Energy Convers. Mgmt Vol. 36, No. 3, pp.

205-212, 1995

Pergamon

0196-8904(94)00051-4

Copyright 1995 ElsevierScienceLtd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved 0196-8904/95 $9.50+ 0.00

INVESTIGATION

OF THE THERMAL SOLAR DRYER

EFFICIENCIES

OF A

CIGDEM TIRIS, MUSTAFA TIRISt and IBRAHIM DINCER

TUBITAK-Marmara Research Center, P.O. Box 21, Gebze 41470, Kocaeli, Turkey

(Received 7 September 1993; received for publication 11 October 1994)

Abstract--This paper deals with the construction and performance of a solar powered drying system consisting of a solar air heater and a drying chamber. The thermal efficiencies of both the solar air heater and the drying section as a function of typical physical parameters and the experimental results for different food products at different air flow rates are discussed. The results of this study indicate that the present drying system has thermal efficiencies between 0.3 and 0.8 during drying experiments and that the higher flow rates increase the overall drying performance and especially efficiency. Thermal efficiency Solar heater Drying chamber

INTRODUCTION Drying is one of the oldest and simplest methods of preserving food products. There are two techniques, namely, sun drying in the open under primitive conditions and solar drying in a drying system. Being unprotected from unexpected rains, windborne dirt and dust, and from infestation by insects, rodents and other animals, the quality in sun drying is seriously degraded, sometimes beyond edibility. In an increasingly hungering world, practical ways of cheaply and sanitarily preserving foods would be welcome. Solar drying, generally, refers to a drying technique which utilizes heat collected from solar radiation to supply the thermal energy required for drying. It is well known that the dryers, in general, can be easily classified into several hundred different types, depending on mode of heat supply, design case, operating pressure, handling of the feed stock, etc. [1-3]. There is a great interest in simple dryers which are characterized by low air handling requirements, cheap construction, simple operation and ability to cope with long drying times due to low temperature driving forces. Therefore, many types of solar dryers have been designed, tested and operated in laboratory and pilot scales, as well as large scale around the world. Some of these works have been carried out by Kahveci et al. [2], Akyurt and Selcuk [3], Foster and McKenzie [4], Phillips [5], Eissen and Muhlbauer[6], Lutz and Muhlbauer [7], Lutz et al. [8], Exell and Kornsakoo [9], Kyburz and Keller [10] and Tiris [11]. In the present work, a thermal efficiency evaluation of the solar drying system which was developed and tested in pilot scale is given in detail under drying experiments.
EXPERIMENTAL WORKS

A new solar dryer, which was originally designed and installed on the Pilot Plant of the Solar Energy Institute, Ege University for use in arid zones, consists of two main parts, namely a solar air heater and a drying chamber. A schematic diagram of the experimental system is shown in Fig. l(a) and for a clearer presentation, a picture of the complete system is given in Fig. l(b). The dimensions of the solar air heater were 57 x 203 cm. Helical type aluminium wires (1-1.5 mm dia) were painted with black colour completely and used as an absorbent surface in order to extend the heat transfer area. Then, these wires were placed into the air flow channel in the solar air heater. During the experiments, the solar air heater combined with the collector was
tTo whom all correspondence should be addressed. 205

206

TIRIS et

al.:

THERMAL EFFICIENCIES OF A SOLAR DRYER

oriented in the south direction under the collector angle of 30 . The polyester plate, containing glass wool, was used as a transparent cover for the collector due to its elasticity, soundness and durability, low density, high transmittance and low investment costs. The remaining sides of the solar air heater were covered with aluminium and stainless steel sheets. The dimensions of the drying chamber were 51 x 105 x 129 cm and had a roof with the slope of 26 . The roof and the other sides of the drying chamber were also designed using polyester, containing glass wool, as covering material. Six metal racks were placed inside the chamber and the distance between two racks was 12 cm. An openable lid was connected to the north side of the chamber in order to put the products inside the chamber for drying purposes. A fan, which was controlled by a manual
12

(a)

1 8

Fig. 1. (a) Schematic representation of the drying system (1--Air inlet, 2--Fan, 3--Valve, 4--Electrical heater, 5--Flowmeter, 6--Solar air heater, 7--Pressure transducer, 8--Pyranometer, 9--Drying chamber, 10--Rack, 11--Product, 12--Air outlet) and (b) a picture of the system.

TIRIS et al.: THERMALEFFICIENCIESOF A SOLAR DRYER

207

valve, was used to force the drying air through the collector and to the air outlet of the drying chamber in order to achieve the desired uniform air distribution. An electrical resistance (as heater) was used to test the solar air heater to allow selection of the proper inlet temperatures of the air. An analogue device provided the temperature control. The flow rate of air was measured via a digital flowmeter which was placed at the entrance of the solar air heater. The total solar radiation intensities were measured with a star type pyranometer which had the same slope as the solar air heater. The wind speed was registered with an anemometer at 10 min intervals. To determine the relative humidity of the drying air and ambient air, capacitive humidity sensors were used. In the experiments related to the solar air heater, the determination of the efficiency profiles of the solar air heater was the goal. The air-inlet temperatures were selected between 30 and 50C at mass flow rates of 150, 200 and 250 kg/mZh and remained constant through the day as well as for each experiment. Pt-100 temperature sensors were positioned at the inlet and outlet portions of the solar air heater in order to measure the air temperatures. The ambient temperatures and the pressure drops were also measured during the experiments. The experimental conditions included the following statements: the total solar radiation higher than 630 W/m 2, the wind speed lower than 5.4 m/s, the ambient temperature between 5 and 32C and the solar azimuth angle was lower than 30. These experiments were performed according to the TS (Turkish Standards) 4801 and ASHRAE 93-77. Some meteorological data (temperature, pressure, relative humidities, etc.) were taken from Bornova Meteorological Station, Izmir, Turkey. In the experiments related to drying, sultana grapes, green beans, sweet peppers and chilli peppers were used as test samples. Drying experiments at different air-flow rates were performed in the dates between 24 September and 17 October 1990. During this period, the weather was generally sunny and no rain appeared. The sultana grapes were harvested manually and transported in boxes. Before the drying tests, spoiled grapes had to be discarded to prevent infection of intact grapes by bacteria or fungi. The sultana grapes were dipped into a solution (e.g. a combination of 0.5% olive oil and 5% K2CO 3, which is called potasa) [11]. The dipping in solution modifies the water permeability of the product skin but does not affect the internal water diffusion mechanism and reduces drying time significantly. The tips of the green beans were cut and their leaves were removed. Then, the green beans were sliced both longitudinally and breadthly. Both sweet and chilli peppers were also halved and spread uniformly on the racks inside the dryer. In order to compare the performance of the solar dryer, the samples were dried both in the dryer (solar drying) and on paved grounds (traditional sun drying). The moisture contents and weight changes of the test samples were determined. A detailed description of the experimental apparatus, procedure and instrumentation is found in the literature [11]. ANALYSIS A means of assessing the thermal performance of drying applications is considered extremely useful for two reasons. Firstly, it enables a comparison, albeit somewhat crude, to be made between the performance of two (or more) dryers. Secondly, and more importantly, it provides a means of assessing just how well (or poorly) a dryer operates under the certain conditions. For solar dryers, there are three criteria which can be used to do this. The following criteria enable the separate components of a solar drying system to be assessed individually and action taken, if necessary, to improve the performance [12-15].
(a) Solar air heater (collector) efficiency

This parameter is a measure of how effectively the energy available in the solar radiation upon the collector is transferred to the air flowing through the collector. The collector thermal efficiency (0) is determined from the useful heat (qu) divided by the total solar radiation (qr) in the following form
q = (qu/qf).

(1)

The useful heat passed to the air is defined as

qo = m~Cp(To - Ti)

(2)

208 where ma = Cp = Ti = To =

TIRIS et al.: THERMALEFFICIENCIES OF A SOLAR DRYER

air flow rate (kg/m2s) specific heat [J/kg C ( = 1100 J/kg C)] air inlet temperature (C) air outlet temperature (C).

The temperature parameter, ~ (C/W/m2), which is a combination of the average fluid temperature in the collector [(To + Ti)/2], ambient temperature (Ta) and qr, is expressed by the following equation: = [(To + T~)/2 - Ta]/q r . (3)

The collector inlet and outlet temperatures (T~, To) and ambient temperatures (Ta) were measured at a constant air flow rate and the solar radiation intensities were also measured. Using these values in equations (1) and (2), the thermal efficiencies of the solar air heater were determined.
(b) P i c k - u p efficiency

This efficiency is more useful for evaluating the actual evaporation of moisture from the food inside the drying chamber. It is a direct measure of how efficiently the capacity of the (heated) air to absorb moisture is utilized. This is expressed as the ratio of the moisture picked-up by the air in the drying chamber to the theoretical capacity of the air to absorb moisture as follows:
% = [(ho - hi )/(has
or
-

hi )]

(4)

% = [(Mo - M t ) / m a A t (has - hi)] where ho = hi = has = Mo= Mt = A = t = absolute humidity of air leaving the chamber (kg/kg) absolute humidity of air entering the chamber [kg/kg (=0.020 kg/kg)] adiabatic saturation humidity of air entering the chamber [kg/kg (=0.032 kg/kg)] initial product mass (kg) product mass at time t (kg) area [m 2 ( = rid:~4 = 0.0202 m2)] time (s).

(5)

The values of ho, h~ and has are taken from the psychrometric chart.

Thermal EfflcienGy

(~)

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2

~~~~.

an ~ ~,,

,x

m = 150 k g / m 2 . h ( 0 . 0 4 2 k g / m 2 . s )

0 0

0.01

0.02
Temperature

0.03

0.04

0.08

O.OO

Parameter (C/W/m2)

Fig. 2. Variations of the collector efficiencyat an air flow rate of 0.042kg/m2s.

TIRIS et

al.:

THERMALEFFICIENCIES OF A SOLAR DRYER

209

Thermal Efficiency (~)

0.8
,x Jx ~ A j., r , Zx ,,. tx

0.6 0.4
A

0.2
m = 200 kg/m2.h (0.055 kg/m2.s)
0 I I I I I

0.01

0.02 0.03 0.04 Temperature Parameter (C/W/m2)

0.05

O.OO

Fig. 3. Variations of the collector efficiencyat an air flow rate of 0.055 kg/m2s. R E S U L T S AND D I S C U S S I O N During the experiments, the ambient temperature and relative humidity changed between 17 and 35C and between 27 and 90%, respectively, and the total solar radiation intensity reached 900 W/m 2 at noon. The average inlet and outlet temperatures were between 53.2 and 58.4C, and between 45.9 and 50.2C, respectively, and the total radiation intensity varied between 561.1 and 970.2 W/m 2. In the pick-up efficiency calculations, the air inlet temperature was taken as 55C, and the average wet bulb temperature of the air was measured as 32.5C. The initial and final batch weights of the chilli peppers, green beans, sweet peppers and sultana grapes were 0.3062 and 0.032 kg, 0.7034 and 0.0934 kg, 0.506 and 0.0414 kg, and 0.6836 and 0.1775 kg, respectively, at ma = 0.07 kg/m2s; 0.140 and 0.0154 kg, 0.9211 and 0.12 kg, 0.5442 and 0.0512 kg, and 0.606 and 0.1614 kg, respectively, at m a = 0.055 kg/m2s; and 0.740 and 0.1211 kg, 0.892 and 0.112 kg, 0.7172 and 0.063 kg, and 0.9418 and 0.2326 kg, respectively, at ma = 0.042 kg/m2s. The variations of thermal efficiency of the present solar air heater (solar collector) against the temperature parameter of air flow rates of 150, 200 and 250kg/m2h (~0.042, 0.055 and 0.070 kg/m2s) for different dates are graphically shown in Figs 2-4. It can be seen from these figures

Thermal

Efficiency

(~)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2 m = 250 kg/m2.h (0.070 kg/m2.s)

0 I I I I I

0.00,5

0.01 0.01,5 0.02 Temperature Parameter (C/W/m2)

0.025

0.03

Fig. 4. Variations of the collector efficiencyat an air flow rate of 0.070kg/m2s.

210

TIRIS et

al.:

THERMALEFFICIENCIES OF A SOLAR DRYER

(:FLOW RAT=:: 1 . o

0.04~

kg/m~=)

0,9

0,~1

<>

0,7

o o & & & x -tO b Oo + + + + + + + A&& && & A & & & &

0.6

"=
uJ

0.~
0.4

~. X

0.3 11.2 0. t a 0

+~o XXxxXxxxxxxxxx

++++

20

40

60

O0

100

420

140

160

C.~OPER

G.BEAN

TIME Ce.lO0O) ~ $.GRAP~

S.PEPPF~

Fig. 5. Variations of the pick-up efficiencyfor drying some products at an air flow rate of 0.042kg/m2s. that the collector efficiencies ranged between 0.18 and 0.78 at 0.042kg/m2s, 0.38 and 0.79 at 0.055 kg/mEs and 0.60 and 0.80 at 0.070 kg/mEs. In fact, these values were found to be higher than the desired magnitude. This result was believed to be due to the measurement of the flow rate of the air before entering the collector and the possible air leakages from the collector to the environment. The results of the present study indicated that this system is capable of drying agricultural products effectively. In order to eliminate the influence of varying environmental conditions, it is common to use reference methods to investigate the thermal performance of a solar air heater in outdoor experiments. In this respect, a solar air heater was developed and tested. The variations of the pick-up efficiency for drying different products (i.e. chilli peppers, green beans, sweet peppers and sultana grapes) at air-flow rates of 0.042, 0.055 and 0.070 kg/m2s are plotted against the drying time in Figs 5-7. It can be seen in these figures that the pick-up efficiencies vary between 0.28 and 0.9 at m a 0.042 kg/m2s, 0.07 and 0.87 at m~ = 0.055 kg/m2s, and 0.2 and 0.89 at rna = 0.07 kg/m2s. As a result, the values of the pick-up efficiency likely to be experienced with the solar dryer vary widely, depending principally on the ease with which moisture evaporates from the products being dried. In the early stages of the drying applications of the moist products, drying was relatively easy and therefore, the high pick-up efficiency values were obtained. This pick-up efficiency parameter is perhaps most useful for evaluating the performance of the drying system. In large scale applications, a value for the pick-up efficiency of 30%, as an average value for the whole drying period, would be expected. For the present works, an average value of 42% was found. It may be due to small scale applications which were carried out within the experimental programme.
=

CONCLUSIONS An experimental investigation was conducted to test a new solar dryer consisting of a solar air heater and a drying chamber. Sultana grapes, green beans, sweet and chilli peppers were selected

TIRIS et al.:

THERMAL EFFICIENCIES OF A SOLAR DRYER

211

CF:LOw RATE: 1

0,055

ka/n~s)

0.9

0
O.O

'0

X 0.7 o'
0.6

o X O

x 0.5

,0

x X

O X 0 XX 0 0 XX X 0 X X ~ O

0.4 /, 0.3 & tx t0.2 .4. + "i" 0.1 I" + 4I* + "l"I,,. & A & & &

x~~~
"I" -I4, 44,+

-I-

4-

-f-

4-

4.

I'-

O 0

40

60 TIME

@0 ~e.1000) A

100

120

140

C.PEPPER

G.EEAN

S.GRAI;~

$.PEv",-'t=~

Fig. 6. Variations of the pick-up efficiency for drying some products at an air flow rate of 0.055 kg/m2s.

CFLOW RATE: 1

0,070

Icg/m~)

0.9

+ 0,8 0 O O 0,7 o O o o 40.5 o O O 4-

0.R 5 tu x X 04 x X

4-

~*~ X x x ~ z ~

&

&

0.2

0.1

0 0

2O

4.0

60 TIME EI.1000~ A

80

100

120

140

C. F~PPER

G.BEAN

S.GRAPE

~.PEPP~R

Fig. 7. Variations of the pick-up emciency for drying some products at an air flow rate of 0.070 kg/m2s.

212

TIRIS et al.: THERMAL EFFICIENCIES OF A SOLAR DRYER

as test samples and dried in the present system. The drying times varied between 2 and 5 days. The obtained drying results were c o m p a r e d with the results carried out in natural sun drying o f the products. Therefore, the present solar dryer with integrated collector, which was built up easily with very simple tools and with relatively low labour requirements, provided better quality and shorter drying periods, etc. The drying periods o f solar dried sultana grapes, green beans, sweet and chilli peppers were 1.8, 2.2, 1.9 and 2.0 times shorter than the natural sun dried products (drying period: 6 - 1 0 days). The collector efficiencies ranged between 0.18 and 0.78 at 0.042 kg/m2s, 0.38 and 0.79 at 0.055 kg/m2s and 0.60 and 0.80 at 0.070 kg/m2s and was satisfactory for heating the drying air. The pick-up efficiencies also varied between 0.28 and 0.9 at ma = 0.042 kg/m2s, 0,07 and 0.87 at ma = 0.055 kg/mZs and 0.2 and 0.89 at m a = 0.07 kg/m2s.
REFERENCES

1. A. S. Mujumdar, Handbook of Industrial Drying. Marcel Dekker, New York (1987). 2. N. Kahveci, Y. Erdalli and I. Dincer, Solar driven drying systems and utilization possibilities. TUBITAK-Marmara Research Center, Gebze (May 1992). 3. M. Akyurt and M. K. Selcuk, Sol. Energy 14, 313 (1972). 4. G. H. Foster and B. A. McKenzie, Solar heat for grain drying--selection, performance and management, Report AE-108, Purdue Univ. (1980). 5. A. L. Phillips, Sol. Energy 213 (1965). 6. W. Eissen and W. Muhlbauer, GATE 1, 20 (1983). 7. K. Lutz and W. Muhlbauer, Drying Technol. 4, 583 (1986). 8. K. Lutz, W. Muhlbauer, J. Muller and G. Reisinger, Sol. Wind Technol. 4, 417 (1987). 9. R. H. B. Exell and S. Kornsakoo, Appropriate Technol. 5, 23 (1976). 10. V. Kyburz and J. Keller, Air collectors for hay drying. ISES Solar Worm Congress, 13-18 September, Hamburg, Germany (1987). 11. C. Tiris, Development of a new solar air heater and its application. M.Sc. thesis, Solar Energy Institute, Ege Univ., Izmir, Turkey (1990) (in Turkish). 12. R. B. Keey, Drying: Principles and Practice. Pergamon Press, Oxford (1972). 13. R. B. Keey, Introduction to Industrial Drying. Pergamon Press, Oxford (1972). 14. J, A. Duttie and W. A. Beckman, Solar Energy Thermal Processes. Wiley, New York (1974). 15. C. W. Hall, Drying Farm Crops. AVI Publishing, Connecticut (1977).