Experimental investigation of indirect solar dryer integrated with wicked heat pipe

Abstract

In the present study, the performance of a solar dryer supported by an indirect type wicked heat pipe was assessed. To transfer the heat from the solar collector to the drying chamber, a passive high thermal conductivity heat pipe was developed. At 1:30 pm, there was a 21 °C temperature difference between the drying chamber and the ambient air. The results indicated that after 12 hours of drying, the banana slices’ moisture content dropped from 150 % d.b. to 11 % d.b. It is found that the average drying rates in Trays 1, 2, and 3 are the following: 0.1452, 0.1492, and 0.1613 kg water/kg dry matter/h. The effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 1×10⁻⁷ to 9.405×10⁻⁸ m²/s, whereas open sun drying had the lowest average effective moisture diffusivity of 3.87×10⁻⁰⁷ m²/s. The estimated dryer efficiency was 26 %. Also the payback period of developed dryer was found to be 0.57 years. The developed dryer can be installed in any rural villages to dry any agricultural products.