Abstract:
Currently, solar drying is among the most important applications of solar energy. This type of drying is one of the most suitable solutions for preserving agricultural products, especially in developing countries. In order to improve the solar drying process, a new indirect solar dryer with natural convection was designed, built, and tested in the climatic conditions of the Adrar region (Algerian Sahara). The construction and experimentation phases were preceded by modeling of the dryer. The heat balances of its main components, drying chamber and solar collector, were established, and the resulting equations were solved by the 4th order Range Kutta method. The effect of many parameters on the drying kinetics was examined. In order to validate on the one hand the numerical results and to demonstrate on the other hand the efficiency of the proposed prototype, measurement companions of many parameters (solar radiation, temperatures of the horizontal and vertical absorbers of the solar collector, temperatures in and at the outlet of the latter, temperature, and humidity of the drying air, water content of tomato and henna products), were carried out for four days, one per season. The results obtained strongly encourage the installation of the proposed indirect solar dryer in the Saharan environment. Such a device will undoubtedly make it possible to conserve the surplus crops of agro-food products and medicinal plants, limit or even eliminate the significant losses recorded each year. Such a device will undoubtedly make it possible to conserve the surplus crops of agro-food products and medicinal plants, limit or even eliminate the significant losses recorded each year. The device will undoubtedly contribute to the socioeconomic development of these desert regions.
