Experimental investigation and exergy and energy analysis of a forced convection solar fish dryer integrated with thermal energy storage
Open Access
- 1 January 2022
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in AIMS Energy
- Vol. 10 (3), 412-433
- https://doi.org/10.3934/energy.2022021
Abstract
Drying is an effective means of reducing post-harvest losses which increases the shelf life of products by reducing their moisture content to a safe storage level. An indirect mode forced convection solar dryer integrated with thermal energy storage was designed, developed and experimentally tested by drying fish. The components of the dryer are a double pass solar air heater, a paraffin wax-based shell and tube for latent heat thermal energy storage, a drying chamber and a blower. A maximum temperature of 69 ℃ was obtained at the outlet of the solar air heater, and the energy and exergy efficiencies were 25% and 1.5%, respectively. The latent heat storage reduces the fluctuations in the outlet temperature of the solar air heater and extends the drying process for two extra hours per day. The average energy and exergy efficiencies of the energy storage were 41.9% and 15.6%, respectively, whereas average energy and exergy efficiencies of the drying chamber were 35% and 52%, respectively. Moreover, 5 kg of fresh fish was effectively dried in the dryer within 21 hrs, reducing the moisture content of the fish from 75% to 12.5% by removing 3.57 kg of moisture. The specific energy consumption of the dryer was 7.3 kWh per kilogram of moisture, and the power consumed by the blower was 0.6 kWh per kilogram of moisture, which is 8.3% of the total energy consumption. The remaining 91.7% of the energy is harvested from the sun, and the overall efficiency of the drying system is 9.4%.Keywords
This publication has 39 references indexed in Scilit:
- Solar tunnel drier with thermal storage for drying of copraInternational Journal of Energy Technology and Policy, 2012
- The effect of using transverse fins on a double pass flow solar air heater using wire mesh as an absorberSolar Energy, 2011
- Experimental performance of single and double pass solar air heater with fins and steel wire mesh as absorberApplied Energy, 2010
- Drying of mint leaves in a solar dryer and under open sun: Modelling, performance analysesEnergy Conversion and Management, 2010
- Performance of a double pass solar air collectorSolar Energy, 2010
- Review of solar dryers with latent heat storage systems for agricultural productsRenewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2010
- Thin layer drying model for simulating the drying of Tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) in a solar tunnel dryerJournal of Food Engineering, 2010
- Energy and exergy analyses of thin layer drying of mulberry in a forced solar dryerEnergy, 2010
- Numerical analysis of latent heat thermal energy storage systemEnergy Conversion and Management, 2007
- Fish spoilage bacteria – problems and solutionsCurrent Opinion in Biotechnology, 2002