Energy Convers. Mgmt Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 229-235, 1984 0196-8904/84 $3.00 + 0.

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Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved Copyright 1984 Pergamon Press Lid

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SIMPLE

SOLAR DEHYDRATOR FOR CROP DRYING
H. P. GARG t, R. B. M A H A J A Na, V. K. SHARMA' and H. S. ACHARYA 2
tCentre of Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110 016 and
2Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India

(Received 25 April 1983)

Abstract--In this paper, a simple solar collector cure crop drying system is described. The categorical
objectives of this paper are (1) to identify a suitable medium capacity solar drying system and (2) to study
analytically and experimentally the performance characteristics of this newly fabricated solar drying
system. The drying ratio, rehydration ratio, culinary and organoleptic characteristics, of Methi and Bhendi
crops were studied and presented in this paper.
Solar air heater Solar dehydration Solar crop drying

INTRODUCTION operating characteristics mathematically by consid-

Previously, the conventional way of crop drying in
our country is to expose the food grain in open air
and in large space which is often wet fields or roads.
Naturally, a heavy amount of food grains are lost.
Contamination of food grain is also a natural con-
sequence of this process. It has been proven beyond
doubt that controlled drying by means of fuels in a
scientific way saves the loss of food grain as well as
preserving the quality, which there is no more feasible
drying technique in this era of energy crises. Solar
energy has been found to be the ultimate answer for
it. Currently, considerable attention has been paid to
the use of solar energy for crop drying. A good
amount of theoretical and experimental work has
already been reported by various scientists [6--12]
throughout the country. Still, it is in the infant stage
compared to other solar energy applications. The
need of the hour is to design such a system which can
be fabricated out of readily available indigenous
materials. In this paper, we have made an attempt to
design a system which can provide solar heated air at
low and moderate temperature which is normally
sufficient in fulfilling the drying requirements of most
horticultural products. The system has also been
tested and the results obtained are encouraging.
Moreover, since all the components of the units are
combined together integrally, it further reduces the
cost of the system. The design details of the system
are given in Table 1. The experimental results are also
included in the present study.
ering the various energy balance equations for
different components of the unit.
Theoretical design consideration for solar air heater
Solar air heaters have become an important apph-
ance to collect solar energy. The aim of the present
study is to analyse a solar air heater theoretically. No
doubt, steady state analysis can also be done in
predicting the design [1-3], but this approach may
not be an appropriate one because two of the basic
inputs of the solar air heater; the solar insolation and
the ambient temperature are basically transient in
nature [4, 5]. In view of this, transient equations of
the system were written. The simultaneously coupled
partial differential equations are solved by periodic
analysis. In this approach, the solar insolation and
the ambient temperature are assumed to be periodic
functions of time for a time period of 24 h, and can
be represented by Fourier series. The equations which
govern the behaviour of the system are obtained by
considering the energy balance at each component of
the system separately, i.e. for glass cover, absorber
and for fluid, etc. Since the inputs of the model are
periodic functions, this can be represented reasonably
well by the real part of a Fourier series.
We write
l ( t ) = Io+ Re ~. lmexp(imcot)
"-
Im= p~ exp(-io~,,)

TA(t) = TAo + Re ~. T~,~exp(imcot)

ANALYTICAL ASPECTS OF SOLAR ,~-t
DEHYDRATOR UNIT T~.~ = PA~,e x p ( - itrA=)
The solar dehydrator unit consists of a solar air
heater and a dehydrating chamber. Since operating T ~ ( t ) = To + Re exp(imcot)
the rating parameters of the said unit would be ""
extensive, an attempt has been made to analyse the Tin(t) = Pi, exp(--iol~).

E CM 24 3 ~ E
229
230 GARG et M.: SOLAR DEHYDRATOR FOR CROP DRYING

Since the inputs of the system are periodic functions, Thermodynamical design refers to aH heat, mass
the component of the heater and the air temperature and humidity calculations and fixes the major param-
will also be periodic functions. The temperature of eters, like the quantity of air required, moisture
any component is removed from the product, rise and fall of air
temperature, collector dimensions, etc. Mechanical
T(x, t ) = Re Tm(x)exp(imwt). design concentrates on fixing of the mechanical
.-0 details of drying chamber, perforated sheet, wire
Finally, substituting the above equations in the vail- mesh, pressure drop through dryer, etc.
ous energy balance equations and after doing algebric In the following section we will discuss some of the
manipulations, we get the final expression for the above described aspects.
fluid temperature of the form Mechanical design consideration. The mechanical
details of the solar dehydrating chamber involves
TI== ~ Ahexp(rkx)+ ,~ detailed studies regarding cabinet size, tray area,
k-~ number of trays, depth of material in the tray,
where n -- 3 for our system, clearance between two trays, plenum chamber height
The various unknown constant A's can be deter- and top clearance area which are the major factors to
mined from appropriate boundary conditions. From be considered while calculating the cabinet size. In
the above analysis, we can know the outlet air the following, all the above mentioned factors are
temperature as a function of many parameters, such defined.
as length of the air heater, breadth of the air heater, Tray area: it is defined as the capacity of the
mass flow rate, etc. Once the outlet temperature dehydrating chamber for the loading rate. Once we
required is known, then it becomes easier to design an know the tray area, we can easily find out the number
air heater fulfilling the specific requirements, of trays; the further amount of product loaded per
tray is just the ratio of loading rate to the number of
Design consideration for solar dehydrating chamber trays. In order to calculate the depth of loading in
each tray, we can use the expression
To make a solar dryer techno-economically
feasible, the following points should be taken into volume
account before design: depth of loading =
area
(i) Drying chamber to hold the material to be dried. mass
(ii) A system for loading and unloading the r e l u m e = b u l k density
material to drying chamber.
(iii) A system (natural or forced convection) to volume = length x l~readth x height
force the heated air through the material mass. of material
(iv) A controlled monitoring system to dry the
material as per requirement. L x B x H - -M
In addition to the above factors, one also has to keep P
in mind the following essentials: M
H=
1. Capacity of the dryer to be constructed, viz. x p x L x B"
kilogram per day etc. So in this way, depth of loading in each tray is
2. Geographical location, calculated -- x cm, (say). Now, if the small clearance
3. Local climatic condition: above the product is x~ cm, then the total depth of
(a) Availability of solar insolation tray = x + x~ era.
(b) Variation of ambient temperature Total volume of tray = a x b x (x + xj), where a
(c) Relative humidity of the place, etc. and b are dimensions of the tray.
(d) Existing wind velocity at the location. Now, assuming that the gap between two trays is
7cm, plenum chamber height = 10 cm, height of air
4. Type of material to be dried:
space above the plenum chamber - 10 cm and the top
(a) Its property, clearance- 5 cm, therefore, the total height of the
(b) Its initial moisture content and final moisture cabinet = 25 cm + total height of trays -- C cm. Total
content, height required for trays -- number of
5. Drying temperature, gaps x distance between two successive
6. Materials of construction, trays + number of trays height of each tray. The
inside size of the dehydrating chamber will
The Design of the dehydrating chamber can be be = a b x c.
considered under two major headings.
(A) Thermodynamical aspects and Theoretical consideration
(B) Mechanical aspects. As already mentioned, thermodynamical design
 4

60cm --'4

cm 50cm

I I 1 5cm C)

N ~22-- 5

10 Side view Front view

. - - 6 0 cm --~

60cm
A Dehydrator cabinet l ~
1 Trays. l r
0
2 Plenum chamber I ] 10 cm

:3 air duct ~ T
4 Atr outlet p~pe
5 Insulation
6. Dial gouge thermometer 0
7 Mercury bulb thermometer 9 6 cm

B Solar air heater

8. Outer wooden f r a m e ,~.
9 Gloss cover
10 Iron matrix L '=1
11 Mercury bulb thermometer I- 155cm
C Electric blower Plan
Fig. I.
232 G A R G eta/.: SOLAR DEHYDRATOR FOR CROP DRYING

refers to all heat, mass and humidity calculations. It
also fixes the major parameter, like quantity o f air
required, i.e. mass flow rate and moisture removed
from the product, etc.
Now, we will discuss heat requirements in detail,
We know that the sensible heat required to raise the
temperature o f 1 kg o f water for a given temperature
rise A T - - m x c p x A T . FtLrther, assume that the
latent heat o f vaporization -- 540 Kcal/kg o f water,
Therefore, the total heat required -- sensible
heat + latent heat o f vaporization. In order to calcu-
late the a m o u t o f heat required to dry a given a m o u n t
o f material for safe storage, we m a k e use o f the
following formula, i.e.
W,(100-Mt) = W2(100-M2) (1)
where
W~ = weight of fresh material in kg.
W2 = weight o f dried material in kg.
M) -- initial moisture content in percent (W~)
M : -- final moisture content in percent (Wb).
On substituting various known parameters in
equation (1), we can calculate the weight o f moisture
t
removed and, finally, the amount of heat required to
remove this moisture. Once this quantity is known,
then it becomes very easy to fix the mass flow rate
value, which, o f course, depends further upon the
input to the solar air heater, i.e. solar insolation,
ambient temperature, etc. Based upon the above
theoretical considerations, we have designed, fabri-
cated and tested the prototype solar dehydrator
shown in Fig. l ( a ) a n d l(b). The design details o f the
system are given in Table 1.
THE SOLAR DEHYDRATOR TESTED
The said device shown in Fig. l(a,b) was fabricated
in the laboratory for thermal performance studies. It
consists o f a matrix type solar air heater and dehy-
drating chamber as per our requirements. The matrix
type solar air heater was fabricated using iron scrap
as the absorber, which are the waste o f a lathe
machine. The upper surface of this matrix is painted
dull black. Air is m a d e to flow through the matrix in
the upward direction. In order to make use o f this
solar heated air, the air heater is connected with the
dehydrating chamber through an additional air duct
of appropriate dimensions (Table 1).

Table 1. Design details of solar dehydrator

(A) Solar dehydrator cabinet
Material of construction asbestos sheets painted with black board paint
Gross dimension 60 cmx 60 cmx 50 cm
Aluminium tray 59 cmx 59 cm x 3 cm with perforation
Plenum chamber height 10cm
Air space between plenum 10 cm
chamber and bottom tray
Spacing' between two trays 7 cm
Height of the tray 3cm
Top clearance for air 5 cm
(B) Solar air heater
Type matrix type solar collector
Material of construction teak wood box with 2.0cm thick teak wood plates
Gross dimensions 155cm x 96cm x 35cm
Material used as absorber iron matrix (waste from lathe) coated by ordinary black
board paint
Absorber area 150 cmx 92 cm
Collector area 140 cm x 80 cm
Air inlel pipe and outlet pipe 10cm diameter
Cover plate
dimension 140cm x 80cm
material window glass 3 mm thick
Air space 5 to 7 cm
Transfer fluid air perpendicular to the matrix (downward to upward
direction)
Collector tilt angle 34c facing south
(C) Air Duct
Shape Funnel shape
Placement at the bottom of the dehydrator chamber
Insulation glass wool covered with plaster of paris and rope
Location of test Parbhani (Maharashtra)
Latitude (N) 19~ 16'
Longitude (E) 76c 47
Height from mean see level 408 m
Air blower a.c. motor
Amp: 2
Voltage: 220 single phase 50 cp
rpm: 1440
HP: 0.25
Flow rate adjustable
 G A R G et a/.: SOLAR DEHYDRATOR FOR CROP DRYING 233

Table 2. Drying ratio, rehydration ratio and drying constant k obtained for Methi (leafy vesetable) and
Bhendi (fruit vegetable)
Drying ratio Rehydration ratio Drying constant k
Treatments Methi Bhendi Methi Bhcodi Methi Bhendi
Material dried in the 6.25 7.09 3.23 6.9 0.3322 0.1798
open air (solar drying
by/ndigenous method)
Material dried in the 7.61 7.62 4.33 7.47 0.2660 0.1302
designed solar
dehydrator chamber

EXPERIMENT In order to determine the drying ratio, rehydration

Outdoor calorimetric tests were performed to eval-
uate the solar dehydrator in the summer season.
Generally, the tests were performed on clear sunny
days. The observations on solar intensity, inlet and
outlet temperature of air for the air heater, tern-
perature of chamber and ambient temperature were
recorded after a regular interval of 30 rain. In order
to find out the instantaneous moisture content of the
material, the initial and instantaneous weight of the
specimen was measured with the help of a pan
balance with an accuracy of _+0.5%. The various
drying parameters, (drying ratio, rehydration ratio,
drying constant), and culinary and organoleptic char-
acteristics of the dried products were also studied in
detail, and the results obtained are given in Tables 2
and 3.
ratio and culinary and organoleptic characteristics,
the following definitions were used:
Drying ratio: the ratio of the weight of prepared
raw material before drying to that of the finished dry
product.
RehydJ'ationratio: Rehydration of dry product was
carried out by dipping a 10 gra sample of dry material
in 100 ml of hot water till the product attained
natural texture.
Culinary quality: culinary quality of the dried
product was assessed by a test panel of semi-trained
judges using a hedonic scale. The dried samples were
compared to fresh with respect to colour, aroma,
taste, texture and appearance, etc.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The dehydration of Methi and Bhendi was carried

DRYING EQUATION out in open air and in the designed solar dehydrator.
All these tests were performed under the thin layer
When air at a particular temperature and relative drying condition. After the drying test, the dried
humidity is passed through the material, the moisture samples were tested for rehydration, culinary and
content of the material changes and finally reaches its organoleptic characteristics. Table 2 expresses the
equilibrium moisture content at that temperature and drying ratio, rehydration ratio and the drying con-
relative humidity. According to thin layer drying stant, as concluded from the experimental obser-
principles we have vations. It is observed from the experimental results
dm that solar dehydration was much superior to open
--=-k(M-M,) air drying in respect of the drying parameters,
dt rehydrataion and culinary and organoleptic charac-
where teristics (Table 3). Figure 2 shows the performance
curve for the solar dehydrator under investigation.
k = thin layer drying constant, per h Figures 3 and 4 represent the instantaneous per-
t --drying time, h centage moisture content as a function of time for
M ffi moisture content (d.b.) some horticultural crops like Methi and Bhcndi.
M , = Equilibrium moisture content (d.b.). The moisture content of the sample decreases
exponentially with drying time. The drying test data
Solution of the above equation yields was analysed to determine drying constants. It is
MR = e x p ( - k t ) observed that the drying constant k, in the case of
horticultural crops, increases with the increase of
where drying air temperature. Moreover, the characteristics
M - M, of the controlled solar dried product can be retained
MR = moisture content ratio = M o - M---'----~, even after a storage up to at least 6 months.

Mo = original moisture content, percent (d.b.) CONCLUSION

also, 1. Horticultural crops can be preserved for use in

1 M - M, off season without much change in quality by making
t = ~ log, _~o _ Me' use of a solar dehydrator.
 Table 3. Culinary and organoleptic characteristics of open air dried and solar dehydrator dried products.,
Culinary and organoleptic characteristics

Taste Colour Aroma Texture Acceptability

Treatment Methi Bhendi Methi Bhendi Methi Bhendi Methi Bhendi Methi Bhendi Remarks
Material dried Slightlybitter Slightly bitter Green yellow Green yellow Grassy Grassy Medium Medium Moderate Moderate Observations were taken
in the open immediately after di-ying
air C)
Bitter Bitter Yellow Yellow No aroma No aroma Poor Poor Not acceptable Not acceptable Observations were taken
after 6 months period ~'~
Material d r i e d Original Original Green Green Original Original Good Good Acceptable Acceptable Observations were taken
in the solar immediately after drying .~.
dehydrator Original Original Green Green Original Original Good Good Acceptable Acceptable Observations were ""
taken after 6 months

t~

Tomperolure I'C)

Moisture content percentage {w.b I Moisture content percentage Iw.b) ~ i ' ~ l ' ~I "' ~ y ~ i i i I i r
ro
o ~ o o ~ o o ~ ~ o ~ ,3 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ =
o ~
o

o~ ~.~ ~o-

~ ~ ~ i i i I i . i I i

~o ~o ~o ~o ~ ~o o~ ~ ~ o
Insolation (W/m 2)
 GARG eta/.: SOLAR DEHYDRATOR FOR CROP DRYING
2. Rehydration and culinary characteristics are
better in solar dehydrator products as compared to
open air dried products.
3. The system can be constructed with the material
which is locally available and cheap.
REFERENCES
l. D. J. Close, Solar Energy 7, (3) (1963).
2. A. Whillier, Solar Energy 8, 31 (1964).
3. A. Whillier, Low Temperature Engineering Application
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4. H. P. Garg, V. K. Sharma, B. Bandyopadhyay and A.
K. Bhargava, Energy Convers. Mgmt 22, 22 (1982).
235
5. A. K. Bhargava, H. P. Garg and V. K. Sharma, Solar
Energy 29, 523 (1982).
6. M. Akyurt and M. K. Selcuk, Solar Energy 14, 313
(1973).
7. Anon, World Sci. News 15(7), 19 (1978).
8. D. K. Biswas, Presented at Syrap Dehydrated Food
Industry in lnd/a, Food Corp. Indian Auditorium, New
Delhi, pp. 10-11 (1977).
9. H. P. Garg and A. Krishnan Ann. Arid. Zone 13, 285
(1974).
10. R. H. B. Exell, Renewable Energy Rev. J. 1, (2) (1980).
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(1972).