Towards a homogenous drying rate using a solar fruit dryer

Solar fruit drying has the potential to reduce food insecurity in developing nations. One possible technique for drying fruit is to use solar dryers. This technique is easy to use without requiring high investments. However, the drying technique can be challenging. One problem is that the drying rate could be different depending on where in the dryer the process takes place. At the beginning of the dryer, the air is dry and warm while at the exit it has picked up moisture from the products and has cooled down. This could result in severe problems for the user. One possible solution is to have an arrangement that inverts the direction of the airflow periodically. This means that the entrance and the exit of the air are shifted. Thus, the drying rate evens out. Results from the performed simulations shows that the difference in drying rate comparing the fastest with the slowest drying rate in the dryer can be reduced from approximately 110 % to 10 % with this approach. Furthermore, this paper also describes how weather condition for a design day was established. This weather condition can be used for more accurate estimates regarding drying rates and temperatures in the solar dryer. (Less)