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The IUP Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Design and Development of a Cost-Effective Mixed Mode Solar Crop Dryer with Black-Coated Pebbles

Article Details

Pub. Date	: Feb, 2023
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of Marketing Management
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJMM040223
Author Name	: Prem Kumar S, Krishnappa G B and D Madhu
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Marketing
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 15

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Abstract

The paper develops a Mixed Mode Solar Crop Dryer (MMSCD) using blackcoated pebbles. The experiments were conducted in Ujire, Karnataka, India. Potato slices were used for test sample with an air speed of 4 m/s. Open Sun Drying (OSD) was used and the working temperature range of MMSCD was 36-64 oC, which is suitable for drying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables like green peas, cauliflower, chillies, apples, sweet potatoes and grapes. The dryer was able to provide hot air from 9:00 to 19:00 hours in a day. The overall maximum efficiency of the dryer was 56%. To reduce the moisture content from initial (75%) to storable level (below 10%), MMSCD took 6 h. However, 24 h (3 days of sunshine) were taken under OSD to attain the safe moisture content.

Introduction

Global energy demand has increased in recent years due to diverse socioeconomic activities (Hasanuzzaman et al., 2020; and Lorincz and Torriti, 2021). A large portion of today's energy demand comes from fossil fuels. Fossil fuel reserves are quickly depleting as a result of higher utilization rates. The long-term use of fossil fuels results in environmental pollution. As such, it is essential to look at renewable energy sources. Earth receives a huge amount of energy from Sun daily, and the annual quantity of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface is 7,500 times greater than the world's annual energy consumption (IRENA, 2019). It would be possible to supply clean energy by developing effective solar energy conversion systems. Solar drying is an