Agro Fossil Free - Performance evaluation of modified forced convection solar dryer with energy storage unit for drying of elephant apple (Dillenia indica)

General Description

The development and performance of a modified force convection solar dryer (MFCSD) for drying elephant apple slices have been presented in this research. The MFCSD consists of two solar collectors and a drying chamber of 20 kg drying capacity. The secondary collector is integrated with thermal energy storage unit using a phase change material—paraffin wax. Performance analysis of the MFCSD was studied for drying elephant apple (Dillenia indica) slices. The proposed design enhanced the collector thermal efficiency by 12% as compared to a conventional glass collector. Drying of elephant apple slices in MFCSD will limit exergy losses and increase exergy efficiency. The estimated uncertainty of the collector chamber and the drying unit of the proposed MFCSD were obtained as ±3.3% and ±1.0%. Quality analysis (proximity analysis and textural properties) of the fresh as well as samples dried in open sun drying, tray drying, and MFCSD was carried out. The contents of carbohydrates (47.85 ± 2.66) and protein (21.24 ± 1.68) were high in samples dried in MFCSD when compared to samples dried in other two methods. The ash content of the sample dried in MFCSD was found to be 10.25 ± 0.15%, which was higher than samples dried in tray dryer. The payback period for drying elephant apple in MFCSD is 2.56 years, which is lower than the lifetime period (20 years) of the dryer. Practical Applications: A traditional method practiced by small farmers for drying high-value perishable fruits is conventional open sun drying (OSD). Owing to slow drying rate and excessive heating, products dried under the open sun lose their nutritious and medicinal qualities. The present work details the construction of a low-cost solar dryer for the drying of elephant apple. The aim of the drying kinetics to develop the architecture aspects of the solar dryer is to refine the drying systems. The results showed that the performance of modified force convection solar dryer (MFCSD) assisted with thermal storage could improve the quality of dried elephant apple slices and reduce drying time in comparison with an OSD method and a tray drying method. MFCSD would be a suitable alternative to the conventional dryers employed commonly in the industries for the drying of high-valued agricultural products, and it can also be restructured to any size according the requirements.