Experimental analysis for drying of potato slices on detachable solar greenhouse dryer

Abstract

With the outbreak of diseases in the world due to consumption of animal meat, stress is being laid down to be vegan. Vegetarian diet adds to a healthy lifestyle. But the production of crops is seasonal and the food is required on daily basis for the whole population of the world. Also around 15% of the world’s population is undernourished. So, crops need to be preserved. The best way for preservation of crops is removal of moisture content from them. Removal of moisture increases the life of eatables by stopping or reducing the growth of micro-organisms. When required, water can be added to the items for consumption or the food items can be directly fried for consumption without causing any change in its taste. In the present paper, an experimental investigation for drying of potato slices on a detachable greenhouse dryer has been carried out. The dryer has been designed as detachable so that it can be easily carried to any place and can be easily used for household purposes. The readings for weight of the potatoes, solar radiation, temperature of ambient air, relative humidity on hourly basis is taken. It is observed that the drying rate of greenhouse dryer is quite encouraging and the dryer can prove to be a promising one for use in household purposes. The payback period of the dryer has been found out to be 1.5 years which is very less as compared to the life span of the dryer.