Experimental Investigation on the Performance of A Novel Thermal Energy Storage Integrated Solar Dryer

Abstract

tube to the air. Therminol newline55 and benzoic acid were used as thermal storage mediums within the heat pipe. newlinePreliminary experiments were conducted to study the performance of the solar newlinecollector with three different mass flow rates of air namely 0.003 kg/s, 0.01 kg/s, newlineand 0.02 kg/s. Therminol-55 was filled inside the thermal storage chamber during newlinethe analysis. Secondly, the newly developed solar collector was integrated into a newlinedryer system. The thermal storage medium used was therminol-55. The performance newlineevaluation of the dryer was accomplished with mass flow rates of air such as 0.003kg/s, newline0.0065kg/s, 0.01kg/s, 0.015kg/s, and 0.02kg/s. The performance study with a mixed newlinemass flow rate method (0.015kg/s and 0.0065kg/s) was also conducted. Food products newlinesuch as tomatoes and carrots were dried in the solar dryer matched with the drying newlinebehavior of the same products dried under direct sunlight Finally, the performance newlineevaluation of the dryer with benzoic acid as the thermal storage medium was done. newlineThe drying parameters of apples were studied by drying them in the dryer using both newlinebenzoic acid and therminol 55 inside the thermal storage section. newline newlineThe novel arrangement in the heat pipe with a thermal storage facility utilizes the newlinemaximum heat developed in the evacuated tube.The newly developed single condenser newlineheat pipe system directly transferred the heat developed to a thermal storage medium newlinewithout much loss. The tubular arrangement of the heat pipe condenser section heated newlinethe thermal storage medium uniformly from all directions. The heat pipe system was newlinealso capable of heating the air from all directions uniformly. The present dryer system newlineis capable of working with both sensible and latent heat storage mediums based on newlinethe working condition. The highest temperature of air logged at the exiting of the newlinecollector was 128oC at 0.003kg/s air mass flow rate. A wide range of drying air newlinetemperatures was achieved by the dryer system by varying airflow rates with an average newlineair temperature of 52oC to 83oC. The study also