Modelling and analysis of a hybrid solar dryer for woody biomass

Ahmed Khouya

Energy, 2021, vol. 216, issue C

Abstract: Drying is necessary for wood biomass to be used in various applications such as heating. This work aims to assess the energy and performance of a hybrid solar dryer for woody biomass. The study is carried out by establishing the energy and mass balance in a prototype hybrid kiln. A mathematical model for predicting heat and mass transfer during the biomass drying process is developed and validated. The drying parameters are evaluated for a hybrid solar kiln witch integrate a heat pump and a condensing gas boiler. The results show that the energy consumption ratio decreases as the set-temperature increases. The combined use of a solar air collector and a heat pump allows a reduction of 52, 37 and 24% in terms of drying time for the three set temperatures 50, 60 and 70 °C, respectively. The use of a recycled air fraction of 75% in the hybrid solar dryer has the effect of reducing the energy consumption up to 84% and improving the drying efficiency by 92%. The results also show that the moisture extraction rate and the specific moisture extraction rate decrease as the bed height/wood chip effective diameter ratio increases. The use of a porous medium with an optimal vacuum rate is also desirable in order to improve the thermal performance of the drying system. The overall results show that the combined use of a solar air collector and a heat pump is an effective solution to reduce energy consumption and improve thermal performance during the biomass drying process.

Keywords: Hybrid solar dryer; Woody biomass; Energy consumption; Heat pump; Thermal performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:216:y:2021:i:c:s036054422032394x

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.119287

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