Theoretical and experimental study of solar dryer

Certain agricultural products need to be dried (fruits, fodder, cereals, etc.) in order to avoid deterioration when they are exposed to the elements. Solar air collectors have been optimized in previous studies resulting in a clear enhancement of their thermal performances in relation to the flat plate. In this comparative study, a fiat plate and offset plate fin absorber-plate collectors are used, as a heat source and are linked to the forced dryer. The performance of the solar dryer has improved remarkably, in relation to the use of the solar dryer with a flat-plate collector and the drying time is consequently reduced. In the present paper, a summary theoretical analysis is given and experimental results are established. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.