SUN AND SOLAR DRYING

H83IND INDUSTRIAL DEHYDRATION

Dr Hii Ching Lik Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering

Outline
Sun drying Advantages & disadvantages of sun drying Solar drying Solar dryers classification Prospect of solar drying Solar collectors Design calculation
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Sun Drying
This is the most fundamental method of drying for preservation purpose It is also know as natural drying Only uses direct sunlight and wind Mostly use by smallholders/farmers, managed by single family mostly Some estates/plantations still use this method, uses large land areas Suitable for areas that receive high rate of solar insolation and with longer daytime
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Examples of Natural dryer

Spreading on floor surface

By hanging

Inside a crib

Elevated platform
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Examples of Sun Dried products

Some of these products are preferred by consumer to be sun dried, due to better flavour/taste (proven) and even 5 appearance.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages
Simple and cheap Easy to set up Easy to maintain Uses renewable energy Very low initial cost Suitable for small quantity Little expertise is required Can be applied anywhere

Disadvantages
Labour intensive Frequent mixing is needed Large land area is required Not efficient Pests and insects attack Rains/dews Contaminations i.e. smoke, dust, chemicals Unpredictable weather Extended drying duration Under dried product Spoilage i.e. mould

However, this method is still widely used by farmers worldwide due to cost/price issue and level of technology transfer.

Solar Drying
In view of the various disadvantages of sun drying, solar drying is used Also, due to the current trend of high fuel/energy cost, solar drying is favoured Definition of solar drying
Drying in which the temperature of the drier air has in some way been increased by the deliberate capture of solar radiation (Fuller, 1993, Solar drying of horticultural practices)
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Solar Insolation
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Average Insolation (kWh m-2 day -1)

6 5 4

3
2

1
0

Total Horizontal Solar Insolation and Sunshine Hours for Some Developing Countries (by courtesy of Dr S. Jangam)

Intensity and temperature profiles (date:20/07/2007) 1000 900 800 700

Intensity (W/m )
Intensity Collector outlet temperature Dryer outlet temperature Ambient air temperature Collector inlet temperature

80 70 60

600 500 400 300

50 40 30 20

200 100 0
8. 30 9. 00 9. 30 10 .0 0 10 .3 0 11 .0 0 11 .3 0 12 .0 0 12 .3 0 1. 00 1. 30 2. 00 2. 30 3. 00 3. 30 4. 00 4. 30 5. 00 5. 30

10 0

Time of day

A Typical solar intensity plot with the temperature variation in the dryer (by courtesy of Dr S. Jangam)
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Temperature (oC)

Classification

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 Direct type
Drying occurs primarily through the direct absorption of solar radiation by the product

Indirect type
Drying is achieved primarily by forced or natural convection, drying chamber is opaque Solar energy is absorbed by a separate collector

Mixed mode (hybrid)

Are those which combine the characteristics of the above (direct/indirect) It can also be used with external heat source (hybrid) i.e. with biomass heater, heatpump
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Passive Solar Dryers

Direct type
Thin layer of product is placed inside the chamber Inclined transparent cover Air flow from bottom (not heated) and exit through the top (back wall) Wooden walls and insulated well

Direct solar cabinet (Brace Research Institute)

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 Indirect type
Drying chamber is opaque, sometimes is painted with black paint to absorb heat Shelves are usually used to hold the product In some design chimney is excluded A solar collector is used to generate warm air

Shelf type dryer

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 Mixed mode
Transparent drying chamber with solar collector The floor of the solar collector can be filled with rocks painted in black as thermal storage Heat is released from the rocks to prolong drying at night time or during bad weather

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Active Solar Dryers

Direct type
Consists of 2 sections, namely the solar collector and drying chamber (transparent) Forced circulation with fan
Drying chamber

Solar collector

Solar tunnel dryer

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 Indirect type
Separate solar collector Connected to a blower to distribute the warm air Hot air is supplied to the drying chamber (not transparent)

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 Mixed mode
Greenhouse effect solar dryer, using transparent UV stabilized plastic film Auxiliary heater is used to heat up water as thermal storage Blower is used to circulate air flow

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Advantages (vs sun drying)

Faster drying rates due to elevated temperature Product protection from rain/dews Prevent spoilage due to pests and insects attacks Prevent spoilage due to extended drying Better product quality Higher production rate Smaller land area for installation Better temperature control Can be used at all weather (mixed/hybrid type)
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Disadvantages
Initial cost is high to set up Requires frequent maintenance High maintenance cost Availability of spare parts Losses in nutritional quality due to over heating i.e. vitamins Higher level of expertise is required Complicated design in some cases i.e. incorporated with heat pump system
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Prospect of Solar Drying

Some factors that work against this technology:
Lack of incentive (from government/buyer) to improve quality Taste preference Price differential due to quality grades is small Poor weather conditions Large areas of solar collectors are needed Cost is high to install auxiliary heater/burner

Despite these difficulties, some successful examples can still be cited Education is important, to teach farmers the benefits of solar drying
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Guidelines in Design
Metrological: solar insolation, weather pattern, rainfall etc Design: active/passive, tunnel/cabinet/tent, mixed/hybrid etc Products: moisture content, equilibrium moisture content, max allowable temperature Dryer capacity: thick bed, thin layer, shelves Solar collector: air/liquid medium, single/double pass, insulation, airflow, ducting etc Drying chamber: single bed/shelves, loading/unloading, direct/indirect, ventilation etc Construction: materials, insulation, spare parts Airflow: natural/forced, fan/ventilator/chimney etc Auxiliary component: heater, thermal storage, control etc Cost: set up cost, maintenance/repair, operating, labour
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Ventilator

Tent dryer

Thermal storage

Shelves Solar heat pump system

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Solar Collectors
Many configurations can be used, and the technology is still evolving

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Collector Efficiency ()
This is defined as the ratio of the useful energy (Qu) to the available solar energy incident upon the collector (Qo) The quantity Qu is determined from the change in temperature between the inlet and outlet = Qu/Qo = M*Cp*(Tout Tin)/Qo
M = mass flow rate of fluid (kg/s) Cp = specific heat of fluid (J/kg.C) Tout/in = temperature at outlet/inlet of collector

Collector efficiencies can range from 10-60%, depending on many design factors
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Design Calculation

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 Assumptions: At all points inside the solar dryer the air temperature and the air density is uniform There is no leakage of air and warm air only exits at the top Drying of grain is purely by natural convection The significant resistant to airflow is only due to the grain bed Data: V = 0.008(P/h)0.87 P = gH = 1.11363 0.00308T(C) h = 0.2 m h1 = 1 m h2 = 0.6 m

V = airflow (m/s) P = pressure drop (Pa) = density of air (kg/m3) h = grain bed thickness H = total height (m)

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