Experimental Investigation and Theoretical Modelling of Solar Dryer Using Evacuated Tube Collector

Abstract

An indirect type solar dryer is fabricated with the components like evacuated tube collector, drying chamber and blower. The performance of the drier is evaluated by carrying out drying experiments with copra at Coimbatore district Tamilnadu, India. A short survey of these showed that applying the indirect type solar dryer not only significantly reduced the drying time but also resulted in many improvements in the quality of the dried products. The temperature of the drying chamber ranges from 55°C to 75°C while the ambient temperature ranges from 28°C to 38°C. Nine basic solar drying models were used to fit the experimental data of copra. For experimental results, the logarithmic model showed the best curve fitting with highest correlation coefficient (R2) and lowest value of RMSE (Root Mean Square Error). Solar dried copra obtained is free from smoke, dust, bird and rodent damage.