The Hybrid (PVT) Double-Pass System with a Mixed-Mode Solar Dryer for Drying Banana

Abstract

In this paper, the hybrid PVT double pass system with a mixed-mode solar dryer type under forced convection has been designed, fabricated and installed for drying crops. The dryer was tried by drying 300 grams of banana slices in the air temperature of dryer range from 43.2 to 60.2°C. The initial moisture rate of banana was about 78% and the most dropped in moisture content was from 78% to 33% after 8 hours of the drying process. The banana slices are distributed in two identical trays and it was noticed that the most and least decreasing in weight of banana samples was from 150 to 48 gram and from 150 to 55 gram in lower and upper tray respectively, when the mass flow rate as 0.031 and 0.017 kg/s, which means that the high reduction was 68% of weight banana at a high mass flow rate of airflow. The critical parameter such as temperature distribution of the PVT with dryer room, useful heat gain, and thermal efficiency are computed by using the MATLAB 2015b program built for this purpose. The optimum useful heat gain and thermal efficiency were reached 423.7 and 52.98% respectively when the solar radiation 1190 and the mass flow rate of 0.031 kg/s.