is termed distributed-type or indirect solar dryer. Mixed-mode
dryers combine the features of the integral (direct) type and the distributed (indirect)
type solar dryers. Here the combined act in of solar radiation incident directly on the
product to be dried and pre-heated in a solar air heated in a solar air heater furnishes
the necessary heat required for the drying process.
In most cases the air is warmed during its flow through a low pressure drop
thermopsyphonic solar collector and passes through air ducts into the drying chamber
Figure No.7: Cabinet solar dryer

And over drying trays containing the crops. The moist air is then discharged through
air vents or a chimney at the top of the chamber.
The cabinet is a large wooden or metal box. It should be insulated properly to
minimize heat losses and made durable (within economically justifiable limits).
Construction from metal sheets or water resistant cladding E.g. paint or resin is
recommended.
Inside the box internal runners are fitted to support the trays of food being processed
.A general rule of thumb is that 1 m^2 of tray area is need to lay out of 10 kg of fresh
produce. Access to the inside of the dryer is via hinged doors at the rear of the

cabinet. The drying rays slide on rails on the inside of the cabinet so that they can be
removed from the dryer for loading, unloading and cleaning.
Heated air flows through the stacks of trays until the entire product is dry. Clearly as
the hot air enters below the bottom tray will dry first. The last tray to dry is the one at
the top of the chamber. The advantages and disadvantages of this system are:
Advantages-
 Simple chamber
 Low labor costs – simply load and then unload
 The food need not be exposed to the direct rays of the sun which reduces the
loss of color and victims.
 Heat storage systems can be applied.
Disadvantages-
 A tendency to over dry the lower trays
 Low efficiency, in terms of fuel consumption, in the later stages of drying
when most of the trays are dry.
Further major drawbacks for natural convection solar dryer are the poor moist
air removal which reduces drying rate and the very high internal temperature with the
likelihood of overheating the product.

2.3.2: Active solar cabinet dryer:
Figure No.8: Active solar cabinet dryer
Active solar cabinet dryer are also called forced convection or hybrid solar dryers.
Optimum air flow can be provided in the dryer throughout the drying process to
control temperature and moisture in wide ranges independent of the weather
conditions. Furthermore the bulk depth is less restricted and the air flow rate can be
controlled .Hence, the capacity and the reliability of the dryers are increased
considerably compared to natural convection dryers.
It is generally agreed that well designed forced-convection distributed solar dryers are
more effective and more controllable than the natural-circulation types.
The use of forced convection can reduce drying time by three times and decrease the
required collector area by 50. Consequently, dryer using fans may achieve the same
throughout as a natural convection dryer with a collector six times as large .Fans may
be powered with the utility electricity if it available , or with a solar photovoltaic
panel. Almost all types of natural convection dryers can be operated by forced
convection as well.

2.3.2.1: Active ventilated cabinet solar dryers:

If the utility electricity is available it is cheaper to connect the fans to the grid,
compared to a connection to a PV installation .Besides the fans also an electronic
controller may be connected to the grid, which is able to adjust the appropriate
temperature by variable speed of the fan.
In a PV-powered system, the fan is directly coupled to the solar module, working
without an accumulator and load controller. Increasing solar radiation increases the
modules output ,thus speeding up the fans .This has the advantage of permitting a
simple temperature control merely by appropriately designing the components of the
PV system, thus obviating any additional control devices as long as the system is
suitably dimensioned.
Figure No.9: PV-powered system

2.3.2.2: Cabinet dryers with back-up heating:

One significant disadvantage of solar dryers is that they are normally not used with
any form of back-up heating. For commercial producers, this factor limits their ability
to process a crop when the weather is poor .It also extends the drying time because
drying can only occur during the daytime when there is adequate solar radiation. This
not only limits production but can result in an inferior product. For commercial
producers, the ability to process continuously with reliability is important to satisfy
their markets.
Biomass, particularly fuel wood, is the most common source of energy in rural
areas of developing countries, and provided unsustainable pressure is not placed on
the local resource, fuel wood can be a greenhouse gas natural source of energy, if
usage is balanced by new planting. It is currently often burned inefficiently and so
there is need for simple, affordable combustion devices, which can be used to
complement appropriate solar technologies such as cabinet dryer. This dryer are of
two types:
 Natural convection dryer with additional biomass back-up heater
 Hybrid IAE-type-solar-biomass dryer
Figure No.10: Hybrid IAE-solar biomass dryer

2.3.3: Greenhouse dryer:

The idea of a greenhouse dryer is to replace the function of the solar collector by a
greenhouse system .The roof and wall of this dryer can be made of a transparent
materials such as glass, fiber glass, UV stabilized plastic or polycarbonate sheets. The
transparent materials are fixed on a steel frame support or pillars with bolts or nuts
and rubber packing to prevent humid air or rain water leaking into the chamber other
than those introduced from the inlet opening. To enhance solar radiation absorption,
black surfaces should be provided within the structure to ensure even distribution of
the drying air.
Designed properly, greenhouse dryers allow a greater degree of control over the
drying process than the cabinet dryers and they are more appropriate for large scale
drying.
Greenhouse dryers are of three types:
 Natural convection greenhouse dryer
 Green House dryer with forced ventilation
 Continuous production greenhouse drying.

2.3.4: Tunnel dryers:

More than ten years of research and field testing has resulted in the development of a
solar tunnel dryer well suited to medium sized farms or small cooperatives.
The three major dryer components, as shown in fig, are the solar collector,
food dryer compartment, and the airflow system. Air is circulated by fans, which use
from 20-40 W of power from a photovoltaic panel, a generator, or a central utility. Air
is forced into the solar collector by fans where it is heated by the sun, and then flows
on to the food dryer section. An advantage of the PV powered system is that,
depending on the solar radiation, the air throughout is automatically adjusted by the
speed of fans. The plastic cover may be constructed from a sheet of greenhouse type
UV-stabilized polyethylene (PE).
Access to the drying chamber is gained by removing the plastic covering using
the hand crank .The crop is placed on a polyester mesh suspended by a grid of
galvanized wire. This arrangement allows air to flow on all sides of the food,
preventing the need to turn it during the drying process .Depending on local
circumstances a dryer may be built in a permanent installation or in a portable
construction .When introduced in a new region, the tunnel dryer often requires
customization to suit the suit the local climate and manufacturing possibilities. Often
a prototype is adapted and tested before proceeding with local manufacture.
Figure No.11: Tunnel Dryer

2.3.5: In-House Dryer:

In-house dryers work with the same principles as active indirect solar cabinet
dryers. They consist of solar air collectors, one or more fans and drying trays. Due to
its size and other conveniences and hygiene factor, the construction to carry this
element in a house where the roof is built by the solar air collector‟s additional
heating can be provided.
Figure No.12: In-house dryer

The dryer consist of 5 identical drying units with a total solar air collector
array of approx. 25m^2. a PV- area of 3.2 m^2 and a drying bed with a capacity of
approx. 500 kg maize .The 5 drying units are location in a building erected for that
purpose and with the solar air collectors being the roof of the building .the five drying
units were manufactured in Denmark and shipped to Ghana .
The decision to build 5 equal units based on the following consideration:
1. If one drying bed is operated improperly this will not affect the total quantity
of crops being dried at that time
2. It is possible to dry different crops (creating different pressure drop)side by
side without risking that the crop with the highest pressure drop will be dried
improperly
3. Smaller DC-fans are often cheaper than larger DC-fans.
4. The system is less complex ,and an even air distribution over the drying bed is
earlier obtainable
5. If possible to start with only one unit then gradually increases the capacity of
the solar dryer.

CHAPTER-III
DESIGN OF SOLAR DRYER

3.1: DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS:
3.1.1: Temperature:
The minimum temperature for drying food is 30°C and the maximum Temperature is
60°C, therefore. 45°C and above is considered average and normal for drying
vegetables, fruits, roots and tuber crop chips, crop seeds and some other crops.
The design was made for the optimum temperature for the dryer. T0 of 60°C and the
air inlet temperature or the ambient temperature T1 = 30°C (approximately outdoor
temperature).
3.1.2: Efficiency: This is defined as the ratio of the useful output of a device to the
input of the device.
3.1.3: Air gap: It is suggested that for hot climate passive solar dryers, a gap of 5 cm
should be created as air vent (inlet) and air passage.
3.1.4: Glass and flat plate collector: It suggested that the glass covering should be 4-
5mm thickness. In this work, 4mm thick transparent glass was used. He also
suggested that the metal sheet thickness should be of 0.8 – 1.0 mm thickness; here a
mild steel of 1.0mm thickness was used. The glass used as cover for the collector was
60 × 60cm2.
3.1.5: Dimension: It is recommended that a constant exchange of air and a roomy

drying Chamber should be attained in solar food dryer design, thus the design of the
drying Chamber was made as spacious as possible of average dimension of 60 × 57 ×
55cm with Air passage (air vent) out of the cabinet of 60 × 5cm2. The drying chamber
was roofed with glass of 60 × 60 cm tilted at the same angle with that of the solar
collector (29.95°).

This is to keep the temperature within the drying chamber fairly constant due to the
Greenhouse effect of the glass.
3.1.6: Dryer Trays: Net cloth was selected as the dryer screen or trays to aid air
circulation within the drying chamber. Four trays were made having wooden edges.
The tray dimension is 50 × 50cm of 2.5cm × 2.5cm wooden sticks used as frame. The
design of the dry chamber making use of wooden wall sides and a glass top (tilted)
protects the food to be placed on the trays from direct sunlight since this is
undesirable and tends to bleach color, removes flavor
Figure No.13: Dryer Trays

3.2: DESIGN OF SOLAR DRYER IN CRE-O:

CREO Elements can be used to create a
complete 3D digital model of manufactured goods. The models consist of 2D and 3D
solid model. CREO runs on Microsoft Windows and provides apps for 2D design,
3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling, 3D direct modeling, Finite Element
Analysis and simulation, schematic design, technical illustrations, and viewing and
visualization. We used CRE-O version 2 for 3D modeling of solar drier.
Figure No.14: Design of solar dryer in CRE-O

3.2.1: Front view:
Figure No. 14.1: Front view of solar drier
3.2.2: Rear view:
Figure No. 14.2: Rear view of solar drier
3.2.3: Top view:
Figure No. 14.3: Top view of solar drier

3.2.4: Tray design:
Figure No. 14.4: Tray design
3.2.5: Collector design:
Figure No.14.5: Collector design

3.3: FABRICATION OF SOLAR DRIER:
The solar food dryer was constructed making use of locally available and
relatively cheap materials. Since the entire casing is made of wood and the cover is
glass, the major Construction works is carpentry works.
The following tools were used in measuring and marking out on the wooden planks:
1. Carpenter‟s pencil.
2. Steel tapes (push-pull rule type).
3. Steel meter rule.
4. Vernier caliper.
5. Steel square.
6. Scriber.
7. The following tools were also used during the construction:
8. Hand saws (crosscut saw and ripsaw).
9. Jack plane.
10. Wood chisel.
11. Mallet.
12. Hammer.
13. Pinch bar and pincers.
14. The construction was made with simple butt joints using nails as fasteners and
glue (adhesive) where necessary. The construction was sequenced as follows
for the wood work.
15. Marking out on the planks to cut into desired shape.
16. Cutting out the already marked out parts.
17. Planning of cut out parts to smoothen the surfaces.
18. Joining and fastening of the cut out parts with nails and glues.
The metal sheet used was mild steel of 1mm thickness. It was cut to the size of
80×60cm to minimize the top heat loss. It was painted black with tar for maximum
absorption and radiation of heat energy. The metal sheet, together with the insulator
of 7cm thickness, was placed inside the air heater (solar collector) compartment. The
glass was cut into size of 60 × 60cm size and two of these were required .One as the
solar collector‟s cover, and the other, as the drying cabinet cover. The glass used was
clear glass with 4 mm thickness. The trays were made with wooden frames and net

cloth to permit free flow of air within the drying cabinet (chamber). Four trays were
used with average of 10cm spacing arranged vertically one on top of the other, the
tray size was 56 × 52cm.
The interior of the solar food dryer was painted black with tar to promote adsorption
of heat energy while the exterior was painted gray to minimize the adverse effects of
weather and insect attack on the wood and also for aesthetic appeal.
Figure No.15

3.4: MATERIAL USED:
The following materials were used for the construction of the domestic active solar
Dryer:
3.4.1: Wood (gmelina) - as the casing (housing) of the entire system; wood was
selected being a good insulator and relatively cheaper than metals.
3.4.2: Glass - as the solar collector cover and the cover for the drying chamber. It
permits the solar radiation into the system but resists the flow of heat energy out of
the systems.
3.4.3: Mild steel sheet of 1mm thickness (dimension 80cm × 60cm) painted black
with tar – for absorption of solar radiation.
3.4.4: Net cloth (cheese cloth) and wooden frames for constructing the trays.
3.4.5: Nails and glue as fasteners and adhesives.
3.4.6: Insect net at air inlet and outlet - to prevent insects from entering into the
dryer.
3.4.7: Hinges and handle for the dryer‟s door.
3.4.8: Paint (black and grey).

3.5: SOLAR DRYING ESSENTIALS:
1. A drying chamber in which food is dried.

2. A solar collector that heats the air.
3. A flow system.
Figure No.16

CHAPTER-IV
EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS
4.1: DESIGN CALCULATIONS:
4.1.1: Angle of tilt (B) of solar collector:
It shows that the angle of tilt (B) of the collector should be
( ) 10+20.95 N
Where, lat  is the latitude of collector location, the latitude of Amravati is
30.95N.
Hence the suitable value of B use for the collector:
( ) 10+20.95 N
4.1.2: Insolation of the collector surface area:

A research obtained the value of insolation for Amravati i.e. average daily
radiation H on horizontal surface as;
H= 4.46 Kw.h/m/day
And average effective ratio of solar energy on tilted surface to that on the
horizontal surface R as;
R= 1.0035
Thus, insolation on the collector surface was obtained as,
= 4.46R = 4.461.0035
= 4.48 Kw/m.
4.1.3: Determination of mass flow rate
The mass flow rate of air Ma was determined by taking the average air speed
3.65 m/sec.
The air gap height was taken as 10cm= 0.1m and the width of the collector
taken as 60cm = 0.6m.
Thus, volumetric floe rate of air
Va= Va 0.10.6
= 3.650.10.6
= 0.219m3/sec.
Thus mass flow rate of air
Ma = Vaa
Density of air is taken as 1.02041 kg/m

Ma= Va a
Ma=0.2636 kg/sec.
4.1.4: Determination of drying rate:

The drying rate DR should be proportional to the difference in moisture content
between material to be dried and the equilibrium moisture content.
DR= dm/ dt
Where,
dm= mass loss of crop
dt = Drying time
DR = 200/5
DR = 40 grams/hr.
4.1.5: Determination of moisture content:

Mwb = (Mt - Md)/ Mt100
Where,
Mwb= the moisture content on wet basis.
Mt = Initial mass in grams.
Md = Final mass in grams.
Mwb= (10000-9800)/10000100
Mwb = 2 %.

Chapter-V
OBSERVATIONS:
Observation 1: Drying time v/s Temperature:
The observation contains duration of drying time of 5 hours starting at 11am
and ends 3 pm and corresponding temperature at the inlet and outlet of solar collector
is obtained on hourly basis.
Drying Atmospheric Temperature Collector

Time(hrs) temperature
11AM 35 48
12PM 37 50
1 PM 39 52
2 PM 40 54
3 PM 40 55
Figure No.5.1: Table of drying time V/s Temperature.
Observation 2: Drying time V/s Moisture content removed:

This is obtained by weighing the weight of wheat on each hour and the
reduction in weight in grams is observed as shown in table.
Drying time(hrs) Moisture content

Removed(grams)
11 AM 20
12 AM 60
1 PM 130
2 PM 170
3 PM 200
Figure No.5.2: Table of drying time V/s Moisture content removed.

CHAPTER-VI
RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS:
Result 1: Variation of temperature V/s drying time:

- The variation of temperature of air at solar collector outlet and the ambient
temperature for a typical day is shown in following figure.
- The average drying temperature at outlet of solar collector was 51.8c and at
the inlet of collector was 31.2c.
60
50
Tempurature °C
40
30 Atmospheric
Tempurature °C
20
Collector
10 Tempurature °C
0
11AM 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM
Drying Time
Graph shows the moisture content removed

Result 2: Variation of moisture content removal V/s Drying time:
-The variation of moisture content (wet basis) with drying time is illustrated in
following figure.
-The maximum moisture content removal was observed in 13:00 hours and is of 70
grams,
80
70
Moisture content in (grm)
60
50 Moisture removal rate
on hours basis
40
30
20
10
0
11AM 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM
Drying Time(hrs)
Graph shows Drying Time v/s Moisture removed

CHAPTER-VII
CONCLUSION:
The performance of an indirect forced convection solar dryer integrated with exhaust
fan was designed fabricated and investigated for wheat drying. During
experimentation the 200 gram reduction of weight from 10 kg wheat was observed in
5 hours. Thus the moisture content removed on weight basis is 2% overall with drying
rate of 40 gram/hr. Thus, the indirect forced convection solar drier is efficient as
compare to direct open drying.

CHAPTER-VIII
FUTURE SCOPE
1. Efficiency is significantly increased if used in high quality raw materials.

2. Owing to environmental conditions that can be changed at any time, electrical
and electronic equipment must be used to create compulsory convectional and
thermal conductivity in the device.
3. This is a commercialisation proposition that, as stated above, this machine can
be used to dry different products in high and industrial weight and quantity. In
different countries, this device is used for humidifying and drying various
products

REFERENCES:
Scalin D, „The Design, Construction and Use of an Indirect, Through-pass,
[1]
Solar Food Dryer‟, Home Power Magazine, 1997, 57, p. 62-72.
Eustache, H., Dushimire, E. and Amizero, C., 2017. Design and
[2]
Optimization of Domestic Solar Dryer. Science, 5(6), pp.130-135.
Dorf R.G., „En38ergy, Resources and Policy, Massachusetts‟, Addison
[3]
Werley Publishing Company, 1989.
Nwaokocha, C.N., Alamu, O.J., Adunola, O., Giwa, S.O. and Adeala, A.A.,
[4] 2017. Performance evaluation of a domestic passive solar food
dryer. RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS, p.67.
Whitfield, D.E., 2000, November. Solar dryer systems and the internet:
[5] Important resources to improve food preparation. In Proceedings of the
international Conference on Solar Cooking.
Nwaokocha, C.N., Alamu, O.J., Giwa, S.O., Layeni, A.T., Kuye, S.I. and
Oyedepo, S.O., 2018. Solar energy and food preservation in
[6]
nigeria. Advances in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Systems, Nova
Science Pub Inc., New York, USA, pp.97-105.
Nandi, P., 2009. Solar thermal energy utilization in food processing industry
[7]
in India. Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 10(1), pp.123-131.
Alamu, O.J., Nwaokocha, C.N. and Adunola, O., 2010. Design and
[8] construction of a domestic passive solar food dryer. Leonardo Journal of
Sciences, (16), pp.71-82.
Sukhatme, S.P. and Sukhatme, S.P., 1996. Solar energy: principles of
[9]
thermal collection and storage.
Nwaokocha, C.N., Alamu, O.J., Giwa, S.O., Layeni, A.T., Kuye, S.I. and
Oyedepo, S.O., 2018. Solar energy and food preservation in
[10]
nigeria. Advances in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Systems, Nova
Science Pub Inc., New York, USA, pp.97-105.

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Design and Performance evaluation of indirect type Solar Dryer

1.1: Food preservations

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 1

1.2: Methods of food preservations

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 2

1.2.1: Solar Drying

Figure No.1: Solar dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 3

1.2.1.1: Advantages of solar dryer:

1. Drying is faster because inside the dryer it is warmer than outside.

1.2.1.2: Disadvantages of solar dryer:

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 4

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 5

2.2: SOLAR RADIATON – THE ENERGY SOURCE FOR SOLAR DRYING:

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 6

2.3: CLASSIFICATION OF SOLAR DRYERS:

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 7

Fig No. 3: Classification of solar dryers

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 8

Classification Advantages Disadvantages

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 9

2.3.1: Passive solar dryers:

2.3.1.1: Tent dryers:

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 10

2.3.1.2: Box Dryers:

Figure No. 5: Box Dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 11

2.3.1.3: Seesaw Dryer:

Figure No.6: Seesaw type of solar dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 12

2.3.1.4: Cabinet solar dryers:

Figure No.7: Cabinet solar dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 13

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 14

2.3.2: Active solar cabinet dryer:

Figure No.8: Active solar cabinet dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 15

2.3.2.1: Active ventilated cabinet solar dryers:

Figure No.9: PV-powered system

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 16

2.3.2.2: Cabinet dryers with back-up heating:

Figure No.10: Hybrid IAE-solar biomass dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 17

2.3.3: Greenhouse dryer:

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 18

2.3.4: Tunnel dryers:

Figure No.11: Tunnel Dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 19

2.3.5: In-House Dryer:

Figure No.12: In-house dryer

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 20

The decision to build 5 equal units based on the following consideration:

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 21

DESIGN OF SOLAR DRYER

3.1.5: Dimension: It is recommended that a constant exchange of air and a roomy

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 22

Figure No.13: Dryer Trays

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 23

3.2: DESIGN OF SOLAR DRYER IN CRE-O:

Figure No.14: Design of solar dryer in CRE-O

G H Raisoni University, Amravati Page 24

3.2.1: Front view:

Figure No. 14.1: Front view of solar drier