 Experimental investigation of the performance of a mixed-mode solar dryer with thermal energy storageEhsan Baniasadi, Saeed Ranjbar and Omid Boostanipour Renewable Energy, 2017, vol. 112, issue C, 143-150 Abstract: In this study, the performance of a forced convection mixed-mode solar dryer with thermal energy storage is experimentally analyzed. The main goal was to develop an efficient and cost effective dryer that maintains drying process after sunset. The dryer mainly consists of a solar collector/absorber, drying chamber and a fan. A photovoltaic panel and battery storage are also integrated with the dryer to supply the required electrical energy. The experiments are carried out to dry fresh apricot slices at different working conditions. The effect of using phase change material to store thermal energy during daytime is analyzed. It is concluded that the performance of the solar collector is improved and the drying process is effectively extended when solar energy was not available. It is also observed that the rate of drying is almost constant along the drying chamber. The moisture pick-up efficiency and the overall thermal efficiency of the dryer are about 10% and 11%, respectively. Keywords: Solar dryer; Mixed mode; Phase change material; Drying rate; Pick-up efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:112:y:2017:i:c:p:143-150 DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.05.043 Access Statistics for this article Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier |
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