Numerical Simulation of Rock-bed Solar Thermal Storage Energy

Abstract

Solar dryers are increasingly being applied to dry fruits and vegetables in order to increase their shelf-lives. In the sunny-belt countries, the availability of solar irradiance is taken for granted and the mean daily solar irradiation is often used as the design basis for a solar dryer. The predicted performance of the solar irradiance is therefore inherently inaccurate. Contemporary solar dryer designs incorporate thermal energy storage (TES) systems for application after sunset. The performance of such TES systems is often determined experimentally. In this study, mathematical models have been developed and by numerical simulation using the technique of Finite Differential Method (FDM) and MATLAB programming, the performances of solar irradiance as well as that of the TES system have been predicted. The simulation results were secured to inform the design of the solar dryer for fruits and vegetables in the sun-belt countries.