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Performance Evaluation of an Indirect-Mode Forced Convection Solar Dryer Equipped with a PV/T Air Collector for Drying Tomato Slices

Author

Listed:
  • Houssam Chouikhi

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
    Laboratory of Electromechanical Systems (LASEM), National School of Engineers of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia)

  • Baher M. A. Amer

    (Department of Agricultural Systems Engineering, College of Agricultural & Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
    Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt)

Abstract

This paper proposes an indirect-mode forced convection solar dryer equipped with a PV/T air collector. The PV/T air collector generates both heated air and electrical energy, which are used to force convection in the solar dryer. Experiments were carried out on selected tomato slices for which the temperature and humidity readings as well as the masses of the dried samples were instantaneously recorded for two days. A thermal analysis was performed on the solar drying system to investigate its performance. The PV/T dryer’s air temperature and velocity simulation using CFD modeling were validated by the experimental results for which the drying chamber was empty, without tomato slices. The experimental and numerical results were in good agreement. The difference between the CFD model and the experimental results for air temperature was around 1 °C (3%) and 2 °C (5%) for the solar collector and drying chamber, respectively. The average daily efficiencies of the collector, dryer, and PV panel for the solar drying system were estimated to be 30.9%, 15.2%, and 8.7%, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Houssam Chouikhi & Baher M. A. Amer, 2023. "Performance Evaluation of an Indirect-Mode Forced Convection Solar Dryer Equipped with a PV/T Air Collector for Drying Tomato Slices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:5070-:d:1096116
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    References listed on IDEAS

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