Performance analysis of solar air dryer for drying different spices

Abstract The present work is confined to the fabrication of a solar dryer for drying spices and evaluates the performance of the collector and dryer system. The materials for each component of the dryer system is chosen considering different parameters effecting the performance of the dryer which includes design, operational, meteorological and environmental parameters. The experiments were carried out for 1 kg of two different types of spices and the drying efficiency is estimated to be 3.81 % for red chilly and 2.04 % for turmeric. The collector temperature is varying between 58ºC to 90ºC and the drying chamber temperature is varying between 46ºC to 60ºC during the entire observation period for an ambient temperature of 36ºC to 41ºC. The collector efficiency is varied from 28% to 45 %. The variation in moisture content and drying rate over the drying period are analysed and presented.