Modeling and Experimental Studies on Oscillating Inclined-Bed Solar Dryer

Abstract

This paper presents a mathematical model for drying agricultural produce using a solar dryer capable of oscillating its bed while kept at an inclined position with respect to vertical. A model of the solar dryer with double-pass flat plate collector and an oscillating-bed has been fabricated and tested for drying agricultural produce (sunflower seeds). The model can predict the change in the absolute humidity of air across the bed, the temperature of the air, the moisture content, and the dryer thermal efficiency. Sunflower seeds were dried on a physical model of the solar dryer with its bed tilted at different angles and oscillated at different frequencies. The predicted and the experimental results are in good agreement. The average error and standard deviation for the absolute humidity of air across the bed is 1.74 and 1.55%, the exit temperature of air leaving the bed is 1.11and 1.21%, and the dryer thermal efficiency is 0.78 and 1.33%, respectively.