scholarly journals Design and Testing of a Natural Convection Solar Tunnel Dryer for Mango

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Isaac Nyambe Simate ◽  
Sam Cherotich

A natural convection solar tunnel dryer comprising three major units, a solar collector unit, a drying unit, and a vertical bare flat-plate chimney, was constructed. No-load tests with a horizontal configuration of air entry into the collector resulted in a bidirectional air flow in the dryer. To correct this undesirable situation, an air guide at the collector was incorporated to ensure that air entered in a vertical direction. To investigate its performance, drying experiments with mango were carried out at the University of Zambia, Department of Agricultural Engineering. Uncertainties in the parameters measured in the experiment were analysed and quantified. The results showed that, under solar radiation between 568.4 and 999.5 W/m2, air temperature of up to 65.8°C was attained at the collector unit. The average relative humidity values were 30.8%, 6.4%, and 8.4% for the ambient, collector, and drying unit, respectively. Under these conditions, mango with an initial moisture content of 85.5% (wet basis) was dried to 13.0% (wet basis) in 9.5 hours. The collector, drying, and pick-up efficiencies were found to be 24.7%, 12.8%, and 35.0%, respectively. The average temperature difference between the chimney air and ambient air was 12.1°C, and this was sufficient in driving the flow of air through the dryer.

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-360
Author(s):  
Athul Fadhli ◽  
Diswandi Nurba ◽  
Raida Agustina

Abstrak. Jagung merupakan tanaman penghasil karbohidrat terpenting. Pengeringan jagung pipil menggunakan alat pengering merupakan proses untuk menghasilkan jagung pipil yang siap diolah untuk pembuatan tepung jagung dengan batas kadar air tertentu sehingga menghaslkan jagung pipil dengan kualitas yang baik. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengkaji karakteristik pengeringan biji jagung menggunakan alat pengering surya Termodifikasi. Metode penelitian  menggunakan 3,15 kilogram jagung pipil dengan kadar air awal 22% untuk proses pengeringan. Parameter yang dianalisis terkait alat pengering kolektor surya yaitu temperatur, kelembaban relatif, kecepatan udara dan iradiasi surya, sedangkan parameter yang dianalisis terkait bahan yaitu kadar air, lama waktu pengeringan, laju pengeringan dan organoleptik. Prosedur penelitian terdiri dari pengujian kosong dan pengujian dengan menggunakan jagung pipil. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa temperatur rata-rata dalam rak pengering sebelum dilakukan modifikasi yaitu 44,4oC, temperatur rata-rata setelah dilakukan modifikasi yaitu 55,5oC dan temperatur rata-rata rak pengering pada pengeringan menggunakan jagung pipil yaitu 46,96oC. Kelembaban relatif rata-rata dalam rak pengering sebelum dilakukan modifikasi yaitu 40,1%, kelembaban relatif rata-rata dalam rak pengering setelah modifikasi yaitu 35,1% dan kelembaban relatif rata-rata pengeringan menggunakan jagung pipil yaitu 44,45%. Dari hasil pengukuran tersebut menunjukkan bahwa nilai temperatur dan kelembaban pada alat setelah modifikasi lebih baik dibandingkan sebelum alat dimodifikasi. Pengukuran temperatur dan kelembaban relatif terdiri dari 4 titik pengukuran yaitu rak 1A,1B dan rak 2A, 2B. Kecepatan udara rata-rata yang diukur konstan yaitu 0,7 m/s pada ruang pengering, sedangkan lingkungan 1,1 m/s. Total iradiasi surya selama pengeringan yaitu 1848,84 W/m2. Kadar air jagung pipil masing-masing rak yaitu rak 1A 14,29%, rak 1B 14,47%, rak 2A 13,91% dan rak 2B 14,1%. Hasil dari pengujian organoleptik, panelis agak menyukai jagung pipil yang dikeringkan menggunakan alat pengering tersebut.Characteristics of Seed Drying (Zea mays L.) Using a Modified Adriyarkara Solar DryerAbstract. Corn is the most important carbohydrate plant. Drying corn using a drying tool is a process to produce corn that are ready to be processed for making corn flour with a certain water content limit so as to produce corn with good quality. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of drying of corn kernels using a modified solar dryer. The research method used 3,15 kilogram of corn milled with the initial moisture content of 22% for drying process. The parameters analyzed in relation to solar collector dryers are temperature, relative humidity, air velocity and solar irradiation, while the parameters analyzed are materials such as moisture content, drying time, drying rate and organoleptic. The research procedure consists of unloaded testing and testing using corn. The results showed that the average temperature in the dryer tray before modification was 44,4°C, the average temperature after modification was 55,5°C and the average temperature of the dryer tray on drying using corn was 46,96oC. The average relative humidity in the dryer tray before modification is 40,1%, the average relative humidity in the dryer tray after modification is 35,1% and the average relative humidity of drying using corn is 44,45%. From the measurement results show that the value of temperature and humidity in the tool after modification is better than before. Measurement of temperature and relative humidity consist of 4 point of measurement that is tray 1A, 1B and tray 2A, 2B. Average mean air velocity measured is 0,7 m/s at the dryer room, while the environment is 1,1 m/s. Total solar irradiation during drying is 1848,84 W/m2. Moisture level of corn each shelves tray 1A is 14,29%, tray 1B is 14.47%, tray 2A is 13,91% and tray 2B is 14,1%. As a result of organoleptic testing, panelists rather like dried corn using the dryer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-100
Author(s):  
A. G. Mohod ◽  
Y. P Khandetod

A walk-in type semi-cylindrical-shaped solar tunnel dryer (10 m x 3.75 m) was designed, developed, and evaluated at Dr. B.S. Konakan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli for thermal analysis. The dryer was evaluated by conducting the no-load test at the laboratory to study the thermal profile, energy input/output during the winter and summer seasons. Based on the laboratory experience, a commercial-scale solar tunnel dryer was installed and evaluated at M/s Shirodkar Food Products Pvt. Ltd., kudal, District Sindhudurg (MS) for commercial mango leather drying. The dryer was loaded with 250 kg mango pulp per batch by spreading over 210 number of grease-proof aluminum trays (1.2 kg pulp in each tray) in three layers (70 trays in each layer). Drying of mango leather was studied in comparison with open sun drying and electrical oven drying for time saving and energy consumption. The study revealed that the average rise in temperature of drying air was about 18 -22 0C over the ambient air. The average drying period reduced by 28 % over open sun drying method. The average temperature inside the solar dryer was 62+5 0C, and required 10 h for upper layer of trays, 13 h for second layer of trays, and 17 h for the third level of trays as compared to 26 h in open sun drying. The operating energy cost of solar tunnel dryer was zero as compared to 102 kWh in an electrical oven. Considering drying of 30 batches per season, the payback period of the system was 2.7 years


Agrotek ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Palelingan Aman

<em>A research about cocoa beans drying used solar tunnel dryer with photovoltaic module driven have conducted in Manokwari. Solar tunnel dryer used in this research adapted from type Hohenheim with photovoltaic module and integrated air heat collector has been installed at the Department of Agricultural Technology, Papua State University Manokwari to dried cocoa beans. The objectives of this research were to design solar tunnel dryer and evaluate it�s performance in dryed cocoa beans. The result obtained was a new construction of solar tunnel dryer for cocoa beans with dimensions 6 m of length and 0,9 m of wide. The dryer completed with photovoltaic module to drive the blowers of hot drying air. �Performance test of the dryer showed that drying of 10 kg of cocoa beans with initial moisture content about 70% wet basis needed 13 hours of drying time to achieved final moisture content about 7,17% wet basis. The drying time achieved was faster compared than traditional solar drying that needed 20 hours of drying time. The maximum temperature achieved in drying chamber was 60 <sup>o</sup>C.</em>


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1508
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ghalambaz ◽  
Mohammad Shahabadi ◽  
S. A. M Mehryan ◽  
Mikhail Sheremet ◽  
Obai Younis ◽  
...  

The melting flow and heat transfer of copper-oxide coconut oil in thermal energy storage filled with a nonlinear copper metal foam are addressed. The porosity of the copper foam changes linearly from bottom to top. The phase change material (PCM) is filled into the metal foam pores, which form a composite PCM. The natural convection effect is also taken into account. The effect of average porosity; porosity distribution; pore size density; the inclination angle of enclosure; and nanoparticles’ concentration on the isotherms, melting maps, and the melting rate are investigated. The results show that the average porosity is the most important parameter on the melting behavior. The variation in porosity from 0.825 to 0.9 changes the melting time by about 116%. The natural convection flows are weak in the metal foam, and hence, the impact of each of the other parameters on the melting time is insignificant (less than 5%).


1975 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Forbes ◽  
J. W. Cooper

Natural convection in horizontal layers of water cooled from above to near freezing was studied analytically. The water was confined laterally and underneath by rigid insulators, and the upper horizontal surface was subjected to: (1) a constant 0C temperature, rigid conducting boundary, and (2) a free, water to air convection boundary condition, in which the convective heat transfer coefficient was held constant at values of 5.68 W/m2 · K and 284 W/m2 · K (1.0 and 50.0 Btu/hr ft2F) and the temperature of the ambient air was maintained at 0C. The ratios of the width to the depth of the rectangular water layers under consideration were W/D = 1, 3, and 6. Initially the water is assumed to be at a uniform temperature of either 4C or 8C, and then the upper surface boundary condition was suddenly applied. It was observed in all cases for which the initial water temperature was 4C, that the water remained stagnant and became thermally stratified. Heat transfer application of either of the surface boundary conditions to water initially at 8C produced large convective eddies extending from the bottom to the top of the layer of water. As the liquid layer cooled further, two distinct horizontal regions appeared, the 4C isothermal line separating the two. This produces a region of hydrodynamic instability in the fluid since the maximum density fluid (4C) is physically located above the less dense fluid in the lower portion of the cavity. The large eddies which appeared initially were confined to the hydrodynamically unstable region bounded by the 4C isotherm and the bottom of the cavity. The action of viscous shearing forces upon the stable water above the 4C isotherm produced a second “layer” of eddies. An alternating direction implicit finite difference method was used to solve the coupled system of partial differential equations. The paper presents transient isotherms and streamlines and a discussion of the effect of maximum density on the flow patterns.


2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edy Tonnizam Mohamad ◽  
Maybelle Liang ◽  
Nurmunirah Mohd Akhair

 The influence of moisture content to the strength of wet tropically weathered sandstone of Jurong Formation found in Nusajaya, Johor was studied. The rock materials have been affected by weathering action; hence the alteration of its engineering properties is incontestable due to these effects. A total of 36 samples representing various weathering grades were collected from the field and tested at various moisture content by immersing them in water at different duration of time, ranging from 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Point load tests for the determination of the strength index Is(50) of the rock were then carried out. For weathered sandstone (Grade II to IV), the mean initial moisture content ranges from 0.15% to 11.00% respectively, while the initial mean strength index has maximum and minimum values of 7.76 MPa and 0.38 MPa. The results reveal that there is a significant relationship between the weathering grades, moisture absorption and strength. The moisture absorption is dependent on the amount of clay minerals present in the rock material, which indirectly affects the strength, as observed with the increment of weathering state. In conclusion, this study indicates that sandstone with higher moisture content and increase in weathering grade exhibits lower strength values. 


1937 ◽  
Vol 15a (7) ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
R. Ruedy

For a vertical plane surface in still air the coefficient of heat transfer, valid within the range of temperatures occurring in buildings, depends on the temperature and the height of the surface. If black body conditions are assumed for the heat lost by radiation, the coefficient is equal to 1.39, 1.50, 1.62, and 1.73 B.t.u. per sq. ft. per ° F. at 32°, 50°, 68°, and 86° F. respectively, the height of the heated surfaces being 100 cm. Convection is responsible for about one-third, and radiation, mainly in the region of 10 microns, for about two-thirds of the heat loss. Convection currents depend on the temperature difference, while radiation depends on the average temperature. When attempts are made to stop convection currents by placing obstacles across the surface, the loss of heat due to natural convection varies inversely as the fourth root of the height, providing that the nature of the flow of air remains unchanged.


2018 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. 01019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoulhafar Halassi ◽  
Youssef Joundy ◽  
Loubna Salhi ◽  
Ahmed Taik

This paper investigates the interaction between natural convection and heat explosion in porous media. A meshless collocation method based on multiquadric radial basis functions has been applied to study the problem in an inclined two-dimensional porous media. The governing equations consist of coupling the Darcy equations in the Boussinesq approximation of low density variations to the heat equation with a nonlinear chemical source term. The numerical results obtained are in good agreement with some previous studies that consider the vertical direction. A complex behaviour of solutions is observed, including periodic and aperiodic oscillations. We have shown that a small inclination of the container stabilizes the reactive fluid and can prevent thermal explosion.


2014 ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Károly Bakó ◽  
László Huzsvai

This study presents a PHP-based model capable of calculating maize leaf area index. The model calculates LAI from emergence to 75% silking. The basis of calculation is represented by the daily average temperature values. The usability of the model was tested using three years' temperature and LAI data series from the values obtained by the weather station set up at the Látókép Experiment Site of the University of Debrecen, Centre for Agricultural Sciences between 1994 and 1996. During the running of the model, it was observed that temperature affects the intensity of leaf development to a various extent.


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