Design and Experimental Investigation of Improved Hybrid Solar Dryer
| dc.contributor.advisor | Dino Adem (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Sema Baye (Mr.) Co-Advisor | |
| dc.contributor.author | Helen Worku | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-07-31T08:27:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-07-31T08:27:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-04 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Maintaining consistent and optimal temperature for a particular food item can be challenging when using solar food dryers, particularly when solar radiation levels are low. This issue can be mitigated by using an Improved Hybrid Solar Dryer, which has been specifically designed to address these challenges. The dryer has been experimentally investigated and compared to traditional open-air sun drying methods for drying red chilies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To thoroughly analyze its performance, the system's output was measured by turning the heater on and off within the dryer for different days. The dimensions of the dryers were: 2m collector length, 2𝑚2 collector area , 2.5m height of the drying chamber from the leg of the dryer to the top of chimney, A drying chamber with a length of 1 meter and a width of 1 meter was used. Each tray had an area of 0.7 square meters. The heating element had a size of 200 watts, the fan 18 watts, and the PV cell size was 4 PV modules, each with a capacity of 55 watts. Using the Improved Hybrid Solar Dryer, it took 26 hours to reach the desired moisture content of 11% from an initial moisture content of 91% on a wet basis. In comparison, open-air sun drying achieved only a 35% moisture content on a wet basis at the same 26-hour mark. The average drying rates, average collector efficiency, and average drying efficiency of the Improved Hybrid Solar Dryer with heater to reach the desired moisture content of 11% (on a wet basis) were are 0.035892 𝑘𝑔/ℎ𝑟 , 62.3%, and 27% respectively while the average drying rate of open-air sun drying was 0.00612 𝑘𝑔/ℎ𝑟. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/3332 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | Solar food dryers | |
| dc.subject | Improved Hybrid Solar Dryer | |
| dc.subject | Red chilies | |
| dc.subject | Experimental investigation | |
| dc.subject | Heater. | |
| dc.title | Design and Experimental Investigation of Improved Hybrid Solar Dryer | |
| dc.type | Thesis |