Solar generator with drying function

Can solar energy be used as a drying system?

Using freely available solar energy instead of conventional fuels to dry products, or using a cheap supplementary supply of solar heat, so reducing conventional fuel demand can result in significant cost savings. 2. Classification of drying systems

Can a solar-desiccant be used in solar drying system?

Misha et al. (2015) reported a study on the application of a solar-desiccant in solar drying system in which hot water was used as the desiccant to serve as the energy storage reserve. Besides, electrical heating arrangements were provided for supplementing the heat required for drying during off-sunshine hours.

How does solar drying work?

The process of drying involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer. In solar dryers, heat transfer can occur through conduction, convection and/or radiation. The overall energy balance of a product, when subjected to solar drying, can be given using Eq. (1) (Prakash and Kumar, 2017).

Can a solar dryer be used to dry agricultural products?

Solar dryers have been even coupled with desalination systems for drying of agricultural products with the simultaneous production of distilled water (Kabeel and Abdelgaied, 2018). For several centuries, sun drying has been the most commonly employed drying technique at the farm level and for rural food processing.

How can a solar cabinet dryer improve drying efficiency?

The use of a porous plate configuration coupled with a recycling system enhances the drying efficiency of solar cabinet dryer by allowing better utilization of thermal energy (Arabhosseini et al., 2019). In greenhouse type collectors, the collector takes the maximum space.

What are the three modes of drying by using solar energy?

The three modes of drying are: (i) open sun, (ii) direct and (iii) indirect in the presence of solar energy. The working principle of these modes mainly depends upon the method of solar-energy collection and its conversion to useful thermal energy. Fig. 1 shows the working principle of open sun drying by using solar energy.