Project Report

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR AIR DRYER

1.1 SOLAR ENERGY Solar energy is the most readily available source of energy. It does not belong to anybody and is, therefore, free. It is also the most important of the non-conventional sources of energy because it is non-polluting and, therefore, helps in lessening the greenhouse effect. Solar energy has been used since prehistoric times, but in a most primitive manner. Before 1970, some research and development was carried out in a few countries to exploit solar energy more efficiently, but most of this work remained mainly academic. After the dramatic rise in oil prices in the 1970s, several countries began to formulate extensive research and development programmes to exploit solar energy. When we hang out our clothes to dry in the sun, we use the energy of the sun. In the same way, solar panels absorb the energy of the sun to provide heat for cooking and for heating water. Such systems are available in the market and are being used in homes and factories. In the next few years it is expected that millions of households in the world will be using solar energy as the trends in USA and Japan show. In India too, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency and the Ministry of NonConventional Energy Sources are formulating a programme to have solar energy in more than a million households in the next few years. However, the peoples initiative is essential if the programme is to be successful. [1] Every location on Earth receives sunlight at least part of the year. The amount of solar radiation that reaches any one spot on the Earth's surface varies according to:
Geographic location Time of day Season

ICEM, Mechanical Engineering-2011-12 1
Local landscape Local weather Because the Earth is round, the sun strikes the surface at different angles, ranging from 0 (just above the horizon) to 90 (directly overhead). When the sun's rays are vertical, the Earth's surface gets all the energy possible. The more slanted the sun's rays are, the longer they travel through the atmosphere, becoming more scattered and diffuse. Because the Earth is round, the frigid polar region never gets a high sun, and because of the tilted axis of rotation, these areas receive no sun at all during part of the year. The Earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit and is closer to the sun during part of the year. When the sun is nearer the Earth, the Earth's surface receives a little more solar energy. The Earth is nearer the sun when it is summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern hemisphere. However, the presence of vast oceans moderates the hotter summers and colder winters one would expect to see in the southern hemisphere as a result of this difference. The 23.5 tilt in the Earth's axis of rotation is a more significant factor in determining the amount of sunlight striking the Earth at a particular location. Tilting results in longer days in the northern hemisphere from the spring (vernal) equinox to the fall (autumnal) equinox and longer days in the southern hemisphere during the other 6 months. Days and nights are both exactly 12 hours long on the equinoxes, which occur each year on or around March 23 and September 22. The rotation of the Earth is also responsible for hourly variations in sunlight. In the early morning and late afternoon, the sun is low in the sky. Its rays travel
further through the atmosphere than at noon, when the sun is at its highest point. On a clear day, the greatest amount of solar energy reaches a solar collector around solar noon. As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, some of it is absorbed, scattered, and reflected by: Air molecules
Water vapour Clouds Dust Pollutants Forest fires Volcanoes This is called diffuse solar radiation. The solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface without being diffused is called direct beam solar radiation. The sum of the diffuse and direct solar radiation is called global solar radiation. Atmospheric conditions can reduce direct beam radiation by 10% on clear, dry days and by 100% during thick, cloudy days. [2] If the means to make efficient use of solar energy could be found, it would reduce our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and make our environment cleaner. Solar energy is used for: Cooking/Heating, Drying/Timber seasoning, Distillation, Electricity/Power generation, Cooling, Refrigeration, Cold storage. Solar gadgets and other devices: Solar cooker, Flat plate solar cookers, Concentrating collectors, Solar hot water systems (Domestic and Industrial), Solar pond, Solar hot air systems, Solar Dryers, Solar timber kilns, solar stills, Solar photovoltaic systems, Solar pond, Concentrating collectors, Power Tower, Air conditioning, Solar collectors, coupled to absorption, Refrigeration systems. [1] 1.2 SCOPE OF SOLAR ENERGY IN INDIA India is one of the few countries with long days and plenty of sunshine, especially in the Thar Desert region. This zone, having abundant solar energy available, is suitable for harnessing solar energy for a number of applications. In areas with similar intensity of solar radiation, solar energy could be easily harnessed. Solar thermal energy is being used in India for heating water for both industrial and
domestic purposes. A 140 MW integrated solar power plant is to be set up in Jodhpur but the initial expense incurred is still very high. India receives solar energy equivalent to over 5000 trillion kWh/year, which is far more than the total energy consumption of the country. [1] There is great scope of solar energy in a country like India which receives 4-7 kWh of solar radiation per square meter every day. The advancements made by Indian scientists in tapping solar radiation are laudable. Development of poly crystalline silicon thin film solar cells and smaller area solar cells by the Indian association for cultivation of science was a major breakthrough invention in this field. Scientists believe that this invention will help in making solar cells more efficient and cheap. The government is also taking efforts to foster the research in this field. Indias power mission aims at producing 20gW of solar power by 2022. The need for space based projects was identified in early 1990s. The ISRO has carried out some studies on space solar power. Another initiative in this regard is the Kalam-NSS energy initiative. The aim of this initiative is to solve the global energy crisis and the global carbon crisis. India receives bright sunlight almost throughout the year especially in West and Central parts of the country. Due to global warming and rising CO2 levels, average temperature in India is set to increase by 4 degrees by 2050. Given Governments recent policy announcement which gives thrust to green and renewable energy, there is a commercial opportunity which can be exploited. [3] 1.3. BASIC PRINCIPLE OF WORKING OF THE SOLAR FLAT COLLECTOR The principle behind a flat plate collector is simple. If a metal sheet is exposed to the solar radiation, the temperature will rise until the rate at which energy is received equal to the rate at which heat is lost from the plate; this temperature is termed as the equilibrium temperature. PLATE
If the back of the plate is protected by a heat insulating material, and the exposed surface of the plate is painted black and is covered by one or two glass sheets, then the equilibrium temperature will be much higher than that for the simple exposed sheet. This plate may be converted into a heat collector by adding a fluid circulating either by making it hollow or by soldering fines to the surface, and transferring the heated fluid to tank for storage. For heat withdrawal from the system, the equilibrium temperature must decrease, since no useful heat can be extracted at the maximum equilibrium temperature at which the collection efficiency is zero. [4]
Figure 1.1: General structure of flat plate collector
The various types of solar collector are: Evacuated tube collector Flat plate collector Air based solar collectors Batch solar collectors Solar cookers Liquid-based solar collectors Parabolic dish systems Parabolic mirror array [5] Flat plate collector has to convert as much solar radiation as possible into heat at the highest attainable temperature, with the lowest possible investment in materials
and labour. Flat plate collectors have the following advantages over other types of solar energy collectors: (i) Absorb direct, diffuse and reflected components of solar radiation. (ii) No need of tracking the sun (fixed in tilt and orientation). (iii) These are easy to make and are low in cost. (iv) They have comparatively low maintenance cost and long life, (v) They operate at comparatively high efficiency. [3] 1.4 Solar Air Dryer The Solar Powered Air Dryer is new and innovative technology basing on blending Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaic Technologies. The Solar radiation passes through the transparent glass window, located on the top of the cabinet, which is oriented to south with a tilt angle equal to the latitude to collect maximum radiation. The cabinet is made of anti-corrosive material and of modular nature to meet the varying sizes and loading capacities of products, ranging from 8 to 50 kg and above. The ambient air enters from the bottom of the cabinet and gets heated up with solar radiation incident from the top window. The heat energy is trapped in the cabinet and heats up the air. As a result the wavelength of solar radiation shifts to infrared region, causing greenhouse effect. The hot air passes through the trays, carries the moisture from the product to the space below the glass. The Solar dryer can be used to dry a variety of agricultural products and food items such as : Fruits (Grapes, bananas etc.) / Vegetables (Potatoes, Onions etc.) / Grains (Paddy, Wheat, Maize etc.) / Spices (Ginger, Garlic, Chills etc.) / Cash crops (Coffee, Herbs, Flowers etc.) / Fish and Meat / Mushrooms. A drying process is characterized by phenomenon of simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Heat is utilized to evaporate liquid from the solid and mass (i.e. vapour) is transferred to air as an evaporated liquid. The factors governing the rate of each
process determine the rate of drying process. In case of solids, drying study is based on the mechanism of liquid flow within the products and the effect of the external conditions such as temperature, humidity, air flow rate etc. on the drying rate of the solid. Study of effect of external conditions is more generally used because the results have greater immediate application. [6] In solar air dryer moving hot air provides the energy for vaporization of moisture and transport it from the inner side of product to the outer atmosphere. The input air, having lower moisture content and thus lower vapour pressure than drying material, draws out moisture from the wet material. The drying air has a certain capacity to hold the moisture, i.e. water vapours depending upon a temperature and relative humidity. When the air is heated, its temperature rises and relative humidity goes down, and hence air can draw moisture. The main part of solar air dryer is flat plate collector, as it is discussed earlier. The term 'flat plate' is slightly misleading in the sense that the surface may-not be truly flat. It may be a combination of flat, grooved or the other shapes as the absorbing surface, with some kind of heat removal device like tubes or channels. [3]
Chapter 2
APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR AIR DRYER
2.1 INTRODUCTION Low grade heat (operating temperature < 850C) is easy to obtain from solar energy and hence can be used profitably for many applications. Out of all applications, the solar drying seems to be the most appropriate and cost effective application of solar energy. Many industrial products which are dried using conventional drying techniques can be use solar energy profitably. In this chapter magnitude of solar heat for agriculture and industrial applications is explained. In agricultural sector, the age old method of drying food grains and vegetables can be replaced by solar dryers to produce good quality food grains and vegetables. Almost 15 % food grains and 25 to 30% of vegetables and fruits are lost because of inadequate storage facilities. India is lacking in post harvesting. Since cold storage facilities in our country are not available at the farmers premises, the agricultural products can be dried and then preserved for longer periods. Once the product is dried up to a safe level of moisture content, it can be stored for longer time. Several food and chemical products need drying. Although, the conventional drying systems are available to dry these products, solar drying may dry these products with substantial saving in energy and time. [3] 2.2 MARKET POTENTIAL FOR SOLAR HEAT FOR AGRICULTURAL PROCESSES One of the most promising applications for solar heating is the drying of agricultural products. The drying of agricultural products requires large quantities of low temperature air, in many cases, on a year-round basis. Low cost air-based collectors can provide heated air at solar collection efficiencies of 30 to 70%. In 1998/1999 a study was commissioned to better understand the technical and economic potential for solar drying of agricultural products in the world. The practical potential for solar drying was then determined for 59 crops and 22 regions. The world market
for solar drying can be divided into three market segments: 1) mechanical drying T< 50C, 2) mechanical drying T>50C and 3) sun drying. The most promising market for solar drying is generally market segment 1. For this segment the potential amount of energy displaced by solar is in between 216 770 PJ (World-wide). For Western Europe this potential is estimated between 23 88 PJ and for Eastern Europe between 7 and 13 PJ. A different market introduction strategy is required for each market segment. A total of 13 combinations of crops and regions are selected that appear to have the highest practical potential for solar drying. In the Netherlands a programme of activities was carried out by Ecofys and other organizations, to identify and develop the market potential for solar (assisted) drying of agricultural products. A promotional campaign for the use of renewable energy in the (promising) flower bulb sector is planned on a short-term basis to speed up market developments. It can be concluded that there is a large market for solar drying in the World as well as in Europe. [7] In India, sun drying is the most commonly used method to dry the agricultural materials like grains, fruits and vegetables. In sun drying, the crop is spread in a thin layer on the ground and exposed directly to solar radiation and other ambient conditions. The rate of drying depends on various parameters such as solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind velocity, relative humidity, and initial moisture content, type of crops, crop absorptivity and mass of product per unit exposed area. This form of drying has many drawbacks such as degradation by wind-blown, debris, rain, and insect infestation, human and animal interference that will result in contamination of the product. Drying rate will reduce due to intermittent sunshine, interruption and wetting by rain. Solar driers using natural convection or forced circulation have been investigated to overcome these problems. For commercial applications, the ability of the drier to process continuously throughout the day is very important to dry the products to its safe storage level and to maintain the quality. Normally thermal storage systems are employed to store thermal energy, which includes sensible heat storage, chemical energy storage and latent heat storage. The solar drier is an energy efficient option in the drying processes. Many experimental studies reported the various methods used for drying of agricultural materials using solar drier for copra drying,
for onion drying, and for pineapple drying. Use of forced convection solar driers seems to be an advantage compared to traditional methods and improves the quality of the product considerably. Use of forced convection solar driers seems to be an advantage and improves the quality of the product considerably. Normally thermal storage systems are employed to store the heat, which includes sensible and latent heat storage. Common sensible heat storage materials used to store the sensible heat are water, gravel bed, sand, clay, concrete, etc. [8]
Chapter 3
SCOPE OF PROJECT
3.1 OBJECTIVE It is a well-known fact that the rapidly growing businesses and population are putting a lot of pressure on Indias power resources. Unfortunately, India is woefully lacking in all types of power resources, except one solar power. [9] Many of the rural residents lack access to modern services that can be found in the urban areas. In part this is because the rural power system is centralized to support the needs of urban centres and industrial sites. While the government recognizes that access to reliable energy can enhance both human and economic development, incorporating rural households into the grid is too costly a venture. Demand is unevenly distributed throughout the country and the distance between homes and from homes to the grid makes it difficult to incorporate them into the centralized system. The primary objective of the solar project is to provide local development benefits in terms of health, economic development. A survey was carried out on ordinary sun drying method and it was found out that the existing method was very tedious, time wasting, wastage, in terms of produce and consequently having a very low hygienic level. The direct exposure to sunlight, or more precisely ultraviolet radiation, can greatly reduce the level of nutrients such as vitamins in the dried product. As a solution we thought of designing a solar air dryer. The aim of this research work therefore, is to design, construct and test a Simple Solar Air Dryer. [10] 3.2 AIM To compare the results between forced and natural convection.
To develop a universal solar air dryer in which different types of products can be dried fast and consume less energy. The main focus of the project is to dry any type of product or to remove the moisture content from any type of product and to improve the collector efficiency. To compare the results obtained by various geometries of absorber sheets.
Chapter 4
LITERATURE SURVEY
4.1 INTRODUCTION In this chapter literature review has taken for solar air dryer. Varieties of solar air dryer designs are available, according to application, enhancing performance, efficiencies. All the solar dryers are made up of combination of some characteristics. For convenience solar air dryers are classified according to those characteristics. Later on work done in that category is explained in brief. 4.2 HISTORY ABOUT SOLAR COLLECTOR The invention of the liquid heating flat plate, solar water heater is credited to H.B. Saussure, a Swiss scientist, during the second half of the seventeenth century. However, the use of flat plate collector on a fairly large scale in the United States in Illinois was resumed in the early 1900s and later in Needles, California. Water was heated in relatively shallow horizontal troughs made of asphalt, usually double glazed, with desert sand as an insulator, and the heat thus collected was used to generate sulphur dioxide or ammonia for operating pumps. The most impressive array of the near-1900 era was that of Frank Shuman of Philadelphia, who, in 1907, built a flat plate collector to produce hot water which in turn evaporated ether, and thus, powered a vertical single cylinder engine. During the last fifty years scientists-all over the world have been trying to build and test different types of liquid flat plate collectors. This work has been carried out mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Israel, and India. 4.3 DIFFERENT DESIGNS OF SOLAR AIR DRYER Solar air dryers have tried to increase efficiency by one or more of, for example, increasing the size of the dryer, increasing the surface area for radiant energy absorbance within the dryer without increasing external surface area or increasing the layers of clear, transparent or translucent material covering the device.
One older style solar air dryer is described in the book "Solar Air Dryer" (Ray Wolf, Rodale Plans, 1981). This solar air dryer (for space heating) tries to increase efficiency by increasing the surface area of the dryer. This dryer is described as a 4 foot by 8 foot enclosed space covered with translucent fibreglass cloth where cold room air is forced into the device at the base, heated by solar energy and then expelled from outlets at the top back into the room. Similarly numbers of designs are available in literature. Natural convection and forced convection are the main subtypes of solar air dryer. Besides that, a survey of literature shows that all designs of solar Air dryers reported so far can basically classified as, A) According to material of absorber plate 1. Non porous absorber collectors 2. Porous absorber collectors B) According to circulation of air inside dryer 1. Single passes circulation 2. Multiple passes circulation C) According to surface of absorber plate 1. Selective surface 2. Non selective surface 3. Flat surface 4. Corrugated surface D) According to drying way 1. Direct 2. Indirect
E)
According to Direction of Circulation 1. One way Circulation 2. Recirculation
4.4 SELECTED DESIGN OF SOLAR AIR DRYER We have selected porous type of solar collector in which circulation is in the form of multiple passes. The surface of the absorber plate is non-selective type. It is designed in such a way that solar radiation is not incident directly on the sample, but preheated air is warmed during its flow through a low pressure thermosyphonic solar energy air heater. It is recirculating type. Same air is recirculated. Fresh air is not taken every time. [3]
CHAPTER 5
DESIGN SELECTIONS OF SOLAR AIR DRYER
5.1 INTRODUCTION For manufacturing of recirculation type solar air dryer, certain parameters need to be selected. This includes selection of circulation of air flow with respect to absorber plate, geometry and materials for absorber plates. In this chapter all the important criteria for selection of those parameters are explained in detail. 5.2 SELECTION OF CIRCULATION OF AIR FLOW FOR SOLAR DRYING SYSTEM In solar air dryers air flow may be only above or below or on both sides of absorber plate. Usually a rectangular duct is employed for air passage. Such air dryers are simple to manufacture and relatively cost effective. Balance between the solar gain, heat loss and the use of one or more covers usually depends on the range of temperature for which collector is designed. In non-porous air dryer the heat transfer between air and the absorber plate is low due to convection mode. The heat transfer coefficient can be increased by roughening the absorber surface or by changing the flow geometry by incorporating fins or corrugated absorber plate [11]. Modification in duct dimensions also helps in improving the heat transfer coefficient For a given flow passages geometry the heat transfer coefficient h is closely related to pressure drop p across the ends of the duct at the cost of pumping power. A balance therefore needs to be obtained between h, outlet fluid temperature, and efficiency and pumping power mass flow rate per unit collector area (m/A). The flow rates usually taken for air dryers are such that the corresponding Reynolds no. may extend from the laminar to the early turbulent regime. All these factors are to be incorporated in the design principle of the solar air dryers. The study of the system for all three flow conditions using adequate heat transfer relations has been carried out by H.P. Garg and G. Datta.[12]
In type I , the air flow is below the absorber plate. In type II the air flow is between the cover plate and absorber plate and in type III the air flow is on both sides of the absorber plate. Parker[13] and Bhargava[14] have extensively analyzed these non-porous air dryers for evaluation of the performance. According to Parker[13] Type I is superior to either of the other two collectors at higher operating temperatures. However for ambient air, the type III would achieve equal efficiency. The type II is always less efficient than other two collectors. According Bhargava and Garg in types I& III the efficiency of solar collector is more for shorter length of absorber plate, whereas situation is reverse in type II. The comparison of three types of collectors suggests that type II collector gives better performance than other two types of collectors at higher temperatures. Same result also reported by Paisarn[15]. The above analysis shows that the type III air dryer would be more suitable for drying applications.
Figure 5.1: Various type of flat plate collector for solar air dryer
5.3 SELECTION CHARACTERISTIC OF ABSORBER PLATE FOR SOLAR DRYING SYSTEM Since the temperature requirement is not too large is case of drying of industrial products (Range 80C to 100C). We have, therefore, selected type III air dryer in which the flow of air is on both the sides of the absorber. The air dryer of this
kind the shorter plate length is more efficient than longer lengths [16].Suitable choice is between 1.5 m to 2.0 m. The optimum plate length is 1.5 m. The width of the collector is selected 1.0 m for structural convenience. The plate thickness of the absorber plate was selected to be 0.75 mm for economic consideration and structural convenience. The small thickness of metallic plate has negligible conductivity effect. Bhargava [17] has shown that increase in plate thickness does not affect the performance of the solar collector. As corrugation has to make on this sheet, for easy of manufacturing and for durability, 0.75 mm thickness sheet was chosen, which easily available in local market. It is also shown that the selective coating changes the performance considerably, but this effect is significant only for higher plate lengths and lower mass flow rates when mean temperature of the plate is higher [18], [17]. Also Hachemi [18] stated that use of any black painted plate, as a nonselective absorber, permits the attainment of high thermal efficiencies with low cost. Therefore, in our case non selective i.e. simple black painted absorber plate is selected. For absorber sheet, according to Shariah [20] out of copper, aluminium and steel, lower values of characteristics factors are found to correspond to steel due to its lower thermal conductivity. Using aluminium instead of steel will results in an increase in the characteristic factors by about 12 -19%, whereas replacing aluminium plate by a copper plate will improve the characteristic factors by only about 3 %. Thus there is almost no advantage in using copper instead of aluminium unless other factors such as corrosion problems or health hazards could affect the choice of the material for absorber plate. Therefore aluminium material selected for absorber plate for better performance. 5.4 SELECTION OF DIMENSIONS OF FLOW CHANNEL FOR SOLAR DRYING SYSTEM The mass flow rate is assumed to be equally divided in two channels. The fluid temperature in the channels increases much faster initially with increase in absorber plate length. But a further increase in plate length has no use, since fluid temperature does not significantly increases. Thus, the fluid temperature attains its
maximum at a certain value of plate length L. Beyond this length L, the temperature of the fluid remains constant [16]. Higher fluid temperature results at lower channel depths. This is because of the higher values of air velocities in two channels. Higher values of air velocity gives higher heat transfer coefficients, as convective heat transfer coefficients are strong functions of fluid velocity. Thus for better performance higher values of air velocities and lower channel depth are preferable [20]. But in solar air heater, the channel depth should not be too narrow because narrow channels create an additional pressure drop in the system. The channel depth is thus to be optimized in order to have a pressure drop hopefully for narrow depths. The depth ratio (DR) is defined as the ratio of depth of upper channel to lower channel. Depth ratio is proportional to convective heat transfer coefficients of absorber plate - fluid and fluid glass cover. According to Charters [17] and Pawar [16], when depth ratio = 1, the efficiency of solar air dryer is maximum. Also they revealed that effect of depth ratio on efficiency is not much significant. Therefore the optimum position of the absorber plate in type III collector i.e. suspended plate air heater, is at the middle of the gap between by glass cover and the rear plate. The depth ratio is optimized to unity and the optimum channel depth is 0.0254 m. The heat transfer coefficient between absorber plate and fluid is reasonably good for this value of channel depth. 5.5 SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF SURFACE OF ABSORBER PLATE FOR SOLAR DRYING SYSTEM It was observed that the efficiency of the solar air collectors depends significantly on the solar radiation and surface geometry of the collectors. Use of flat absorber plate is a basic method. Many researchers reported that, use of corrugated absorber plate increase thermal efficiency [21, 23, 24 and 25]. Even various geometries will also help for augmentation of heat transfer [22, 18, 26, 27 and 28]. The main reason is increasing the available heat-transfer area. And, as air is flowing simultaneously and separately over and under the different obstacle absorbing plates, instead of only flowing on flat surface, it leads to improve collector efficiency. Use of
fins in the solar air collector also improves heat transfer efficiency considerably than to the flat plate collector. But manufacturing cost of finned aluminium plate is costly. Considering all parameters, total three absorber plate surface selected for comparative study. 5.6 SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DRYING WAY AND DIRECTION OF CIRCULATION FOR SOLAR DRYING SYSTEM For experimentation indirect way of drying is chosen. In which air is preheated inside collector, and then it bring in contact with products in separate drying chamber. Total volume of drying chamber is approximate 0.02 m3. Four removable trays with stand are kept inside chamber. In forced convection efficiency is increased but the power consumed by blower is also greater. Natural convection type is selected solar air dryer to minimize initial as well as running cost. Way of circulation is also important criteria. Till now all the researchers choose one way circulation, in which continuously new fresh air is taken inside. But in this experiment totally new type i.e. recirculation type is select. In which after getting preheated, air passes across wet products. In chamber, for air transfer the heat to the products. Same air will get recirculated for preheating. Here our assumption is, due to recirculation the temperature of the air in the chamber increases, hence the drying capacity of ambient air also increases. 5.7 SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF MATERIAL FOR SOLAR DRYING SYSTEM Different materials are used according to structural and thermodynamic demands. For inner box in which absorber plate is kept suspended, G.I. material is selected. As seal proof box is easy to made using available spot welding machine. For external box M.S. sheet is selected for easy of fabrication with L angle frame. Increasing number of transparent covers certainly improves the performance, as
convective and radiative losses reduced [16]. But for economical purpose single acrylic cover is selected. For ease of portability, no corrosiveness, and light weight characteristics 2" UPVC pipe are selected. For drying chamber also inner box G.I. and for outer M.S. material is selected. In between G.I. and M.S. trays insulation of rockwool (thickness 5cm) is given For base stand of collector and drying chamber simple M.S. L angle is selected. For flexibility pieces of heat resistance carbon free hose is connected between in and out line to drying chamber. 5.8 SUMMARY OF SELECTION OF THE PARAMETERS Important parameters are, initial and final moisture content of the product, heat of vaporization, safe drying temperature and period of drying, coefficient of air resistance, inter particle voids fraction of the product, density and volume shrinkage during the drying. In designing the solar dryers, all these parameters vary from product to product. The best design is one in which the product dries fast, consumes less energy and results in a best quality dried product.
Sr. no. Parameters 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Thickness of absorber plate ( mm ) Absorptivity of coatings of absorber plate Length of absorber plate ( m ) Width of absorber plate ( m ) Depth ( m ) Depth ratio (DR) No. of transparent cover
Value 0.81 0.980 1.440 1.015 0.0254 1.000 1.000
8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Transmissivity of Acrylic glass Thickness of Acrylic glass ( m ) Emissivity of Acrylic glass Thickness of back insulation ( m ) Thermal conductivity of insulation( W/m0K )
Table 5.1: List of various parameters of solar air dryer
0.920 0.003 0.940 0.050 0.045
Selections of various parameters are made in order to design best recirculation type solar air dryer. Experimental set up is manufactured using above criteria. Details of recirculation solar air dryer are explained in detail in next chapter.
Chapter 6
EXPERIMENTAL SET UP
6.1 INTRODUCTION In this chapter details of all parts of solar air dryer are explained. Manufacturing and assembly process is explained with flow diagram. Details of temperature and moisture measurement process are explained with sensor locations. 6.2 DETAILS OF TEST RIG OF SOLAR AIR DRYER Solar dryer test rig is solely in-house manufactured. Solar air dryer setup consists of mainly solar collector, drying cabinet and piping. Experiments are performed at Indira College of Engineering and Management, near to Talegaon Dabhade. Pune is situated at latitude 180 32' N and longitude 730 51' E and having elevation of 559 m from sea level. Actual location of experimentation is at latitude 180 42 24 N and longitude 730 39' 29 E and having elevation 602 m from sea level. To avoid obstruction of solar energy because of tress, buildings, Set up is kept on terrace of fifth storey building of college. Collector will be fitted in South North direction at about 300 angles. Inclination angle of collector is adjustable. Suitable arrangement is made using base stand bracket and long bolts. Inclination angle can be varying from 280 to 360 to horizontal. Solar collector is made up of two trays. Inner one is G.I. tray and outer one is M.S. tray. Material is selected on durability and machinability basis. In between G.I. and M.S. tray rock wool is used as thermal insulation, to minimize the losses. The absorber plates are made up of aluminium sheets, painted with dull black paint. Rubber gasket pasted on inner G.I tray, in between acrylic glass and top clamp support frame, to avoid leakage. Clamping clasps are attached to outer part of M.S. Tray. These clamps take care of proper pressure on acrylic glass through top frame after changing the absorber sheet. Four pieces M.S. chain with PVC pipe is attached for easy handling.
Solar dryer cabinet is attached using simple 2 UPVC pipe. Layer of plaster of paris along with coir rope is used for insulation purpose. On both side of air connection ball valves are attached. Using this valve it can cut off connection of air flow to drying cabinet. Drying chamber has dimensions 290270251 mm. The drying cabinet is connected to the solar collector through a 1 PVC bend. Hence the plate collector and the drying cabinet are at 90 with each other. The distance between two trays is 55 mm. The Inside box is made up G.I. and outer one is M.S. In between rock wool is placed. Box from inside, trays and stand is painted by aluminium paint. Stand can be removed from cabinet. Trays are sliding type and can be removed completely from stand. Door of drying cabinet can open up to an angle of 1800. Total eight sensors are fitted inside solar collector. One sensor is supported by base stand bracket on acrylic glass. To measure drying cabinet temperature one sensor is fitted. One sensor is put suspended below collector for measuring atmospheric temperature. All sensors are in varying in lengths from 50 to 560 mm and having 6 mm diameter. For fitting sensors inside collector and box, drills are made to both trays at same location. To avoid leakage four layers rubber is pasted outside G.I. tray with only 2 mm hole. Sensors are pushed inside forcefully, so that surely no gap exists between them. All sensors are attached to indicators for indicating observations. Manufacturing of base stand, box, and tray was already available.
Photo 6.1: Photo of test rig
Photo 6.2: Photo of drying cabinet
Photo 6.3: Photo of bending machine
Photo 6.4: Photo of bending of Aluminum sheets
6.3 MANUFACTURING PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM FOR SOLAR AIR DRYER G.I. tray of collector(Available)
M.S. box for drying(Available)
Base stand for drying cabinet(Available)
G.I. box for indicator(Available)
Plumding and fitting of UPVC and PVC pipes
Drying trays for stands(Available)
Top frame for clamp support(Available)
Assembly
6.4 DETAILS OF PARTS OF SOLAR AIR DRYER Following are the main parts of solar air dryer manufactured for experimentation. 1) Base Stand 2) M.S. Tray of Collector 3) G.I. Tray of Collector 4) Absorber sheet of type (A) 5) Absorber sheet of type (B) 6) Absorber sheet of type (C) 7) Drying Cabinet 8) Base stand for drying cabinet
9) G.I. Box for Indicator 10) Insulated M.S. Pipe 11) Drying Trays with stand 12) Top frame for clamp support 13) Base stand bracket Geometry of absorber sheet plays very important role on performance. Three dimensional models of an absorber sheets are as below. 1) Absorber sheet of type (A) 2) Absorber sheet of type (B) 3) Absorber sheet of type (C)
Figure 6.1: Three dimensional model of absorber sheet A
Figure 6.2: Three dimensional model of absorber sheet B
Figure 6.3: Three dimensional model of absorber sheet C
Dimensions of all sheets are 1015 mm 1440 mm. The sheets are corrugated with rectangular corrugation. The corrugation is inclined at an angle of 120. The slant height of the corrugation is 40mm for all three sheets. For type A the length of rectangular corrugation is 50mm, for type B length is 40mm and for type C the length is 30mm. The plain sheet without corrugation has area 1.4616m2. The percentage increase in area for absorber sheet A is 148%. For absorber sheet B the percentage increase in area is 155% and that for absorber sheet C is 161%. 6.5 ARRANGEMENT OF PRODUCTS IN THE DRYING CHAMBER
The product is located on stainless steel plates kept on shelves inside an opaque drying cabinet which is made of Mild Steel. Solar radiation is thus not incident directly on the sample. The plates are drilled so that air can be circulated to the products completely. All the plates are numbered and there are 48 plates. There are 4 shelves, the shelves are wire meshed. On each shelve 8 plates are arranged in a way for easy removal of each plate. Plate number 1 to 16 are kept in 2 trays for open sun drying and plate number 17 to 48 are kept in drying chamber. A plate from the chamber is taken out for measurement after every half an hour, and the plate from the open drying is taken after every one hour. Weights of the products with plates are taken on scientific balance and noted.
Photo 6.5: Photo of drilling of SS plates
Photo 6.6: Photo of arrangement of products in drying cabinet and in open sun drying
6.5 ASSEMBLY OF SOLAR AIR DRYER

Receiving of all finished parts Keeping base stand on desired location Adjusting leveling bolts of base stands Keeping M.S. box of collector on ground
Filling rockwool inside M.S. box

Putting G.I. box inside M.S. box Putting acrylic glass on G.I. tray Putting top frame on acrylic glass Clamping of clamps
Putting M.S. box with acrylic glass on base stand

Fitting of bracket adjusting inclination angle of collector Fitting of indicator box on frame Putting M.S. box for drying on stand Fitting pipes with accessories
Sealing joints with plaster of paris

Fitting of sensors Final inspection
6.6 MEASUREMENT OF DIFFERENT PARAMETERS OF SOLAR AIR DRYER In this experimentation two different type readings are focused. First is temperature measurement and another is moisture measurement. For temperature measurement total 11 no. of simplex type resistance temperature detector (RTD) sensors are fitted at different locations for taking readings. These sensors are also called as PT 100 sensors, which are having different lengths. While for calculating moisture contents weights are taken on analytical balance. Cut section of the collector plate is as shown below. Sensor locations are shown by S1 to S11. All the details about sensors is given in table below.
Figure 6.4: Location of sensors
Sr. No.
Code
Sr. No. of Manufacturer 091017341 091017340 091017342 091017344 091017343 091017339 091017337 091017336 091017338
Probe length(mm) 560 560 560 90 90 250 50 50 50
Location of Sensors Above plate, at 360 mm from bottom header Above plate, at 720 mm from bottom header Above plate, at 1080 mm from bottom header Bottom header Top header In the drying cabinet On plate, at 360 mm from bottom header On plate, at 720 mm from bottom header On plate, at 1080 mm from
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9
bottom header
10. 11.
S10 S11
091017335 091017335
50 50
In the shadow of collector On acrylic glass
Table 6.1: Details about RTD sensors used for measurements
All the sensors are of 0.00C to 300.00C range. These probe type is having protective sheath of SS316. Extension cables provided with each sensor are 2 m in length, with hard coating of Teflon sheet. All the sensors are calibrated in standard laboratory. Sensor S1, S2 and S3 are placed above S7, S8, S9 respectively and exactly middle of absorber plate. Potential temperature difference is shown with the help of these sensors. This difference is the main motive force of heat transfer from plate to the circulating air. S4 is place in bottom header. Bottom header is a place where, air is distributed width wise evenly over the absorber plate. S4 indicates temperature of inlet air to the absorber plate. Similarly, S5 plays same role in top header, indicating outlet air temperature from absorber plate. S10 tells us about temperature of atmosphere during trial. To avoid direct sun radiation effect, it is kept in the shadow of collector box. Temperature of acrylic glass is an indication of heat energy radiated by absorber plate. It is measured by S11. The temperature rise in drying cabinet is shown by S6.Allthe sensors have different probe length as per installation requirement at that location. Two temperature indicators are used. These indicators have range of 0 to 199.90C. Both indicators have total 8 no. of inputs. These indicators also calibrated in standard laboratory. Sr. no Code Location 1. 2. 3. 4. V1 V2 V3 V4 Inlet of collector tray Upper header Outlet of collector tray Inlet of Drying chamber
Table 6.2: Details of Velocity measurement
Second measurement is taken of air flow at four different points. It is measured by anemometer. To insert the probe of anemometer, holes of 9mm diameter are drilled at two different points on the connecting pipes. First hole is on the UPVC pipe near lower header, where V1 is measured. Second hole is at upper header on M.S. tray, where V2 is measured. It is the same hole in which sensor number 5 is inserted. Third hole is on the PVC bend connecting the collector tray and the cabinet, where V3 is measured. V4 is measured at the pipe outlet in the drying cabinet. Third measurement is taken for weights of samples. For weighing purpose Shimadzu Analytical balance model AUX220 is used. This balance can weigh up to one thousandth part of one gram (0.1 mg). 6.7 COSTING Material is procured as per raw material specification and part quantity. Part process planning is done to decide the process of manufacture and appropriate machine for the same. Detail list of material procured along with cost and specification is given in the table below. 6.8 TOTAL COST
Sr No. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Material L Angle
Size 25*25*3
Quantity Rate/item 4 70/kg 240/kg 160 90/feet 25 40
Amount 1631 11,256 160 1800 275 200
35*35*4 Al. Sheet Ball Valve(PVC) UPVC Pipe 80schedule M-seal Bend(PVC) 90 gram 2 11 5 8*4 feet 2 2 2 7 1
7) 8) i) ii) iii) iv) v) 9) i) ii) iii) 10) 11) 12) 13)
Elbow (UPVC) Reducer UPVC UPVC PVC PVC PVC PVC Pipe PVC Pipe PVC Pipe Acrylic Sheet Rubber strip Texo-bond Blackboard paint
55
165
2*1 2*3/4 6*4 4*2.5 2.5*2 4 2 1 8*4ft 6m 600ml 2lit 1lit 25mm
2 3 1 1 1 6 6 1.5ft 1 2 2 1 3 3 1 1
38/piece
76
40/PIECE 120 140 50 30 15 10 10/ft 1800 40/m 220/lit 130/lit 10 20 166/lit 120 140 50 30 15 10 15 1800 240 160 440 130 30 60 160 120
14) 15) 16)
Brush 50mm Oil Paint UPVC heavy duty adhesive Aluminum paint Welding box Wire Pin plug 1lit 100ml
17) 18) 19) 20)
100ml 2.5*350 30m 1
2 125
240 180 8/m
240 180 240 10
10
Hanging 21) switch 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) 30) 40) POP Rope MS bolt M8*30 Lock G.I coating chain Onions Stainless steel plates Blower Bending Transportation TOTAL
Table 6.3: Costing of material
1 2kg 3m 12pcs 4ft -
1 -
10 15/kg 2/m
10 30 6 95 65 120 105 180 17438 827 1700 40,335
1 15kg 48 1
95 65 30/ft 7/kg 45/dozen 17438 150/sheet
Chapter 7
EXPERIMENTATION AND CALCULATIONS
7.1 INTRODUCTION In this chapter all the details are given about sample, which is used for drying. A generalized trial procedure is explained along with sample observation table. Later on, to calculate results sample relations used are given. 7.2 DETAILS ABOUT SAMPLES SELECTED FOR SOLAR AIR DRYING Onion is an imperative part of Indian curries and also used around the world. In India the meal must contain flakes of onion otherwise meal is not complete it is of this much importance besides the taste because people know the benefits of consuming onions on daily basis Onions are beneficial not only for health but also for skin and hair sounds strange but its true from times unknown onions are used for getting lustre and shine to hair. Among health benefits they are innumerable as1) From olden days onions are used to treat infections such as cough, cold or asthma even it is beneficial in treating bacterial infections. 2) Onions are also successfully used in nose bleeding during summers if any persons nose is bleeding just let him sniff some onion flakes the bleeding will get over. 3)It is also used in high fever generally in high fever to reduce the temperature onion juice is applied on hands and feet it will help in lowering down the temperatures. 4) It has been proved effective in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels which is a most important discovery. 5) It is even been prescribed for urinary infections as onion acts as a diuretic (given to increase the urination)
6) Now even in recent researches it is proven that onions may also be used to reduce the risk of heart disease as garlic it also contains some chemicals which helps in reducing the bad lipid levels in body. Overall onion is a cheapest medicine available for all major illnesses and it is also great in taste even eaten raw or cooked will complete your meal. During experimentation the onions are first cut into two halves and then thin uniform slices are cut on slicer. These thin rings of onion are used for drying. Onion contains 80% moisture. 7.3 TRIAL PROCEDURE For trial purpose general procedure is as below. 1) Preparation of batch of samples of onion as per decided standard. 2) Note down exact weight of each sample along with drilled plates on analytical balance. 3) Fitting proper absorber plate inside collector 4) Adjust inclination angle of collector. 5) Cleaning of acrylic glass to remove dust and other dirt if any. 6) Check connections of all the sensors and power supply. 7) Putting samples on trays inside of dryer cabinet serially for box drying. 8) Putting samples on trays on dryer cabinet serially for open drying. 9) Tightly close door of drying cabinet. 10) Opening of the ball valves in decided proportion. 11) Note down the readings from S1 to S11. 12) Note down the readings from V1 to V2. 13) Close both ball valves across drying cabinet. 14) Take out the sample from the drying cabinet in air tight plastic jar every half hour. 15) Tightly close door of drying cabinet and open ball valves in decided proportion. 16) Take the sample from the tray kept for open drying in air tight plastic jar every half hour.
17) Note down weight of samples taken out. 18) Repeat the procedure from step 10 to 17 for rest of the day. 19) After the last reading of 5:15pm, close the ball valves. This is just generalized procedure. Sample once removed is not used again. Effect of drying is noted up to 16 hours. Tests are taken for drying samples for different safe storage time i.e. one day and two days. Same process is repeated for remaining absorber sheets. 7.4 EXPERIMENTATION FOR FORCED CONVECTION The speed of air in natural convection is very low. To increase the speed of air blower is used in the setup. Increasing the speed of air that is the flow rate of air will increase the moisture absorbing capacity of the air. Hence attachment of blower will make drying faster. There will be comparison of results obtained by natural convection and forced convection. 7.4 SAMPLE OBSERVATION TABLE
Table 7.1: Sample observation table
Table 7.1: Sample observation table
7.5 CALCULATIONS Loss in weight is calculated by: Loss in weight in grams = X1 X2 Where, X1 = Original weight of sample in grams X2 = Final weight of sample in grams
Chapter 8
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
8.1 INTRODUCTION All the results are analyzed with the help of graphs. The graphs are drawn with respect to rate of moisture removal with respect to particular absorber plate and change of temperature at different location with respect to time. All the discussions along with graphs help to draw conclusion for recirculating solar air dryer. The various graphs are listed below. 8.2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION All the readings were taken during March - April 2012, atmospheric temperature is almost constant and in between 37 to 45C most of the time of the day. The readings were taken at the location, where average solar radiations falling were 2.5 to 4 KJ/cm2/day. As already stated for one absorber sheet readings were taken for two days of drying samples. Readings are also taking after half an hour for 8 hours in a day. For the comparison of absorber sheet geometry, data generated is averaged for particular location.
8.3 GRAPHS FOR NATURAL AND FORCED CONVECTION
S1 VS TIME (NATURAL)
120 100 80 TEMP 60 40 20 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
A B C
Graph no 8.1: Variation in average temperature at location S1 with time for natural circulation
S1 VS TIME (FORCED)
110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HOURS
TEMP
A B
C
Graph no 8.2: Variation in average temperature at location S1 with time for forced circulation
At location S1 sheet C shows almost 10 to 15C temperature than both sheet A and sheet B. Sheet A and B are almost equal at position S1. While in forced both sheet B and sheet C show maximum temperature.
140 120
TEMPRATURE
100 80 60 40 20 0
A B C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

TIME IN HRS
S2 VS TIME (FORCED)
120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
TEMP
A B C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

TIME IN HRS
Sheet C shows almost 20C higher temperature than sheet A and sheet B. While in forced circulation the three sheets have attained almost same temperatures.
140 120 100 TEMP 80 60 40 20 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
A B C
S3 VS TIME (FORCED)
130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
TEMP
A
B C
In natural circulation sheet C shows maximum temperature of about 120C. While in forced circulation sheet B and sheet C show maximum temperature in the range 110-120C.
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
TEMP
A B C
S4 VS TIME (FORCED)
70
60
50 TEMP 40 A B C
30
20 10
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
At this location higher temperature indicates that recirculation takes place. Sheet A shows better result after 3 and a half hour. Sheet A shows better result than sheet B at all locations. The temperatures in forced circulation are lower than natural circulation.
120 100 80 TEMP 60 40 20 0
A B C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

TIME IN HRS
S5 VS TIME (FORCED)
120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
TEMP
A B C
In natural circulation sheet C has attained maximum temperature. While in forced circulation sheet B shows maximum temperature of about 110C.
48 46 TEMP 44 42 40 38 36 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
A B
S6 VS TIME (FORCED)
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
TEMP
A B C
In drying cabinet sheet B and sheet C show gradual increment of around 4 to 5C within two and a half hour. After that only sheet C shows continuous performance and temperature of 45C is maintained. After four and half hour sheet B shows high temperature rise than sheet A and C. In forced circulation temperatures in the range of 60 to 75C are attained. While in natural highest temperature attained is 47C.
140 120 100 TEMP 80 60 40 20 0
A B C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

TIME IN HRS
S7 VS TIME (FORCED)
120 100 80 TEMP 60 40 20 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS A B C
Maximum temperature is attained by sheet C of about 120C in natural circulation. While in forced circulation maximum temperature attained is lower.
140 120 100 TEMP 80 60 40 20 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
A B C
S8 VS TIME (FORCED)
120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
TEMP
A B C
In natural circulation the maximum temperature attained is more than 120C and in forced maximum temperature is around 110C.
140 120 100 TEMP 80 60 40 20 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
A B C
S9 VS TIME (FORCED)
140 120 100
TEMP
80 60 40 20 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS A B C
In natural circulation sheet C shows maximum temperature than in forced.

70 60 50 TEMP 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
A B C
S10 VS TIME (FORCED)

70 60 50 TEMP 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS A B
The temperature attained by the acrylic glass remained constant from 12:45pm to 3:15pm in case of forced circulation.

40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30
TEMP
A B C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

TIME IN HRS
S11 VS TIME (FORCED)

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS
TEMP
A B C
The atmospheric temperature is constant during the day. Maximum temperatures were reached on the days when natural circulation was carried out.
Graphs showing variation of difference between temperatures of air flowing over sheet at various points and temperature of absorber sheet at those respective points with respect to time.
(S7-S1) VS TIME (NATURAL)

20 TEMP DIFF 15 10 5 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS A B C
Graph no 8.23: Variation in average temperature difference between S7 and S1 with time for natural circulation
The temperature of air flowing over the absorber sheet has almost attained the temperature of sheet in case of sheet C. There is appreciable difference in temperature of air and temperature of absorber sheet in case of sheet B and sheet A.
(S7-S1) VS TIME (FORCED)

15 10 TEMP DIFF 5 0 -5 -10 -15 TIME IN HRS 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 A B C
Graph no 8.24: Variation in average temperature difference between S7 and S1 with time for forced circulation
The temperature of air flowing over sheet C is equal to the temperature attained by the sheet. The difference in temperatures of air and sheet is highest in case of sheet A. The temperature differences are less in case of forced circulation.

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 -2
TEMP DIFF
A B C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

TIME IN HRS
The temperature attained by air flowing over sheet C is almost equal to the temperature of sheet C. The difference in temperatures between air and sheet for sheet A and sheet B is very large.

8 6 TEMP DIFF 4 2 0 -2 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 A B C
-4
TIME IN HRS
The difference in temperature between air and absorber sheet are very less. The three sheets show same variation in temperature.

16 14 12 TEMP DIFF 10 8 6 4 2 0 -2 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS A B C
Air flowing over sheet C is nearly attaining the temperature of the sheet. While the difference in temperatures between air and sheet for sheet A and sheet B are very large.

8 6 4 TEMP DIFF 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 TIME IN HRS 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 A B C
Sheet B is showing more temperature difference between air and absorber as compared to sheet A and C. Air over sheet A and C is attaining the temperatures of sheet.
Graphs below show temperature difference between lower header and upper header.

25 20 TEMP DIFF 15 10 5 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS A B C
From 11:45 am to 2 pm the variation in temperatures of lower header and upper header in almost constant. Sheet A is showing maximum difference in temperature.

60 50 TEMP DIFF 40 30 20 10 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 A B C
TIME IN HRS
The temperature difference is almost constant from 11:45 am to 3 pm. Only sheet B is showing greater difference in temperature.
Graphs below show loss of moisture for both natural and forced circulation.
LOSS OF MOISTURE VS TIME (NATURAL)

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12 12.5 13 LOSS IN MOISTURE
A B C
TIME IN HOURS
Graph no 8.31: Variation in loss of moisture with time for natural circulation in closed box drying
LOSS OF MOISTURE VS TIME (FORCED)

LOSS IN MOISTURE 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 A B C
TIME IN HRS
Graph no 8.32: Variation in loss of moisture with time for forced circulation in closed box drying
The change in moisture is observed even on second day. While in forced circulation there is about 80% moisture loss in first five hours itself. And 90% moisture loss is seen on the first day itself.
Graph below shows loss of moisture with time in case of open drying.
LOSS OF MOISTURE VS TIME

12 10 LOSS IN MOISTURE 8 6 4 2 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 TIME IN HRS OPEN DRYING
Graph no 8.33: Variation in loss of moisture with time in open sun drying
Complete moisture loss takes place within four hours of sun drying.
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

The solar air dryer can be widely used for agricultural purpose. The disadvantage in using solar air dryer is that it is not efficient. Using blower gives more efficiency than naturally recirculating the air in the dryer. But this efficiency is obtained at the cost of blower and electricity. The corrugated absorber sheets gave superior results than those obtained by the plane absorber sheets used in earlier solar air dryers. The analysis of performance of the solar air dryer with corrugated absorber sheet is done as given below: 1) The rectangular corrugation has given increase in surface area and hence increases in heat transfer. The plain sheet without corrugation has area 1.4616m2. The percentage increase in area for absorber sheet A is 148%. For absorber sheet B the percentage increase in area is 155% and that for absorber sheet C is 161%. 2) The use of blower for recirculating the air has given increase in efficiency. That is the sample dries faster because of the use of blower since. This has happened since, as the velocity of air increases its moisture absorbing capacity also increases. 3) In natural recirculation the absorber sheet type C gave maximum temperature (122C) at a distance of 1500mm from lower header. The temperature reached by other two sheets was lower than 120C. 4) The temperature of the drying cabinet S6 during natural recirculation lied between 39C to 46.5C and that during forced recirculation lied between 45C to 74.5C. 5) There was more than 90% of moisture removal from the sample on the first day itself during forced recirculation. During natural recirculation only about 60% of moisture removal was obtained. 6) The air flow obtained at the upper header during forced recirculation was about 25 times that obtained by the natural recirculation. The maximum air flow obtained at the inlet of drying chamber during forced recirculation was about 40 times more than natural recirculation.
7) The maximum temperatures were attained in between 12:15pm to 2:15pm. In present work recirculation type solar air dryer is analyzed for typical geometries. A huge future scope is available to enhance this simplest recirculation type solar air dryer. Various materials like copper, silver which have more absorbivity than aluminium can be used for absorber sheets. To increase the heat transfer fins can be attached to the absorber sheet. Comparative study can be done by using different dimensions of fins. Phase change material (PCM) is also a very attractive option
available, which store energy very efficiently. Result analysis can be done using different phase change materials and using in different geometries. Comparative study can be done by attaching a VFD to vary the flow rate of blower to obtain the performance of blower at different flow rates. To make the solar air dryer to run completely on solar energy, the blower can be allowed to run on solar energy by using solar panels. This will make the system completely solar powered. Using number of passes and number of transparent covers results can be investigated. Performance can be examined by varying height of drying cabinet, changing pipe geometry, pipe dimensions, changing distance between collector and cabinet. Results can be inspected by altering flow pattern inside drying cabinet, by changing location in different racks ( top or bottom), by changing mesh size of tray, by varying angle of opening of ball valves. As per industrial and agricultural application, scope is available to design and test the dryer.
REFERENCES
1. http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/renew/solar.htm 2. http://www.eere.energy.gov/basics/renewable_energy/solar_resources.html 3. Bhong M.G, Experimental Analysis of Recirculating Solar Air Dryer with Corrugated Absorber,M.E., University of Pune,2009-10 4. http://www.ijee.ieefoundation.org/vol3/issue1/IJEE_10_v3n1.pdf 5. http://www.ecoshift.ca/Types-of-Solar-Collectors.html 6. http://trade.indiamart.com/details.mp?offer=1291471862 7. http://ptp.irb.hr/upload/mape/kuca/27_Ronald_Voskens_MARKET_OPPORTUNITI
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Renewable Energy 17, 1999, pp.103-112. 19. Bhargava A.K. and Garg H.P. and Sharma V. K., Evaluation of the performance of air heaters of conventional designs, Solar Energy Vol. 29, No. 6, 1982, pp. 523-533. 20. Shariah A.M., Rousana A., Rousanb Kh.K., Ahmada A.A., Effect of thermal conductivity of absorber plate on the performance of a solar water heater, Applied Thermal Engineering 19, 1999 , pp. 733 -741. 21. Irfan Kurtbas, Aydin Durmus, Efficiency and exergy analysis of a new solar air heater, Renewable Energy 29, 2004, pp. 14891501. 22. Cigdem Tiris, Mustafa Tiris and lbrahim Dincer, Experiments on a New Small Scale Solar Dryer, Applied Thermal Engineering Vol. 16, No. 2, 1996, pp. 183-187. 23. Metwally M.N., H.z.AbouZiyan and A.M. El-Leathy, Performance of Advanced corrugated duct solar air collector compared with five conventional designs, Renewable Energy Vol. 10, No. 4, 1997, pp. 519-537. 24. Wenfeng Gao, Wenxian Lin, Tao Liu, Chaofeng Xia, Analytical and experimental studies on the thermal performance of cross-corrugated and flatplate solar air heaters, Applied Energy 84, 2007, pp. 425441. 25. Hachemi A., Experimental study of heat transfer and Flow friction in solar air heaters with and without selective absorbers, Renewable Energy 17, 1999, pp.155-168. 26. Hikmet Esen, Experimental energy and exergy analysis of a doubleflow solar air heater having different obstacles on absorber plates, Building PRESS).
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27. Suleyman Karsli, Performance analysis of new-design solar air collectors for drying applications, Renewable Energy 32, 2007, pp.16451660. 28. Verma S.K., Prasad B.N., Investigation for the optimal thermo hydraulic performance of artificially roughened solar air heaters, Renewable Energy 20, 2000, pp. 19 -36.
APPENDIX
Observation Tables for natural circulation Observation table for day one of absorber sheet A
Observation table for day two of absorber sheet A
Observation table for day one of absorber sheet B
Observation table for day two of absorber sheet B
Observation table for day one of absorber sheet C
Observation table for day two of absorber sheet C
Observation tables for forced circulation: Observation table for day one of absorber sheet A
Observation table for day two of absorber sheet A
Observation table for day one of absorber sheet B
Observation table for day two of absorber sheet B
Observation table for sheet A (weight of sample)
Observation table for sheet B (weight of sample)
Observation table for sheet C (weight of sample)

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Project Report

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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR AIR DRYER

Geographic location Time of day Season

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Figure 1.1: General structure of flat plate collector

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According to Direction of Circulation 1. One way Circulation 2. Recirculation

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Value 0.81 0.980 1.440 1.015 0.0254 1.000 1.000

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8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

0.920 0.003 0.940 0.050 0.045

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Photo 6.1: Photo of test rig

Photo 6.2: Photo of drying cabinet

Photo 6.3: Photo of bending machine

Photo 6.4: Photo of bending of Aluminum sheets

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M.S. box for drying(Available)

Base stand for drying cabinet(Available)

G.I. box for indicator(Available)

Plumding and fitting of UPVC and PVC pipes

Drying trays for stands(Available)

Top frame for clamp support(Available)

Figure 6.1: Three dimensional model of absorber sheet A

Figure 6.2: Three dimensional model of absorber sheet B

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Figure 6.3: Three dimensional model of absorber sheet C

Photo 6.5: Photo of drilling of SS plates

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6.5 ASSEMBLY OF SOLAR AIR DRYER

Filling rockwool inside M.S. box

Putting M.S. box with acrylic glass on base stand

Sealing joints with plaster of paris

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Figure 6.4: Location of sensors

Probe length(mm) 560 560 560 90 90 250 50 50 50

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In the shadow of collector On acrylic glass

Table 6.1: Details about RTD sensors used for measurements

Table 6.2: Details of Velocity measurement

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Quantity Rate/item 4 70/kg 240/kg 160 90/feet 25 40

Amount 1631 11,256 160 1800 275 200

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7) 8) i) ii) iii) iv) v) 9) i) ii) iii) 10) 11) 12) 13)

14) 15) 16)

17) 18) 19) 20)

100ml 2.5*350 30m 1

240 180 8/m

240 180 240 10

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1 2kg 3m 12pcs 4ft -

10 30 6 95 65 120 105 180 17438 827 1700 40,335