doi:10.1016/j.solener.2007.08.002
Copyright © 2007 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Technical feasibility assessment of a solar chimney for food drying
André G. Ferreiraa,
,
, Cristiana B. Maiab, Márcio F.B. Cortezc and Ramón M. Vallec
aDepartamento de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia, Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte, Av. Professor Mário Werneck, 1685. Buritis, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 30455-610, Brazil
bPontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Av. Dom José Gaspar, 500 – Coração Eucarístico, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 30535-901, Brazil
cDepartamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 – Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, CEP 31270-901, Brazil
Received 4 October 2006;
revised 6 June 2007;
accepted 9 August 2007.
Communicated by: Associate Editor I Farkas.
Available online 7 September 2007.
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Abstract
Solar dryers use free and renewable energy sources, reduce drying losses (as compared to sun drying) and show lower operational costs than the artificial drying, thus presenting an interesting alternative to conventional dryers. This work proposes to study the feasibility of a solar chimney to dry agricultural products. To assess the technical feasibility of this drying device, a prototype solar chimney, in which the air velocity, temperature and humidity parameters were monitored as a function of the solar incident radiation, was built. Drying tests of food, based on theoretical and experimental studies, assure the technical feasibility of solar chimneys used as solar dryers for agricultural products. The constructed chimney generates a hot airflow with a yearly average rise in temperature (compared to the ambient air temperature) of 13 ± 1 °C. In the prototype, the yearly average mass flow was found to be 1.40 ± 0.08 kg/s, which allowed a drying capacity of approximately 440 kg.
Keywords: Solar chimney; Solar drying; Technical feasibility
Fig. 1. Schematic representation of the solar chimney prototype as a solar dryer.
Fig. 2. Solar chimney prototype.
Fig. 3. Distribution of the daily solar radiation.
Fig. 4. Daily minimum, average and maximum ambient air temperature for the performed tests.
Fig. 5. Daily minimum, average and maximum flow temperature for the performed tests.
Fig. 6. Minimum, average and maximum daily mass flow for the performed tests.
Fig. 7. Drying curve of coffee bean dried using the solar chimney and natural sun drying.
Fig. 8. Drying curve of bananas dried using the solar chimney and natural sun drying.
Fig. 9. Drying curve of tomatoes dried using the solar chimney and natural sun drying.