Experimental Analysis of Corn Drying in A Sustainable Solar Dryer

Abstract

An energy analysis of corn grains drying was carried out to assess the performance of a forced-ventilation solar-cabin hybrid dryer. The major components of the dryer are a PV system, a solar collector and a drying chamber. Two fans were used to generate the forced-convection airflow and an electrical heater was used to ensure that the products will not reabsorb water from the airflow, by keeping the airflow temperature always higher than ambient temperature. A sustainable drying was accomplished with the use of a the PV system to feed the fans and the electrical heater. The corn grains were dried from a moisture content of 23% to 13% in 8.5 h, with average thermal and drying efficiencies of 27% and 6%, respectively.