Economic Feasibility of Refrigeration Waste Heat-Assisted Solar Hybrid Drying System

Abstract

Preservation of vegetables and fruits is a major problem especially in developing countries. At present, refrigeration is the most used technology for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, the high electrical energy consumption and rejection of high heat content from condenser restrict the use of refrigeration system at large. The hybrid combination of waste heat rejected from condensers with solar drying systems may provide cost-effective and feasible technique. The paper presents the study of feasibility of condenser waste heat-assisted solar drying system on the basis of simple investment ratio (saving/cost) and sizing ratio (square meter area of solar collector to refrigeration capacity in TR). The analysis showed that the optimum sizing ratio was found at a particular simple investment ratio. Therefore, for the economic feasibility, the sizing ratio of 29.20, 74.70, 120.20, 165.70, 211.18, and 256.68 and the respective simple investment ratio would be 4.44, 2.95, 2.27, 1.89, 1.65 and 1.49. The optimum size for the maximum feasible saving can be found out with above figures.