Solar Biomass Hybrid Dryer Research Articles

Computational fluid dynamic analysis of innovative design of solar-biomass hybrid dryer: An experimental validation

A solar-biomass hybrid dryer is designed and constructed for natural rubber sheet drying. The dryer consists of solar collector cum drying chamber, heat exchanger and biomass furnace. There is indirect heating of rubber sheet instead of direct exposure to smoke in ribbed smoked rubber drying. An attempt has been done to reduce consumption of biomass by introducing solar energy application. Computational fluid dynamics technique is used to simulate the temperature and air flow distributions in an innovative design of drying chamber. The simulation results for temperature are found very close to experimental values in terms of statistical parameters. CFD simulation is done for air flow distribution inside solar-biomass hybrid dryer to ensure the utility of air circulating fans. The solar-biomass hybrid dryer is tested for drying of 100 number of natural rubber sheets. Moisture content of rubber sheet is reduced from 34.26% to 0.34% (db) in only 48 h, a notable reduction in drying time as well as consumption of biomass. The color and texture of the natural rubber sheet were noticed better than the traditional smoke rubber drying.

Life Cycle Cost of Solar Biomass Hybrid Dryer Systems for Cashew Drying of Nuts in India

Abstract Cashew nut farming in India is mostly carried out in small and marginal holdings. Energy consumption in the small scale cashew nut processing industry is very high and is mainly due to the high energy consumption of the drying process. The drying operation provides a lot of scope for energy saving and substitutions of other renewable energy sources. Renewable energy-based drying systems with loading capacity of 40 kg were proposed for application in small scale cashew nut processing industries. The main objective of this work is to perform economic feasibility of substituting solar, biomass and hybrid dryer in place of conventional steam drying for cashew drying. Four economic indicators were used to assess the feasibility of three renewable based drying technologies. The payback time was 1.58 yr. for solar, 1.32 for biomass and 1.99 for the hybrid drying system, whereas as the cost-benefit estimates were 5.23 for solar, 4.15 for biomass and 3.32 for the hybrid system. It was found that it is of paramount importance to develop solar biomass hybrid dryer for small scale processing industries.

Solar-biomass hybrid dryer enhanced by the Co-Gen technique

ABSTRACTSolar-biomass hybrid dryer systems use biomass burners as the backup source of heat to warm the air prior to charging it in the drying chamber. The flue gas produced from biomass combustion has a considerable amount of heat and is exhausted into the ambient. This article presents a new approach that uses the cogeneration (Co-Gen) technique in utilizing the flue gas exhausts from the burner. This approach enhances the circulation of warm air in the drying chamber and eliminates the need for an extraction fan. The exhaust flue is simply injected inside the chimney at the upper part to increase the natural stack effect caused by the rise in temperature and reduction in pressure. This technique is investigated experimentally; the dryer is tested with and without Co-Gen by drying red chili. The system efficiency of the biomass mode using Co-Gen is enhanced by 6%. In addition to enhanced efficiency, the main advantage of this approach is the elimination of electricity, given that the Co-Gen replaces the electrical extractor. This advantage renders the hybrid solar drying applicable in rural areas.