Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis of Solar Dryer Equipped with Different Phase Change Materials

Abstract

A phase change material (PCM) is an organic (or inorganic) chemical that may store and release thermal energy in latent form as it changes physical states. This investigation aims to see how phase transition materials influence the thermal efficiency of the solar dryer. For the performance analysis, three PCMs were used: paraffin wax, lauric acid, and palmitic acid. As drying material, 5 mm thick potato slices were employed. According to the computational results, the total input thermal energy for the dryer for paraffin wax, lauric acid, and palmitic acid was about 17.36 MJ, 18.46 MJ, and 17.76 MJ, respectively, for 2 kg drying mass. When paraffin wax, lauric acid, and palmitic acid were utilized, the overall efficiency of the dryer increased by about 87%, 40.2%, and 12.4%, respectively, compared to the conventional dryer. By comparing the results of simulations and predictions, it is concluded that paraffin wax is the best-performing PCM for solar dryers as the energy storage material.