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Sample records for solar crop dryer

  1. Test of a solar crop dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oestergaard Jensen, S. [Teknologisk Institut. SolEnergiCentret, Taastrup (Denmark); Floejgaard Kristensen, E. [Danmarks JordbrugsForskning, Tjele (Denmark); Forman, T. [Aidt Miljoe A/S, Thorsoe (Denmark)

    2001-01-01

    One of the major goals of the project 'Test and Research Project into the Drying of Food and Wood Products with Solar Heat' was to develop and test a solar crop dryer for use in Ghana. Based on a survey in Ghana (Jensen, Frank and Kristensen, 1999) it was decided to develop a dryer for drying of maize for seed as the increase in value of the crop due the drying here would be high - the dryer may, however, also be used to dry other crops or other items - one unit will e.g. be erected in Ghana to test drying of fish. The capacity of the dryer was defined to be 500 kg having a collector area of approx 25 m{sup 2}. It was decided to let the dryer consist of 5 separate units each with a transparent collector area of 4.77 m{sup 2} and a capacity of approx. 100 kg. The modulized concept has several benfits: If one drying bed is operated improperly this will not affect the total quantity of crops being dried at that time. It is possible to dry different crops (creating different pressure drop) side by side without risking that the crop with the highest pressure drop will be dried improperly. Small dc fans are often cheaper than larger dc fans. The system will be less complex, and an even air distribution over the drying bed is easier obtainable. Finally it is possible to start with only one unit and then gradually increase the capacity of the solar dryer - this will make it easier to invest in a solar dryer. It was further decided that the fans of the dryer should be powered directly by PV-panels in order to make the dryer independent of an often unreliable, missing or expensive grid. The dryer is going to be erected and tested at Silwood Farms situated close to Accra. Silwood Farms has total land acreage of 210 acres where 176 acres are used for cultivating maize - the rest is used for gowing pineapple. A majority of the maize is processed into seed. The main harvest season for maize at Silwood Farms is August/September with a smaller harvest period in January

  2. Experimental investigations of a chimney-dependent solar crop dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Afriyie, J.K.; Nazha, M.A.A.; Rajakaruna, H. [School of Engineering and Technology, De Montfort University, Queens Building, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH (United Kingdom); Forson, F.K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana)

    2009-01-15

    An experimental investigation into the performance of a solar crop dryer with solar chimney and no air preheating is described. Tests were first performed on the cabinet dryer, using a normal chimney. The trials were repeated with a solar chimney. Still with the solar chimney, further trials were carried out with the roof of the drying chamber inclined further to form a tent dryer. The described tests include no-load tests for airflow rate measurements and drying tests, with cassava as the crop. Air velocities, temperatures, ambient relative humidity and the drop in crop moisture contents at different stages of the drying process are also presented. The effects of the various configurations described above on the drying process are deduced and discussed while comparing the experimental results with one another. In addition, the performance of the dryer in relation to other natural convection dryers is discussed. The results show that the solar chimney can increase the airflow rate of a direct-mode dryer especially when it is well designed with the appropriate angle of drying-chamber roof. However, the increase in flow rate only increases the drying rate when the relative humidity (RH) of the ambient air is below a certain mark (60% for cassava). (author)

  3. Performance Evaluation of a Pebble Bed Solar Crop Dryer ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nigerian Journal of Technology ... The solar crop dryer consists of an imbedded pebble bed solar heat storage unit/solar collector ... The crop-drying chamber is made of drying trays of wire gauze while the roof is made of transparent glazing.

  4. Test of solar dryers in Ghana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oestergaard Jensen, S. [Teknologisk Institut. SolEnergiCentret, Taastrup (Denmark); Floejgaard Kristensen, E. [Danmarks JordbrugsForskning, Tjele (Denmark); Agyei, F. [FAGOD Ltd. (Ghana); Larsen, T. [Clipper Design Ltd. (Ghana); Nketiah, K.S. [FORIG (Ghana)

    2002-06-01

    The report describes the tests carried out in Ghana on three solar dryers as part of the project 'Test and Research Project into the Drying of Food and Wood Products with Solar Heat' financed by DANIDA. The main objective of the project was to develop and test solar dryers for crop, fish and wood in Ghana. Three dryers were erected: 1. Solar crop dryer: The solar crop dryer was erected at Silwood Farms at Pokuase about 30 km north of Accra. Silwood Farms grows primarily maize for seed and pineapples, 2. Solar fish dryer: The solar fish dryer was erected at Elite Enterprise Ltd. at Tema about 35 km east-north-east of Accra. Elite Enterprise Ltd. buys and dries fish, 3. Solar wood dryer: The solar wood dryers were erected at Clipper Design Ltd. at Mankoadze about 65 km west-south-west of Accra. Clipper Design Ltd. produces mainly doors. (BA)

  5. performance evaluation of a pebble bed solar crop dryer abstract

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr Obe

    The open-air sun drying is prevalent and very common in the rural areas. Farmers spread their agricultural produce such as maize, cassava, pepper, tomatoes etc. ... drying system. The abundance of solar radiation in. Nigeria could make crop drying with solar dryers very easy and simple. Economic appraisal of solar drying ...

  6. Development of an active solar crop dryer: design analysis and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The design analysis and performance evaluation of an active solar crop dryer was undertaken by drying marched cassava. The drying rate, system drying, collector and pick-up efficiencies were 1.6kg/day (14%/day), 9%, 46% and 29% respectively. Comparatively, the drying rate for sun drying was 0.9kg/day. The collector ...

  7. Design of mixed-mode natural convection solar crop dryers: Application of principles and rules of thumb

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forson, F.K.; Akuffo, F.O. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana); Nazha, M.A.A.; Rajakaruna, H. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, De Montfort University, Queens Building, Leicester LE1 9BH (United Kingdom)

    2007-11-15

    A mixed-mode natural convection solar crop dryer (MNCSCD) designed and used for drying cassava and other crops in an enclosed structure is presented. A prototype of the dryer was constructed to specification and used in experimental drying tests. This paper outlines the systematic combination of the application of basic design concepts, and rules of thumb resulting from numerous and several years of experimental studies used and presents the results of calculations of the design parameters. A batch of cassava 160 kg by mass, having an initial moisture content of 67% wet basis from which 100 kg of water is required to be removed to have it dried to a desired moisture content of 17% wet basis, is used as the drying load in designing the dryer. A drying time of 30-36 h is assumed for the anticipated test location (Kumasi; 6.7 N,1.6 W) with an expected average solar irradiance of 400 W/m{sup 2} and ambient conditions of 25 C and 77.8% relative humidity. A minimum of 42.4 m{sup 2} of solar collection area, according to the design, is required for an expected drying efficiency of 12.5%. Under average ambient conditions of 28.2 C and 72.1% relative humidity with solar irradiance of 340.4 W/m{sup 2}, a drying time of 35.5 h was realised and the drying efficiency was evaluated as 12.3% when tested under full designed load signifying that the design procedure proposed is sufficiently reliable. (author)

  8. Natural convection solar crop dryers in Kenya: Theory and practical application. African Energy Programme research report series no. 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Othieno, H.

    1987-01-01

    The African Energy Programme (AEP) was established by the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC) to strengthen Africa's scientific and technical capabilities to develop and utilise the continent's enormous renewable energy resources to assist its socio-economic development. The AEP was conceived at a regional workshop held at Arusha, Tanzania in 1979, at which African researchers met to share their experiences of and explored the feasibility of establishing a collaborative regional R and D programme to develop and adapt technologies appropriate to the specific needs of the participating countries. The AEP researchers accorded the highest priority to seeking solutions to the energy problems of Africa's predominantly rural populations and identified eight project areas as the nodes for regional collaborative research and development: 1. Biogas for rural development; 2. Wood/Charcoal production and utilisation; 3. Solar crop drying; 4. Solar thermal heating and cooling; 5. Wind electricity generation; 6. Wind water pumping; 7. Resources Assessments; 8. Energy policy and planning. The primary goal of the AEP activities were to develop indigenous national capabilities to enable the examination and application of technological solutions appropriate to the unique problems and socio-cultural environments of each country. However, the severe limitations on expertise and the broad similarity of many of the critical problems favoured regional R and D cooperation around common techniques and methodologies in each project area. This work has made a significant contribution to Science and Technology. Prior to this work there was no detailed information in natural convection solar dryers. This work has exposed a number of critical design factors which must be considered in order to design an efficient dryer. Buoyancy-induced pressure inside the dryer, problems of multiple radiative heat exchange in the heater and cooling effects of wind have been studied in detail. The final dryer

  9. Natural convection solar crop dryers in Kenya: Theory and practical application. African Energy Programme research report series no. 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Othieno, H [Kenyatta University, Nairobi (Kenya)

    1987-07-01

    The African Energy Programme (AEP) was established by the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC) to strengthen Africa's scientific and technical capabilities to develop and utilise the continent's enormous renewable energy resources to assist its socio-economic development. The AEP was conceived at a regional workshop held at Arusha, Tanzania in 1979, at which African researchers met to share their experiences of and explored the feasibility of establishing a collaborative regional R and D programme to develop and adapt technologies appropriate to the specific needs of the participating countries. The AEP researchers accorded the highest priority to seeking solutions to the energy problems of Africa's predominantly rural populations and identified eight project areas as the nodes for regional collaborative research and development: 1. Biogas for rural development; 2. Wood/Charcoal production and utilisation; 3. Solar crop drying; 4. Solar thermal heating and cooling; 5. Wind electricity generation; 6. Wind water pumping; 7. Resources Assessments; 8. Energy policy and planning. The primary goal of the AEP activities were to develop indigenous national capabilities to enable the examination and application of technological solutions appropriate to the unique problems and socio-cultural environments of each country. However, the severe limitations on expertise and the broad similarity of many of the critical problems favoured regional R and D cooperation around common techniques and methodologies in each project area. This work has made a significant contribution to Science and Technology. Prior to this work there was no detailed information in natural convection solar dryers. This work has exposed a number of critical design factors which must be considered in order to design an efficient dryer. Buoyancy-induced pressure inside the dryer, problems of multiple radiative heat exchange in the heater and cooling effects of wind have been studied in detail. The final dryer

  10. Development of an Active Solar Crop Dryer: Design Analysis and Performance Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itodo, I. N.; Adewole, A.M.; Edemaku, S.K.

    2002-01-01

    A forced convection indirect solar dryer powered by a PVC module was designed and evaluated. The performance of the dryer was poor; its drying rate, collector and system drying efficiency were 0.74 kg/day, 12% and 10% respectively. The dryer was redesigned and modified into a direct forced convection type- Its design analysis and performance evaluation was undertaken by drying mashed cassava. The drying rate, system drying collector and pick-up efficiencies were 1,6 kg/day (14%/day), 9%, 46% and 29% respectively. Comparatively, the drying rate for sun drying was 0.9 kg/day. The collector efficiency compared very well to the designed value of 48% and may not need further improvement. The pick-up efficiency also compared well with typical averages for this dryer type. The drying rate and system drying efficiency Indicate the need for further development of this dryer. Prediction equations were developed from the results of measured differences in collector, dryer and ambient air temperatures plotted on graphs and applying regression. It is recommended that the volumetric air-flow rate across the drying unit should he improved by affecting the tan speed and air inlet area of the dryer. The improved dryer will subsequently be compared to a natural convection dryer so that an appropriate dryer technology can be recommended for the rural small-scale farmers

  11. Performance of indirect solar cabinet dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreekumar, A.; Manikantan, P.E.; Vijayakumar, K.P.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, the development and testing of a new type of efficient solar dryer, particularly meant for drying vegetables and fruit, is described. The dryer has two compartments: one for collecting solar radiation and producing thermal energy and the other for spreading the product to be dried. This arrangement was made to absorb maximum solar radiation by the absorber plate. In this dryer, the product was loaded beneath the absorber plate, which prevented the problem of discoloration due to irradiation by direct sunlight. Two axial flow fans, provided in the air inlet, can accelerate the drying rate. The dryer had six perforated trays for loading the material. The absorber plate of the dryer attained a temperature of 97.2 deg. C when it was studied under no load conditions. The maximum air temperature in the dryer, under this condition was 78.1 deg. C. The dryer was loaded with 4 kg of bitter gourd having an initial moisture content of 95%, and the final desired moisture content of 5% was achieved within 6 h without losing the product colour, while it was 11 h for open sun drying. The collector glazing was inclined at a particular angle, suitable to the location, for absorption of maximum solar radiation. A detailed performance analysis was done by three methods, namely 'annualized cost method', 'present worth of annual savings' and 'present worth of cumulative savings'. The drying cost for 1 kg of bitter gourd was calculated as Rs. 17.52, and it was Rs. 41.35, in the case of an electric dryer. The life span of the solar dryer was assumed to be 20 years. The cumulative present worth of annual savings over the life of the solar dryer was calculated for bitter gourd drying, and it turned out be Rs. 31659.26, which was much higher than the capital cost of the dryer (Rs. 6500). The payback period was calculated as 3.26 years, which was also very small considering the life of the system (20 years). So, the dryer would dry products free of cost during almost its

  12. Modelling and experimental studies on a mixed-mode natural convection solar crop-dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forson, F.K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana); Nazha, M.A.A.; Rajakaruna, H. [School of Engineering and Technology, De Montfort University, Queens Building, Leicester LE1 9BH (United Kingdom)

    2007-03-15

    A mathematical model for drying agricultural products in a mixed-mode natural convection solar crop dryer (MNCSCD) using a single-pass double-duct solar air-heater (SPDDSAH) is presented. The model was developed in parallel with experimental work. The model comprises the air-heating process model, the drying model and the technical performance criteria model. The governing equations of the drying air temperature and humidity ratio; the material temperature and its moisture content; and performance criteria indicators are derived. The model requires the solution of a number of interrelated non-linear equations and a set of simultaneous differential equations. Results from experimental studies used for generating the required experimental data for validating the model are presented. Results of simulation runs using the model are presented and compared with the experimental data. It is shown that the model can predict the performance of the MNCSCD fairly accurately and therefore can be used as a design tool for prototype development. (author)

  13. Performance of indirect solar cabinet dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreekumar, A.; Manikantan, P.E.; Vijayakumar, K.P. [Solar Thermal Energy Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022 (India)

    2008-06-15

    In this paper, the development and testing of a new type of efficient solar dryer, particularly meant for drying vegetables and fruit, is described. The dryer has two compartments: one for collecting solar radiation and producing thermal energy and the other for spreading the product to be dried. This arrangement was made to absorb maximum solar radiation by the absorber plate. In this dryer, the product was loaded beneath the absorber plate, which prevented the problem of discoloration due to irradiation by direct sunlight. Two axial flow fans, provided in the air inlet, can accelerate the drying rate. The dryer had six perforated trays for loading the material. The absorber plate of the dryer attained a temperature of 97.2 C when it was studied under no load conditions. The maximum air temperature in the dryer, under this condition was 78.1 C. The dryer was loaded with 4 kg of bitter gourd having an initial moisture content of 95%, and the final desired moisture content of 5% was achieved within 6 h without losing the product colour, while it was 11 h for open sun drying. The collector glazing was inclined at a particular angle, suitable to the location, for absorption of maximum solar radiation. A detailed performance analysis was done by three methods, namely 'annualized cost method', 'present worth of annual savings' and 'present worth of cumulative savings'. The drying cost for 1 kg of bitter gourd was calculated as Rs. 17.52, and it was Rs. 41.35, in the case of an electric dryer. The life span of the solar dryer was assumed to be 20 years. The cumulative present worth of annual savings over the life of the solar dryer was calculated for bitter gourd drying, and it turned out be Rs. 31659.26, which was much higher than the capital cost of the dryer (Rs. 6500). The payback period was calculated as 3.26 years, which was also very small considering the life of the system (20 years). So, the dryer would dry products free of cost

  14. Survey on solar dryers for drying of food and wood in Ghana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oestergaard Jensen, S.; Correll Frank, F. [Danish Technological Inst., Taastrup (Denmark); Floejgaard Kristensen, E. [Danish Inst. of Agricultural Sciences, Tjele (Denmark)

    1999-11-01

    The survey was conducted as a part of the project 'Test and Research Project into the Drying of Food and Wood Products with Solar Heat'. The aim of the survey was to investigate the need for drying of food and wood in Ghana and the already existing experience on solar drying in order to form a basis for the initial decisions within the project concerning the location of three demonstration solar dryers for crops, fish and wood, which species to dry and the type of solar dryers. The project deals with transfer of knowledge in the field of drying of crops and wood and solar air heating systems from Denmark to Ghana. The aim of the survey was, therefore, also to give the Danish experts an impression of the conditions in Ghana in order to facilitate an appropriate design of the solar dryers. Three of the four Danish partners participated in the survey. The fourth Danish partner - the manufacturer of solar heating systems Aidt Miljoe - are already familiar with the conditions in Ghana due to an earlier project in Ghana. The survey was planed by the Energy Commission of Ghana, the Ghanaian partner and consultants: DENG, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi and Econkoad. The time schedules for the survey - one for crops/fish and one for wood - are found in Annex A. The schedules were very well prepared and the sites to visit were well chosen. The visits gave the Danish experts a good overview of the situation in Ghana in the field of post harvesting of crops, handling of fish, drying and manufacturing of wood and existing experience on solar drying. The schedules included a large variety of different information and impressions e.g. ranging from large sawmill to small carpenters and workshops. Despite tight schedules the consultants managed to stick very close to the time schedules shown in Annex A. (au)

  15. Multi-shelf domestic solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Parm Pal; Singh, Sukhmeet; Dhaliwal, S.S.

    2006-01-01

    The solar dryer described in this paper can be used for drying various products at home under hygienic conditions with the self guarantee of adulteration free product. This solar dryer is of multi-shelf design, consisting of three perforated trays arranged one above the other. The drying air flows through the product by natural circulation. One of its novel features is variable inclination to capture more solar energy in different seasons. Another novel feature is the option to dry product under shade or without shade as per requirement. The rate of drying is uniform in all the trays due to heating of the air by solar energy in between the trays. The maximum stagnation temperature of this solar dryer was found to be 100 deg. C in the month of November at Ludhiana (31 o N). The moisture evaporation on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd drying day for drying fenugreek leaves was 0.23, 0.18 and 0.038 kg/m 2 h. To overcome the problem of reduction in efficiency on the second and third drying day, a semi-continuous mode of loading has been investigated, in which the efficiency remains almost the same on all drying days. The drying rate in the dryer was more than double that in open shade drying. Moreover, the final moisture content of the product was low enough (7.3% wb) for grinding it to a powder form and for good shelf life (1 year). An uncertainty analysis was performed, and the uncertainty in the efficiency was found to be 1.35%. An economic analysis was performed by three methods. The cost of drying fenugreek leaves in the domestic solar dryer turned out to be about 60% of that in an electric dryer. The cumulative present worth of the savings are much higher (18,316 Rupees) than the capital cost of the dryer (1600 Rupees). The payback period is also very low (<2 years) as compared to the life of the dryer (20 years), so the dryer will dry product free of cost during almost its entire life period. The quality and shelf life of the dried products are comparable to those of

  16. Simulation of Hybrid Solar Dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yunus, Y M; Al-Kayiem, H H

    2013-01-01

    The efficient performance of a solar dryer is mainly depending on the good distribution of the thermal and flow field inside the dryer body. This paper presents simulation results of a solar dryer with a biomass burner as backup heater. The flow and thermal fields were simulated by CFD tools under different operational modes. GAMBIT software was used for the model and grid generation while FLUENT software was used to simulate the velocity and temperature distribution inside the dryer body. The CFD simulation procedure was validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental measurement. The simulation results show acceptable agreement with the experimental measurements. The simulations have shown high temperature spot with very low velocity underneath the solar absorber and this is an indication for the poor design. Many other observations have been visualized from the temperature and flow distribution which cannot be captured by experimental measurements.

  17. Thermal Testing Methods for Solar Dryers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, Shobhana

    2017-01-01

    Solar food drying is a complex heat and mass transfer phenomena which depend on a number of drying process-dependent parameters such as operating conditions and characteristics of the food product to be dried. The variation in these parameters significantly affects the overall performance...... of the dryer system. Since commercial growth and acceptance of any solar dryer system momentously depend on its performance guarantee, the development of a standard methodology for their thermal testing has become necessary. The standard testing method not only provides better performance management...... of the dryer system but allows the manufacturers to achieve competitive efficiency and good product quality by comparing the available designs. In this chapter, an extensive review of solar dryer performance evaluation has been carried out. Furthermore, the chapter describes the existing testing procedures...

  18. Design aspects of integrated compact thermal storage system for solar dryer applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajaraman, R.; Velraj, R.; Renganarayanan, S.

    2000-01-01

    Solar energy is an excellent source for drying of crops, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural and forest products. Though the availability of solar energy is plenty, it is time dependent in nature. The energy need for some applications is also time dependent, but in a different pattern and phase from the solar energy supply. This implies that the solar dryer should be integrated with an efficient thermal storage system to match the time-dependent supply and end-use requirements. Based on the studies carried out on Latent Heat Thermal Storage (LHTS) Systems, it is observed that when air is used as the heat transfer fluid in LHTS system, nearly uniform surface heat flux can be achieved. Hence the LHTS systems are most suitable for air based solar drying applications. In the present work some major conclusions arrived from the investigations on LHTS systems and the design considerations for the integrated latent heat thermal storage for the solar dryer are reported. (Author)

  19. solar dryer with biomass backup heater for drying fruits

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SOLAR DRYER WITH BIOMASS BACKUP HEATER FOR DRYING FRUITS: DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS. ... Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana) ... Most solar dryers rely on only solar energy as the heat source.

  20. CFD analysis for greenhouse effect solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wulandani, D.; Abdullah, K.; Hartulistiyoso, E.; Siswantara, I.

    2006-01-01

    Greenhouse Effect (GHE) solar dryer is a transparent wall structure, consists of absorber plate as solar heat collector, product holders (tray or batch) and fans to discharge moisture from the product. GHE solar dryer is one of the alternative dryer for the farmer and merchants to improve the quality of dried products. Direct sun drying is still popular choice by farmers because it is cheap and simple. However, the method is greatly dependent on the existence of solar irradiation and the product is contaminated very easily by pollution and dirt. The general constraint in designing artificial dryer is the problem of non-uniformity of final moisture content of product, especially for the cabinet of rack type dryer. This condition can be solved by providing uniform distribution of temperature, relative humidity (RH) and airflow velocity of the drying air. Therefore, in this study, such problem was approached by conducting flow simulation within the drying structure by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology to determine the proper position of drying air inlet and outlet, location and capacity of the heat exchanger unit, the position and the capacity of the fan, to produce uniform distribution of the drying air temperature, RH and airflow velocity within the drying chamber.(Author)

  1. Design and testing of solar dryers for processing food wastes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nijmeh, M.N.; Ragab, A.S.; Emeish, M.S. [University of Jordan, Amman (Jordan). Mechanical Engineering Dept.; Jubran, B.A. [International Islamic University of Malaysia, Kaula Lumpur (Malaysia). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    1998-12-01

    This paper investigates the potential of using two solar dryers manufactured from locally available materials under Jordanian climatic conditions for drying food wastes for utilization as animal feed. The first dryer is a radiative-convective type, while the second is a solar boiler dryer. Tests were also conducted to investigate the nutritious values of the dried products and their suitability as animal feed. It was found from tests that the solar boiler dryer is more efficient than the radiative-convective dryer for producing animal feed in terms of both quality and quantity. The nutritious values of the end products from the dryers were found to be within the international recommended values used for feeding chickens. (author)

  2. Design and performance evaluation of a new hybrid solar dryer for banana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amer, B.M.A.; Hossain, M.A.; Gottschalk, K.

    2010-01-01

    A hybrid solar dryer was designed and constructed using direct solar energy and a heat exchanger. The dryer consists of solar collector, reflector, heat exchanger cum heat storage unit and drying chamber. The drying chamber was located under the collector. The dryer was operated during normal sunny days as a solar dryer, and during cloudy day as a hybrid solar dryer. Drying was also carried out at night with stored heat energy in water which was collected during the time of sun-shine and with electric heaters located at water tank. The efficiency of the solar dryer was raised by recycling about 65% of the drying air in the solar dryer and exhausting a small amount of it outside the dryer. Under Mid-European summer conditions it can raise up the air temperature from 30 to 40 deg. C above the ambient temperature. The solar dryer was tested for drying of ripe banana slices. The capacity of the dryer was to dry about 30 kg of banana slices in 8 h in sunny day from an initial moisture content of 82% to the final moisture content of 18% (wb). In the same time it reduced to only 62% (wb) moisture content in open sun drying method. The colour, aroma and texture of the solar dried products were better than the sun drying products.

  3. Correlations of Mean Process Parameters for Agricultural Products Drying in Thin Bed in Solar Direct Dryers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MSc. Ciro César Bergues-Ricardo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available A group of correlations is given between mean parameters of drying process drying velocity, energy losses, useful energy, and thermal efficiency. Those are suitable for conditions of thin bed drying, in direct solar dryers, and may help for developing of an integral approach of solar drying in those conditions. Correlations are reliable for drying processes of diverse crop products specified, suchas roots, seeds, vegetables, fruits, wood, etc, with natural or forced convection. Correlations were validated in Cuba for usual ranges of efficiency and products in solar dryers of cover, cabinet and house types, in tropical conditions. These correlations are useful for design and exploitation ofdryers and for theoretical and practical comprehension of solar drying like a system.

  4. Silk cocoon drying in forced convection type solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Panna Lal

    2011-01-01

    The thin layer silk cocoon drying was studied in a forced convection type solar dryer. The drying chamber was provided with several trays on which the cocoons loaded in thin layer. The hot air generated in the solar air heater was forced into drying chamber to avoid the direct exposure of sunlight and UV radiation on cocoons. The drying air temperature varied from 50 to 75 o C. The cocoon was dried from the initial moisture content of about 60-12% (wb). The drying data was fitted to thin layer drying models. Drying behaviour of the silk cocoon was best fitted with the Wang and Singh drying model. Good agreement was obtained between predicted and experimental values. Quality of the cocoons dried in the solar dryer was at par with the cocoons dried in the conventional electrical oven dryer in term of the silk yield and strength of the silk. Saving of electrical energy was about 0.75 kWh/kg cocoons dried. Economic analysis indicated that the NPV of the solar dryer was higher and more stable (against escalation rate of electricity) as compare to the same for electrical oven dryer. Due to simplicity in design and construction and significant saving of operational electrical energy, solar cocoon dryer seems to be a viable option.

  5. Development and Evaluation of Solar Tunnel Dryer for Commercial Fish Drying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohod, A. G.; Khandetod, Y. P.; Shrirame, H. Y.

    2014-01-01

    The local practice of drying fish in open sun drying poses problems such as high moisture content, uncontrolled drying and contamination. These problems can be avoided by proper use of improved methods such as the solar tunnel dryer, which results in faster drying of fish. The semi cylindrical walk-in type natural convection solar tunnel dryer, having drying area of 37.5 m2 was developed and evaluated for the drying of fish products in comparison with the conventional method of open sun drying. The experiments were conducted without fish and with fish to evaluate the performance of solar tunnel dryer. The average rise in temperature inside the solar tunnel dryer was found to be 11.24 °C and 18.29 °C over the ambient temperature during no load test in winter and summer respectively. The average 28 % saving in time was observed for selected fish drying using solar tunnel dryer over open sun drying method with average drying efficiency of 19 %. The economics was calculated for drying of prawns ( Parapaeneopsis stylifera) by solar tunnel dryer and open sun drying system on the basis of business as a whole. The economics of the solar tunnel dryer is presented in term of Net present worth, Benefit-Cost Ratio, Payback period, Profitability index and Internal rate of return. The pay back period for solar tunnel dryer was found to be 2.84 years.

  6. Solar dryer with thermal storage and biomass-backup heater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Madhlopa, A. [Department of Physics and Biochemical Sciences, Malawi Polytechnic, P/Bag 303, Blantyre 3 (Malawi); Ngwalo, G. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malawi Polytechnic, P/Bag 303, Blantyre 3 (Malawi)

    2007-04-15

    An indirect type natural convection solar dryer with integrated collector-storage solar and biomass-backup heaters has been designed, constructed and evaluated. The major components of the dryer are biomass burner (with a rectangular duct and flue gas chimney), collector-storage thermal mass and drying chamber (with a conventional solar chimney). The thermal mass was placed in the top part of the biomass burner enclosure. The dryer was fabricated using simple materials, tools and skills, and it was tested in three modes of operation (solar, biomass and solar-biomass) by drying twelve batches of fresh pineapple (Ananas comosus), with each batch weighing about 20 kg. Meteorological conditions were monitored during the dehydration process. Moisture and vitamin C contents were determined in both fresh and dried samples. Results show that the thermal mass was capable of storing part of the absorbed solar energy and heat from the burner. It was possible to dry a batch of pineapples using solar energy only on clear days. Drying proceeded successfully even under unfavorable weather conditions in the solar-biomass mode of operation. In this operational mode, the dryer reduced the moisture content of pineapple slices from about 669 to 11% (db) and yielded a nutritious dried product. The average values of the final-day moisture-pickup efficiency were 15%, 11% and 13% in the solar, biomass and solar-biomass modes of operation respectively. It appears that the solar dryer is suitable for preservation of pineapples and other fresh foods. Further improvements to the system design are suggested. (author)

  7. Evaluation of hybrid solar – biomass dryer with no load

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yassen Tadahmun Ahmed

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Experimental study was carried out to investigate the performance of designed and fabricated hybrid solar-biomass dryer without load. The solar side was a natural convection mixed mode, while the biomass side was a hot air produced from a burner/gas to gas heat exchanger. The experiments have been conducted to test the dryer temperature, inlet and outlet relative humidity, outlet velocity, and biomass feeding rate. In the solar mode the maximum dryer temperature was 63°C. Behaviours of the velocity in the dryer was found to follow solar radiation available to the dryer. The velocity was in the range of 0.6 – 1.35 m/s through the 0.0176 m2 area of the outlet when the solar radiation was in the range of 150 – 880 W/m2. Two feeding rates of wood were used to investigate the dryer performance through the night. The results showed that at feeding rate 278 g/hr, the drying air mean temperature was 62 ºC. This temperature was more suitable than the measured drying air temperature at feeding rate 490 g/hr. Also the 62 °C drying environment is more stable and feasible for drying almost all types of products.

  8. Development and performance evaluation of forced convection potato solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, M.A.; Sabir, M.S.; Iqbal, M.

    2011-01-01

    This research paper deals with the design development and testing of a forced convection solar dryer, for drying and converting to flour of high moisture content vegetables like potatoes. The angle of solar collector was made adjustable for the absorption of maximum solar radiation by the absorber plate. The air flow rate was controlled by adjustable gate valve to find the optimum flow rate for dehydration of the product. The penetration of solar radiation raised the temperature of the absorber plate of the dryer to 110 deg. C during the operation under stagnation or no load conditions. The maximum air temperature attained in the solar air heater, under this condition was 80 deg. C. The dryer was loaded with 12 Kg of blanched potato chips having an initial moisture content of 89.75%, and the final desired moisture content of 6.95% was achieved within five hours without losing the color of potato chips, while the moisture contents reduction was from 89.75% to 33.75% for five hours in open sun drying under shade. The drying cost for 1 Kg of potatoes was calculated as Rs. 245 and it was Rs. 329 in the case of an electric dryer. The life span of the solar dryer was assumed to be 20 years. The cumulative present worth of annual savings over the life of the solar dryer was calculated for blanched potato chips drying, and it turned out be Rs.163177.67/- which was much higher than the capital cost of the dryer (Rs. 25000). The payback period was calculated as 0.89 years, which was also very small considering the life of the system (20 years). (author)

  9. Tropical field performance of dual-pass PV tray dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iskandar, A. Noor; Ya'acob, M. E.; Anuar, M. S.

    2017-09-01

    Solar Photovoltaic technology has become the preferable solution in many countries around the globe to solve the ever increasing energy demand of the consumers. In line with the consumer need, food processing technology has huge potentials of integration with the renewable energy resources especially in drying process which consumes the highest electricity loads. Traditionally, the solar dryer technology was applied in agriculture and food industries utilizing the sun's energy for drying process, but this is highly dependable on the weather condition and surrounding factors. This work shares some field performance of the new design of portable dual-pass PV tray dryer for drying crops in an enclosed system. The dual-pass PV tray dryer encompass a lightweight aluminium box structure with dimensions of 1.1m (L) x 0.6m (W) x 0.2m (H) and can hold a load capacity of 300g - 3kg of crop depending on the types of the crops. Experiments of field performance monitoring were conducted in October -November 2016 which justifies a considerable reduction in time and crops quality improvement when using the dual-pass PV tray dryer as compared to direct-sun drying.

  10. Performance of a desiccant assisted packed bed passive solar dryer for copra processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Padmanaban Govindarajulu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the performance of a novel desiccant assisted packed bed passive solar dryer was evaluated for copra processing and compared with conventional passive solar dryer. This novel solar dryer consists of a desiccant assisted packed bed solar air heater attached with a dryer cabin. The desiccant and phase change materials packed in the solar air heater has control the humidity and retains the heat for longer duration, respectively. The performance of the dryer was evaluated (in terms of drying time to attain the final equilibrium moisture content, drying rate, specific moisture extraction rate, pick-up efficiency, and dryer efficiency under the meteorological conditions of Coimbatore city in India during March and April 2016. The copra was dried from initial moisture content (wet basis of about 52% to the final moisture content (wet basis of about 8% in 62 hours with specific moisture extraction rate of 0.82 kg/kWh. The drying time was reduced by about 44 hours when compared to the conventional passive solar dryer. The dryer pick-up efficiency was varied between about 10% and 65%. The average dryer thermal efficiency was calculated to be about 32%. The quality of final dried product was found to be good.

  11. The Design And Development Of Solar Maize Dryer With Subsidiary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A solar Dryer with a subsidiary heating source for drying maize seed is designed and constructed. The dryer is made up a solar collector (heat source), the drying chamber (Product storage), and a subsidiary heating source (local oil). The plant when put in operation by expositing it to the solar rays, is capable of attaining a ...

  12. Experimental Investigation on an Energy Efficient Solar Tunnel Dryer

    OpenAIRE

    M. R. Seshan Ram

    2012-01-01

    The research determines the effectiveness of the solar tunnel dryer developed and the product dried in the device is superior in quality and also it is compatible with branded products available in the market. The study also determines Acetamide as Phase Key words: Solar Tunnel Dryer, Acetamide as Phase Change Materials, Conversion into Thermal Energy, Thermocouple, and Pyranometer

  13. Performance of a solar dryer using hot air from roof-integrated solar collectors for drying herbs and spices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Janjai, S.; Tung, P. [Silpakorn University, Pathom (Thailand). Dept. of Physics

    2005-11-01

    A solar dryer for drying herbs and spices using hot air from roof-integrated solar collectors was developed. The dryer is a bin type with a rectangular perforated floor. The bin has a dimension of 1.0 m x 2.0 m x 0.7 m. Hot air is supplied to the dryer from fiberglass-covered solar collectors, which also function as the roof of a farmhouse. The total area of the solar collectors is 72 m{sup 2}. To investigate its performance, the dryer was used to dry four batches of rosella flowers and three batches of lemon-grasses during the year 2002-2003. The dryer can be used to dry 200 kg of rosella flowers and lemon-grasses within 4 and 3 days, respectively. The products being dried in the dryer were completely protected from rains and insects and the dried products are of high quality. The solar air heater has an average daily efficiency of 35% and it performs well both as a solar collector and a roof of a farmhouse. (author)

  14. Low cost solar dryer for fish

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Administrator

    Department of Electrical and Other Energy Sources, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, DBSKKV, ... The average solar energy ranged between 450 - 500 ..... classification and selection of dryers, In Handbook of industrial.

  15. Conceptual design of pilot scale solar dryer for seaweeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Cuba))" data-affiliation=" (Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Química y Farmacia, Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Cuba))" >Roche-Delgado, Liset; Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Cuba))" data-affiliation=" (Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Química y Farmacia, Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Cuba))" >Hernández-Touset, Juan Pedro; Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Cuba))" data-affiliation=" (Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Química y Farmacia, Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas (Cuba))" >García-Rodríguez, Agustín

    2017-01-01

    Drying algal biomass with the use of solar radiation is an economical and environmentally compatible option. The aim of this work was to design an indirect solar dryer with natural air circulation for seaweeds drying. The equipment supports discrete quantities of wet biomass and is protected from environmental situations that may damage the product; it does not need electricity to operate and the construction and operating costs are low. This comprises a collector made of copper plates for air circulation, heated by solar radiation, a glass cover and drying trays with a wooden structure. The dryer was designed to obtain 0, 3 kg / day of dry biomass. The methodology allows construction and operation of a flexible solar dryer in different operating conditions for research on seaweeds. Correspondingly with environmental and operating conditions the design included estimation of drying time, the determination of drying area, number of trays, air flow from the collector to the trays, collector sizing; heat transfer area, temperature reached by air and collector efficiency. (author)

  16. Design, development and performance testing of a new natural convection solar dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pangavhane, D.R. [K.K. Wagh College of Engineering, Nashik (India). Department of Mechanical Engineering; Sawhney, R.L.; Sarsavadia, P.N. [Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidhyalaya, Indore (India). School of Energy and Environmental Studies

    2002-06-01

    Mechanical drying of agricultural products is an energy consuming operation in the post-harvesting technology. Greater emphasis is given to using solar energy sources in this process due to the high prices and shortages of fossil fuels. For these purposes, a new natural convection solar dryer consisting of a solar air heater and a drying chamber was developed. This system can be used for drying various agricultural products like fruits and vegetables. In this study, grapes were successfully dried in the developed solar dryer. The qualitative analysis showed that the traditional drying, i.e. shade drying and open sun drying, dried the grapes in 15 and 7 days respectively, while the solar dryer took only 4 days and produced better quality raisins. (author)

  17. Review on advanced of solar assisted chemical heat pump dryer for agriculture produce

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fadhel, M.I.; Sopian, K.; Daud, W.R.W.; Alghoul, M.A.

    2011-01-01

    Over the past three decades there has been nearly exponential growth in drying R and D on a global scale. Improving of the drying operation to save energy, improve product quality as well as reduce environmental effect remained as the main objectives of any development of drying system. A solar assisted chemical heat pump dryer is a new solar drying system, which have contributed to better cost-effectiveness and better quality dried products as well as saving energy. A solar collector is adapted to provide thermal energy in a reactor so a chemical reaction can take place. This reduces the dependency of the drying technology on fossil energy for heating. In this paper a review on advanced of solar assisted chemical heat pump dryer is presented (the system model and the results from experimental studies on the system performance are discussed). The review of heat pump dryers and solar assisted heat pump dryer is presented. Description of chemical heat pump types and the overview of chemical heat pump dryer are discussed. The combination of chemical heat pump and solar technology gives extra efficiency in utilizing energy. (author)

  18. Performance studies of solar tunnel dryer for drying aonla (Embilica Officinalis) pulp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seveda, M. S.

    2012-01-01

    A solar tunnel dryer was constructed and evaluated the performance for drying aonla pulp. The dryer consists of a transparent UV stabilized plastic covered solar collector cum drying unit. Evaluation parameters are air temperature, solar insolation, moisture content, relative humidity and airflow rate. A minimum of 111.18 m 2 solar collector area is required to dry a batch 1000 kg aonla pulp in 16 hours (two days drying period). The initial and final moisture content considered were 424.93 and 10.08% dry basis, respectively. It was observed that on an average 43 per cent of higher temperature was obtained in solar tunnel dryer over the ambient temperature. The results obtained during the test period denoted that the maximum gained energy occurred at 13 o'clock hour and then gradually declined since the maximum solar radiation occurred at this time. (author)

  19. Design and Evaluation of Solar Grain Dryer with a Back-up Heater

    OpenAIRE

    K.S. Tonui; E.B.K. Mutai; D.A. Mutuli; D.O. Mbuge; K.V. Too

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the study was to design and construct a solar grain dryer integrated with a simple biomass burner using locally available materials. This was to address the limitations of the natural sun drying for example drying exposure, liability to pests and rodents, over-dependence on sun and escalated cost of mechanical dryers. This became beneficial especially in reducing post-harvest losses as well as helping in the preservation of agricultural product. The dryer is composed of solar colle...

  20. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SOLAR DRYER WITH INDIRECT HEATING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boryana Brashlyanova

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The performed tests were designed to identify and analyze the parameters of drying in a authors model solar dryer. They to be the basis for constructing of an improved model. Drying was carried out in a pilot model solar dryer with prunes in two cycles. Both samples were run under steady sunshine in outdoor air temperature ranging between 20-22°C in the morning and 33-35°C in the early afternoon hours. Depending on the ambient conditions, the drying temperature was found in the range of 30 to 50°C. The dried samples had a water activity Aw> 0.9, due to which the storage is at -18°C. The duration of the drying process of prunes was inconstant and lasted from 2 to 3 days, depending on the final moisture content of the product and the external temperature, humidity, and intensity of solar radiation. The obtained two products intermediate moisture prunes, in addition to direct human consumption could be used as a base for incorporation into other products. Prunes with intermediate moisture content 40% could be consumed directly at ambient temperature or after freezing and tempering at -6 to -5ºC. Based on the established parameters we are to design and produce an improved solar dryer model that allows better utilization of heat and shortening the process duration.

  1. Natural convection solar dryer with biomass back-up heater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bena, B.; Fuller, R.J. [University of Melbourne (Australia). Faculty of Engineering

    2002-07-01

    A direct-type natural convection solar dryer and a simple biomass burner have been combined to demonstrate a drying technology suitable for small-scale processors of dried fruits and vegetables in non-electrified areas of developing countries. From a series of evaluation trials of the system, the capacity of the dryer was found to be 20-22kg of fresh pineapple arranged in a single layer of 0.01-m-thick slices. The overall drying efficiency of the unit was calculated to be {approx} 9%. During the same trial, the drying efficiency of the solar component alone was found to be 22%. Other trials estimated the efficiency of the burner in producing useful heat for drying to be 27%. Key features of the biomass burner were found to be the addition of thermal mass on the upper surface, an internal baffle plate to lengthen the exhaust gas exit path and a variable air inlet valve. Further modifications to further improve the performance of both the solar and biomass components of the dryer are suggested. (author)

  2. Mushroom dehydration in a hybrid-solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes, Alejandro; Mahn, Andrea; Cubillos, Francisco; Huenulaf, Pedro

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Mushrooms (Paris variety) were dehydrated in a hybrid solar dryer. ► Effective diffusivity was estimated by the Constant Diffusivity Model. ► Drying kinetics were adjusted by a semi-theoretical and the empirical Page model. ► Temperature, thickness and air recycle significantly affected critical moisture. ► The input of solar energy resulted in 3.5–12.5% electrical energy saving. - Abstract: Mushrooms (Paris variety) were dehydrated in a hybrid solar dryer (HSD) provided with a 3 m 2 solar panel and electric resistances. Mushrooms were cut in 8 mm or 4 mm thickness slices. At the outlet of the tray dryer 80–90% air was recycled and the air temperature was adjusted to the pre-defined levels (50 or 60 °C). At the outlet of the solar panel the air temperature raised between 2 and 20 °C above the ambient temperature, depending mainly of solar radiation level. Temperature, slices thickness and air recycle level had statistically significant effects on critical moisture content (X c ), as well as on the time necessary to reach a moisture content of 0.1 (wb). The color parameters of dehydrated mushroom indicate a notorious darkening, in all runs. Rehydration assays at 35 °C showed that in less than 30 min rehydrated mushrooms reached a moisture content of 0.8 (wb). Effective diffusivity (D eff ) was estimated by the Simplified Constant Diffusivity Model (SCDM), and it ranged between 6E−10 and 40E−10 m 2 /s, with R 2 higher than 0.98, agreeing with literature. The adjustment of experimental drying kinetics with the empirical Page’s model resulted in R 2 higher than 0.997. Finally, the input of solar energy resulted in 3.5–12.5% energy saving. These values could even be improved by increasing the agro-product load in the HSD

  3. Energetic and economic optimization of solar tunnel dryers with a photovoltaic driven fan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muehlbauer, W.; Mayer, R.A.; Esper, A.; Reisinger, L.; Linckh, G.; Hensel, O.

    1992-02-01

    In the recent years the solar tunnel dryer has been used successfully for drying several agricultural products in tropical and subtropical countries. Up to now the dissemination has been limited to electrified areas. Objective of this work has been the improvement of the thermal performance of the tunnel dryer due to a optimization of the plastic film solar air heater as well as optimization work in point of fluid dynamic view to reduce the power requirement of the blower. To improve the efficiency of the blower optimization work had been done by investigating several blower wheels, dc-motors and actuation systems. A PV-System was designed according to these requirements to test the long term behaviour. The remarkable features of the newly designed solar tunnel dryer are the low power requirement for driving the blower and a high efficiency of the actuation. In the range of a power requirement of 80 - 100 W a blower with an efficiency of 48% is now available. The theoretical power requirement of the solar tunnel dryer could be reduced to 11 W. From economic point of view the use of the solar tunnel dryer is possible. (orig.) With 3 refs., 15 tabs., 49 figs [de

  4. Current development of GHE solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamaruddin Abdullah

    2006-01-01

    Field tests of the previous GHE solar dryer design had shown that the system can be used effectively to dry various agricultural and marine products. In order to improve further the performance of this dryer, particularly, to reduce dependency on electricity, mechanical energy and on heat generated from non-renewable energy sources, several new prototypes are now in the stage of preliminary testing. These new systems were designed to dry granular products using vibrated drums and for non-granular products such as chili, sliced vegetables and fish products using vibrating racks. The hybrid renewable energy system for drying accommodate Savonius windmill for air moving device as well as vibration generator and simple biomass stove as auxiliary heating unit

  5. Thin layer drying characteristics of curry leaves (Murraya koenigii in an indirect solar dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijayan Selvaraj

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the thin layer drying characteristics of curry leaves (Murraya koenigii has been studied in an indirect forced convection solar dryer with constant air mass flow rate of 0.0636 kg/s. Twelve thin layer drying models were tested for its suitability to describe the drying characteristics of curry leaves. The dryer has reduced the initial moisture content of curry leaves from 67.3% (wet basis to the final moisture content of 4.75% (wet basis in 3.5 hours. The pickup efficiency of indirect solar dryer for drying curry leaves was varied between 4.9% and 23.02%. Based on the statistical parameters, the Modified Henderson and Pabis model and Wang and Singh model were selected for predicting the drying characteristics of curry leaves. The payback period for the solar dryer was evaluated as 8 months, which is found to be much lower when compared with the entire life span of 15 years. The payback evaluation confirms that the solar dryer is economically viable in rural applications.

  6. Design, Development and Performance Evaluation of a Small Scale Solar Assisted Paddy Dryer for on Farm Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sidrah Ashfaq

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available With the continued escalation in population growth and the expansion of international food trade and demand of high quality product for food security at low cost has created considerable interest in the development of new post-harvest technologies. This is particularly important for developing countries where post-harvest losses of cereals are between 10-20% and of fruits and vegetables as high as 20- 100% A new solar assisted paddy dryer with central air distribution model (along the length of drying chamber has been developed. Due to this distinct feature of the dryer high drying rate was achieved during the drying processes .Other components of the dryer are perforated drying chamber, blower and flat plat solar air collector. Dryer was evaluated using 100kg of freshly harvested paddy at 23.78% moisture content (wb. Performance evaluation results showed that the mean drying rate of the solar assisted paddy dryer was 0.87kg/hr per for every 100kg, whereas 0.46kg/hr was the sun drying rate comparatively. The faster drying rate of the dryer reveals its suability to dry the paddy for its safe storage moisture content rapidly. By using the solar assisted paddy dryer, approximately 50% saving in time was also achieved as compared with the traditional sun drying method. Solar assisted paddy dryer took 10hr for drying the 100kg paddy up to 14%, while sun drying method dried paddy up to 13.89% in 19 hours. Cost analysis also showed that, by using solar assisted paddy dryer we candry good quality paddy at low cost as compared with the open sun drying method. For development of agriculture in the rural areas, commercial size of the solar assisted paddy dryer can be amplified and produced at community level.

  7. Study on effectiveness of continuous solar dryer integrated with desiccant thermal storage for drying cocoa beans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sari Farah Dina

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The main objective is to assess effectiveness of continuous solar dryer integrated with desiccant thermal storage for drying cocoa beans. Two type of desiccants were tested, molecular sieve 13× (Na86 [(AlO286·(SiO2106]·264H2O as an adsorbent type and CaCl2 as an absorbent type. The results revealed that during sunshine hours, the maximum temperature within the drying chamber varied from 40 °C to 54 °C. In average, it was 9–12 °C higher than ambient temperature. These temperatures are very suitable for drying cocoa beans. During off-sunshine hours, humidity of air inside the drying chamber was lower than ambient because of the desiccant thermal storage. Drying times for intermittent directs sun drying, solar dryer integrated with adsorbent, and solar dryer integrated with absorbent were 55 h, 41 h, and 30 h, respectively. Specific energy consumptions for direct sun drying, solar dryer integrated with adsorbent, and solar dryer integrated with absorber were 60.4 MJ/kg moist, 18.94 MJ/kg moist, and 13.29 MJ/kg moist, respectively. The main conclusion can be drawn here is that a solar dryer integrated with desiccant thermal storage makes drying using solar energy more effective in term of drying time and specific energy consumption.

  8. Performance Analysis of a Solar Dryer Equipped with a Recycling Air System and Desiccant Chamber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.H Aghkhani

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Drying is a high energy consuming process. Solar drying is one of the most popular methods for dehydration of agricultural products. In the present study, the performance of a forced convection solar dryer equipped with recycling air system and desiccant chamber was investigated. The solar dryer is comprised of solar collector, drying chamber, silica jell desiccant chamber, air ducts, fan and measuring and controlling system. Drying rate and energy consumption in three levels of air temperature (40, 45 and 50 oC and two modes of drying (with recycling air and no-recycling with open duct system were measured and compared. The results showed that increasing the drying air temperature decreased the drying time and increased the energy consumption in the mode of non-recycling air system. The dryer efficiency and drying rate were better in the mode of recycling air system than open duct system. The highest dryer efficiency was obtained from drying air temperature of 50 oC and the mode of recycling air system. In general, the efficiency of solar collector and the highest efficiency of the dryer were 0.34 and 0.41, respectively.

  9. Learning sustainability by developing a solar dryer for microalgae retrieval

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benedita Malheiro

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Excessive fossil fuel consumption is driving the search for alternative energy production solutions and, in particular, for sustainable sources of energy such as microalgae, from which biodiesel, among other useful compounds, can be obtained. After producing the microalgae, they must be harvested and dried. Existing drying solutions consume too much energy and are, therefore, expensive and unsustainable. The goal of this EPS@ISEP Spring 2013 project was to develop a solar microalgae dryer for the microalgae laboratory of ISEP. A multinational team of five students from distinct fields of study was responsible for designing and building the solar microalgae dryer prototype. The prototype includes a control system to ensure that the microalgae are not destroyed during the drying process. The solar microalgae dryer works as a distiller, extracting the excess water from the microalgae suspension. This paper details the design steps, the building technologies, the ethical and sustainable concerns and compares the prototype with existing solutions. The proposed sustainable microalgae drying process is competitive as far as energy usage is concerned. Finally, the project contributed to increase the team’s sustainable development awareness, active learning and motivation.

  10. Solar-energy drying systems. A review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharma, Atul; Chen, C.R.; Vu Lan, Nguyen [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kun Shan University, 949, Da-Wan Road, Yung-Kang City, Tainan Hsien 71003 (China)

    2009-08-15

    In many countries of the world, the use of solar thermal systems in the agricultural area to conserve vegetables, fruits, coffee and other crops has shown to be practical, economical and the responsible approach environmentally. Solar heating systems to dry food and other crops can improve the quality of the product, while reducing wasted produce and traditional fuels - thus improving the quality of life, however the availability of good information is lacking in many of the countries where solar food processing systems are most needed. Solar food dryers are available in a range of size and design and are used for drying various food products. It is found that various types of driers are available to suit the needs of farmers. Therefore, selection of dryers for a particular application is largely a decision based on what is available and the types of dryers currently used widely. A comprehensive review of the various designs, details of construction and operational principles of the wide variety of practically realized designs of solar-energy drying systems reported previously is presented. A systematic approach for the classification of solar-energy dryers has been evolved. Two generic groups of solar-energy dryers can be identified, viz. passive or natural-circulation solar-energy dryers and active or forced-convection solar-energy dryers. Some very recent developments in solar drying technology are highlighted. (author)

  11. THE EFFECT OF THE THICKNESS OF A PACKED BED ON THE DYNAMIC AND THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF A SOLAR DRYER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S KHALDI

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Drying food in the sun is a safe, easy and economical way to preserve food, especially fruits. Cabinet dryers are the most popular equipment for fruit drying. Because of intermittent nature of solar energy, storage is required for uninterrupted supply in order to match the needs. The main objective of this study is to assess effectiveness of continuous solar dryer integrated with packed bed as thermal storage with natural airflow for drying figs (Ficuscarica. The cabinet dryer were envisaged theoretically (computational fluid dynamics (CFD. The distribution of the velocity and temperature of air within the solar dryer were presented during one day of August and under the climate conditions of Tlemcen (Algeria.  The effects of presence of a packed bed on the distribution of velocity and temperature of airflow and on the temperature of figs were analyzed. The results show that the solar dryer design, incorporating a packed bed enhances the capabilities and performance of the solar dryer, through increasing time of drying.

  12. A study of the drying effect on lemon slices using a closed-type solar dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ho-Hsien Chen; Hernandez, C.E.; Tzou-Chi Huang [National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (China). Dept. of Food Science

    2005-01-01

    An experimental closed-type dryer associated with a photovoltaic system (PV) was developed. The transparent drying cabinet was designed with high transmittance glass to decrease the reflection of direct sunlight and to offer extra direct solar heating on the raw material during drying. Parallel wiring with a local electrical grid was necessary for switching purposes if there is insufficient battery backup during peak operation. Lemon slices were dried using the closed-type solar dryer and results were compared with hot air drying at 60{sup o}C. The results indicate that the dried lemon slices using a closed-type solar dryer has better general levels of quality in terms of sensory parameters. (author)

  13. Design and Fabrication of a Direct Natural Convection Solar Dryer for Tapioca

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diemuodeke E. OGHENERUONA

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Based on preliminary investigations under controlled conditions of drying experiments, a direct natural convection solar dryer was designed and fabricated to dry tapioca in the rural area. This paper describes the design considerations followed and presents the results of MS excel computed results of the design parameters. A minimum of 7.56 m2 solar collector area is required to dry a batch of 100 kg tapioca in 20 hours (two days drying period. The initial and final moisture content considered were 79 % and 10 % wet basis, respectively. The average ambient conditions are 32ºC air temperatures and 74 % relative humidity with daily global solar radiation incident on horizontal surface of 13 MJ/m2/day. The weather conditions considered are of Warri (lat. 5°30’, long. 5°41’, Nigeria. A prototype of the dryer so designed was fabricated with minimum collector area of 1.08 m2. This prototype dryer will be used in experimental drying tests under various loading conditions.

  14. A solar assisted heat-pump dryer and water heater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hawlader, M.N.A.; Chou, S.K.; Jahangeer, K.A.; Rahman, S.M.A.

    2006-01-01

    Growing concern about the depletion of conventional energy resources has provided impetus for considerable research and development in the area of alternative energy sources. A solar assisted heat pump dryer and water heater found to be one of the solutions while exploring for alternative energy sources. The heat pump system is used for drying and water heating applications with the major share of the energy derived from the sun and the ambient. The solar assisted heat pump dryer and water heater has been designed, fabricated and tested. The performance of the system has been investigated under the meteorological conditions of Singapore. The system consists of a variable speed reciprocating compressor, evaporator-collector, storage tank, air cooled condenser, auxiliary heater, blower, dryer, dehumidifier, and air collector. The drying medium used is air and the drying chamber is configured to carry out batch drying of good grains. A water tank connected in series with the air cooled condenser delivers hot water for domestic applications. The water tank also ensures complete condensation of the refrigerant vapour. A simulation program is developed using Fortran language to evaluate the performance of the system and the influence of different variables. The performance indices considered to evaluate the performance of the system are: Solar Fraction (SF), Coefficient of Performance (COP) and Specific Moisture Extraction Rate (SMER). A COP value of 7.5 for a compressor speed of 1800 rpm was observed. Maximum collector efficiencies of 0.86 and 0.81 have been found for evaporator-collector and air collector, respectively. A value of the SMER of 0.79 has been obtained for a load of 20 kg and a compressor speed of 1200 rpm

  15. DESIGN AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF THE SOLAR BIOMASS HYBRID DRYER FOR CASHEW DRYING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saravanan Dhanuskodi

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Drying of Cashew nut to remove testa is one of the most energy-intensive processes of cashew nut process industry. For this reason a hybrid dryer consisting of a solar flat plate collector, a biomass heater and a drying chamber is designed and fabricated. 40 kg of Cashew nut with initial moisture of 9 % is used in the experiment. The performance test of the dryer is carried out in two modes of operation: hybrid-forced convection and hybrid-natural convection. Drying time and drying efficiency during these two modes of operation are estimated and compared with the sun drying. The system is capable of attaining drying temperature between 50º and 70ºC. In the hybrid forced drying, the required moisture content of 3% is achieved within 7 hours and the average system efficiency is estimated as 5.08%. In the hybrid natural drying, the required moisture content is obtained in 9 hours and the average system efficiency is 3.17%. The fuel consumption during the drying process is 0.5 kg/hr and 0.75 kg/hr for forced mode and natural mode, respectively. The drying process in the hybrid forced mode of operation is twice faster than the sun drying. The dryer can be operated in any climatic conditions: as a solar dryer on normal sunny days, as a biomass dryer at night time and as a hybrid dryer on cloudy days. Based on the experimental study, it is concluded that the developed hybrid dryer is suitable for small scale cashew nut farmers in rural areas of developing countries.

  16. Development and performance evaluation of a locally fabricated portable solar tunnel dryer for drying of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munir, A.; Sultan, U.; Iqbal, M.

    2013-01-01

    The research was conducted to fabricate and develop a portable solar tunnel dryer (STD) for the drying of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants. The system was designed as a portable system for decentralized applications at various sites to satisfy the drying requirements of small farmers and co-operatives. The cross sectional area of the solar tunnel dryer was trapezoidal in shape having 0.254 m/sup 2/ face area, with length and width of three meters and one meter respectively. It comprises a collector section (1.35 m) long and a drying section (1.65 m long) and two PV powered DC fans to provide the required air flow rate over the perishable agricultural products to be dried. Transparent polythene cover was used to close the dryer on top side to maintain the steady state air flow within the dryer. It has been observed that the drying air temperature was easily raised by some 8-14 degree C above the ambient temperature at air velocity ranges 0-1 m s/sup -1/. The efficiency of the solar tunnel dryer was found to be 40-45%. Psychrometric analysis was also carried out within the dryer and the process curves were drawn. The process curves were found similar to a conventional dryer showing that this dryer can be successfully utilized for the drying of agricultural products using solar energy. (author)

  17. Drying of Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Flower Petals using Solar Dryer with Double Glass Cover Collector

    OpenAIRE

    Tjukup Marnoto

    2014-01-01

    Chemical ingredients in rosella petals are very beneficial for health. Rosella petals needed to be drained for storage and packing purpose. The traditional drying takes 5 days and less healthy. Solar dryer technology can speed up the drying process and protect materials from dust contamination. Solar dryer with double glass covered collector has been designed and made for drying of agricultural products such as rosella flowers. Rosella petals as much as 2300 grams with initial moisture conten...

  18. Design, construction and test run of a two-tonne capacity solar rice dryer with rice-husk-fired auxiliary heater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iloeje, O.C.; Ekechukwu, O.V.; Ezeike, G.O.I.

    1993-09-01

    The design and construction details of a two-tonne per batch capacity natural-circulation solar rice dryer and the highlights of the design of its rice-husk-fired auxiliary heating system which is still under construction are presented. The dryer measures approximately 17.7m long by 9.8m wide by 6m high. Preliminary results of a test run on the solar dryer section only is reported. (author). 5 refs, 3 figs

  19. Evaluation of a fruit solar dryer; Avaliacao de um secador solar de frutas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berthier, L.J.; Bittencourt, J.; Queiroz, M.R.

    2000-07-01

    A study of the Nanica banana drying was carried out in a solar dryer with six trays operating with direct exposure of the product to the solar radiation and internal convection. The solar drying was performed College of Agricultural Engineering of the UNICAMP, Campinas, S.Paulo state, Brazil. The study aimed a 20 to 25 per cent final humidity of the dry product, result obtained in the different trays during a maximum drying period of 147 hours (6 days), in a batch system. During the drying period, the average temperature of the environment air at daylight was of 26 degree Celsius with a maximum of 32 degree Celsius, and 18 degrees Celsius during nocturnal period, with a minimum of 12,6 degree Celsius. In the inward of the dryer reached average values near to 50 degree Celsius, measured at noon. The 29,540 kg initial net weight of peeled banana was reduced to yield of 10,815 kg after the drying process, obtaining an income of 36,61 percent of the total production. With the values of the product weight loss, the curves of the drying in each tray had been built, observing that, in the upper trays reached the desired humidity in a lesser period.

  20. Design and measured performance of a solar chimney for natural-circulation solar-energy dryers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ekechukwu, O.V.; Norton, B.

    1995-10-01

    The design and construction of a solar chimney which was undertaken as part of a study on natural-circulation solar-energy dryers is reported. The experimental solar chimney consists of a 5.3m high and 1.64m diameter cylindrical polyethylene-clad vertical chamber, supported structurally by steel framework and draped internally with a selectively-absorbing surface. The performance of the chimney which was monitored extensively with and without the selective surface in place (to study the effectiveness of this design option) is also reported. (author). 14 refs, 7 figs

  1. Numerical calculations of heat engineering parameters of a solar greenhouse dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akhatov, Zh.S.; Khalimov, A.S.

    2015-01-01

    The results of numerical simulation to determine the optimum volume of a thermal storage water heater in a solar greenhouse dryer are presented. A CAD (computer-aided design) model is created for the given installation by simulating the heat transfer processes with the aid of the Solid Works Flow Simulation software. The given CAD model consists of a concrete foundation and a steel frame in which translucent coatings made from two-layer polycarbonate sheets 6 mm in thickness with an air gap between the two layers are attached. The north wall is made of bricks with size and thickness of 2 x 4 m"2 and 0.4 m, respectively. The front surface has an angle of inclination 39.53 degree with respect to the horizontal surface for the maximum incidence of solar radiation to its surface. All the geometrical dimensions of the solar greenhouse dryer were selected on the basis of the allocated platform for the solar drying installation 3 x 4 m"2 in size. It is shown that the optimum volume of the heat storage tank for the present installation is 500 L. (authors)

  2. Design and Testing of a Natural Convection Solar Tunnel Dryer for Mango

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isaac Nyambe Simate

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A natural convection solar tunnel dryer comprising three major units, a solar collector unit, a drying unit, and a vertical bare flat-plate chimney, was constructed. No-load tests with a horizontal configuration of air entry into the collector resulted in a bidirectional air flow in the dryer. To correct this undesirable situation, an air guide at the collector was incorporated to ensure that air entered in a vertical direction. To investigate its performance, drying experiments with mango were carried out at the University of Zambia, Department of Agricultural Engineering. Uncertainties in the parameters measured in the experiment were analysed and quantified. The results showed that, under solar radiation between 568.4 and 999.5 W/m2, air temperature of up to 65.8°C was attained at the collector unit. The average relative humidity values were 30.8%, 6.4%, and 8.4% for the ambient, collector, and drying unit, respectively. Under these conditions, mango with an initial moisture content of 85.5% (wet basis was dried to 13.0% (wet basis in 9.5 hours. The collector, drying, and pick-up efficiencies were found to be 24.7%, 12.8%, and 35.0%, respectively. The average temperature difference between the chimney air and ambient air was 12.1°C, and this was sufficient in driving the flow of air through the dryer.

  3. Performance Evaluation of an Active Solar Dryer Equipped with an Auxilliary Electrical Heater and Heat Recovery System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pourghasemi Ranjbar, M.; Alavi Naeini, N.; Mortezapour, H.

    2016-01-01

    Drying is a very sophisticated process which consumes a large amount of energy. Solar energy can be used as an alternative or supplementary energy source to fossil fuels. Solar dryers are common ways for saving fossil fuel consumption during agricultural products drying. In this study, the performance of an active solar dryer equipped with an energy recovery system was investigated at three levels of drying air temperature. The results showed that the energy recovery system was able to increase inlet air temperature by 16.8, 18.5 and 18.9 ° C at drying temperatures of 55, 65 and 75 ℃, respectively. Meanwhile 47.8, 42.9 and 40.9 percents of the dryer exhaust air energy were recovered respectively at these conditions which subsequently led to a reduction of 30.7, 19.2 and 14.7 percents in electrical heater energy consumption.

  4. Experimental study of regenerative desiccant integrated solar dryer with and without reflective mirror

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shanmugam, V. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sathyabama University, Chennai, 600 119 (India); Natarajan, E. [Institute for Energy Studies, College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025 (India)

    2007-06-15

    An indirect forced convection with desiccant integrated solar dryer has been built and tested. The main parts are: a flat plate solar air collector, a drying chamber, desiccant bed and a centrifugal blower. The system is operated in two modes, sunshine hours and off sunshine hours. During sun shine hours the hot air from the flat plate collector is forced to the drying chamber for drying the product and simultaneously the desiccant bed receives solar radiation directly and through the reflected mirror. In the off sunshine hours, the dryer is operated by circulating the air inside the drying chamber through the desiccant bed by a reversible fan. The dryer is used to dry 20 kg of green peas and pineapple slices. Drying experiments were conducted with and without the integration of desiccant unit. The effect of reflective mirror on the drying potential of desiccant unit was also investigated. With the inclusion of reflective mirror, the drying potential of the desiccant material is increased by 20% and the drying time is reduced. The drying efficiency of the system varies between 43% and 55% and the pick-up efficiency varies between 20% and 60%, respectively. Approximately in all the drying experiments 60% of moisture is removed by air heated using solar energy and the remainder by the desiccant. The inclusion of reflective mirror on the desiccant bed makes faster regeneration of the desiccant material. (author)

  5. Development of Solar Biomass Drying System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atnaw Samson Mekbib

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper focuses on the experimental pre-treatment of biomass in agricultural site using solar energy as power source and contribution of common use and efficiency solar dryer system for consumer. The main purpose of this design for solar cabinet dryer is to dry biomass via direct and indirect heating. Direct heating is the simplest method to dry biomass by exposing the biomass under direct sunlight. The solar cabinet dryer traps solar heat to increase the temperature of the drying chamber. The biomass absorbs the heat and transforms the moisture content within the biomass into water vapour and then leaves the chamber via the exhaust air outlet. This problem however can be solved by adopting indirect solar drying system. High and controllable temperatures can be achieved as a fan is used to move the air through the solar collector. This project has successfully created a solar cabinet dryer that combines both direct and indirect solar drying systems and functions to dry biomass as well as crops effectively and efficiently with minimal maintenance. Hence, it is indeed a substitution for conventional dryers which are affordable to local farmers.

  6. Drying of Rhinacanthus nasutus (Linn. Kurz. using a solar dryer incorporated with a backup thermal energy storage from wood combustion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Perapong Tekasakul

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available An indirect, natural convection, solar cabinet dryer incorporated with a backup thermal energy storage from wood combustion was designed and tested with the Thai herb, Rhinacanthus nasutus (Linn. Kurz. Most of Thai herbs are widely used as traditional medicine and drying is an initial step in the production process. Solar dryer with a biomass backup heating system is the most feasible solution to drying in Thailand. In this work, a 4 m x 5 m solar collector was used to absorb solar radiation for heating the incoming air during the daytime, while a biomass burner was used to supply heat when solar energy was not possible. Heat from fuelwood combustion was accumulated in the thermal storage system made of bricks, and was used to heat up the incoming air. Results showed that the herb was dried uniformly and the temperature inside the drying cabinet could be maintained above 50ºC for more than 10 hours. Thermal efficiency when using solar energy was 10.5%, but the value was less than 1% when using the heat from biomass burning. This resulted from the low moisture content of the products after being dried by the solar energy. The dryer is beneficial to the operators, particularly in southern Thailand, where continuous drying is required. This dryer is by no means limited to drying of the herb. Currently, four dryers of the same model have been used by farmer groups in southern Thailand for drying bananas, several types of herbs, fish, and other products. In economic consideration, its payback period is 5.5 years when compared with the LPG-equipped dryer. When the total cost and production capacity are considered, its payback period is about 6 years.

  7. Operational Augmentation of Forced Circulation Type Solar Dryer System Using CFD Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Atul Patel; Gaurav Patel

    2014-01-01

    Solar drying is basically heat and mass transfer process in which the liquid water from the surface and the vapour removed by draft. The efficiency of a solar drying system is affected by the properties of drying materials.e.g. size, shape and geometry as well as ambient conditions. In this research article, the authors have done the CFD analysis of a Forced Circulation type Solar Dryer used conventionally for dehydrating vegetables and fruits. Using CFD analysis, the limiting...

  8. Behavior of a portable solar dryer for pineapple fiber Comportamento de um secador solar para fibras de abacaxi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Róger Moya

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In Costa Rica, there has been a growing interest to use pineapple fiber from plant, for which current processes need to be improved or new processes need to be developed, with emphasis on drying methods. This work presents the design and evaluation of the behavior of a prototype portable solar dryer in four sites of Costa Rica. The design describes the main parts of the dryer, as well as how they were constructed. The behavior was evaluated according to temperature and relative humidity inside e outside the chamber, and the influence of direct and indirect solar radiation. In order to achieve improved dryer efficiency, a dehumidifier was used to control relative humidity, and a heating system was implemented during the hours of low temperature, low solar radiation and high relative humidity. Based on drying time, final moisture content of fibers of pineapple leaves from plant, and the varying hours when fibers were put to dry, the evaluation of the dryer revealed that the best fiber-drying interval is from 6h00 to 14h00, and after that, it is convenient to inject hot air and use a dehumidifier in the dryer in order to increase its efficiency.Na Costa Rica, o interesse pelo uso da fibra proveniente da folha de abacaxizeiro. Tem almentado e essa atividade precisa de melhoramento ou implementação de novos processos para alcançar maior eficiência, principalmente na secagem da fibra. O presente trabalho apresenta o design e comportamento de uma protótipo portátil de secadora solar em 4 sites geográficos da Costa Rica. Estão descritas as principais partes do secador, bem como a metodologia de construção. O comportamento foi avaliado de acordo com a temperatura e umidade relativa interna e externa da câmara e a influencia da radiação direta e indireta. Com a finalidade de melhorar a eficiência da secadora, foi usado um desumidificador para controlar a umidade relativa e ainda um sistema de aquecimento durante as horas de baixa temperatura

  9. A greenhouse type solar dryer for small-scale dried food industries: Development and dissemination

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Janjai, Serm [Solar Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000 (Thailand)

    2012-07-01

    In this study, a greenhouse type solar dryer for small-scale dried food industries was developed and disseminated. The dryer consists of a parabolic roof structure covered with polycarbonate sheets on a concrete floor. The system is 8.0m in width, 20.0m in length and 3.5m in height, with a loading capacity about 1,000kg of fruits or vegetables. To ensure continuous drying operation, a 100kW-LPG gas burner was incorporated to supply hot air to the dryer during cloudy or rainy days. Nine 15-W DC fans powered by three 50-W PV modules were used to ventilate the dryer. This dryer was installed for a small-scale food industry at Nakhon Pathom in Thailand to produce osmotically dehydrated tomato. To investigate its performance, the dryer was used to dry 3 batches of osmotically dehydrated tomato. Results obtained from these experiments showed that drying air temperatures in the dryer varied from 35 C to 65 C. In addition, the drying time for these products was 2-3 days shorter than that of the natural sun drying and good quality dried products were obtained. A system of differential equations describing heat and moisture transfers during drying of osmotically dehydrated tomato was also developed. The simulated results agreed well with the experimental data. For dissemination purpose, other two units of this type of dryer were constructed and tested at two locations in Thailand and satisfactory results were obtained.

  10. Performance of modified greenhouse dryer with thermal energy storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Om Prakash

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In this attempt, the main goal is to do annual performance, environomical analysis, energy analysis and exergy analysis of the modified greenhouse dryer (MGD operating under active mode (AM and passive mode (PM. Thermal storage is being applied on the ground of MGD. It is applied in three different ways namely barren floor, floor covered with black PVC sheet (PVC and Black Coated. Experimental study of dryers in no-load conditions reveals that floor covered with a black PVC sheet is more conducive for drying purpose than other floors. The MGD under AM is found to be more effective as compared to PM for tomato and capsicum, which are high moisture content crops. For medium moisture content crop (potato chips, both dryers show relatively similar drying performance. Crops dried inside the greenhouse dryer are found to be more nutrient than open sun dried crops. The payback period of the modified greenhouse dryer under passive mode is found to be 1.11 years. However, for the active mode of the modified greenhouse dryer is only 1.89 years. The embodied energy of the passive mode of the dryer is a 480.277 kWh and 628.73 kWh for the active mode of the dryer. The CO2 emissions per annum for passive and active mode greenhouse dryers are found to be 13.45 kg and 17.6 kg respectively. The energy payback time, carbon mitigation and carbon credit have been calculated based type of crop dried. The range of exergy efficiency is 29%–86% in MGD under PM and 30%–78% in the MGD under AM. The variation of Heat utilization factor (HUF for MGD under PM is 0.12–0.38 and 0.26–0.53 for MGD under AM. The range of co-efficient of performances (COP for MGD under PM is 0.55–0.87 and 0.58–0.73 for MGD under AM.

  11. Effect of brining on the drying rate of tilapia in a solar tunnel dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kituu, G.M.; Shitanda, D.; Kanali, C.L.; Mailutha, J.T. [Jomo Kenyatta Univ. of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi (Kenya). BEED

    2008-07-01

    In addition to being a source of protein, fish is an important source of local and foreign currency earnings in Kenya. A substantial amount of fish production is exported. Approximately 30 per cent is exported to the European Union, the United States, and countries in the Middle East, but nearly half of the total annual fish harvest in Kenya goes to waste due to poor processing and preservation. Measures must be taken to ensure the fish industry is protected and waste is minimized, since the livelihood of over 500,000 people depends on fish as a source of proteins and employment. Therefore, it is necessary to implement appropriate and affordable processing and preservation techniques for fish at the artisanal landing sites in order to reduce the wastage and spoilage of fish during oversupply, and to enhance long storage. This paper presented studies that were conducted to determine the effect of brining on the drying rate of tilapia in a solar tunnel dryer. The paper discussed the materials and methods, including a description of the solar tunnel dryer system; the brining process of fish; the fish drying process; and data analysis. It was concluded that limiting the amount of salt used in brining, and subsequently dehydrating fish with a solar tunnel dryer achieves a more stable and suitable dried fish product than osmotic dehydration or solar drying process separately. 19 refs., 5 figs., 2 appendices.

  12. Sustainable implementation of solar tunnel dryers, water heaters and cookers in Nepal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kovacs, Peter [Danish Energy Management, DEM for Renewable Energy Project, REP, Dhobighat, Lalitpur (Nepal); Shrestha, Niraj; Shakya, Prajwal Raj [Renewable Energy Project, REP, Dhobighat, Lalitpur (Nepal); Pokharel, Govind [Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), Lalitpur (Nepal)

    2008-07-01

    The Renewable Energy Project (REP) is a joint effort of the European Union and the Government of Nepal. Main objectives of the project are to create renewable energy infrastructure and services for the benefit of rural people in remote districts of Nepal. The REP will provide solar energy systems for public services in remote districts, as well as for income generating activities e.g. agro business and tourism. The REP focuses on the installation of institutional PV systems with a total capacity of 0.850 MWp. Concurrently, a number of solar thermal systems are being provided to community organizations (COs) in rural areas of Nepal. The priority applications for the solar thermal part are solar tunnel dryers for small industries drying vegetables. fruits and herbs, solar water heaters for community centers in trekking areas and large scale solar cookers in schools. The paper describes the Renewable Energy Project's implementation program for solar thermal technology and in particular the implications on design and usefulness of the solar tunnel dryer from on-site feasibility studies carried out by the project team. REP provides a framework for a sustainable implementation of these systems by carrying out the whole process from dissemination of information to demand collection, feasibility studies, design, procurement, commissioning and user training. Hand over of ownership will take place once the equipment is installed and successfully commissioned. Monitoring during the first year of operation should conclude the project. REP is co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Nepal. (orig.)

  13. Modification of Indirect Solar Dryer for Simplicia Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purnomo, C. W.; Indarti, S.

    2018-03-01

    Simplicia is natural ingredient for herbal medicine that has been subjected to drying only. This study aims to develop an appropriate drying equipment to produce dried leaves of sambung nyawa (Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.) or also called “longevity spinach”. Typical indirect solar drier was modified to be able to process more fresh leaves in order to speed up the production. The modification was done using double solar collector and wind powered ventilation. The double solar collector was applied in order to collect more solar energy for larger dimension of drying chamber, while the wind-ventilator was installed to provide forced convection of hot air flow inside the dryer. The drying kinetic including the drying constants were investigated using three common thin layer drying equations to model the drying behavior of the leaves. The moisture ratio (MR) depletion with respect to the drying time (t) of the leaves can be well represented by equation of MR=1.1732exp(-0.0993.t)-0.1732exp(-17.3871.t).

  14. Experimental investigation and thermodynamic performance analysis of a solar dryer using an evacuated-tube air collector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamnatou, Chr.; Papanicolaou, E.; Belessiotis, V.; Kyriakis, N.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We evaluate an evacuated-tube solar air collector and use it to develop a novel dryer. ► Apple, carrot and apricot thin-layer drying experiments are conducted. ► Best overall fitting among several available thin-layer drying models is pursued. ► Thermodynamic analysis yields optimal collector area, energy utilization/exergy loss. ► The proposed dryer has a capacity for drying larger quantities of products. -- Abstract: The present work presents a thermodynamic performance analysis of a solar dryer with an evacuated-tube collector. Drying experiments for apples, carrots and apricots were conducted, after a preliminary stage of the investigation which included measurements for the determination of the collector efficiency. These results showed that the warm outlet air of the collector attains temperature levels suitable for drying of agricultural products without the need of preheating. Thus, the present collector was used as the heat source for a drying chamber in the frame of the development of a novel, convective, indirect solar dryer; given the fact that in the literature there are only a few studies about this type of collectors in conjunction with solar drying applications. Thin-layer drying models were fitted to the experimental drying curves, including the recent model of Diamante et al. which showed good correlation coefficients for all the tested products. Drying parameters such as moisture ratio and drying rates were calculated. Furthermore, an energetic/exergetic analysis of the dryer was also conducted and performance coefficients such as pick-up and exergy efficiencies, energy utilization ratio, exergy losses were determined for several configurations such as single and double-trays and several drying air velocities. On the other hand, an optimal collector surface area study was conducted, based on laws for minimum entropy generation. Design parameters such as optimum collector area were determined based on the minimum entropy

  15. Building solar dryer of tropical woods; Construccion de un secador solar de maderas tropicales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hernandez R, J; Flores M, F. E; Cuevas D, O [Universidad de Quintana Roo, Chetumal, Quintana Roo (Mexico); Tolentino E, G [LABINTHAP-SEPI-ESIME-IPN, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2000-07-01

    In Quintana Roo, Mexico, several species of wood are used for handicrafts. The most commonly method used in the communities nearby Chetumal is natural drying, with the disadvantage of low quality in their products because the moisture contains in the wood. In this project studied the design of solar dryer for tropical woods in Quintana Roo. [Spanish] En este trabajo, se parte del analisis de las condiciones climatologicas existentes en el estado de Quintana Roo, Mexico, asi como de las necesidades de madera seca de una comunidad, como parametros basicos para el diseno y construccion de un secador solar de maderas tropicales.

  16. Evaluation of convective heat transfer coefficient of various crops in cyclone type dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akpinar, E. Kavak

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, an attempt was made to evaluate the convective heat transfer coefficient during drying of various crops and to investigate the influences of drying air velocity and temperature on the convective heat transfer coefficient. Drying was conducted in a convective cyclone type dryer at drying air temperatures of 60, 70 and 80 deg. C and velocities of 1 and 1.5 m/s using rectangle shaped potato and apple slices (12.5 x 12.5 x 25 mm) and cylindrical shaped pumpkin slices (35 x 5 mm). The temperature changes of the dried crops and the temperature of the drying air were measured during the drying process. It was found that the values of convective heat transfer coefficient varied from crop to crop with a range 30.21406 and 20.65470 W/m 2 C for the crops studied, and it was observed that the convective heat transfer coefficient increased in large amounts with the increase of the drying air velocity but increased in small amounts with the rise of the drying air temperature

  17. Evaluation of convective heat transfer coefficient of various crops in cyclone type dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akpinar, E. Kavak [Mechanical Engineering Department, Firat University, 23279 Elazig (Turkey)]. E-mail: eakpinar@firat.edu.tr

    2005-09-15

    In this paper, an attempt was made to evaluate the convective heat transfer coefficient during drying of various crops and to investigate the influences of drying air velocity and temperature on the convective heat transfer coefficient. Drying was conducted in a convective cyclone type dryer at drying air temperatures of 60, 70 and 80 deg. C and velocities of 1 and 1.5 m/s using rectangle shaped potato and apple slices (12.5 x 12.5 x 25 mm) and cylindrical shaped pumpkin slices (35 x 5 mm). The temperature changes of the dried crops and the temperature of the drying air were measured during the drying process. It was found that the values of convective heat transfer coefficient varied from crop to crop with a range 30.21406 and 20.65470 W/m{sup 2} C for the crops studied, and it was observed that the convective heat transfer coefficient increased in large amounts with the increase of the drying air velocity but increased in small amounts with the rise of the drying air temperature.

  18. Drying of mint leaves in a solar dryer and under open sun: Modelling, performance analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akpinar, E. Kavak

    2010-01-01

    In this study was investigated the thin-layer drying characteristics in solar dryer with forced convection and under open sun with natural convection of mint leaves, and, performed energy analysis and exergy analysis of solar drying process of mint leaves. An indirect forced convection solar dryer consisting of a solar air collector and drying cabinet was used in the experiments. The drying data were fitted to ten the different mathematical models. Among the models, Wang and Singh model for the forced solar drying and the natural sun drying were found to best explain thin-layer drying behaviour of mint leaves. Using the first law of thermodynamics, the energy analysis throughout solar drying process was estimated. However, exergy analysis during solar drying process was determined by applying the second law of thermodynamics. Energy utilization ratio (EUR) values of drying cabinet varied in the ranges between 7.826% and 46.285%. The values of exergetic efficiency were found to be in the range of 34.760-87.717%. The values of improvement potential varied between 0 and 0.017 kJ s -1 . Energy utilization ratio and improvement potential decreased with increasing drying time and ambient temperature while exergetic efficiency increased.

  19. Design, Construction and Testing of Simple Solar Maize Dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshua FOLARANMI

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available This project reports the design, construction and testing of a simple solar maize dryer. It is design in such a way that solar radiation is not incident directly on the maize, but preheated air warmed during its flow through a low pressure thermosphonic solar energy air heater or collector made up of an insulating material (polystyrene of size 100mmx50mmx25.4mm, absorber plate (aluminium sheet painted black of size 100mmx50mm and a cover glass (5mm thickness measuring 100mmx50mm all arranged in this order contributed to the heating. The test results gave temperature above 45OC in the drying chamber, and the moisture content of 50kg of maize reduced to about 12.5% in three days of 9hours each day of drying.

  20. Preservation of fruits and vegetables using solar dryers. A comparative study for solar and natural drying of grapes, figs, tomatoes and onions. IV. temperature measurements, calculating the generated energy and dryer efficiency during drying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sehery, A.A.; Gallali, Y.M.; Shoshan, H.

    2000-01-01

    This study has taken four axis, first, design and construction of the dryer, secondly, microbial load determination, thirdly, chemical and sensory evaluation data. The results of these three parts were published earlier at the International Congress on Application of Solar and Renewable Energy, Food Science and Technology and World Renewable Energy Congress V, Cairo, Egypt, 1992, 1996 and Florence, Italy, 1998, respectively. The whole study was oriented towards comparing the solar (three modes, direct, indirect, and mixed) and natural drying. The fourth part of the study is dealing with some parameters affecting drying as temperature measurement, calculating the generated energy and the dryer efficiency during drying periods. Drying temperature is considered the most important factor in the drying operation, since the accuracy of temperature measurement gives the correct results and right indication for the approval of these scientific methods in the drying operation and the design of solar dryers. In this project, we depended on temperature measurements at different points by means of thermocouples fixed in the heat collector and the drying chamber. The average temperature outside the dryer ranged from 21-41 degree C. That of the heat collector were 40-75 degree C and those of the drying chamber were in the range of 40-73 degree C. The radiation measurements calculated depending on the results recorded by the solar center instruments from 5/8/95 - 16/10/95. The thermal energy existing from the heat collector to the drying chamber during the drying period was measured using the equation of Holland. From the investigation results, we can conclude that in all trials, solar drying was a more efficient method for drying all samples of fruits and vegetables, especially for grapes, figs and onion. Grapes dried using mixed mode from 83 % to 30 % moisture in 4 days at an average temperature of 55 degree C while natural drying reduced the moisture to 57% for the same period

  1. Development of Simple Drying Model for Performance Prediction of Solar Dryer: Theoretical Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, Shobhana; Kumar, Subodh

    2012-01-01

    An analytical moisture diffusion model which considers the influence of external resistance to mass transfer is developed to predict thermal performance of dryer system. The moisture diffusion coefficient, Deff that is necessary to evaluate the prediction model has been determined in terms...... of experimental drying parameters. A laboratory model of mixed-mode solar dryer system is tested with cylindrical potato samples of thickness 5 and 18 mm under simulated indoor conditions. The potato samples were dried at a constant absorbed thermal energy of 750 W/m2 and air mass flow rate of 0.011 kg...

  2. Numerical and experimental investigation of direct solar crop dryer for farmers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kareem, M. W.; Habib, Khairul; Sulaiman, S. A.

    2015-07-01

    This article presents a theoretical and experimental investigation on effects of weather on direct solar crop drying technique. The SIMULINK tool was employed to analyze the energy balance equations of the transient system model. A prototype of the drying system was made and data were collected between the months of June and July in Perak, Malaysia. The contribution of intense sunny days was encouraging despite the wet season, and the wind velocity was dynamic during the period of investigation. However, high percentage of relative humidity was observed. This constitutes a hindrance to efficient drying process. The reported studies were silent on the effect of thick atmospheric moisture content on drying rate of agricultural products in tropic climate. This finding has revealed the mean values of insolation, wind speed, moisturized air, system performance efficiency and chili microscopy image morphology. The predicted and measured results were compared with good agreement.

  3. Analysis and Testing of a Natural Convection Solar Dryer for the Tropics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. O. Adelaja

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Solar dryers are imperative for the tropical and sub-Saharan African countries, which are faced with the duo challenges of inadequate electrical energy supply, which has severely limited the application of conventional refrigeration as a means of preservation of agricultural produce, and the need to make produce competitive in the international market. In this study, a cost-effective natural convection solar dryer was developed; the thermal and drying analyses were done and tested to obtain some performance evaluation parameters for the system in order to examine its efficiency and effectiveness by drying some plantain fillets. The collector and system efficiencies are found to be 46.4% and 78.73%, respectively, while a percentage moisture removal of 77.5% was achieved at the 20th hour in order to give final moisture contents of 15.75% in the product, which still maintained its integrity. With a cost of about $195.00, it has been affordable for the small- and medium-scale enterprises as well as for private use in domestic applications.

  4. Evaluation of a integral systems greenhouse - solar dryer for small growers; Evaluacion de un sistema integral invernadero - secadero solar para pequenos productores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, Victor O; Iriarte, Adolfo A [INENCO, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Catamarca (Argentina); Carabajal, Dante; Sabadzija, Gabriela; Tomalino, Luis [E.E.A. INTA, Catamarca, Catamarca (Argentina)

    2000-07-01

    Due to poor yielding capacity in the province of Catamarca, Argentina, it is necessary to improve solar drying systems in order to have a better quality final product. It is also essential to divide the costs of infrastructure with other complementary activities because of the need to make drying methods profitable. The system proposed in this work is a dryer-greenhouse with a double purposed macrotunnel greenhouse: during Winter it is used as a yielding system, and in Summer it is prepared to fulfill the functions of a solar dryer. The crops evaluated in winter were: small vegetable marrow (Curcubita maxima L), melon (Cucumis melo), ad cucumber (Cucuis sativus). Crop cycle, harvest time and tield in Kg/m were determined for each species. The assessment of the dryer was made using pepper for paprika observation of the thermal behavior of the product during drying and its final quality. The product obtained had a very good quality in color, taste and aroma with a classification of extra quality according to the Argentine Nutritional Code and the 7541 ISO Standard. Drying time decreased considerably compared to that observed in open air drying, 1995, 1996 and 1997 campaigns were economically assessed, and an evaluation of investments in five years was also conducted obtaining a positive VAN and a TIR above the cost of the best alternative for money expenditure. This integrated system is valid alternative in a sustainable production for small growers. [Spanish] Debido a las caracteristicas productivas de la Provincia de Catamarca Argentina, es necesario optimizar los procesos del secado solar teniendo en cuenta la calidad final del producto. Ademas, debido a la necesidad de rentabilizar los metodos de secado, imprescindible repartir los costos de infraestructura con otro tipo de actividad complementaria. El sistema propuesto en este trabajo es un invernadero secadero que utiliza un invernadero macrotunel que cumple una doble funcion, durante el invierno se usa como

  5. Modelling the drying kinetics of green peas in a solar dryer and under open sun

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sunil [Department of Mechanical Engineering, BRCM CET Bahal, Haryana–127028 (India); Varun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIT Hamirpur, (H.P.)–177005 (India); Sharma, Naveen [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, IITR, (U.K.)–247667 (India)

    2013-07-01

    The drying kinetics of green peas was investigated in an indirect solar dryer and under open sun. The entire drying process took place exclusively in falling rate period. The constant rate period was absent from the drying curves. The rehydration capacity was also determined for peas dried in solar dryer and under open sun. The rehydration capacity of solar dried peas was found higher than open sun dried peas. The drying data obtained from experiments were fitted to eight different mathematical models. The performance of these models was examined by comparing the coefficient of correlation (R2), sum of squares error (SSE), mean squared error (MSE) and root mean square error (RMSE) between observed and predicted values of moisture ratios. Among these models, the thin layer drying model developed by Page showed good agreement with the data obtained from experiments for bottom tray. The Midilli et al. model has shown better fit to the experimental data for top tray and open sun than other models.

  6. Alterations in fruit and vegetable beta-carotene and vitamin C content caused by open-sun drying, visqueen-covered and polyethylene-covered solar-dryers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ndawula, J; Kabasa, J D; Byaruhanga, Y B

    2004-08-01

    This study investigated the effects of three drying methods (open sun drying, visqueen-covered solar dryer and polyethylene-covered solar dryer) on b-carotene and vitamin C content of edible portions of mango fruit (Mangifera indica) and cowpea leaves (Vigna unguiculata). Commercial samples were analysed for vitamin C by titrimetry and b-carotene by spectrophotometry at 450 nm. Differences in vitamin retention and loss associated with the three drying methods were assessed by analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD) at (pdrying. Open sun drying method caused the greatest b-carotene and vitamin C loss (58% and 84% respectively), while the visqueen-covered solar dryer caused the least loss (34.5% and 71% respectively). Blanching cowpea leaves improved b-carotene and vitamin C retention by 15% and 7.5% respectively. The b-carotene and vitamin C content of fresh ripe mango fruit was 5.9 and 164.3 mg/100g DM respectively. Similar to effects on cowpea leaves, the mango micronutrient content decreased (pdrying. The open sun drying method caused the greatest b-carotene (94.2%) and vitamin C (84.5%) loss, while the visqueen-covered solar dryer caused the least (73 and 53% respectively). These results show that the three solar drying methods cause significant loss of pro-vitamin A and vitamin C in dried fruits and vegetables. However, open sun drying causes the most loss and the visqueen-covered solar dryer the least, making the later a probable better drying technology for fruit and vegetable preservation. The drying technologies should be improved to enhance vitamin retention.

  7. Experimental investigation of a solar dryer with natural convective heat flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gbaha, P.; Yobouet Andoh, H.; Kouassi Saraka, J. [Laboratoire d' Energies d' Energies Nouvelles et Renouvelables, Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphoeuet-Boigny, B.P. 1526 Yamoussoukro (Ivory Coast); Kamenan Koua, B.; Toure, S. [Laboratoire d' Energie Solaire, Universite de Cocody, 22 B.P.: 582, Abidjan 22 (Ivory Coast)

    2007-09-15

    A direct type natural convection solar dryer is designed. It is constructed in local materials (wood, blades of glass, metals) then tested experimentally in foodstuffs drying (cassava, bananas, mango). It is about an experimental approach which consists in analyzing the behavior of the dryer. The study relates mainly kinetics and establishment of drying heat balances. The influence of significant parameters governing heat and mass transfers, such as solar incident radiation, drying air mass flow and effectiveness, is analyzed in order to evaluate its thermal performances. Experimental data can be represented by empirical correlations of the form M(t)=M{sub i}exp(-kt) for representation of drying process. The resolution of these drying equations makes-possible to predict total drying time of each product. Moreover, this drying process allows to reduce the moisture content of cassava and sweet banana approximately to 80% in 19 and 22 h, respectively to reach the safety threshold value of 13%. This value permits the conservation of these products about one year without deterioration. The determination of parameters, like ambient temperature, drying chamber temperature, drying air mass flow and incident heat fluxes, allow to predict the drying effectiveness for modeling and refining the dimensioning of the elaborate prototype. (author)

  8. Mushrooms dehydration in a hybrid-solar dryer, using a phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes, Alejandro; Mahn, Andrea; Vásquez, Francisco

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Mushroom slices were dehydrated in a hybrid solar dryer. • Drying and dehydrated kinetics were adjusted with models. • Effective diffusivity, were estimated considering or not shrinkage. • Paraffin wax as a phase change material was used in an accumulator of solar energy. - Abstract: Mushrooms were dehydrated in a hybrid solar dryer provided with a solar panel of a total exposed surface of 10 m 2 , electric resistances and paraffin wax as a phase change material. Mushrooms were cut in 8 mm or 12 mm slices. At the outlet of the drying chamber the air was recycled (70% or 80%) and the air temperature was adjusted to 60 °C. At the outlet of the solar panel the air temperature rose up to 30 °C above the ambient temperature, depending on solar radiation level. The effective diffusivity, estimated by the Simplified Constant Diffusivity Model, considering or not shrinkage, fluctuated between 2.5 · 10 −10 m 2 /s and 8.4 · 10 −10 m 2 /s with R 2 higher than 0.99, agreeing with values reported in literature. The empirical Page’s model resulted in a better adjustment, with R 2 above 0.998. In all runs the dehydrated mushrooms showed a notorious darkening and shrinkage. Rehydration assays at 30 °C showed that in less than 30 min rehydrated mushrooms reached a moisture content of 1.91 (dry basis). Rehydrated mushrooms had a higher hardness compared with fresh mushrooms. The Simplified Constant Diffusivity Model and the Peleg’s model adjusted to the rehydration data with RMSE values below 0.080. Thermal efficiency fluctuated between 22% and 62%, while the efficiency of the accumulator panel varied between 10% and 21%. The accumulator allowed reducing the electric energy input

  9. Drying of Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa Flower Petals using Solar Dryer with Double Glass Cover Collector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tjukup Marnoto

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Chemical ingredients in rosella petals are very beneficial for health. Rosella petals needed to be drained for storage and packing purpose. The traditional drying takes 5 days and less healthy. Solar dryer technology can speed up the drying process and protect materials from dust contamination. Solar dryer with double glass covered collector has been designed and made for drying of agricultural products such as rosella flowers. Rosella petals as much as 2300 grams with initial moisture content of 90.84 % be dried with this dryer until the moisture content of 7.67 % takes only 2 days, although the weather was less sunny . The temperature in the drying chamber was not more than 50° C, so it was good for drying groceries, not damaging chemical ingredients. The relative humidity in the space dryeris was about 40 % and it was still relative low. Drying rate and drying performance was expressed by the efficiency and Specific Moisture Evaporation Rate ( SMER were influenced by water content of the dried material and weather. Daily efficiency at the first and the second day: 14.931 % and 5.78%, while the daily SMER on the first and the second day: 0.222 and 0.0256 ( kg / kWh .

  10. Drying of carrot slices in a triple pass solar dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seshachalam Kesavan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available An indirect triple pass forced convection solar dryer was developed and its performance was evaluated for drying of carrot slices. The drying experiments were carried out under the meteorological conditions of Coimbatore city in India during the year 2016. The experimental set-up consists of a blower, triple pass packed bed air collector (using sand with wire mesh absorber plate, and a drying chamber. The air mass flow rate was optimized to 0.062 kg/s. The initial moisture content of the carrot slices was reduced from 87.5% (on wet basis to the final moisture content of 10% (wet basis in 6 h duration. The thin layer drying characteristics were analyzed using twelve mathematical models available in open literature. The results showed that the pick-up efficiency of the dryer was varied in the range between 14 and 43% with an average air collector thermal efficiency of 44% during the experimentation. The drying characteristics of carrot slices was predicted with good degree of accuracy using Wang and Singh drying model.

  11. Variation of the height of the grain bed of an indirect solar bin dryer; Variacion de la altura del lecho del grano en un secador solar indirecto

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sima, Efrain; Alvarez, Gabriela; Garcia, Saul [CENIDET, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico)

    2000-07-01

    This paper presents the effect of the variation of the size of the grain bed of an indirect solar bin dryer. This solar dryer was designed and built at the Instituto Tecnologico de Zacatepec and Sima performed the thermal evaluation. The solar bin dryer consists of a bin dryer of 0.92 m diameter and 1 m height (the maximum height of the grain bed is 0.6 m). a 2 m{sup 2} solar collector, a blower and an electronic card to control the inlet air flow of the bin. A load of 36 kg, 45 kg, 52 kg and 64 kg of corn were dried. The heights of the grain were 7.5 cm, 10 cm, 12.5 cm and 17 cm respectively. Solar radiation, inlet air velocity of the solar collector, pressure drop, grain temperature and humidity, ambient temperature and humidity of the drying air were recorded. The initial grain humidity was 27.2% and the final was 11.8%. [Spanish] En este trabajo se presenta el efecto de la variacion del lecho del grano en el proceso de secado de maiz, en un prototipo de secador solar de tipo indirecto. El secador fue disenado y construido en el Tecnologico de Zacatepec y evaluado por Sima, consta de una camara de secado de 0.92 m de diametro y una altura de 1 m. (la altura del lecho maximo de grano posible es de 0.6 m.), un colector solar con un area de 2 m{sup 2}, un extractor de aire y un control electronico para el flujo de aire. El secado de maiz se llevo a cabo con cargas de maiz de 36, 45, 52 y 64 kg. Las alturas en el lecho del grano fueron 7.5, 10, 12.5 y 17 cm. Para cada altura de lecho de grano se realizo una prueba. Durante cada prueba se realizaron mediciones de: radiacion solar, velocidad del aire a la entrada, caida de presion, temperatura del grano, humedad del grano, temperatura del aire ambiente, temperatura y humedad del aire de secado a la entrada y salida del secador. La humedad inicial del grano fue alrededor de 27.2% y la final de 11.8%.

  12. Design and Performance Evaluation of a Solar Assisted Heat Pump Dryer Integrated with Biomass Furnace for Red Chilli

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Yahya

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The performance of a solar assisted heat pump dryer integrated with biomass furnace has been designed and evaluated for drying red chillies, and drying kinetics of red chillies were evaluated. The red chillies were dried from 22 kg with moisture content of 4.26 db to moisture content of 0.08 db which needed 11 hours, with the average drying chamber temperature, drying chamber relative humidity, and an air mass flow rate of 70.5°C, 10.1%, and 0.124 kg/s, respectively, while the open sun drying needed 62 hours. Compared to open sun drying, this dryer yielded 82% saving in drying time. The drying rate, the specific moisture extraction rate, and thermal efficiency of the dryer were estimated in average to be about 1.57 kg/h, 0.14 kg/kWh, and 9.03%, respectively. Three mathematical models, the Newton, Henderson-Pabis, and Page models, were fitted to the experimental data on red chillies dried by solar assisted heat pump dryer integrated with biomass furnace and open sun drying. The performance of these models was evaluated by comparing the coefficient of determination (R2, mean bias error (MBE, and root mean-square error (RMSE. The Page model gave the best results for representing drying kinetics of red chillies.

  13. Experimental investigation on energy and exergy analysis of coriander (Coriadrum sativum L.) leaves drying in natural convection solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panwar, N.L.

    2014-01-01

    This study deals with thin layer drying characteristics of Coriandrum sativum L. leaves in a natural convection solar dryer. The Coriandrum sativum L. leaves were dried from a moisture content of 88% (w.b.) to 4.5% (w.b.) in 7.5 hours. The obtained drying data were fitted to eight different drying kinetics models. Of these, the model suggested by Midilli et al. [20] had the best fit with the drying behavior of Coriandrum sativum L. leaves. In addition, the thermodynamic behaviour of a solar dryer was evaluated. The energy efficiency during the study varied from 7.81 to 37.93%. The exergy efficiency of the drying process ranged between 55.35 and 79.39%. (author)

  14. A large-scale solar greenhouse dryer using polycarbonate cover: Modeling and testing in a tropical environment of Lao People's Democratic Republic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Janjai, Serm; Intawee, Poolsak; Kaewkiew, Jinda; Sritus, Chanoke [Solar Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000 (Thailand); Khamvongsa, Vathsana [Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Science, National University of Laos, P O Box 7322, Vientiane (Lao People' s Democratic Republic)

    2011-03-15

    A large-scale solar greenhouse dryer with a loading capacity of 1000 kg of fruits or vegetables has been developed and tested at field levels. The dryer has a parabolic shape and the dryer is covered with polycarbonate sheets. The base of the dryer is a black concrete floor with an area of 7.5 x 20.0 m{sup 2}. Nine DC fans powered by three 50-W solar cell modules are used to ventilate the dryer. The dryer was installed at Champasak (15.13 N, 105.79 E) in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). It is routinely used to dry chilli, banana and coffee. To assess the experimental performances of the dryer, air temperature, air relative humidity and product moisture contents were measured. One thousand kilograms of banana with the initial moisture content of 68% (wb) was dried within 5 days, compared to 7 days required for natural sun drying with the same weather conditions. Also three hundred kilograms of chilli with the initial moisture content of 75% (wb) was dried within 3 days while the natural sun drying needed 5 days. Two hundred kilograms of coffee with the initial moisture content of 52% (wb) was dried within 2 days as compared to 4 days required for natural sun drying. The chilli, coffee and banana dried in this dryer were completely protected from insects, animals and rain. Furthermore, good quality of dried products was obtained. The payback period of the dryer is estimated to be 2.5 years. A system of partial differential equations describing heat and moisture transfer during drying of chilli, coffee and banana in the greenhouse dryer was developed. These equations were solved by using the finite different method. The simulated results agree well with the experimental data. This model can be used to provide the design data for this type of dryer in other locations. (author)

  15. Experimental investigation of a novel indirect solar dryer implementing PCM as energy storage medium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shalaby, S.M., E-mail: saleh_shalaby@yahoo.com; Bek, M. A.

    2014-07-01

    Highlights: • The performance of a novel indirect solar dryer is investigated experimentally. • PCM, paraffin wax, is used as energy storage medium. • The novel ISD is suitable for drying medical plants. • Ocimum and Thevetia are dried at their prescribed drying temperatures. • The novel design maintains the desired temperature for 7 consecutive h/day. - Abstract: A novel indirect solar dryer (ISD) design using phase change material (PCM) as energy storage medium was experimentally investigated. The system consists of two identical solar air heaters, drying compartment, PCM storage units and a blower. The ISD was tested under no load with and without PCM at a wide range of mass flow rates (0.0664–0.2182 kg/s). It is found that after using the PCM, the temperature of the drying air is higher than ambient temperature by 2.5–7.5 °C after sunset for five hours at least. In addition, the mass flow rates of 0.1204 and 0.0894 kg/s give the peak values of the drying temperature when the ISD is operated with and without PCM, respectively. The novel design successfully maintains the desired temperature for seven consecutive hours every day. This helps reaching the final moisture content of Ocimum Basilicum and Thevetia Neriifolia after 12 and 18 h, respectively.

  16. Study and modeling of energy performance of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar collector: Configuration suitable for an indirect solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slimani, Mohamed El Amine; Amirat, Madjid; Bahria, Sofiane; Kurucz, Ildikó; Aouli, M’heni; Sellami, Rabah

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The simulation results are in compliance with the experimental measurements indicated in the previous literature. • The accuracy of the numerical model is due to the presented energy analysis and also to the well-adopted correlations. • A comparative study between two solar photovoltaic/thermal air collectors was carried out. • The thermal efficiency of the analyzed hybrid collector increased by 30.85% compared to the basic configuration. • The air temperature supplied by a double-pass photovoltaic/thermal collector is very suitable for solar drying. - Abstract: In this paper, a configuration of photovoltaic-thermal hybrid solar collector embeddable in an indirect solar dryer system is studied. In the present structure of the solar photovoltaic/thermal air collector, the air goes through a double pass below and above the photovoltaic module. A system of electrical and thermal balance equations is developed and analyzed governing various electric and heat transfer parameters in the solar hybrid air collector. The numerical model planned for this study gives a good precision of results, which are close to the experimental ones (of previous literature), and makes it possible to have a good assessment of energy performance regarding the studied configuration (temperature, electric and thermal powers, electrical and thermal efficiencies, etc.). The numerical results show the energy effectiveness of this hybrid collector configuration and particularly its interesting use in an indirect solar dryer system that provides a more suitable air temperature for drying agricultural products. The values of the electrical, thermal and overall energy efficiencies reaches 10.5%, 70% and 90% respectively, with a mass flow rate of 0.0155 kg/s and weather data sample for the month of June in the Algiers site. The results presented in this study also reveal how important the effect of certain parameters and operating conditions on the performance of the hybrid

  17. Solar dryers for a non-polluting removal of sewage sludge; Solartrockner fuer eine umweltfreundliche Klaerschlammentsorgung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kos, Manfred [Lenze, Hameln (Germany)

    2011-06-15

    The acceptance of solar drying technology is depending on the quality of the produced dry goods. On local markets as well as for the export market dryed products can only compete if they can meet the quality standards of the food processing industry and consumers. A high added value for operators of solar dryers especially from developing countries can only be achieved if the goods can be exported. Dried sewage sludge shows to have an energy density corresponding to brown coal, burns however carbon dioxide neutrally compared with fossil fuels and grows continuously in water treatment plants on the outskirts of cities. (GL)

  18. Modelling and simulation of processes by smart sensing : a solar dryer for plant material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Correa, E.C.; Diezma, B.; Ruiz-Altisent, M. [LPF-TAGRALIA Univ. Politecnica, CENIM-CSIC, Madrid (Spain)

    2010-07-01

    This paper reported on a study in which as small wood dryer was modelled. Studies have shown that properly designed solar dryers may prove to be energy saving devices for drying processes. The drying rate expressed as -dX/dt=f/X (where X is DB wood moisture content), allows to identify 2 different kinetics, notably for high X values or fibre saturation point (FSP) and for X values under FSP, in which diffusion is the mechanism that governs a decreasing drying rate at this stage. The complex drying rate model developed in this study made it possible the determine the wood and convective mass transfer at the wood-air interface. Validation and application to fruit and plant drying cycles is currently underway. Three different proposed models are used in the software for a smart sensor system, which is based on Sensirion sensors for temperature and relative humidity in the air, and thermocouples for timber temperature.

  19. Simulation of Solar Heat Pump Dryer Directly Driven by Photovoltaic Panels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houhou, H.; Yuan, W.; Wang, G.

    2017-05-01

    This paper investigates a new type of solar heat pump dryer directly driven by photovoltaic panels. In order to design this system, a mathematical model has been established describing the whole drying process, including models of key components and phenomena of heat and mass transfer at the product layer and the air. The results of simulation at different drying air temperatures and velocities have been calculated and it indicate that the temperature of drying air is crucial external parameter compared to the velocity, with the increase of drying temperature from 45°C to 55°C, the product moisture content (Kg water/Kg dry product) decreased from 0.75 Kg/Kg to 0.3 Kg/Kg.

  20. The Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia-INPA solar dryer: an economical alternative for wood drying; O secador solar do INPA: uma alternativa economica para secar madeira

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moraes-Duzat, Rejane; Barbosa, Ana Paula; Vetter, Roland [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA), Manaus, AM (Brazil)]. E-mail: duzat@inpa.gov.br; apaula@inpa.gov.br

    2000-07-01

    As an alternative to the expensive and high energy consuming conventional dryers available at the market, INPA developed a solar wood dryer technically adequate to the climatic conditions of the Amazon region, and economically suitable to an industrial segment that could not afford large investments to dry wood. The dryer has received great acceptance by the industry due to its low cost and good operating efficiency. The prototype was dimensioned with a capacity of 5 to 8 m{sup 3} of sawn wood, which is sufficient for the needs of small sawmills or furniture shops. A total of 20 units have been installed in Brazil and other countries. Research work is underway to improve the performance of the original model, and some modifications are conducted to adapt it to dry other natural products as seeds, nuts, fruits, and herbs. (author)

  1. Suitability of locally constructed solar dryers for vegetable drying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seidu, J.M.; Tevor, W.J.; Kotei, R.; Mahama, A.A.; Amoah, R.S.

    2008-01-01

    Indigenous vegetables and spices are usually common and abundant during the rainy season but unfortunately, almost disappear during the dry season due to inadequate processing because of their high moisture content, poor storage and marketing facilities. A study was therefore conducted to find the possibilities of drying vegetables using locally constructed solar dryers at the Mechanisation section of the University of Education, Mampong Campus. The study was done during the months of March to September, 2004 and six designs of solar panels were used. The panels were constructed using hard wood, binding materials (nails), chicken mesh, nylon net, and black and white polythene sheets. Variations in panels resulted from the type of polythene sheet used (white, black or both), drying platform and shape of the roof. The panels with their interior lined with the black polythene sheet recorded higher temperatures than those with their bases covered with only the chicken mesh and nylon nettings. All the designs recorded higher temperatures than the ambient temperature. The drying of vegetables was observed to be faster in the panels with their drying platforms lined with the black polythene sheet than those with their bases covered with only the chicken mesh and nylon net. Appearance of the vegetables after drying in the solar panels was almost the same as before drying as compared to the open sun drying that got mouldy after drying. Those vegetables that were dried directly on the black polythene sheet however were slightly darker in colour. Solar drying with these locally constructed panels would be a better means of drying vegetables by rural folks. (au)

  2. Hybrid system: Heat pump-solar air dryer for grains; Sistema hibrido: bomba de calor - calentador solar de aire para el secado de productos agricolas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soto Gomez, Willfredo [Instituto Tecnologico de Tijuana, Tijuana (Mexico); Ortega Herrera, Jose Angel [Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2000-07-01

    Design, building, operation and evaluation energy wise of a hybrid experimental type, with heat pump, that uses no chloride, does not destroy the ozone layer. It is solar air dryer for grains. In this research we dry rice. It has tree systems: 1.- A mechanical compression heat pump, 2.- An air solar heater, and 3.- An agriculture products dryer. The drying capacity is 20 pounds of grain /day, with a median daily solar radiation. The costs is approximately U.S. $ 6 000.00. The heat pump used 22 refrigerant first, and now works with refrigerant SUVA 9000. This refrigerant will be available this year in the I.S., it is one of the ecological class that substitutes the chlorofluorocarbonates. [Spanish] Se disena, construye, opera, y evalua energeticamente, un sistema hibrido tipo experimental, con bomba de calor que utiliza refrigerante que no contiene cloro, y no destruye la capa de ozono y un calentador solar de aire, para secar granos. En este trabajo secamos arroz. Se compone de tres sistemas: 1.- Bomba de calor por compresion mecanica, 2.- Calentador solar de aire, 3.- Secador de productos agricolas. La capacidad de secado es de 10 Kilos de granos/dia promedio. Tiene un costo aproximado de $ 60 000. La bomba de calor utiliza refrigerante 22 en una primera generacion, y actualmente opera con un refrigerante SUVA 9000, en una segunda generacion, este refrigerante se comercializara en este ano, en la Union Americana, pertenece a la familia de los llamados refrigerantes ecologicos, sustitutos de los clorofluorocarbonados.

  3. Performance Analysis of Solar Assisted Fluidized Bed Dryer Integrated Biomass Furnace with and without Heat Pump for Drying of Paddy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Yahya

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The performances of a solar assisted fluidized bed dryer integrated biomass furnace (SA-FBDIBF and a solar assisted heat pump fluidized bed dryer integrated biomass furnace (SAHP-FBDIBF for drying of paddy have been evaluated, and also drying kinetics of paddy were determined. The SA-FBDIBF and the SAHP-FBDIBF were used to dry paddy from 11 kg with moisture content of 32.85% db to moisture content of 16.29% db (14% wb under an air mass flow rate of 0.1037 kg/s within 29.73 minutes and 22.95 minutes, with average temperatures and relative humidities of 80.3°C and 80.9°C and 12.28% and 8.14%, respectively. The average drying rate, specific energy consumption, and specific moisture extraction rate were 0.043 kg/minute and 0.050 kg/minute, 5.454 kWh/kg and 4.763 kWh/kg, and 0.204 kg/kWh and 0.241 kg/kWh for SA-FBDIBF and SAHP-FBDIBF, respectively. In SA-FBDIBF and SAHP-FBDIBF, the dryer thermal efficiencies were average values of 12.28% and 15.44%; in addition, the pickup efficiencies were 33.55% and 43.84% on average, whereas the average solar and biomass fractions were 10.9% and 10.6% and 36.6% and 30.4% for SA-FBDIBF and SAHP-FBDIBF, respectively. The drying of paddy occurred in the falling rate period. The experimental dimensionless moisture content data were fitted to three mathematical models. Page’s model was found best to describe the drying behaviour of paddy.

  4. Analysis of efficiency of a solar dryer tunnel type of mango pulp; Analisis de la eficiencia de un secador solar tipo tunel para pulpa de mango

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chagoyan Serrano, Jose [Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur (Mexico)

    2000-07-01

    A new method to assess the performance of a solar dryer is presented. It describes energy efficiency indicators to improve a commercial dryer design. First, a preliminary dryer design procedure is described step by step. Then, two different modes of a tunnel dryer are investigated: Batch and semi-continue operations. The results of the analysis show that, the thermal efficiency is not sufficient to rate de dryer performance. It is necessary to include the productivity of the drying process and the quality of the dried fruit. The drying process and productivity tend to go hand-in-hand but in opposite directions. That is to say, raising the thermal efficiency reduce the process productivity and conversely. The analysis also suggests that an agreement between the efficiency, productivity and the quality must be specified in the drier design. [Spanish] Se presenta un procedimiento nuevo para evaluar la operacion de un secador solar, con el cual se precisan indicadores de la eficiencia que pueden ser utiles para mejorar el diseno del equipo. Se empieza por describir los pasos de un procedimiento de diseno preliminar de un sistema de secado. Despues, se analizan cualitativamente dos secadores: uno que opera por lotes y el otro de modo semicontinuo. Los resultados del analisis muestran que, la eficiencia termica del equipo no es un criterio suficiente para evaluar su operacion; tambien se requiere tomar encuenta la productividad del proceso de secado y la calidad del producto final. Se concluye que la eficiencia termica y la productividad del proceso son conceptos encontrados. Es decir, la eficiencia termica del equipo no es un criterio suficiente para evaluar su operacion; tambien se requiere tomar en cuenta la productividad del proceso de secado y la calidad del producto final. Se concluye que la eficiencia termica y la productividad del proceso son conceptos encontrados. Es decir, la eficiencia termica solo se puede aumentar a costa de la productividad y viceversa

  5. Solar drying system for tropical fruits and a model for drying bananas in a static column dryer; Sistema de secagem solar para frutos tropicais e modelagem da secagem de banana em um secador de coluna estatica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Costa, Antonio Raimundo da Silva

    2008-01-15

    An electric solar dryer consisting of a solar collector, a drying chamber, an exhaust fan and a fan to promote forced hot air convection were projected, built and tested . Banana drying experiments were also carried out in a static column dryer to model the drying and to obtain parameters that can be used as a first approximation in the modeling of an electric solar dryer, depending on the similarity of the experimental conditions between the two drying systems. From the banana drying experiments conducted in the static column dryer, we obtained food weight data as a function of aqueous concentration and temperature. Simplified mathematical models of the banana drying were made, based on Fick's and Fourier's second equations, which were tested with the experimental data. We determined and/or modeled parameters such as banana moisture content, density, thin layer drying curves, equilibrium moisture content, molecular diffusivity of the water in banana D{sub AB}, extemal mass transfer coefficient k{sub M}, specific heat C{sub p}, thermal conductivity k, latent heat of water evaporation in the food L{sub food}, time to heat food, and minimum energy and power required to heat the food and evaporate the water. When we considered the shrinkage of radius R of a banana, the calculated values of D{sub AB} and k{sub M} generally better represent the phenomenon of water diffusion in a solid. The latent heat of water evaporation in the food L{sub food} calculated by modeling is higher than the latent heat of pure water evaporation L{sub water}. The values calculated for D{sub AB} and K{sub M} that best represent the drying were obtained with the analytical model of the present paper. These values had good agreement with those assessed with a numeric model described in the literature, in which convective boundary condition and food shrinkage are considered. Using parameters such as C{sub p}, D{sub AB}, k, k{sub M} and L{sub food}, one can elaborate the preliminary

  6. The effect of fan speed control system on the inlet air temperature uniformity in a solar dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. F Mousavi

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Drying process of agricultural products, fruits and vegetables are highly energy demanding and hence are the most expensive postharvest operation. Nowadays, the application of control systems in different area of science and engineering plays a key role and is considered as the important and inseparable parts of any industrial process. The review of literature indicates that enormous efforts have been donefor the intelligent control of solar driers and in this regard some simulation models are used through computer programming. However, because of the effect of air velocity on the inlet air temperature in dryers, efforts have been made to control the fan speed based ont he temperature of the absorber plate in this study, and the behavior of this system was compared with an ordinary dryer without such a control system. Materials and methods: In this study, acabinet type solar dryer with forced convection and 5kg capacity of fresh herbs was used. The dryer was equipped with a fan in the outlet chamber (the chimney for creating air flow through the dryer. For the purpose of research methods and automatic control of fan speed and for adjusting the temperature of the drying inlet air, a control system consisting of a series of temperature and humidity sensors and a microcontroller was designed. To evaluatethe effect of the system with fan speed control on the uniformity of air temperature in the drying chamber and hence the trend of drying process in the solar dryer, the dryer has been used with two different modes: with and without the control of fan speed, each in twodays (to minimize the errors of almost the same ambient temperature. The ambient air temperature during the four days of experiments was obtained from the regional Meteorological Office. Some fresh mint plants (Mentha longifolia directly harvested from the farm in the morning of the experiment days were used as the drying materials. Each experimental run continued for 9

  7. Experimental study of pistachio drying behavior in a mixed-mode PV operated forced convection solar dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zangiabadi, B [Univ. of Stavanger, Stavanger (Norway); Ameri, M; Mahmoudabadi, M M [Shahid Bahonar Univ., Kerman (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2008-07-01

    According to FAO statistics, Iran is the largest exporter of pistachios. Kerman province -south east of Iran- has approximately 200000 hectares of pistachio orchards, which provides practically 80% of whole country production of pistachios. After harvesting the pistachio, nuts must be washed to prevent staining. Therefore the nuts have almost 40% moisture content and it must be decreased to storage moisture of 6% or below. Simply decreasing in the moisture content of the products is called drying. In some areas where the environment conditions meet the minimum standard, solar drying can be an alternative approach for drying agricultural products. This work deals with the design, construction and testing a mixed-mode forced convection PV operated solar dryer. (orig.)

  8. Performance of evaporator-collector and air collector in solar assisted heat pump dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hawlader, M.N.A.; Rahman, S.M.A.; Jahangeer, K.A.

    2008-01-01

    A solar assisted heat pump dryer has been designed, fabricated and tested. This paper presents the performance of the evaporator-collector and the air collector when operated under the same meteorological conditions. ASHRAE standard procedure for collector testing has been followed. The evaporator-collector of the heat pump is acting directly as the solar collector, and the temperature of the refrigerant at the inlet to the evaporator-collector always remained below the ambient temperature. Because of the rejection of sensible and latent heats of air at the dehumidifier, the temperature at the inlet to the air collector is lower than that of the ambient air. Hence, the thermal efficiency of the air collector also increases due to a reduction of losses from the collector. The efficiencies of the evaporator-collector and the air collector were found to vary between 0.8-0.86 and 0.7-0.75, respectively, when operated under the meteorological conditions of Singapore

  9. Numerical modelling of multi-pass solar dryer filled with granite pebbles for thermal storage enhancement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kareem, M W; Habib, K; Ruslan, M H

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a theoretical modelling of a cheap solar thermal dryer for small and medium scale farmers with multi-pass approach has been investigated. Comsol Multiphysics modelling tool was employed using numerical technique. The rock particles were used to enhance the thermal storage of the drying system. The local weather data were used during the simulation while parameters and coefficients were sourced from literature. An improvement on efficiency of up to 7% was recorded with error of 10 -5 when compared with the reported double pass solar collector. A fair distribution of hot air within the cabinets was also achieved. Though the modelling tool used was robust but the characterization of the system materials need to be done to improve the system accuracy and better prediction. (paper)

  10. Thermodynamic methodology for the design of solar dryers operated with flat solar collectors; Metodologia termodinamica para el diseno de secadores operados con calentadores solares planos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torres Reyes, Ernestina; Navarrete Gonzalez, Jose L; Ibarra Salazar, Beatriz A; Picon Nunez, Martin [Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanjuato, Guanajuato (Mexico)

    2000-07-01

    In this paper a thermal performance analysis of solar drying process at operating varying conditions is presented. It is described semi-empirical models to thermal characterization of an experimental device. A simulator of thermal performance for operating varying conditions was developed as a part of the procedure of thermal design of solar dryers. On the other hand, it is described a simplified method to design solar collectors based on the determination of minimum entropy generation during the thermal conversion of the solar device by using the thermal analysis procedure established and the method derived of the second law of the Thermodynamics are finally presented. [Spanish] En este trabajo se presenta el analisis termico del comportamiento del sistema -colector solar camara de secado-. Se describen los modelos semi-empiricos con los que se caracterizo termicamente un secador solar experimental del tipo indirecto. Se presenta tambien un procedimiento de diseno de equipo de secado que toma en cuenta las condiciones variables de operacion que presentan los dispositivos solares. Por otro lado se describe un procedimiento simplificado de diseno, basado en un analisis derivado de la segunda ley de la Termodinamica. Esta metodologia se fundamenta en la minima generacion de entropia durante la conversion termica de la energia solar, utilizando colectores solares planos. Finalmente se presentan los resultados del diseno preliminar de equipo de secado utilizando los dos procedimientos mencionados.

  11. Improvement in greenhouse solar drying using inclined north wall reflection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sethi, V.P. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab (India); Arora, Sadhna [Department of Processing and Food Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab (India)

    2009-09-15

    A conventional greenhouse solar dryer of 6 m{sup 2} x 4 m{sup 2} floor area (east-west orientation) was improved for faster drying using inclined north wall reflection (INWR) under natural as well as forced convection mode. To increase the solar radiation availability onto the product (to be dried) during extreme summer months, a temporary inclined wall covered with aluminized reflector sheet (of 50 {mu}m thickness and reflectance 0.93) was raised inside the greenhouse just in front of the vertical transparent north wall. By doing so, product fully received the reflected beam radiation (which otherwise leaves through the north wall) in addition to the direct total solar radiation available on the horizontal surface during different hours of drying. The increment in total solar radiation input enhanced the drying rate of the product by increasing the inside air and crop temperature of the dryer. Inclination angle of the reflective north wall with vertical ({beta}) was optimized for various selective widths of the tray W (1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 m) and for different realistic heights of existing vertical north wall (h) at 25 N, 30 N and 35 N latitudes (hot climatic zones). Experimental performance of the improved dryer was tested during the month of May 2008 at Ludhiana (30.56 N) climatic conditions, India by drying bitter gourd (Momordica charantia Linn) slices. Results showed that by using INWR under natural convection mode of drying, greenhouse air and crop temperature increased by 1-6.7 C and 1-4 C, respectively, during different drying hours as compared to, when INWR was not used and saved 13.13% of the total drying time. By using INWR under forced convection mode of drying, greenhouse air and crop temperature increased by 1-4.5 C and 1-3 C, respectively, during different drying hours as compared to, when INWR was not used and saved 16.67% of the total drying time. (author)

  12. Solar drying of West Indian ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) rhizome using a wire basket dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balladin, D.A.; Headley, O. [University of the West Indies (Barbados). Dept. of Chemistry; Chang Yen, I. [University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago). Dept. of Chemistry; McGaw, D.R. [University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

    1996-09-01

    A wire basket dryer (1.8 m x 0.9 m x 0.2 m) was used to dry sliced (0.15 cm) West Indian ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) rhizome to an acceptable moisture content of 10.2% (dry weight basis) over a 3 day period. The optimum charge size was 14.97 kg, with a packing density of 462.04 kg m{sup -3} and a specific drying rate of 0.446 h{sup -1}. The quantities (determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography) of the main pungent principles (ginerol and shogaol) extracted from fresh, non-steam-distilled solar-dried and steam-distilled solar-dried ginger rhizomes showed increases of 0.068, 0.46 and 0.67 g [per 100 g (dry weight basis)], respectively, with a decrease in the oleoresin quality (reflected in pungency profile) of the same order. (author)

  13. Performance analysis of greenhouse dryer by using insulated north-wall under natural convection mode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prashant Singh Chauhan

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available A prototype north wall insulated greenhouse dryer has been fabricated and tested in no-load conditions under natural convection mode. Experimentation has been conducted in two different cases. Case-I is when solar collector placed inside the dryer and Case-II is North wall insulated greenhouse dryer without solar collector. Coefficient of performance, heat utilisation factor, convective heat transfer coefficient and coefficient of diffusivity have been evaluated in thermal performance analysis. The difference of the highest convective heat transfer coefficient of both cases is 29.094W/m2°C which is showing the effectiveness of insulated north wall and solar collector. The maximum coefficient of diffusivity (0.0827 was achieved during the third day of experiment in Case-II. The inside room temperature of wall insulated greenhouse dryer for Case-I is 4.11%, 5.08 % and 11.61 % higher than the Case-II during the day 1, day 2 and day 3 respectively. This result is also showing the effectiveness of solar collector and insulated north wall. The highest heat utilisation factor (0.616 is obtained during the second day for Case-I while for Case-II it is 0.769 during the third day of experimentation. Maximum coefficient of performance achieved is 0.892 during the third day of the experiment for Case-I whereas 0.953 is obtained on the first day of experimentation for Case-II.

  14. Design, manufacture and modeling of a mixed mode dryer for pistachio in Kerman

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ameri, Mehran; Zangiabadi, Bijan; Mahmoudabadi, Mehdi [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2006-01-15

    Production of high quality nuts that have toxics less than 2-2.5 ppm requires a great attention during growing and post harvest processing. Gravitational or Wagon driver using fossil fuel has been traditionally performed to dry pistachio nuts. However, using of fossil fuel is subject to the noxious effects on nuts such as burning, discoloured and various toxic fumes as well as the biological pollution. In Kerman province in south of Iran, where 60% of pistachio nuts export to all over the world, due to long period of sunshine during harvesting season, solar drying are know to be an excellence alternative to the fossil fuel. A specimen mixed-mode solar-dryer is manufactured to study the feasibility of test and to investigate optimization of the drying process in several conditions. Furthermore this designed dryer for pistachio nuts can be simply used for drying of the various agriculture products like fruits and vegetables. With this proposed multi application solar dryer, one can easily reach to acceptable moisture (7%) in a short period of time. For this system a mathematical model of dryer is also suggested here. the proposed solar dryer includes three main parts as collector, chamber and photocell. Chamber has a glassy cover that permits nut expose beam radiation directly. Collector has ability to circulate air by buoyancy forces or convey air by suction fans due to different operation conditions. Photocells prepare electromotive force for fans.National capacity of the dryer is 50Kg. The maximum temperature inside collector at the end of harvest season is 60 degree centigrade during 8-16 local time. In the mathematical modeling after fitting the drawing curves with the remaining moisture amount in the nuts and temperature per drying time, it was found that the major drop in the moisture content of the nuts occurs during the first 9 hours and then decreases gradually. The final moisture amount of the nuts was about 6% in 42 hours. The accuracy of proposed method

  15. Design, manufacture and modeling of a mixed mode dryer for pistachio in Kerman

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ameri, Mehran; Zangiabadi, Bijan; Mahmoudabadi, Mehdi

    2006-01-01

    Production of high quality nuts that have toxics less than 2-2.5 ppm requires a great attention during growing and post harvest processing. Gravitational or Wagon driver using fossil fuel has been traditionally performed to dry pistachio nuts. However, using of fossil fuel is subject to the noxious effects on nuts such as burning, discoloured and various toxic fumes as well as the biological pollution. In Kerman province in south of Iran, where 60% of pistachio nuts export to all over the world, due to long period of sunshine during harvesting season, solar drying are know to be an excellence alternative to the fossil fuel. A specimen mixed-mode solar-dryer is manufactured to study the feasibility of test and to investigate optimization of the drying process in several conditions. Furthermore this designed dryer for pistachio nuts can be simply used for drying of the various agriculture products like fruits and vegetables. With this proposed multi application solar dryer, one can easily reach to acceptable moisture (7%) in a short period of time. For this system a mathematical model of dryer is also suggested here. the proposed solar dryer includes three main parts as collector, chamber and photocell. Chamber has a glassy cover that permits nut expose beam radiation directly. Collector has ability to circulate air by buoyancy forces or convey air by suction fans due to different operation conditions. Photocells prepare electromotive force for fans.National capacity of the dryer is 50Kg. The maximum temperature inside collector at the end of harvest season is 60 degree centigrade during 8-16 local time. In the mathematical modeling after fitting the drawing curves with the remaining moisture amount in the nuts and temperature per drying time, it was found that the major drop in the moisture content of the nuts occurs during the first 9 hours and then decreases gradually. The final moisture amount of the nuts was about 6% in 42 hours. The accuracy of proposed method

  16. Solar Drying in Hot and Dry Climate of Jaipur

    OpenAIRE

    Parikh, Darshit; Agrawal, G. D.

    2016-01-01

    Objective of the present study was to design, develop and to carry out detail experimentation and then analyze solar cabinet dryer. For these various types of solar dryer, their principles and design methods, modeling, drying temperature, efficiency, utilization of dryer and payback period were reviewed. In the present study, solar cabinet dryer is constructed at Mechanical Engineering Department, M.N.I.T, Jaipur, latitude (26.01° N). The measurement of solar intensity, temperatures, relative...

  17. Drying kinetics of whole and sliced turmeric rhizomes (Curcuma longa L. in a solar conduction dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Borah

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Drying of turmeric was carried out in a solar conduction dryer (SCD. Drying air temperature was achieved around 39–51 °C for an ambient temperature in the range of 25–28 °C. Moisture content from 78.65% (wb, was reduced to 6.36% (wb and 5.50% (wb for solid and sliced samples respectively in 12 h effective drying time. Drying curve of sliced samples showed more uniform falling in comparison to that of whole samples. The average effective moisture diffusivity was found to be 1.852 × 10−10 m2 s−1 for slab samples and 1.456 × 10−10 m2 s−1 for solid samples. Out of four models tried for simulation, Page model was found as best fitted thin layer drying model when simulation was done for all the drying data. The overall thermal efficiency of the dryer was found to be 55%. Drying of sliced rhizomes showed better drying kinetics and effective drying time could be reduced by slicing instead of drying in whole form.

  18. Evaluation and comparing of natural and forced solar dryer for mint drying in Khuzestan province

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J Habibi Asl

    2017-05-01

    Research Center during the years 2011-2013. Materials and Methods In this research an indirect cabinet solar dryer with three trays and grooved collector was constructed. To improve air convection, a chimney was mounted above the dryer. The dryer performance was evaluated by drying mint leaves in three levels of mass density of 2, 3, and 4 kg m-2 at two drying manners of natural and forced convection and compared with drying mint leaves in shade as the traditional method. Results and Discussion The results showed that total drying time required in different solar drier treatments was 3.5 to 15 h, while it was about 5 days in traditional method. Drying time in upper trays was more as the air flow decreased due to increase in mass density. Mean required drying time in forced convection was 29.7% less than that of natural convection. Maximum essences with 0.80% and 0.76% were belonged to "natural convection and 3kg m-2 mass density" and "forced convection and 4 kg m-2 mass density" treatments respectively, while minimum one with 0.30% was for "forced convection and 2 kg m-2 mass density" treatment. Also, the highest and lowest chlorophyll content with 8.51 and 4.18 mg ml-1 were measured in "natural convection and 3 kg m-2 mass density" and "forced convection and 4 kg m-2 mass density" treatments respectively. According to obtained results, 3 and 4 kg m-2 mass density can be suggested for natural and forced convection solar drying of mint leaves in Khuzestan condition respectively. Conclusions In order to reduce vegetable losses and increase Khuzestan vegetable producers income, indirect cabinet solar dryer for drying mint leaves in winter season, could be an appropriate option. For natural and forced convection drying methods, mass density of 3 and 4 kg m-2 is recommended respectively.

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    African Journals Online (AJOL)

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    higher air temperature and consequently lowered the relative humidity which are both conducive to improve ... solar crop drying techniques, which provide heating at economically ... solar dryer and construction of a prototype of the dryer for ...

  20. Development of Solar Drying Model for Selected Cambodian Fish Species

    OpenAIRE

    Hubackova, Anna; Kucerova, Iva; Chrun, Rithy; Chaloupkova, Petra; Banout, Jan

    2014-01-01

    A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6°C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg·h...

  1. Experimental investigation of an indirect solar dryer integrated with phase change material for drying valeriana jatamansi (medicinal herb

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.K. Bhardwaj

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, an experimental investigation of an indirect solar dryer integrated with phase change material has been carried out for drying Valeriana Jatamansi. The experimentation has been performed under the climatic conditions of Himalayan region, Solan (latitude − 30.91°N, longitude − 77.09°E, Himachal Pradesh (India in the month of October-November 2016. Paraffin RT-42 has been used as a phase change material in the dryer. Using this system, the moisture content of rhizomes reduced from 89% to 9% in 5 days as compared to heat pump drying and shade drying, which took 8 days and 14 days, respectively. Results of present study infer that the drying time using phase change material in this setup has reduced by 37.50% and 64.29% when compared to heat pump drying and shade drying, respectively. The dried rhizomes obtained are of superior quality in terms of colour, texture, aroma and bio-medical constituents. Analyses show that by using present setup, total valepotriates obtained were 3.47% as compared to traditional shade drying which yield 3.31%.

  2. A comparative study of direct and indirect solar drying of mango ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A comparative study of direct and indirect solar drying of mango. ... Thus, indirect solar dryer was found to be suitable for industrial or semi industrial mango drying, whereas direct solar dryer was appropriate to a family ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

  3. Analysis of ginger drying inside a natural convection indirect solar dryer: An experimental study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. K. Sansaniwal

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a natural convection indirect solar cabinet dryer has been fabricated to study the drying behaviour of ginger rhizomes in terms of its convective heat transfer coefficient and moisture removing rate (% db. Various experiments were conducted during the months of March and April 2014 at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar (29o5’5’’N, 75o45’55’’E, India. Experimental data obtained were used to evaluate the Nusselt number constants using linear regression method. Considering these constants, the average value of convective heat transfer coefficient was obtained and observed to decrease with increase in mass of ginger samples and progression of drying days with variation from 0.59 to 5.42 W/m2˚C for different mass of ginger samples. The moisture removing rate was reported to increase with increase in mass of ginger samples and decreases significantly with the progression of drying days. The average collector efficiency was also observed to vary from 14.97 to 16.14% under increasing and decreasing trends of solar radiations from morning to noon and noon to evening respectively. Modified page model was reported best for describing the drying behaviour of different mass of ginger samples. The experimental error in terms of percent uncertainty ranged from 29.19 to 46.25%.

  4. Field measurements of temperature profile for floatovoltaic dryer in the tropics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osman, F. A.; Ya'acob, M. E.; Iskandar, A. Noor

    2017-09-01

    Most of the equator region in a tropical climate zone experiences hot and humid weather but sometimes heavy rain and thunderstorms which occur stochastically in monsoon season. Sunlight which is the energy source can be harvested approximately 8 hours (on average basis) daily throughout the year which leads to the promotion of Solar PV technologies. This works projects the field performance for a new Floatovoltaic Dryer prototype with flexible PV roofing structures covering the top of the dryer system. The field measurements are collected on the lake of Engineering Faculty, UPM supported with 4-parameter weather station. Temperature profile with RH measurements inside the Floatovoltaic Dryer compartments as compared to direct-sun drying mechanism are the main contributions of this work and it projects more than 12 W of convection heat energy could be harvested by using the clean system. The field measurements imply various points of thermocouple and humidity sensor throughout the experiment. Temperature and humidity will be the main elements recorded to analyze the differences under monocrystalline PV panel as compared to natural drying.

  5. Performance of a Forced-Convection Greenhouse Dryer for Fish Drying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martunis Martunis

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT. This research present experimental performance of a forced convection greenhouse dryer for drying of fish. The greenhouse dryer was installed at Aceh province, Indonesia. It has a concrete floor with the area of 6×4 m2. The roof of dryer is built in semi-cylindrical shape and covered with transparent polycarbonate sheets. Two axial flow fans powered by a 50-watt solar cell module was used to generate forced convection for ventilating the dryer.To investigate its performance, the dryer was used to dry two batches of fish. The Results showed that to dry 50 kg fish with initial moisture 68 % required 11 hours. Incontrast, to dry the same amount of fish using sun drying take a time about 2 days. The air temperature inside greenhouse dryer at noon in the clear day was 45-55°C. Kinerja Pengering Rumah Kaca Dengan Metode Konveksi Paksa Untuk Pengeringan Ikan ABSTRAK. Penelitian ini memperlihatkan hasil percobaan terhadap kinerja pengering rumah kaca dengan metode konveksi udara secara paksa pada pengeringan ikan. Penelitian pengering rumah kaca ini dilakukan di Propinsi Aceh, Indonesia. Pengering ini berlantaikan beton dengan luas sebesar 6x4 m2. .Atapnya dibuat berbentuk semi-selinder dan ditutup dengan lembaran plastik transparan berbahan polikarbonat. Dua buah kipas dengan aliran udara secara aksial dipasang dengan sumber daya berasal dari panel surya sebesar 50 Watt dan dipakai untuk menghasilkan konveksi udara paksa pada ventilasi pengering. Untuk menginvestigasi kinerja rumah kaca ini, pengering ini digunakan untuk mengeringkan dua tumpukan ikan. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa untuk mengeringkan sebanyak 50 kg ikan dengan kadar air awalnya sebesar 68% membutuhkan waktu selama 11 jam. Sebaliknya, dengan menggunakan sinar matahari secara langsung, untuk mengeringkan ikan dengan jumlah yang sama, maka waktu yang dibutuhkan lebih lama yaitu sekitar 2 hari. Suhu udara di dalam rumah pengering tepat pada siang hari yang cerah berkisar antara 45

  6. Steam generator with perfected dryers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fenet, J.C.

    1987-01-01

    This steam generator has vertically superposed array of steam dryers. These dryers return the steam flow of 180 0 . The return of the water is made by draining channels to the steam production zone [fr

  7. Life cycle energy metrics and CO 2 credit analysis of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal greenhouse dryer

    OpenAIRE

    P. Barnwal; G. N. Tiwari

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, life cycle energy metrics, such as energy payback time (EPBT), energy production factor (EPF) and life cycle conversion efficiency (LCCE), and mitigation of CO 2 emissions for a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) greenhouse dryer have been analyzed. The hybrid PV/T greenhouse (roof type even span) dryer, designed and constructed at Solar Energy Park, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi (28°35′N, 77°12′E, 216 m above MSL), India, has a 2.50 m × 2.60 m floor area, 1.80 m ce...

  8. Solar radiation availability for tomato cropping during winter in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Estefanel, V.; Buriol, G.A.; Andriolo, J.L.; Lima, C.P.; Luzzi, N.

    1998-01-01

    The probability of occurrence of days with solar radiation bellow the critical value for the development of tomato inside greenhouse in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State, were calculated during May, June, July and August. It was considered the flue density of solar radiation of 200 cal cm -2 dia -1 as the lowest value to tomato growth and 180 cal cm -2 dia -1 as the low value reference of solar radiation for crop growth. Daily values of solar radiation were estimated by sunshine duration during the time period from 1912 to 1996. Results showed that the availability of solar radiation in Santa Maria was lower than the required by tomato crop inside plastic greenhouse during Winter, mainly in June and July. (author) [pt

  9. Advanced air detritiation dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1989-01-01

    The isotopic exchange principle has proved effective in increasing air detritiation factors of atmospheric dryers. A CFFTP/AECL Chalk River program has demonstrated detritiation factors of 100,000 in trials. The technology is designed for application on regenerating atmospheric dryers using molecular sieve desiccant beds, used in rooms likely to encounter airborne tritium contamination. Dryer design concepts for dryers at JET (Joint European Torus, England) and ITER have been prepared by Alan Dombra of AECL, using the isotopic exchange technology. The isotopic exchange method works by passing tritiated air over a detritiated desiccant bed. Airborne tritium atoms are exchanged in the bed for ordinary hydrogen atoms from the bed's residual moisture loading. Tritium remains on the bed until it is discharged in a regeneration cycle. During regeneration, the desiccant bed is first heated with hot, dry air to drive off collected tritiated moisture. Airborne tritium removed from the air is collected as a tritiated water distillate and stored for later processing. During the second part of the regeneration cycle, the desiccant bed is washed with clean moist air to elute remaining traces of tritium and to refresh the bed to ready it for another tritium absorption period

  10. 40 CFR 1065.342 - Sample dryer verification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...-membrane dryer or thermal chiller. (d) Sample dryer verification procedure. Use the following method to... highest sample water content that you estimate during emission sampling. (3) Introduce the humidified gas... sampling system at a temperature at least 5 °C above the local humidified gas dewpoint. For dryers used in...

  11. Testing Report: Littleford-Day Dryer Operation: Dryer Operation Impacts of Proposed MIS Mitigation Changes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimskey, Rick W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Buchmiller, William C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Elmore, Monte R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2007-06-01

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory performed a series of tests using the Littleford Day 22-liter dryer during investigations that evaluated changes in the melter-feed composition for the Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System. During testing, a new melter-feed formulation was developed that improved dryer performance while improving the retention of waste salts in the melter feed during vitrification.

  12. Experimental investigation of a Hybrid Solar Drier and Water Heater System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohajer, Alireza; Nematollahi, Omid; Joybari, Mahmood Mastani; Hashemi, Seyed Ahmad; Assari, Mohammad Reza

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • A Hybrid Solar Drier and Water Heater System experimentally investigated. • Using collected data, GIS maps were plotted for solar energy of Khuzestan Province. • System is presented which facilitates a dual-purpose solar collector. • The system includes a 100 l water storage tank, a solar dryer with 5 trays. • Experiments were carried out to dry vegetables (parsley, dill and coriander). - Abstract: Drying process is of great importance in food industries. One of the best methods of food drying is using solar dryers. For initial estimation of solar energy, calculations were made for statistical information measured by Renewable Energy Organization of Iran. Using collected data, GIS maps were plotted for solar energy of Khuzestan Province, Iran. In this study, a new hybrid system is presented which facilitates a dual-purpose solar collector to simultaneously support a dryer system and provide consumptive hot water. The system includes a 100 l water storage tank, a solar dryer with 5 trays, and a dual-purpose collector. Experiments were carried out to dry a mixture of vegetables (parsley, dill and coriander) at constant air and water flow rates. Besides, an electrical heater has been used as an auxiliary source for heating. The results indicated that the system optimally dried the vegetables and simultaneously provided the consumptive hot water

  13. Herbal dryer: drying of ginger (zingiber officinale) using tray dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haryanto, B.; Hasibuan, R.; Alexander; Ashari, M.; Ridha, M.

    2018-02-01

    Drying is widely used as a method to preserve food because of its convenience and affordability. Drying of ginger using tray dryer were carried out at various drying conditions, such as air-drying flow, air-drying temperature, and sample dimensions, to achieve the highest drying rate. Samples with various dimensions were placed in the tray dryer and dried using various air-drying flow and temperatures. The weights of samples were observed every 3 minutes interval. Drying was stopped after three times of constant weighing. Data of drying was collected to make the drying curves. Drying curves show that the highest drying rate is achieved using highest air flow and temperature.

  14. BWR Steam Dryer Alternating Stress Assessment Procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morante, R. J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Hambric, S. A. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Ziada, S. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

    2016-12-01

    This report presents an overview of Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) steam dryer design; the fatigue cracking failures that occurred at the Quad Cities (QC) plants and their root causes; a history of BWR Extended Power Uprates (EPUs) in the USA; and a discussion of steam dryer modifications/replacements, alternating stress mechanisms on steam dryers, and structural integrity evaluations (static and alternating stress).

  15. Investigation of the drying airflow at a newly developed dryer geometry for mixed flow grain dryers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holger Scaar

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The mixed-flow dryer has been a matter of investigation many times regarding drying efficiency, dryer control, and performance enhancement over the past years. However, there is still considerable demand for optimization in terms of energy efficiency and homogeneity of drying. In order to analyze the specific energy consumption and the homogeneity of the drying process, different thermodynamic process conditions have been investigated for the conventional MFD design using numerical and experimental methods. Based on the results obtained, a novel dryer design has been developed. With this, a considerable increase of efficiency is expected. As the fluid dynamic analysis of the first design draft revealed, further development is required until scaling-up and transfer into practice will be possible. While homogeneous airflow conditions could be demonstrated in the core flow region in the center of the dryer, the configuration must be optimized in the near wall regions.

  16. GAS DRYER DESIGN FOR VERMICELLI USING MICROCONTROLLER ATMEGA 8535

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akhmad Mufasil

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is designing a gas dryer for vermicelli using a microcontroller ATmega 8535 that can overcome the obstacles in the drying department. The microcontroller ATmega 8535 used to regulate the temperature of the drying chamber. This tool design is made to compare between conventional dryer and a theoritical gas dryer in the factory. The method used in this paper is field study in the factory. Based on the experience then theoritical gas dryer design from the factory’s datas. A microcontroller Atmega 8535 is added to the dryer to easier the dryer operation. The result of the theoritical gas dryer design for vermicelli using a microcontroller ATmega 8535, showed a faster time drying for 131,04 kg of vermicelli need 47,72 minutes at a temperature of 40- 55° C.

  17. Solar India - 82: national solar energy convention

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1982-01-01

    This document is the proceedings of the Solar India - 82 conference, which was held 17-19 December 1982. The papers are organized into functional groupings which include: (1) solar radiation, (2) flat plate solar collectors and solar water heaters, (3) solar concentrators, (4) solar air heaters and dryers, (5) solar ponds and energy storage, (6) solar cookers, (7) solar stills, (8) selective coatings, (9) photovoltaics, (10) space heating and cooling, (11) bio-energy, and (12) miscellaneous papers. The vast majority of the papers describe work carried out in India, the vast majority of the papers also contain relatively readable abstracts.

  18. Heat pump dryers theory, design and industrial applications

    CERN Document Server

    Alves-Filho, Odilio

    2015-01-01

    Explore the Social, Technological, and Economic Impact of Heat Pump Drying Heat pump drying is a green technology that aligns with current energy, quality, and environmental concerns, and when compared to conventional drying, delivers similar quality at a lower cost. Heat Pump Dryers: Theory, Design and Industrial Applications details the progression of heat pump drying-from pioneering research and demonstration work to an applied technology-and establishes principles and theories that can aid in the successful design and application of heat pump dryers. Based on the author's personal experience, this book compares heat pump dryers and conventional dryers in terms of performance, quality, removal rate, energy utilization, and the environmental effect of both drying processes. It includes detailed descriptions and layouts of heat pump dryers, outlines the principles of operation, and explains the equations, diagrams, and procedures used to form the basis for heat pump dryer dimensioning and design. The author ...

  19. Solar energy in food processing-a critical appraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eswara, Amruta R; Ramakrishnarao, M

    2013-04-01

    Increasing population and high cost of fuels have created opportunities for using alternate energies for post-harvest processing of foods. Solar food processing is an emerging technology that provides good quality foods at low or no additional fuel costs. A number of solar dryers, collectors and concentrators are currently being used for various steps in food processing and value addition. Society for Energy, Environment and Development (SEED) developed Solar Cabinet Dryer with forced circulation which has been used for dehydration and development of value added products from locally grown fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and forest produce. Drying under simulated shade conditions using UV-reducing Blue filter helps retain nutrients better. Its simple design and ease of handling makes SEED Solar Dryer an ideal choice for application of food processing in rural settings, closer to where the harvest is produced, eliminating the need for expensive transportation or storage of fresh produce. It also creates employment opportunities among the rural population, especially women. Other gadgets based on solar collectors and concentrators currently being used at various steps of food processing are reviewed.

  20. Heat transfer and energy efficiency in infrared paper dryers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pettersson, Magnus

    1999-11-01

    Infrared (IR) dryers are widely used in the paper industry, mainly in the production of coated paper grades. The thesis deals with various aspects of heat transfer and energy use in infrared heaters and dryers as employed in the paper industry. Both gas-fired and electric IR dryers are considered and compared. The thesis also provides an introduction to infrared heaters and infrared drying, including a review of recent literature in the field. The transport of thermal radiation inside a paper sheet was investigated and different IR dryers were compared in terms of their ability to transfer energy to the internal parts of a paper sheet. Although there were evident differences in the absorption of radiation between gas-fired and electric IR dryers, the distinction was found not to be as important as has generally been believed. The main differences appeared to be due to the choice of a one- or a two-sided dryer solution, rather than the spectral distributions emitted by the dryers. A method for evaluating the radiation efficiency of IR heaters was proposed. An electric IR heater was evaluated in the laboratory. The radiation efficiency of the heater was shown to be strongly dependent on the power level. The maximum efficiency, found at high power level, was close to 60 %. A procedure for evaluation of the total energy transfer efficiency of an infrared paper dryer was proposed and used in the evaluation of an electric IR dryer operating in an industrial coating machine. The efficiency of the dryer was roughly 40 %. A model for an electric IR heater was developed. The model includes non-grey radiative heat transfer between the different parts of the heater, as well as conduction in reflector material and convective cooling of the surfaces. Using IR module voltage as the only input, model predictions of temperatures and heat flux were found to agree well with experimental data both at steady state and under transient conditions. The model was also extended to include

  1. Operation experiences of biofuel dryers; Drifterfarenheter fraan aangtorkar och direkta roekgastorkar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berge, Christian; Dejfors, Charlotte [AaF Energikonsult Stockholm AB (Sweden)

    2000-01-01

    A study regarding operation experiences of indirect steam dryers and direct flue gas dryers of biofuels has been conducted. In the study, plants with the two types of dryers have been visited and operational experiences have been gathered and analysed. Results show that the well proven technique with flue gas dryers has a higher availability than the steam dryers. Several plants have problem with the feeding and discharge systems. Material selection is very important to prevent corrosion. Indirect steam dryers have more environmental regulations than flue gas dryers because of the generated condensate from the fuel drying process. Future work should concentrate on material selections, refining the feeding and discharge systems and control system.

  2. Use of Solar Energy Hybrid Dryer with Techno-Ergonomic Application to Increase Productivity of Dodol Wokers in Buleleng, Bali

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santosa, I. G.; Sutarna, I. N.

    2018-01-01

    Penglatan Village is one of dodol industrial centres in Buleleng Regency, Bali. Dodol is a balinese traditional snack that usually used for religion ceremonies offering or “sesajen”. Dodol’s making processes had several layer of stages, from making dough, stirring dough, packaging and drying dodol. Because the drying process is done with traditional work tools, this process cause several ergonomic problems. Based on preliminary research, the complaints that felt by dodol workers are pain in the neck, shoulders, back, waist, head, and hands. Therefore, productivity of workers are decreasing. This problem solved by designing a hybrid solar drying tools with the application of techno-ergonomic, appropriate technology concept (TTG) and from ergonomic science with the application of SHIP concept (systemic, holistic, interdisciplinary, participatory). This research use 20 people as sample. The sample performance is observed while working traditionally and using techno-ergonomic hybrid solar dryer tools. The measurements conducted three times which are First Period (PI), Second Period (PII), and Third Period (PIII) with interspersed time for rest. WOP (washing out period) is intended to eliminate residual effects. The data were analyzed with SPSS program with significance level of 0.05. Hopefully, with this solution will improve worker productivity.

  3. Development of Solar Drying Model for Selected Cambodian Fish Species

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hubackova, Anna; Kucerova, Iva; Chrun, Rithy; Chaloupkova, Petra; Banout, Jan

    2014-01-01

    A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6°C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg·h−1. Based on coefficient of determination (R 2), chi-square (χ 2) test, and root-mean-square error (RMSE), the most suitable models describing natural convection solar drying kinetics were Logarithmic model, Diffusion approximate model, and Two-term model for climbing perch and Nile tilapia, swamp eel and walking catfish and Channa fish, respectively. In case of electric oven drying, the Modified Page 1 model shows the best results for all investigated fish species except Channa fish where the two-term model is the best one. Sensory evaluation shows that most preferable fish is climbing perch, followed by Nile tilapia and walking catfish. This study brings new knowledge about drying kinetics of fresh water fish species in Cambodia and confirms the solar drying as acceptable technology for fish processing. PMID:25250381

  4. Evaluation of a dryer in a steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Yunkui; Liu Shixun; Guandao, Xie; Chen Junliang

    1998-01-01

    The hooked-vane-type dryer is used in vertical, natural circulation steam generators used in PWR-type nuclear power stations. it separates the fine droplets of water carried by steam so that the steam generator outlet steam moisture is below 0.25%. Such low moisture is demanded to ensure a safe and economic operation of the unit. The dryer is composed of hooked vanes and a draining structure. A series of tests to screen different designs were performed using air-water mixture. The paper presents the results of the investigation of the effect of the number of drainage hooks , the bending angle , distance between two adjacent vanes, and other geometrical parameters on the performance of a hooked-vane-type steam dryer. It indicates that the dryer still works effectively when the moisture of the steam at the dryer inlet changes in a wide range, and that the performance of the dryer is closely related to the geometry of the draining structure . On the basis of the results of this program, a draining structure with an original design was selected and it is presented in the paper. The performance of the selected draining structure is better than that of similar structures in China and abroad. (author)

  5. Rotary drum dryers for coal slurries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baunack, F

    1983-04-01

    The suitability, sizing and internal equipment of rotary drum dryers for high-ash coal slurries are discussed. Rotary dryers will handle also difficult slurries; by suitable drum sizes, lifter blades and chains not only high specific evaporation capacities can be achieved but also very high throughputs of up to 400 tons/h of finished product and high evaporation capacities of 60 tons/h.

  6. Affordable Hybrid Heat Pump Clothes Dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    TeGrotenhuis, Ward E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Butterfield, Andrew [Jabil, St. Petersburg, FL (United States); Caldwell, Dustin D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Crook, Alexander [Jabil, St. Petersburg, FL (United States)

    2016-06-30

    This project was successful in demonstrating the feasibility of a step change in residential clothes dryer energy efficiency by demonstrating heat pump technology capable of 50% energy savings over conventional standard-size electric dryers with comparable drying times. A prototype system was designed from off-the-shelf components that can meet the project’s efficiency goals and are affordable. An experimental prototype system was built based on the design that reached 50% energy savings. Improvements have been identified that will reduce drying times of over 60 minutes to reach the goal of 40 minutes. Nevertheless, the prototype represents a step change in efficiency over heat pump dryers recently introduced to the U.S. market, with 30% improvement in energy efficiency at comparable drying times.

  7. Novel temperature control technique for a medicinal herb dryer system powered by a photovoltaic array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd El-Shafy A Nafeh; Hanaa M Fargali; Faten H Fahmy; Mohamed A Hassan

    2006-01-01

    Each plant has its own optimal drying temperature, especially for the medicinal herbs, because they are sensitive to heat. If the drying temperature becomes more than the optimal value, some chemical reactions will occur and influence the quality of the dried herb, such as color, taste, and aroma. While if the drying temperature becomes lower than the optimal value, the drying process will slow down; and consequently an expected degradation in the quality of the herb may occur, due to insects and fungi infestation which increase in moist conditions. This paper presents a new temperature control technique for a medicinal herb dryer system. The technique fixes the drying temperature of the medicinal herbs at 40 degree C, even in cases of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions. The control of the dryer temperature is achieved through using the proportional integral (PI) controller. The designed dryer contains two systems, which are the thermal and the electrical systems. The thermal system is designed to heat the drying air by using the solar energy and bio-gas fuel. Whereas, the electrical system, which contains a photovoltaic (PV) modules and a battery, is designed to supply the different electrical loads of the dryer system. The control technique is investigated through simulation work by using MATLAB-SIMULINK. The simulation results indicate the high capability of the proposed technique in controlling the drying temperature, even in cases of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions

  8. Rhizosphere microorganisms affected by soil solarization and cover cropping in Capsicum annuum and Phaseolus lunatus agroecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of soil solarization or cover cropping on bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) and lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus, L.) rhizosphere microorganisms. In Experiment I, flat surface solarization (FSS), raised bed solarization (RBS), cowpea (Vigna unguiculat...

  9. Design of Solar Heat Sheet for Air Heaters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priya, S. Shanmuga; Premalatha, M.; Thirunavukkarasu, I.

    2011-12-01

    The technique of harnessing solar energy for drying offers significant potential to dry agricultural products such as food grains, fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants, thereby eliminating many of the problems experienced with open-sun drying and industrial drying, besides saving huge quantities of fossil fuels. A great deal of experimental work over the last few decades has already demonstrated that agricultural products can be satisfactorily dehydrated using solar energy. Various designs of small scale solar dryers have been developed in the recent past, mainly for drying agricultural products. Major problems experienced with solar dryers are their non-reliability as their operation largely depends on local weather conditions. While back-up heaters and hybrid dryers partly solved this issue, difficulties in controlling the drying air temperature and flow rate remains a problem, and affects the quality of the dried product. This study is aimed at eliminating the fluctuations in the quality of hot air supplied by simple solar air heaters used for drying fruits, vegetables and other applications. It is an attempt to analyse the applicability of the combination of an glazed transpired solar collector (tank), thermal storage and a intake fan(suction fan) to achieve a steady supply of air at a different atmospheric temperature and flow rate for drying fruits and vegetables. Development of an efficient, low-cost and reliable air heating system for drying applications is done.

  10. Development of Solar Drying Model for Selected Cambodian Fish Species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Hubackova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6°C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg·h−1. Based on coefficient of determination (R2, chi-square (χ2 test, and root-mean-square error (RMSE, the most suitable models describing natural convection solar drying kinetics were Logarithmic model, Diffusion approximate model, and Two-term model for climbing perch and Nile tilapia, swamp eel and walking catfish and Channa fish, respectively. In case of electric oven drying, the Modified Page 1 model shows the best results for all investigated fish species except Channa fish where the two-term model is the best one. Sensory evaluation shows that most preferable fish is climbing perch, followed by Nile tilapia and walking catfish. This study brings new knowledge about drying kinetics of fresh water fish species in Cambodia and confirms the solar drying as acceptable technology for fish processing.

  11. Solar-assisted drying of timber at industrial scale: management paper

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    While ambient air drying depends on the weather conditions, conventional hightemperature dryers cause high investments and energy costs. Up to now, solar dryers could not be established in industrial timber production, due to their insufficient drying capacity and the lack of an adequate control of the drying conditions.

  12. Solar radiation distribution inside a greenhouse with south-oriented photovoltaic roofs and effects on crop productivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cossu, Marco; Murgia, Lelia; Ledda, Luigi; Deligios, Paola A.; Sirigu, Antonella; Chessa, Francesco; Pazzona, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The solar radiation distribution inside photovoltaic greenhouses has been studied. • A greenhouse with 50% of the roof area covered with solar panels was considered. • The yearly solar light reduction was 64%, with a transversal north–south gradient. • The reduction was 82% under the solar panels and 46% under the plastic cover. • We provided suggestions for a better agronomic sustainability of PV greenhouses. - Abstract: This study assessed the climate conditions inside a greenhouse in which 50% of the roof area was replaced with photovoltaic (PV) modules, describing the solar radiation distribution and the variability of temperature and humidity. The effects of shading from the PV array on crop productivity were described on tomato, also integrating the natural radiation with supplementary lighting powered by PV energy. Experiments were performed inside an east–west oriented greenhouse (total area of 960 m 2 ), where the south-oriented roofs were completely covered with multi-crystalline silicon PV modules, with a total rated power of 68 kWp. The PV system reduced the availability of solar radiation inside the greenhouse by 64%, compared to the situation without PV system (2684 MJ m −2 on yearly basis). The solar radiation distribution followed a north–south gradient, with more solar energy on the sidewalls and decreasing towards the center of the span, except in winter, where it was similar in all plant rows. The reduction under the plastic and PV covers was respectively 46% and 82% on yearly basis. Only a 18% reduction was observed on the plant rows farthest from the PV cover of the span. The supplementary lighting, powered without exceeding the energy produced by the PV array, was not enough to affect the crop production, whose revenue was lower than the cost for heating and lighting. The distribution of the solar radiation observed is useful for choosing the most suitable crops and for designing PV greenhouses with the attitude

  13. Developing a hybrid solar/wind powered irrigation system for crops in the Great Plains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Some small scale irrigation systems (powered by wind or solar do not require subsidies, but this paper discusses ways to achieve an economical renewable energy powered center pivot irrigation system for crops in the Great Plains. By adding a solar-photovoltaic (PV) array together with a wind...

  14. Improving the Monitoring of Crop Productivity Using Spaceborne Solar-Induced Fluorescence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Kaiyu; Berry, Joseph A.; Zhang, Yongguang; Joiner, Joanna; Guanter, Luis; Badgley, Grayson; Lobell, David B.

    2015-01-01

    Large-scale monitoring of crop growth and yield has important value for forecasting food production and prices and ensuring regional food security. A newly emerging satellite retrieval, solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) of chlorophyll, provides for the first time a direct measurement related to plant photosynthetic activity (i.e. electron transport rate). Here, we provide a framework to link SIF retrievals and crop yield, accounting for stoichiometry, photosynthetic pathways, and respiration losses. We apply this framework to estimate United States crop productivity for 2007-2012, where we use the spaceborne SIF retrievals from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 satellite, benchmarked with county-level crop yield statistics, and compare it with various traditional crop monitoring approaches. We find that a SIF-based approach accounting for photosynthetic pathways (i.e. C3 and C4 crops) provides the best measure of crop productivity among these approaches, despite the fact that SIF sensors are not yet optimized for terrestrial applications. We further show that SIF provides the ability to infer the impacts of environmental stresses on autotrophic respiration and carbon-use-efficiency, with a substantial sensitivity of both to high temperatures. These results indicate new opportunities for improved mechanistic understanding of crop yield responses to climate variability and change.

  15. Assessment of satellite and model derived long term solar radiation for spatial crop models: A case study using DSSAT in Andhra Pradesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anima Biswal

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Crop Simulation models are mathematical representations of the soil plant-atmosphere system that calculate crop growth and yield, as well as the soil and plant water and nutrient balances, as a function of environmental conditions and crop management practices on daily time scale. Crop simulation models require meteorological data as inputs, but data availability and quality are often problematic particularly in spatialising the model for a regional studies. Among these weather variables, daily total solar radiation and air temperature (Tmax and Tmin have the greatest influence on crop phenology and yield potential. The scarcity of good quality solar radiation data can be a major limitation to the use of crop models. Satellite-sensed weather data have been proposed as an alternative when weather station data are not available. These satellite and modeled based products are global and, in general, contiguous in time and also been shown to be accurate enough to provide reliable solar and meteorological resource data over large regions where surface measurements are sparse or nonexistent. In the present study, an attempt was made to evaluate the satellite and model derived daily solar radiation for simulating groundnut crop growth in the rainfed distrcits of Andhra Pradesh. From our preliminary investigation, we propose that satellite derived daily solar radiation data could be used along with ground observed temperature and rainfall data for regional crop simulation studies where the information on ground observed solar radiation is missing or not available.

  16. Assessment of the bacterial contamination of hand air dryer in washrooms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alharbi, Sulaiman Ali; Salmen, Saleh Hussein; Chinnathambi, Arunachalam; Alharbi, Naiyf S; Zayed, M E; Al-Johny, Bassam O; Wainwright, Milton

    2016-03-01

    The present study was carried out, using standard techniques, to identify and count the bacterial contamination of hand air dryers, used in washrooms. Bacteria were isolated from the air flow, outlet nozzle of warm air dryers in fifteen air dryers used in these washrooms. Bacteria were found to be relatively numerous in the air flows. Bacterially contaminated air was found to be emitted whenever a warm air dryer was running, even when not being used for hand drying. Our investigation shows that Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Bacillus cereus and Brevundimonad diminuta/vesicularis were emitted from all of the dryers sampled, with 95% showing evidence of the presence of the potential pathogen S. haemolyticus. It is concluded that hot air dryers can deposit pathogenic bacteria onto the hands and body of users. Bacteria are distributed into the general environment whenever dryers are running and could be inhaled by users and none-users alike. The results provide an evidence base for the development and enhancement of hygienic hand drying practices.

  17. Sustainability assessment of heat exchanger units for spray dryers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caglayan, Hasan; Caliskan, Hakan

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the sustainability assessment is performed to the system known as heat exchanger unit with spray dryer. The five-different dead state temperatures (0-5-10-15-20 °C) are considered. It is found that the heat exchanger has the highest energy efficiency (63.32%), while the overall system has the lowest one (5.56%). So, the combination of the spray dryer with the heat exchanger is more effective. On the other hand, the overall exergy efficiency of the system is lower than the heat exchanger and spray dryer for all of the dead state (environmental) temperatures. The exergy efficiency of the heat exchanger is inversely proportional to the dead state temperature, and the maximum rate is found as 49.65% at 0 °C. Furthermore, the exergy efficiencies of the spray dryer and overall system are directly proportional to the dead state temperatures, and the corresponding maximum rates are found to be 26.41% and 24.32% at 20 °C, respectively. Also, the exergy destruction is directly proportional to the dead state temperatures. The minimum and maximum exergy destruction rates are found at the dead state temperatures of 0 °C and 20 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the most sustainable system is found as the heat exchanger unit. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic analyses of industrial heat exchangers and spray dryers. • Sustainability of heat exchangers for spray dryers. • Dead state temperature effects on exergy efficiencies of heat exchangers and spray dryers.

  18. Bed mixing dryer for high moisture content fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hulkkonen, S; Heinonen, O. [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland)

    1998-12-31

    Bed mixing dryer is a new type of fuel drying technology for fluidized bed combustion. The idea is to extract hot bed material from the fluidized bed and use it as a heat source for drying the fuel. Drying occurs at steam atmosphere which makes it possible to recover the latent heat of evaporation to process. This improves the thermal efficiency of the power plant process considerably, especially in combined heat and power applications. Imatran Voima Oy (IVO) has developed the Bed Mixing Dryer technology since early 1990s. The first pilot plant was built in 1994 to IVO`s Kuusamo peat and wood fired power plant. The capacity of the plant is 6 MW{sub e} and 20 MW of district heat. In Kuusamo the dryer is connected to a bubbling fluidized bed. Since it`s commissioning the dryer has been used successfully for about 3000 hours during the heating season in wintertime. The second application of the technology will be a demonstration project in Oerebro (S). IVO Power Engineering Ltd will supply in 1997 a dryer to Oerebro Energi`s peat, wood and coal fired CHP plant equipped with circulating fluidized bed boiler. The fuel to be dried is sawdust with fuel input of about 60 MW. In Kuusamo the dryer produces 3 MW of additional district heat and in Oerebro 6 MW. The fuels in Kuusamo are peat, saw dust and bark. In addition to the municipal heat production this type of drying technology has its benefits in pulp and paper industry processes. Disposal of paper mill sludges is becoming more difficult and costly which has resulted in need of alternative treatment. Drying of the sludge before combustion in a boiler for power production is an attractive option. At the moment IVO is carrying out several studies to apply the Bed Mixing Dryer in pulp and paper industry processes. Economy of drying the sludge looks promising

  19. Bed mixing dryer for high moisture content fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hulkkonen, S.; Heinonen, O. [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland)

    1997-12-31

    Bed mixing dryer is a new type of fuel drying technology for fluidized bed combustion. The idea is to extract hot bed material from the fluidized bed and use it as a heat source for drying the fuel. Drying occurs at steam atmosphere which makes it possible to recover the latent heat of evaporation to process. This improves the thermal efficiency of the power plant process considerably, especially in combined heat and power applications. Imatran Voima Oy (IVO) has developed the Bed Mixing Dryer technology since early 1990s. The first pilot plant was built in 1994 to IVO`s Kuusamo peat and wood fired power plant. The capacity of the plant is 6 MW{sub e} and 20 MW of district heat. In Kuusamo the dryer is connected to a bubbling fluidized bed. Since it`s commissioning the dryer has been used successfully for about 3000 hours during the heating season in wintertime. The second application of the technology will be a demonstration project in Oerebro (S). IVO Power Engineering Ltd will supply in 1997 a dryer to Oerebro Energi`s peat, wood and coal fired CHP plant equipped with circulating fluidized bed boiler. The fuel to be dried is sawdust with fuel input of about 60 MW. In Kuusamo the dryer produces 3 MW of additional district heat and in Oerebro 6 MW. The fuels in Kuusamo are peat, saw dust and bark. In addition to the municipal heat production this type of drying technology has its benefits in pulp and paper industry processes. Disposal of paper mill sludges is becoming more difficult and costly which has resulted in need of alternative treatment. Drying of the sludge before combustion in a boiler for power production is an attractive option. At the moment IVO is carrying out several studies to apply the Bed Mixing Dryer in pulp and paper industry processes. Economy of drying the sludge looks promising

  20. Assessment of the bacterial contamination of hand air dryer in washrooms

    OpenAIRE

    Alharbi, Sulaiman Ali; Salmen, Saleh Hussein; Chinnathambi, Arunachalam; Alharbi, Naiyf S.; Zayed, M.E.; Al-Johny, Bassam O.; Wainwright, Milton

    2016-01-01

    The present study was carried out, using standard techniques, to identify and count the bacterial contamination of hand air dryers, used in washrooms. Bacteria were isolated from the air flow, outlet nozzle of warm air dryers in fifteen air dryers used in these washrooms. Bacteria were found to be relatively numerous in the air flows. Bacterially contaminated air was found to be emitted whenever a warm air dryer was running, even when not being used for hand drying. Our investigation shows th...

  1. Solar drying of jack fruit almonds Secagem solar de amêndoas de jaca

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre J. de M Queiroz

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Dryers heated by solar energy have been constructed and used in drying whole and half jack fruit almonds. The samples were dried during the day in direct sun and in the conventional solar dryer prepared for this purpose. Another piece of equipment was built for reception and accumulation of sun energy in a body of water, which was used as a heat source for night drying. The drying with the sun energy was compared with artificial drying. The jack fruit almonds were dried whole, half, with pellicle and without it. The storage of solar energy in water was technically viable for use in night drying. The drying by combining solar dryers in the day and night periods were completed in approximately 35 hours, and were equivalent to artificial drying between 40ºC and 70ºC. Almond cut in half and the pellicle removed reduced the drying time.Secadores com aquecimento por energia solar foram construídos e utilizados em secagens de amêndoas de jaca inteiras e em metades. As secagens no período diurno foram realizadas por exposição direta ao sol e em secador solar convencional, elaborado para este fim. Construiu-se também um equipamento para captação e acumulação de energia solar em uma massa de água, a qual foi utilizada como fonte de calor para realização de secagens no período noturno. As secagens com o uso de energia solar foram comparadas com secagens artificiais. As amêndoas de jaca foram secadas inteiras, em metades, com e sem película. O armazenamento da energia solar em corpo de água mostrou-se viável do ponto de vista técnico para utilização em secagens noturnas. As secagens combinando secadores por energia solar nos períodos diurno e noturno foram concluídas em tempos aproximados de 35 horas e equivaleram a secagens artificiais entre 40 ºC e 70 ºC. O corte das amêndoas e a retirada das películas reduziram o tempo de secagem.

  2. ANALISIS KELAYAKAN TEKNIS DAN FINANSIAL DARI INVESTASI PENGADAAN TRAY DRYER BERBAHAN BAKAR BIOMASSA PADA USAHA ARANG TEMPURUNG KELAPA BERBASIS EKSPOR (Studi Kasus di Tropica Nucifera Industry – Yogyakarta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fanny Widadie

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study is to assess the technical and financial feasibility of procurement investment Tray Dryer fueled biomass to operations of coconut shell charcoal briquette in PT. Tropica Nucifera Industry. The result showed that investment-Tray Dryer on cocnut shell charcoal briquette bussiness was highly feasibile both the technical and financial aspects. The technical aspect was seen that the quantity-production capabilities of coconut shell charcoal briquettes using a dryer-Tray Dryer could be increased 15 percent compared the previous consdition-used of solar energy. While the quality of the charcoal briquettes produced from Tray Dryer was a much butter quality, moisture content (6.39%; ash (2.65%; carbon-bound (85.83%, compared to using sunlight, water content (15.89; ash (2.57% and carbon-bound (77.32%.The financial aspects of procurement Tray Dryer investment that its value was more feasible than previous, nothing Tray Dryer. Coconut shell charcoal briquet enterprises without using Tray Dryer was feasible to be done with NPV 1,058,928.12, IRR 63%, Payback Period 1 year and 9 moths, Net B/C 2.25 and analysis of swicthcing value reached 20 percent. And after the business using Tray Drayer, the financial analysis was much more feasible with NPV 2,285,500,498.12, IRR 113%, Payback Period 11 months, Net B/C 3.5 and analysis of switching value reached 50 percent.

  3. Environmental and solar energy techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaidi, Z.I.

    2003-01-01

    Technologies for fossil fuel extraction, transportation, processing and their use have harmful impact on the environment which cause direct and indirect negative impact on human heath, animals, crops and structure etc. The end use of all the fossil fuels is combustion irrespective of the final purpose i.e. heating, electricity production and motive power for transportation. The main constituents of fossil fuels are carbon and hydrogen but some other ingredients, which are originally in the fuel e.g. sulfur or are added during refining e.g. lead, alcohol etc. Combustion of the fossil fuel produces various gases (CO/sub x/, SO/sub x/ NO/sub x/, CH,), soot, ash, droplets of tar and other organic compounds, which are all released into the atmosphere. High rate of population growth and industrialization in the developing countries are causing unsustainable use of forest resources and fossil fuels, hence, are serious hurdles in environmental improvement. The situation in Pakistan is even worse as it has very limited fossil fuels and 40% of its commercial energy requirement are to be imported every year. Renewable energy technologies on the other hand, can play a vital role in improving the environmental condition globally. Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) is working in the field of renewable energy technologies. The Council has developed solar modules and solar thermal devices including solar cookers, solar dryers, solar stills and solar water heaters. The paper describes these devices and contribution they can make towards the improvement of environment. (author)

  4. Photovoltaic assisted solar drying system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruslan, M.H.; Othman, M.Y.; Baharuddin Yatim; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Ali, M.I.; Ibarahim, Z.

    2006-01-01

    A photovoltaic assisted solar drying system has been constructed at the Solar Energy Research Park, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. This drying system uses a custom designed parallel flow V-groove type collector. A fan powered by photovoltaic source assists the air flow through the drying system. A funnel with increasing diameter towards the top with ventilator turbine is incorporated into the system to facilitate the air flow during the absence of photovoltaic energy source. This drying system is designed with high efficiency and portability in mind so that it can readily be used at plantation sites where the crops are harvested or produced. A daily mean efficiency about 44% with mean air flow rate 0.16 kgs -1 has been achieved at mean daily radiation intensity of 800 Wm -2 . daily mean temperature of air drying chamber under the above conditions is 46 o C. Study has shown that the air flow and air temperature increase with the increase of solar radiation intensity. On a bright sunny day with instantaneous solar intensity about 600 Wm -2 , the temperature of air entering the drying chamber of 45 o C has been measured. In the absence of photovoltaic or in natural convection flow, the instantaneous efficiency decreased when solar radiation increased. The instantaneous efficiency recorded are 35% and 27% respectively at 570 Wm -2 and 745 Wm -2 of solar radiation. The temperature of drying chamber for the same amount of solar radiation are 42 o C and 48 o C respectively. Thus, the solar dryer shows a great potential for application in drying process of agricultural produce

  5. Neural network modeling of drying of rice in BAU-STR dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Md. Ashraful; Saha, Chayan Kumer; Alam, Md. Monjurul; Ashraf, Md. Ali; Bala, Bilash Kanti; Harvey, Jagger

    2018-05-01

    The experimental performance and artificial neural network modeling of rice drying in BAU-STR dryer is presented in this paper. The dryer consists of a biomass stove as a heat source, a perforated inner bin and a perforated outer bin with annular space for grains, and a blower (1 hp) to supply heated air. The dryer capacity was 500 kg of freshly harvested rice. Twenty experimental runs were conducted to investigate the experimental performance of the dryer for drying of rice. An independent multilayer neural network approach was used to predict the performance of the BAU-STR dryer for drying of rice. Ten sets of experimental data were used for training using back propagation algorithm and another ten sets of data were used for testing the artificial neural network model. The prediction of the performance of the dryer was found to be excellent after it was adequately trained. The statistical analysis showed that the errors (MSE and RMSE) were within and acceptable range of ±5% with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 99%. The model can be used to predict the potential of the dryer for different locations, and can also be used in a predictive optimal control algorithm.

  6. Effectiveness of a heat exchanger in a heat pump clothes dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasution, A. H.; Sembiring, P. G.; Ambarita, H.

    2018-02-01

    This paper deals with study on a heat pump clothes dryer coupled with a heat exchanger. The objective is to explore the effects of the heat exchanger on the performance of the heat pump dryer. The heat pump dryer consists of a vapor compression cycle and integrated with a drying room with volume 1 m3. The power of compressor is 800 Watt and the refrigerant of the cycle is R22. The heat exchanger is a flat plate type with dimensions of 400 mm × 400 mm × 400 mm. The results show the present of the heat exchanger increase the performance of the heat pump dryer. In the present experiment the COP, TP and SMER increase 15.11%, 4.81% and 58.62%, respectively. This is because the heat exchanger provides a better drying condition in the drying room with higher temperature and lower relative humidity in comparison with heat pump dryer without heat exchanger. The effectiveness of the heat exchanger is also high, it is above 50%. It is suggested to install a heat exchanger in a heat pump dryer.

  7. New complex-dryers with RE for coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ge, G.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: The complex coating dryers are produced with good 2-Ethylhexanoic acid, rare earths and other metals. Simply using such a complex drier can get the total effect instead of the traditional dryers such as Co, Mn, Pb, Zn, Ca etc. It has advantages of saving quantity, decreasing cost, simplifying process, making the operation convenient, good quality, good stability and without Pb. Invention patent of China requisition number is 95119867.X

  8. The impact of immersion protection requirements on hair dryer electrocutions in the USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, Gregory B; Garland, Sarah

    2012-12-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of the immersion protection requirements of a voluntary safety standard for portable handheld hair dryers in preventing electrocution deaths in the USA. The present work was an interrupted time series study design. Data on annual hair dryer-related electrocution deaths resulting from water contact were developed for the 1980-2007 study period. A multivariate Poisson regression model for rate data was used to evaluate the impact of the immersion protection requirements during the post-intervention period. The analysis controlled for the estimated number of hair dryers in use and the estimated number of US homes equipped with ground fault circuit interrupters, safety devices that would address hair dryer electrocutions even in the absence of the immersion protection requirements of the voluntary standard. The implementation of the 1987 and 1991 immersion protection requirements of the voluntary standard for portable handheld hair dryers was the intervention studied. The main outcome measure was the estimated reduction in the hair dryer electrocution rate associated with the immersion protection requirements of the voluntary standard. After controlling for covariates, the immersion protection requirements were estimated to reduce the rate of hair dryer immersion electrocution deaths by 96.6% (95% CI, 90.8% to 98.8%). This suggests the prevention of about 280 immersion electrocution deaths involving hair dryers during the post-intervention period (1987-2007). The immersion protection requirements of the voluntary safety standard for hair dryers have been highly effective in reducing hair dryer electrocutions.

  9. Household appliances using solar energy technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gul, H.

    2000-01-01

    Many solar energy technologies are now sufficiently developed to make it possible to use these to replace some of our conventional energy sources, but still need improvement and reduction in cost. It is, therefore, necessary to focus attention on household uses of solar energy. This paper describes the recent developments and current position in respect of several such devices, which include; solar cooker, with curved concentrator, Panel Cooker, Solar Dryer, solar water heater, Solar Still, Solar Water Pump, Solar Water Disinfection, Solar space Heating and greenhouse solar Reflectors, Development and Extension activities on these should be taken up at various levels. (author)

  10. New practical method for evaluation of a conventional flat plate continuous pistachio dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kouchakzadeh, Ahmad [Agri Machinery Engineering, Ilam University, Ilam (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Tavakoli, Teymur [Agri Machinery Engineering, Tarbyat Modares University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2011-07-15

    Highlights: {yields} Evaluation of a conventional flat plate continuous pistachio dryer with a new feasible method. {yields} Using thermophysical properties of air and matter. {yields} This manner could be utilized in similar dryer for other agricultural products. {yields} Method shows the heat loss and power separately. -- Abstract: Testing a dryer is necessary to evaluate its absolute and comparative performance with other dryers. A conventional flat plate continuous pistachio dryer was tested by a new practical method of mass and energy equilibrium. Results showed that the average power consumption and heat loss in three tests are 62.13 and 18.99 kW, respectively. The ratio of heat loss on power consumption showed that the efficiency of practical pistachios flat plate dryer is about 69.4%.

  11. New practical method for evaluation of a conventional flat plate continuous pistachio dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kouchakzadeh, Ahmad; Tavakoli, Teymur

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Evaluation of a conventional flat plate continuous pistachio dryer with a new feasible method. → Using thermophysical properties of air and matter. → This manner could be utilized in similar dryer for other agricultural products. → Method shows the heat loss and power separately. -- Abstract: Testing a dryer is necessary to evaluate its absolute and comparative performance with other dryers. A conventional flat plate continuous pistachio dryer was tested by a new practical method of mass and energy equilibrium. Results showed that the average power consumption and heat loss in three tests are 62.13 and 18.99 kW, respectively. The ratio of heat loss on power consumption showed that the efficiency of practical pistachios flat plate dryer is about 69.4%.

  12. MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AIR BLOWN BY WARM AIR HAND DRYERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Recai OÐUR; Omer Faruk TEKBAS; Osman HANCI; Umut OZCAN

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to determine the microbiological characteristics of air blown from warm air hand dryers, and to compare findings with the microbiological characteristics of indoor air in which the dryer settled. Air samples was taken from different public places (shopping centers, restaurants and hospitals and investigated for total viable counts, coagulase negative Staphylococcus, E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus and enteric pathogens. There were differences between sampling indoor places for some of the microorganisms, but all of the air samples taken from dryers contained more microorganisms than indoor air, and the differences between hand dryers and indoor air were statistically significant (p<0.05 except for enteric pathogens. As a result it could be said that warm air hand dryers could be microbiological contamination sources in restrooms or the other places that they are used. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2005; 4(1.000: 1-7

  13. Integration of thickener underflow into thermal dryer circuit. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McClaine, A.W.; Breault, R.W.

    1998-12-31

    A large number of coal preparation plants in the United States are troubled with coal fines and associated plant operation problems. As part of their process, these plants use thermal dryers for producing product coal, cyclones for first-stage recovery of coal fines, and wet scrubbers for the second-stage removal of coal fines carry-over from the dryer exhaust gas. The first challenge for these plants is to recover the clean ultra-fine coal captured in the scrubbers rather than to dispose of it in settling ponds. The second challenge is to mitigate the over-dry fine coal dusting problems in the dryer product. Prior to the completion of this program, the difficulties of the first challenge involving the recovery and use of fine clean coal from the thermal dryer scrubber effluent had not been solved. The second challenge, controlling fine coal dusting, was previously met by applying a solution of surfactants and process water to the over-dry coal fraction. As a result of the demonstration provided by the performance of this program, the implementation of a simple process improvement, involving the use of a thickener in combination with a belt press, simultaneously solved both challenges: the de-dusting and the dryer scrubber effluent recovery issues. The objective of this project was to: (1) Use a clean coal thickener with a squeeze belt press to recover the ultra-fine coal in dryer scrubber effluent; (2) Demonstrate that the coal-water mixture (CWM) produced from scrubber sludge of a thermal dryer can be used as a dust suppressant. The thickener/belt press system has increased the production of JWRI Mine Number 4 by approximately 0.7%. This production increase was accomplished by recovering and re-using 3 metric tons/hr (3.3 tons/hr) of coal fines that were previously sent to holding ponds, returning this as a 50% CWM to de-dust the 430 metric tons/hr (470 tons/hr) of existing dryer production.

  14. Test and study for dryer used in steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Yunkui; Liu Shixun; Xie Guandao; Chen Junliang

    1994-10-01

    Dryer used in steam generator is composed of hooked-vanes and draining structure. The influences of the number of drainage hooks on a hooked-vane, bending angle, distance between two adjacent hooked-vanes, etc. on separation effect are introduced. The improving process of draining structure is also described. The test indicates that the hooked-vanes type dryer allows to change inlet moisture in a large range and that the performance of the dryer is closely related to draining structure. A draining structure with original creation which is selected by the test is presented, its drainage effect is better than that of similar structures at home and abroad. (2 tabs., 21 figs.)

  15. An experimental investigation of shell and tube latent heat storage for solar dryer using paraffin wax as heat storage material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashish Agarwal

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In the presented study the shell and tube type latent heat storage (LHS has been designed for solar dryer and paraffin wax is used as heat storage material. In the first part of the study, the thermal and heat transfer characteristics of the latent heat storage system have been evaluated during charging and discharging process using air as heat transfer fluid (HTF. In the last section of the study the effectiveness of the use of an LHS for drying of food product and also on the drying kinetics of a food product has been determined. A series of experiments were conducted to study the effects of flow rate and temperature of HTF on the charging and discharging process of LHS. The temperature distribution along the radial and longitudinal directions was obtained at different time during charging process to analyze the heat transfer phenomenon in the LHS. Thermal performance of the system is evaluated in terms of cumulative energy charged and discharged, during the charging and discharging process of LHS, respectively. Experimental results show that the LHS is suitable to supply the hot air for drying of food product during non-sunshine hours or when the intensity of solar energy is very low. Temperature gain of air in the range of 17 °C to 5 °C for approximately 10 hrs duration was achieved during discharging of LHS.

  16. The utilization of solar energy for drying of agricultural products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mastekbayeva, G.A.; Kumar, S.

    1999-01-01

    The article presents the work done to studies the performance of the solar tunnel dryer fabricated in Asian Institute of Technology. Specifically, its performance at no load and load conditions, using fans powered by photovoltaic as well as from grid electricity; and tests on a hybrid dryer were done. The load experiments with chili, which was dried at all these three operating conditions were carried out. (author)

  17. Further development of a mixed-dryer for wood biomass; Sekoituskuivurin jatkokehitys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinonen, O. [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland). Research and Development; Parvio, E. [IVO International Oy, Vantaa (Finland)

    1995-12-31

    Imatran Voima Oy and IVO International Ltd are developing a new, advanced drying method for high moisture content fuels such as peat, biomass, and brown coal. The drying technology is based on using the heat of the fluidized bed directly for drying. The drying takes place at steam atmosphere, which makes it possible to recover the latent heat of evaporation back to process at high temperature level. This improves the thermal efficiency of the plant considerably. The technology is called bed mixing dryer. The pilot plant of the bed mixing dryer was built to IVO`s Kuusamo peat and wood fired power plant that was commissioned in the beginning of 1994. The Kuusamo district heating power plant has a fuel input of 27 MW that gives a power output of 6 MWe and district heat output of 17.5/21.2 MWth. As fuels are used peat, saw dust and wood wastes. The boiler is a bubbling fluidized bed boiler and the steam cycle is a conventional back pressure steam process. The unique feature in the plant is the new dryer that increases the overall thermal efficiency of the plant 10 to 15 units of percentage. In this project the operation and behaviour of the bed mixing dryer has been examined. Various components of the dryer were developed by the cold model tests carried out at IVO`s laboratory in Helsinki. Testing with the Kuusamo bed mixing dryer consisted of about 390 hours of drying tests with peat, bark and saw dust. The dryer operated well, and the drying was effective. The measured final moisture content varied from 7 to 19 % depending on the fuel particle size and the temperature level of the dryer

  18. Further development of a mixed-dryer for wood biomass; Sekoituskuivurin jatkokehitys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinonen, O. [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland). Research and Development; Parvio, E [IVO International Oy, Vantaa (Finland)

    1996-12-31

    Imatran Voima Oy and IVO International Ltd are developing a new, advanced drying method for high moisture content fuels such as peat, biomass, and brown coal. The drying technology is based on using the heat of the fluidized bed directly for drying. The drying takes place at steam atmosphere, which makes it possible to recover the latent heat of evaporation back to process at high temperature level. This improves the thermal efficiency of the plant considerably. The technology is called bed mixing dryer. The pilot plant of the bed mixing dryer was built to IVO`s Kuusamo peat and wood fired power plant that was commissioned in the beginning of 1994. The Kuusamo district heating power plant has a fuel input of 27 MW that gives a power output of 6 MWe and district heat output of 17.5/21.2 MWth. As fuels are used peat, saw dust and wood wastes. The boiler is a bubbling fluidized bed boiler and the steam cycle is a conventional back pressure steam process. The unique feature in the plant is the new dryer that increases the overall thermal efficiency of the plant 10 to 15 units of percentage. In this project the operation and behaviour of the bed mixing dryer has been examined. Various components of the dryer were developed by the cold model tests carried out at IVO`s laboratory in Helsinki. Testing with the Kuusamo bed mixing dryer consisted of about 390 hours of drying tests with peat, bark and saw dust. The dryer operated well, and the drying was effective. The measured final moisture content varied from 7 to 19 % depending on the fuel particle size and the temperature level of the dryer

  19. Processamento de achocolatado de cupuaçu por spray-dryer Cupuassu chocolate drink powder processed by spray-dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzana Caetano da Silva Lannes

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available O achocolatado de cupuaçu é uma mistura do pó de cupuaçu, açúcar, aroma e outros ingredientes constantes da formulação. Este produto formulado foi processado por spray-dryer, gerando um produto seco, pulverizado e instantaneizado. O achocolatado acrescido de água (concentrado passa pelo spray-dryer formando glóbulos de pequeno diâmetro que são arrastados por uma corrente de ar quente. A rápida evaporação de líquido permite manter baixa a temperatura do ar na secagem, não afetando o produto. O pó de cupuaçu não dispersa prontamente em água devido ao seu conteúdo de óleo. Conseqüentemente, necessita-se de uma forma desengordurada para se obter instantaneização. A secagem por spray-dryer reúne as melhores condições de rendimento técnico em comparação com outros processos. Obtiveram rendimentos de processo acima de 20% e a instantaneização completa do produto.Cupuassu chocolate drink powder is a mixture of cupuassu powder, sugar, flavour and other ingredients of formulation. The product was processed by spray-dryer, leading a dry, pulverized and instantised product. The chocolate drink powder with water (concentrated pass through spray-dryer forming small diameter globules that are arrested by a hot air stream. The rapid evaporation allows keeping low temperature at drying air, and no affecting the product. The process is a set of better conditions of technique and economical efficiency in comparison to other process. Cupuassu powder does not disperse readily in water owing to its oil content. Consequently, a form of cocoa with the oil removed is needed to produce an acceptably instant drink. The results obtained were satisfactory, due to the complete instantisation of the product after processing.

  20. Some applications of solar energy in Thailand. Research report No. 61

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Htun, M N; Aftab, M P; Ramachandran, P N

    1976-06-01

    Solar energy for process heat is identified as the application with potential for widescale use in rural areas rather than urban centres of Thailand. Three applications of solar energy, namely distillation, drying, and cooking are investigated. The units for the study are designed with low cost, flexibility and durability as the aim. The production efficiency of a conventional solar still is improved by the use of internal or external mirrors. To improve the production and efficiency of a solar still, a suspension of activated carbon particles is introduced into the still. However, the most significant improvement in efficiency and production occurs when the solar still is filled and operated with a static bed of burnt rice husk. The solar dryer, drying tapioca chips can reduce moisture content of around 71% down to 14% within 8 hours of operation. The solar dryer performs more efficiently and effectively than open floor drying. The solar cooker is inconvenient to use and operate and the potential for widescale use is concluded to be remote unless social habits change and the cooker made more comfortable to utilize.

  1. Mathematical modelling for the drying method and smoothing drying rate using cubic spline for seaweed Kappaphycus Striatum variety Durian in a solar dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    M Ali, M. K., E-mail: majidkhankhan@ymail.com, E-mail: eutoco@gmail.com; Ruslan, M. H., E-mail: majidkhankhan@ymail.com, E-mail: eutoco@gmail.com [Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Muthuvalu, M. S., E-mail: sudaram-@yahoo.com, E-mail: jumat@ums.edu.my; Wong, J., E-mail: sudaram-@yahoo.com, E-mail: jumat@ums.edu.my [Unit Penyelidikan Rumpai Laut (UPRL), Sekolah Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia); Sulaiman, J., E-mail: ysuhaimi@ums.edu.my, E-mail: hafidzruslan@eng.ukm.my; Yasir, S. Md., E-mail: ysuhaimi@ums.edu.my, E-mail: hafidzruslan@eng.ukm.my [Program Matematik dengan Ekonomi, Sekolah Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia)

    2014-06-19

    The solar drying experiment of seaweed using Green V-Roof Hybrid Solar Drier (GVRHSD) was conducted in Semporna, Sabah under the metrological condition in Malaysia. Drying of sample seaweed in GVRHSD reduced the moisture content from about 93.4% to 8.2% in 4 days at average solar radiation of about 600W/m{sup 2} and mass flow rate about 0.5 kg/s. Generally the plots of drying rate need more smoothing compared moisture content data. Special cares is needed at low drying rates and moisture contents. It is shown the cubic spline (CS) have been found to be effective for moisture-time curves. The idea of this method consists of an approximation of data by a CS regression having first and second derivatives. The analytical differentiation of the spline regression permits the determination of instantaneous rate. The method of minimization of the functional of average risk was used successfully to solve the problem. This method permits to obtain the instantaneous rate to be obtained directly from the experimental data. The drying kinetics was fitted with six published exponential thin layer drying models. The models were fitted using the coefficient of determination (R{sup 2}), and root mean square error (RMSE). The modeling of models using raw data tested with the possible of exponential drying method. The result showed that the model from Two Term was found to be the best models describe the drying behavior. Besides that, the drying rate smoothed using CS shows to be effective method for moisture-time curves good estimators as well as for the missing moisture content data of seaweed Kappaphycus Striatum Variety Durian in Solar Dryer under the condition tested.

  2. Mathematical modelling for the drying method and smoothing drying rate using cubic spline for seaweed Kappaphycus Striatum variety Durian in a solar dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    M Ali, M. K.; Ruslan, M. H.; Muthuvalu, M. S.; Wong, J.; Sulaiman, J.; Yasir, S. Md.

    2014-01-01

    The solar drying experiment of seaweed using Green V-Roof Hybrid Solar Drier (GVRHSD) was conducted in Semporna, Sabah under the metrological condition in Malaysia. Drying of sample seaweed in GVRHSD reduced the moisture content from about 93.4% to 8.2% in 4 days at average solar radiation of about 600W/m 2 and mass flow rate about 0.5 kg/s. Generally the plots of drying rate need more smoothing compared moisture content data. Special cares is needed at low drying rates and moisture contents. It is shown the cubic spline (CS) have been found to be effective for moisture-time curves. The idea of this method consists of an approximation of data by a CS regression having first and second derivatives. The analytical differentiation of the spline regression permits the determination of instantaneous rate. The method of minimization of the functional of average risk was used successfully to solve the problem. This method permits to obtain the instantaneous rate to be obtained directly from the experimental data. The drying kinetics was fitted with six published exponential thin layer drying models. The models were fitted using the coefficient of determination (R 2 ), and root mean square error (RMSE). The modeling of models using raw data tested with the possible of exponential drying method. The result showed that the model from Two Term was found to be the best models describe the drying behavior. Besides that, the drying rate smoothed using CS shows to be effective method for moisture-time curves good estimators as well as for the missing moisture content data of seaweed Kappaphycus Striatum Variety Durian in Solar Dryer under the condition tested

  3. Mathematical modelling for the drying method and smoothing drying rate using cubic spline for seaweed Kappaphycus Striatum variety Durian in a solar dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    M Ali, M. K.; Ruslan, M. H.; Muthuvalu, M. S.; Wong, J.; Sulaiman, J.; Yasir, S. Md.

    2014-06-01

    The solar drying experiment of seaweed using Green V-Roof Hybrid Solar Drier (GVRHSD) was conducted in Semporna, Sabah under the metrological condition in Malaysia. Drying of sample seaweed in GVRHSD reduced the moisture content from about 93.4% to 8.2% in 4 days at average solar radiation of about 600W/m2 and mass flow rate about 0.5 kg/s. Generally the plots of drying rate need more smoothing compared moisture content data. Special cares is needed at low drying rates and moisture contents. It is shown the cubic spline (CS) have been found to be effective for moisture-time curves. The idea of this method consists of an approximation of data by a CS regression having first and second derivatives. The analytical differentiation of the spline regression permits the determination of instantaneous rate. The method of minimization of the functional of average risk was used successfully to solve the problem. This method permits to obtain the instantaneous rate to be obtained directly from the experimental data. The drying kinetics was fitted with six published exponential thin layer drying models. The models were fitted using the coefficient of determination (R2), and root mean square error (RMSE). The modeling of models using raw data tested with the possible of exponential drying method. The result showed that the model from Two Term was found to be the best models describe the drying behavior. Besides that, the drying rate smoothed using CS shows to be effective method for moisture-time curves good estimators as well as for the missing moisture content data of seaweed Kappaphycus Striatum Variety Durian in Solar Dryer under the condition tested.

  4. Solar Energy Education. Home economics: student activities. Field test edition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1981-03-01

    A view of solar energy from the standpoint of home economics is taken in this book of activities. Students are provided information on solar energy resources while performing these classroom activities. Instructions for the construction of a solar food dryer and a solar cooker are provided. Topics for study include window treatments, clothing, the history of solar energy, vitamins from the sun, and how to choose the correct solar home. (BCS)

  5. Mathematical and computational modeling simulation of solar drying Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathematical modeling of solar drying systems has the primary aim of predicting the required drying time for a given commodity, dryer type, and environment. Both fundamental (Fickian diffusion) and semi-empirical drying models have been applied to the solar drying of a variety of agricultural commo...

  6. Control Systems of Rubber Dryer Machinery Components Using Programmable Logic Control (PLC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendra; Yulianto, A. S.; Indriani, A.; Hernadewita; Hermiyetti

    2018-02-01

    Application of programmable logic control (PLC) is widely used on the control systems in the many field engineering such as automotive, aviation, food processing and other industries [1-2]. PLC is simply program to control many automatic activity, easy to use, flexible and others. PLC using the ladder program to solve and regulated the control system component. In previous research, PLC was used for control system of rotary dryer machine. In this paper PLC are used for control system of motion component in the rubber dryer machinery. Component of rubber dryer machine is motors, gearbox, sprocket, heater, drying chamber and bearing. Principle working of rubber dryer machinery is wet rubber moving into the drying chamber by sprocket. Sprocket is driven by motors that conducted by PLC to moving and set of wet rubber on the drying chamber. Drying system uses greenhouse effect by making hanger dryer design in the form of line path. In this paper focused on motion control system motors and sensors drying rubber using PLC. The results show that control system of rubber dryer machinery can work in accordance control input and the time required to dry the rubber.

  7. Modeling and simulation of milk emulsion drying in spray dryers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. S. Birchal

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available This work aims at modeling and simulating the drying of whole milk emulsion in spray dryers. Drops and particles make up the discrete phase and are distributed into temporal compartments following their residence time in the dryer. Air is the continuous and well-mixed phase. Mass and energy balances are developed for each phase, taking into account their interactions. Constitutive equations for describing the drop swelling and drying mechanisms as well as the heat and mass transfer between particles and hot air are proposed and analyzed. A set of algebraic-differential equations is obtained and solved by specific numerical codes. Results from experiments carried out in a pilot spray dryer are used to validate the model developed and the numerical algorithm. Comparing the simulated and experimental data, it is shown that the model predicts well the individual drop-particle history inside the dryer as well as the overall outlet air-particle temperature and humidity.

  8. Herbs drying using a heat pump dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fatouh, M.; Metwally, M.N.; Helali, A.B.; Shedid, M.H. [Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at El Mattaria, Helwan University, P.O. Box 11718, Masaken El-Helmia, Cairo (Egypt)

    2006-09-15

    In the present work, a heat pump assisted dryer is designed and constructed to investigate the drying characteristics of various herbs experimentally. R134a is used as a working fluid in the heat pump circuit during the experimental work. Experiments have been conducted on Jew's mallow, spearmint and parsley. The effects of herb size, stem presence, surface load, drying air temperature and air velocity on the drying characteristics of Jew's mallow have been predicted. Experimental results show that a high surface load of 28kg/m{sup 2} yields the smallest drying rate, while the drying air with temperature of 55{sup o}C and velocity of 2.7m/s achieves the largest drying rate. A maximum dryer productivity of about 5.4kg/m{sup 2}h is obtained at the air temperature of 55{sup o}C, air velocity of 2.7m/s and dryer surface load of 28kg/m{sup 2}. It was found that small size herbs without stem need low specific energy consumption and low drying time. Comparison of the drying characteristics of different herbs revealed that parsley requires the lowest specific energy consumption (3684kJ/kg{sub H{sub 2}O}) followed by spearmint (3982kJ/kg{sub H{sub 2}O}) and Jew's mallow (4029kJ/kg{sub H{sub 2}O}). Finally, dryer productivity has been correlated in terms of surface load, drying air velocity and drying air temperature. (author)

  9. 30 CFR 77.307 - Thermal dryers; location and installation; general.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... where the heat, sparks, flames, or coal dust from the system might cause a fire or explosion. (b... LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS, SURFACE COAL MINES AND SURFACE WORK AREAS OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Thermal Dryers § 77.307 Thermal dryers; location and installation; general...

  10. Hand dryer noise in public restrooms exceeds 80 dBA at 10 ft (3 m

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shari Salzhauer Berkowitz

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available High airflow hand dryers are found in many public restrooms today. These dryers offer quick and clean hand drying, and are seen as being an environment-friendly alternative to paper towels. However, many new hand dryers are loud, exposing individuals using the facilities as well as those employees who clean the facilities to potentially dangerous noise. Prolonged exposure to high levels of occupational noise can cause damage to hair cells in the cochlea, resulting in varying degrees of noise-induced hearing loss. This study examined the intensity (in dBA of the noise produced by the air dryers in campus restrooms. Hand dryer peak and average noise was measured with a sound level meter at 2.5 ft, 5 ft, and 10 ft from the dryer. Noise measurements did not decrease as predicted by the inverse-square law, probably because of the reverberative surfaces found in the restrooms. The small sample of hand dryers tested was mostly found to be producing more noise than the manufacturer claimed they would; indeed, none of the dryers would be safe for an 8-h workday exposure. While hand dryers do reduce paper trash, they pose as a different sort of hazard to our environment and population.

  11. Performances of continuous dryer with inert medium fluidized bed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arsenijević Zorana Lj.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available A fluid bed dryer with inert particles represents a very attractive alternative to other drying technologies according to the main efficiency criteria, i.e. specific water evaporation rate, specific heat consumption and speci­fic air consumption. A high drying efficiency results from the large con­tact area and from the large temperature difference between the inlet and outlet air. A rapid mixing of the particles leads to nearly isothermal conditions throughout the bed. A fluid bed dryer with inert particles was used for drying of slurries. Experiments were performed in a cylindrical column 215 mm in diameter with glass spheres as inert particles. In this paper, results of drying experi­ments with slurries of Zineb fungicide, copper hydroxide, calcium carbo­nate and pure water used as the feed material are presented. In our fluidized bed we successfully dried a number of other materials such as: fungicides and pesticides (Ziram, Propineb, Mangozeb, copper oxy-chloride, copper oxy-sulphate, Bordeaux mixture, other inorganic compounds (calcium sulphate, cobalt carbonate, electrolytic copper, sodium chloride, and a complex compound (organo-bentonite. The effects of operating conditions on dryer throughput and product quality were investigated. Main performance criteria, i.e. specific water evaporation rate, specific heat consumption and specific air consumption, were quantified. Temperature profile along the bed was mapped, and nearly isothermal conditions were found due to thorough mixing of the particles. Analysis of drying and energy efficiencies as a function of inlet and outlet air temperature difference was performed for deeper insight in dryer behavior and for optimizing dryer design and operation from an energy point of view. A simple mathematical model based on an overall heat balance predicts the dryer performance quite well. The industrial prototype with fluid bed of 0.8 m in diameter and capacity 650 kg of evaporated moisture per

  12. Experimental silo-dryer-aerator for the storage of soybean grains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo C. Coradi

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study aimed to verify the capacity of silo-dryer-aerator prototype equipment operating as a silo-storage-aerator for soybean quality analysis. Soybeans with water content of 17% (wet basis – w.b. were dried and stored in a silo-dryer-aerator system that was designed using a drying chamber, four independent storage cells, and a static capacity of 164 kg. Another batch of grains was stored in a silo-storage-aerator with a capacity of 1,200 kg. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized factorial 5 × 4 experimental design including five grain batches stored after being dried at 30, 40, and 50 °C (mixed grains were dried at three temperatures in the silo-dryer-aerator cells and one mixed grain batch stored in the silo-storage-aerator system under ambient air conditions for four storage times (zero, one, two, and three months. There was no difference between the grains stored in the silo-dryer-aerator and silo-storage-aerator at the end of the three-month storage in terms of the physico-chemical quality. The storage time associated with drying at 50 °C caused a reduction in the physical-chemical quality of the grains. The silo-dryer-aerator system was presented as a possible alternative to store soybean (Glycine max L. grains.

  13. Machine & electrical double control air dryer for vehicle air braking system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xuan; Yang, Liu; Wang, Xian Yan; Tan, Xiao Yan; Wang, Wei

    2017-09-01

    As is known to all, a vehicle air brake system, in which usually contains moisture. To solve the problem, it is common to use air dryer to dry compressed air effectively and completely remove the moisture and oil of braking system. However, the existing air dryer is not suitable for all commercial vehicles. According to the operational status of the new energy vehicles in the initial operating period, the structure design principle of the machine & electric control air dryer is expounded from the aspects of the structure and operating principle, research & development process.

  14. Model-Based Energy Efficiency Optimization of a Low-Temperature Adsorption Dryer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Atuonwu, J.C.; Straten, G. van; Deventer, H.C. van; Boxtel, A.J.B. van

    2011-01-01

    Low-temperature drying is important for heat-sensitive products, but at these temperatures conventional convective dryers have low energy efficiencies. To overcome this challenge, an energy efficiency optimization procedure is applied to a zeolite adsorption dryer subject to product quality. The

  15. 76 FR 22324 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Dryers and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-21

    ... standards, the current standards for room air conditioners and clothes dryers, and the history of the... Residential Clothes Dryers and Room Air Conditioners AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... equipment, including residential clothes dryers and room air conditioners. EPCA also requires the U.S...

  16. Energy Efficient Clothes Dryer with IR Heating and Electrostatic Precipitator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weaver, Stanton [GE Global Research, Niskayuna, NY (United States)

    2017-12-12

    The project goal was to develop a revolutionary energy saving technology for residential clothes drying. The team developed an IR (infrared) heating system and NESP (Nebulizer and Electro-Static Precipitator) for integration into a ventless clothes dryer. The proposed technology addresses two of the major inefficiencies in current electric vented dryers by providing effective energy transfer for the removal of the water and recapture of the vapor latent heat. The IR heaters operating in the mid wave (2.5-10um) are very efficient as they target the 3-micron peak absorption of the water molecule. This allows direct energy absorption, unlike conventional element heaters where heat is transferred by convection. The low power NESP removes water vapor from the exhausted stream and recaptures the latent heat in the ESP (Electro-Static Precipitator) exchanger section. This allows the warm dry air to be recirculated back into the drum for additional efficiency savings. The remaining majority of the dryer hardware stays the same. Summing the efficiency gain from the two subcomponents we anticipated the EF (Efficiency Factor) to exceed the goal of 4.04. EF is obtained by dividing the weight (lbs) of water removed by the energy (kWhr) used, where the test load size is 8.45 lbs of bone dry clothing wetted to 57.5% or 4.8lbs of water, and dried to a remaining moisture content of 2.5-5%. Additional benefits include not having to recondition (heat or cool) the large amounts of make-up air to replace the air exhausted by a vented dryer. It was anticipated that the NESP/heat exchanger would be the most challenging and highest risk element in the program. Therefore, the team focused their efforts during Phase 1 of the program on the design, construction, testing, and optimization of the NESP/heat exchanger. At the end Phase 1, the team compared the performance of the NESP/heat exchanger with the system level requirements and made a Go/No-Go decision on proceeding with the second

  17. Assessment of differences between products obtained in conventional and vacuum spray dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernanda de Melo RAMOS

    Full Text Available Abstract In this work, an experimental unit of a vacuum spray dryer was built. This prototype attempted to combine the advantages of freeze-drying (drying at low temperatures due to vacuum and spray drying (increase of surface area aiming the improvement of heat transfer efficiency. Maltodextrin solutions were dried in the vacuum operated equipment and in conventional spray dryer. The vacuum spray dryer system allowed obtaining powder at low temperatures due to the lowering of pressure conditions (2-5 kPa inside the drying chamber. The products obtained in the two systems were characterized and compared for particle size distribution, moisture content, water activity, bulk density and solubility in water. The processes yields were also evaluated and compared. The vacuum spray dryer system allowed the production of larger, more soluble and less dense particles than those obtained in the conventional configuration of the equipment, resulting in drier and, therefore, with lower water activity particles. Thus, the use of the vacuum spray dryer as a drying technique may be an alternative for the production of powder rich in thermosensitive compounds.

  18. ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Clothes Dryers

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Certified models meet all ENERGY STAR requirements as listed in the Version 1.1 ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Clothes Dryers that are effective as of January...

  19. 75 FR 27504 - Substantial Product Hazard List: Hand-Held Hair Dryers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-17

    ... immersion during their use. Section 15(a) of the CPSA defines ``substantial product hazard'' to include, a....'' Hand-held hair dryers routinely contain open-coil heating elements that are, in essence, uninsulated..., bathtub, or lavatory). The proposed rule would define ``hand-held hair dryer'' as ``an electrical...

  20. Constraints to the potential efficiency of converting solar radiation into phytoenergy in annual crops: from leaf biochemistry to canopy physiology and crop ecology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yin, X.; Struik, P.C.

    2015-01-01

    A new simple framework was proposed to quantify the efficiency of converting incoming solar radiation into phytoenergy in annual crops. It emphasizes the need to account for (i) efficiency gain when scaling up from the leaf level to the canopy level, and (ii) efficiency loss due to incomplete canopy

  1. 24 CFR 3280.708 - Exhaust duct system and provisions for the future installation of a clothes dryer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...(a)(1) through (5). (c) Provisions for future installation of electric clothes dryers. When wiring is... for the future installation of a clothes dryer. 3280.708 Section 3280.708 Housing and Urban... duct system and provisions for the future installation of a clothes dryer. (a) Clothes dryers. (1) All...

  2. 75 FR 7987 - Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Dryers and Room Air Conditioners: Public...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-23

    ... Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Dryers and Room Air Conditioners: Public Meeting and... conservation standards for residential clothes dryers and room air conditioners; the analytical framework..., Mailstop EE-2J, Public Meeting for Residential Clothes Dryers and Room Air Conditioners, EERE-2007-BT-STD...

  3. [Thermal energy utilization analysis and energy conservation measures of fluidized bed dryer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Liming; Zhao, Zhengsheng

    2012-07-01

    To propose measures for enhancing thermal energy utilization by analyzing drying process and operation principle of fluidized bed dryers,in order to guide optimization and upgrade of fluidized bed drying equipment. Through a systematic analysis on drying process and operation principle of fluidized beds,the energy conservation law was adopted to calculate thermal energy of dryers. The thermal energy of fluidized bed dryers is mainly used to make up for thermal consumption of water evaporation (Qw), hot air from outlet equipment (Qe), thermal consumption for heating and drying wet materials (Qm) and heat dissipation to surroundings through hot air pipelines and cyclone separators. Effective measures and major approaches to enhance thermal energy utilization of fluidized bed dryers were to reduce exhaust gas out by the loss of heat Qe, recycle dryer export air quantity of heat, preserve heat for dry towers, hot air pipes and cyclone separators, dehumidify clean air in inlets and reasonably control drying time and air temperature. Such technical parameters such air supply rate, air inlet temperature and humidity, material temperature and outlet temperature and humidity are set and controlled to effectively save energy during the drying process and reduce the production cost.

  4. Investigation into solar drying of potato: effect of sample geometry on drying kinetics and CO2 emissions mitigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathy, P P

    2015-03-01

    Drying experiments have been performed with potato cylinders and slices using a laboratory scale designed natural convection mixed-mode solar dryer. The drying data were fitted to eight different mathematical models to predict the drying kinetics, and the validity of these models were evaluated statistically through coefficient of determination (R(2)), root mean square error (RMSE) and reduced chi-square (χ (2)). The present investigation showed that amongst all the mathematical models studied, the Modified Page model was in good agreement with the experimental drying data for both potato cylinders and slices. A mathematical framework has been proposed to estimate the performance of the food dryer in terms of net CO2 emissions mitigation potential along with unit cost of CO2 mitigation arising because of replacement of different fossil fuels by renewable solar energy. For each fossil fuel replaced, the gross annual amount of CO2 as well as net amount of annual CO2 emissions mitigation potential considering CO2 emissions embodied in the manufacture of mixed-mode solar dryer has been estimated. The CO2 mitigation potential and amount of fossil fuels saved while drying potato samples were found to be the maximum for coal followed by light diesel oil and natural gas. It was inferred from the present study that by the year 2020, 23 % of CO2 emissions can be mitigated by the use of mixed-mode solar dryer for drying of agricultural products.

  5. Cementitious Spray Dryer Ash-Tire Fiber Material for Maximizing Waste Diversion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles E. Riley

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Spray dryer absorber (SDA material, also known as spray dryer ash, is a byproduct of coal combustion and flue gas scrubbing processes that has self-cementing properties similar to those of class C fly ash. SDA material does not usually meet the existing standards for use as a pozzolan in Portland cement concrete due to its characteristically high sulfur content, and thus unlike fly ash, it is rarely put to beneficial use. This paper presents the results of a study with the objective of developing beneficial uses for SDA material in building materials when combined with tire fiber reinforcement originating from a recycling process. Specifically, spray dryer ash was investigated for use as the primary or even the sole binding component in a mortar or concrete. This study differs from previous research in that it focuses on very high contents of spray dryer ash (80 to 100 percent in a hardened product. The overarching objective is to divert products that are normally sent to landfills and provide benefit to society in beneficial applications.

  6. 76 FR 971 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Clothes Dryers and Room...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-06

    .... Detergent Specifications for Clothes Dryer Test Cloth Preconditioning 5. Changes To Reflect Current Usage... conservation standard; (3) updated detergent specifications for clothes dryer test cloth preconditioning; (4... detergent specifications for clothes dryer test cloth preconditioning; (7) update the references to external...

  7. Heat-pump tumble dryers; Waermepumpen-Tumbler

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bluemig, N.; Gatter, R.

    2004-07-01

    Commonly available tumble dryers with air-vented or condenser systems in combination with electrical heating have a high specific energy consumption and never fulfil the requirements for Energy Label Class A (<= 0.55 kWh/kg.). The development of a tumbler with a heat pump system has enabled a reduction of almost 50% in the specific energy consumption. In addition to ecological aspects, this means that a significant reduction in energy costs is achieved as well as a beneficial effect on room climate. Other considerations taken into account in the development of the 6.5 kg tumbler were: (i) Compact modular design; integration of the heat pump in the appliance casing; (ii) Long operating life without clogging-up of the heat exchanger by fluff; (iii) Stable process throughout the drying in ambient temperatures of up to 35 {sup o}C. Process stability in particular presented a tough challenge. The solution came in the form of an additional booster condenser that prevents overheating of the compressor towards the end of the process when only negligible amounts of energy are being carried away as a result of the low residual moisture in the laundry. It proved possible to reduce the specific power consumption to less than 0.4 kWh/kg and the leak rate to less 30 %. Thanks to the compact, modular design, the heat pump could be integrated in a housing which has the same size as a conventional 6.5 kg dryer. Clogging-up of the heat exchanger surfaces with fluff was prevented by a multi-stage cascade filtration system. With this heat pump dryer it has been possible for the very first time to develop to series production and launch an appliance in the up to 6.5 kg category that not only fulfils the requirements of Energy Label Class A but also offers a serious alternative to conventional tumble dryers thanks to its compact design, operating safety and ease of operation. Future development opportunities lie in more cost-effective production of the heat pump module, shortening of

  8. Pemodelan Matematik Kinerja Pengering Surya Efek Rumah Kaca (ERK-Hibrid Menggunakan Rak Berputar secara Vertikal (Mathematical Modeling Performance of Greenhouse Effect (GHE-Hybrid Solar Dryer with a Vertical Rotating Rack

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sigit Triwahyudi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a performance test and mathematical modeling of greenhouse effect (GHE-Hybrid solar dryer with vertical rotating rack. The dryer consists of a greenhouse dryer (1100 × 860 × 1300 mm with eight rack and additional heating system consists of a flat plate collector (1,04 m2, a hot water storage tank (197 liters and a heat exchanger. To investigate the performance of solar greenhouse dryer, five experimental variation speed of rack were conducted (1, 4, 7, 10 rpm and without rotation. Materials used in the experiment are local cardamom (Amomum cardamomum Wild. Weight of each experiment  about  9 to 10 kg. The average temperature of the hot water storage tank varies from 50.0 to 55.0 °C, drying air  temperature between 38.9 to 45.9 °C, while the relative humidity (RH of drying chamber ranged from 32.1 to 47.4 %. Variation of rotational speed affects on the uniformity of product temperature and water content in each rack drying. At rotation 1 rpm  (experiment II, obtained  as the best conditions (temperature and moisture content are most uniform. Increasing rotational speed of rack causes increasing in standard deviation of  product temperature and moisture content. To simulate the performance of the dryer, mathematical modeling based on heat  and mass transfer and a thin layer drying  approaches were conducted. Equations solved numerically using the finite difference Euler with Visual Basic Application (VBA program on Excel. Validation was conducted by comparing the calculation results of mathematical modeling (data prediction with measurement data (data observation. Criterion validity was determined by  the value of the coefficient of determination (R2, the value of RMSD and MAPD. Mathematical models that have been developed can be described precisely the temperature of the hot water storage tank, temperature of the drying chamber, temperature of the product as well as a moisture content decrease.   ABSTRAK Makalah

  9. PIV measurements of flow structures in a spray dryer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meyer, Knud Erik; Velte, Clara Marika; Ullum, Thorvald

    2011-01-01

    Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements are made in horizontal planes in a simplified scale model of a spray dryer using water as fluid. The sample rate was sufficient to resolve phenomena at lower frequencies. Data reveal asymmetric velocity fields in both mean fields and dyna......Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements are made in horizontal planes in a simplified scale model of a spray dryer using water as fluid. The sample rate was sufficient to resolve phenomena at lower frequencies. Data reveal asymmetric velocity fields in both mean fields...

  10. Enhancement of Energy Efficiency and Food Product Quality Using Adsorption Dryer with Zeolite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moh Djaeni

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Drying is a basic operation in wood, food, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. Currently, several drying methods are often not efficient in terms of energy consumption (energy efficiency of 20-60% and have an impact on product quality degradation due to the introduction of operational temperature upper 80oC. This work discusses the development of adsorption drying with zeolite to improve the energy efficiency as well as product quality. In this process, air as drying medium is dehumidified by zeolite. As a result humidity of air can be reduced up to 0.1 ppm. So, for heat sensitive products, the drying process can be performed in low or medium temperature with high driving force. The study has been conducted in three steps: designing the dryer, performing laboratory scale equipment (tray, spray, and fluidised bed dryers with zeolite, and evaluating the dryer performance based on energy efficiency and product quality. Results showed that the energy efficiency of drying process is 15-20% higher than that of conventional dryer. In additon, the dryer can speed up drying time as well as retaining product quality.

  11. Usage of Heat Pump Dryer in Food Drying Process and Apple Drying Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gökhan Gürlek

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In Turkey, drying is achieved natural method by spreading out the material on the ground. In this way, there are many disadvantages like low quality and hygienic problems. The resulting loss of food quality in the dried products may have effect negatively trade potential and economical worth. For preventing the deterioration of the materials different types of drying methods have been developed. Low energy consumption applications are important for drying industry besides high product quality. For this purpose, heat pump dryer is gaining importance day by day in drying applications. In this study, the working principle of the heat pump dryer, heat pump types in the drying process and the heat pump dryer performance criteria will be considered. An example of application will be described using obtained results from apple drying operation that is conducted in the heat pump dryer.

  12. Numerical analysis on centrifugal compressor with membrane type dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razali, M. A.; Zulkafli, M. F.; Mat Isa, N.; Subari, Z.

    2017-09-01

    Moisture content is a common phenomenon in industrial processes especially in oil and gas industries. This contaminant has a lot of disadvantages which can lead to mechanical failure DEC (Deposition, Erosion & Corrosion) problems. To overcome DEC problem, this study proposed to design a centrifugal compressor with a membrane type dryer to reduce moisture content of a gas. The effectiveness of such design has been analyzed in this study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. Numerical scheme based on multiphase flow technique is used in ANSYS Fluent software to evaluate the moisture content of the gas. Through this technique, two kind of centrifugal compressor, with and without membrane type dryer has been tested. The results show that the effects of pressure on dew point temperature of the gas change the composition of its moisture content, where high value lead more condensation to occur. However, with the injection of cool dry gas through membrane type dryer in the centrifugal compressor, the pressure and temperature of moisture content as well as mass fraction of H2O in centrifugal compressor show significant reduction.

  13. Constraints to the potential efficiency of converting solar radiation into phytoenergy in annual crops: from leaf biochemistry to canopy physiology and crop ecology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Xinyou; Struik, Paul C

    2015-11-01

    A new simple framework was proposed to quantify the efficiency of converting incoming solar radiation into phytoenergy in annual crops. It emphasizes the need to account for (i) efficiency gain when scaling up from the leaf level to the canopy level, and (ii) efficiency loss due to incomplete canopy closure during early and late phases of the crop cycle. Equations are given to estimate losses due to the constraints in various biochemical or physiological steps. For a given amount of daily radiation, a longer daytime was shown to increase energy use efficiency, because of the convex shape of the photosynthetic light response. Due to the higher cyclic electron transport, C4 leaves were found to have a lower energy loss via non-photochemical quenching, compared with C3 leaves. This contributes to the more linear light response in C4 than in C3 photosynthesis. Because of this difference in the curvature of the light response, canopy-to-leaf photosynthesis ratio, benefit from the optimum acclimation of the leaf nitrogen profile in the canopy, and productivity gain from future improvements in leaf photosynthetic parameters and canopy architecture were all shown to be higher in C3 than in C4 species. The indicative efficiency of converting incoming solar radiation into phytoenergy is ~2.2 and 3.0% in present C3 and C4 crops, respectively, when grown under well-managed conditions. An achievable efficiency via future genetic improvement was estimated to be as high as 3.6 and 4.1% for C3 and C4 crops, respectively. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Application of Constrained Linear MPC to a Spray Dryer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lars Norbert; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we develop a linear model predictive control (MPC) algorithm for control of a two stage spray dryer. The states are estimated by a stationary Kalman filter. A non-linear first-principle engineering model is developed to simulate the spray drying process. The model is validated against...... experimental data and able to precisely predict the temperatures, the air humidity and the residual moisture in the dryer. The MPC controls these variables to the target and reject disturbances. Spray drying is a cost-effective method to evaporate water from liquid foods and produces a free flowing powder...

  15. A dedicated on-line detecting system for auto air dryers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Chao-yu; Luo, Zai

    2013-10-01

    According to the correlative automobile industry standard and the requirements of manufacturer, this dedicated on-line detecting system is designed against the shortage of low degree automatic efficiency and detection precision of auto air dryer in the domestic. Fast automatic detection is achieved by combining the technology of computer control, mechatronics and pneumatics. This system can detect the speciality performance of pressure regulating valve and sealability of auto air dryer, in which online analytical processing of test data is available, at the same time, saving and inquiring data is achieved. Through some experimental analysis, it is indicated that efficient and accurate detection of the performance of auto air dryer is realized, and the test errors are less than 3%. Moreover, we carry out the type A evaluation of uncertainty in test data based on Bayesian theory, and the results show that the test uncertainties of all performance parameters are less than 0.5kPa, which can meet the requirements of operating industrial site absolutely.

  16. Critical Point Dryer: Tousimis 916B Series C

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — Description:CORAL Name: Critical Point DryerThis system utilizes CO 2to dry fragile suspended and floating structures Specifications / Capabilities:Wafer size up to...

  17. Biogas utilization for drying sweet potato chips by using infrared dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sriharti, Rahayuningtyas, Ari; Susanti, Novita Dwi; Sitompul, Rislima Febriani

    2017-11-01

    This study aims to utilize biogas, that produced from organic waste, as fuel for infrared dryers. The digester was dome type, which made from fiberglass, 5.5 m3 capacities, gas container made from soft PVC, 5.6 m3 capacities. The infrared dryer was household scale which have dimension 2000 mm x 2000 mm x 2000 mm, it is consist of 2 racks, which have size 1500 mm x 500 mm x 1400 mm, and consist of 44 baking pans (600 mm X 400 mm x 30 mm), the dryer has 36 kg of capacity. The parameters observed include ambient temperature, temperature inside the digester, pH value, biogas production, drying room temperature, moisture content of sweet potato and biogas consumption for drying. Infrared dryer is used to dry the sweet potato slices thickness of 2 mm with total amount 12 kg, at room temperature dryer ± 60 °C. The results showed that the average biogas production was 1.335 m3 per day, at a temperature of 26 - 35 °C and the neutral pH value was 6.99 - 7.7. 12 kg of sweet potato sliced dried for 4 hours, the initial moisture content of 79.68 % decreased to 8.98 %, the consumption of biogas used 4,952 m3. The final result of drying process of sweet potato slices of 3.5 kg, there was a shrinkage of 70.83 %. Characterization of sweet potato slices is 3 % protein, 0,6 % fat, 94 % carbohydrate and 2 % ash. These sweet potato can be used as flour for cookies and cake raw materials, the use of sweet potato flour can reach 50 - 100 %.

  18. Development of a Mini-Freeze Dryer for Material-Sparing Laboratory Processing with Representative Product Temperature History.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obeidat, Wasfy M; Sahni, Ekneet; Kessler, William; Pikal, Michael

    2018-02-01

    The goal of the work described in this publication was to evaluate a new, small, material-sparing freeze dryer, denoted as the "mini-freeze dryer or mini-FD", capable of reproducing the product temperature history of larger freeze dryers, thereby facilitating scale-up. The mini-FD wall temperatures can be controlled to mimic loading procedures and dryer process characteristics of larger dryers. The mini-FD is equipped with a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) water vapor mass flow monitor and with other advanced process analytical technology (PAT) sensors. Drying experiments were performed to demonstrate scalability to larger freeze dryers, including the determination of vial heat transfer coefficients, K v . Product temperature histories during K v runs were evaluated and compared with those obtained with a commercial laboratory-scale freeze dryer (LyoStar II) for sucrose and mannitol product formulations. When the mini-FD wall temperature was set at the LyoStar II band temperature (- 20°C) to mimic lab dryer edge vials, edge vial drying in the mini-FD possessed an average K v within 5% of those obtained during drying in the LyoStar II. When the wall temperature of the mini-FD was set equal to the central vial product temperature, edge vials behaved as center vials, possessing a K v value within 5% of those measured in the LyoStar II. During both K v runs and complete product freeze drying runs, the temperature-time profiles for the average edge vials and central vial in the mini-FD agreed well with the average edge and average central vials of the LyoStar II.

  19. Steam generator with integral downdraft dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hochmuth, F.W.

    1992-02-01

    On June 30, 1989, a financial assistance award was granted by the United State Department of Energy, the purpose of which was to study and evaluate the technical aspect, the economic viability, and commercial possibilities of a new furnace design for burning high moisture cellulose type fuels. The new design is an invention by F.W. Hochmuth, P.Eng. and has received United States Patents Nos. 4,480, 557 and 4,502,397. It was conceived as a method to improve the general operation and efficiency of waste wood burning boilers, to avoid the use of stabilizing fuels such as oil or gas, and to reduce objectionable stack emissions. A further objective was to obtain such benefits at relatively low cost by integrating all new material requirements within the furnace itself thereby avoiding the need for costly external equipment. The proposed integral down-draft dryer avoids the use of external dryer systems that are very expensive, have high power consumption, and require a large amount of maintenance. This document provides the details of this invention.

  20. Development of heat pump and infrared-convective dryer and performance analysis for stale bread drying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aktaş, Mustafa; Şevik, Seyfi; Aktekeli, Burak

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Investigation of stale bread drying behaviors by developing the HPD and IRD. • New techniques for the HP and IR dryers are proposed and found to be efficient. • Evaluations on potential uses low temperature applications of the dryers were reported. • 35.6% of energy saving was provided by heat recovery device. • The overall system efficiency of HPD was calculated as 13–60%. - Abstract: This experimental study aims to develop a heat pump dryer (HPD) and an infrared dryer (IRD) also the comparative empirical analyses of these two methods and to analyze the drying kinetic of stale bread sliced 15 mm thickness and effectiveness on the drying kinetics of the stale bread of dryers. Dryers have been developed by using different techniques such as heat recovery unit, proportional control (PC) of drying air temperature, simultaneous control of the relative humidity–temperature–air flow rate, water cycle dehumidifier and closed-loop cycle to increase the drying efficiency of industrial drying applications. The highest coefficient of performance of the whole heat pump system (COP_w_s_,_H_P) was calculated as 3.7 and drying efficiencies of the IRD and HPD systems were calculated as 39% and 25%, respectively. When the HPD and IRD systems were compared in terms of drying time and energy consumption, it was observed that the IRD system did not only shortened the drying time up to 69%, but also decreased the energy consumption of the system by 43.2%. Based on the obtained results the effective moisture diffusivity (D_e) was calculated in the range from 8.3 × 10"−"8 to 3.2 × 10"−"7 m"2/s and mass transfer coefficient (h_m) was varied from 1.17 × 10"−"5 to 4.52 × 10"−"5 m/s. It was concluded that both dryers have significant effect in reduction of water content; the relative humidity controlled HPD can be applied efficiently for dryers and the dried stale bread can be reused as bread crumb by food industry.

  1. Slurry spray distribution within a simulated laboratory scale spray dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertone, P.C.

    1979-01-01

    It was found that the distribution of liquid striking the sides of a simulated room temperature spray dryer was not significantly altered by the choice of nozles, nor by a variation in nozzle operating conditions. Instead, it was found to be a function of the spray dryer's configuration. A cocurrent flow of air down the drying cylinder, not possible with PNL's closed top, favorably altered the spray distribution by both decreasing the amount of liquid striking the interior of the cylinder from 72 to 26% of the feed supplied, and by shifting the zone of maximum impact from 1.0 to 1.7 feet from the nozzle. These findings led to the redesign of the laboratory scale spray dryer to be tested at the Savannah River Plant. The diameter of the drying chamber was increased from 5 to 8 inches, and a cocurrent flow of air was established with a closed recycle. Finally, this investigation suggested a drying scheme which offers all the advantages of spray drying without many of its limitations

  2. Techno-economic analysis of a roof-integrated solar air heating system for drying fruit and vegetables

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreekumar, A. [Dept. of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022 (India)

    2010-11-15

    The solar air heater was 46 m{sup 2} and recorded a maximum temperature of 76.6 C. The dryer was loaded with 200 kg of fresh pineapple slices 5 mm thick. The initial moisture content of 82% was reduced to the desired level (<10%) within 8 h. The performance of the dryer was analyzed in detail by three methods namely annualized cost, present worth of annual savings, and present worth of cumulative savings. The cost of drying 1 kg pineapple worked out to Rs. 11 which was roughly half of that of an electric dryer. The payback period worked out to 0.54 year, much less than the estimated life of the system (20 years). (author)

  3. Techno-economic analysis of a roof-integrated solar air heating system for drying fruit and vegetables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreekumar, A.

    2010-01-01

    The solar air heater was 46 m 2 and recorded a maximum temperature of 76.6 deg. C. The dryer was loaded with 200 kg of fresh pineapple slices 5 mm thick. The initial moisture content of 82% was reduced to the desired level (<10%) within 8 h. The performance of the dryer was analyzed in detail by three methods namely annualized cost, present worth of annual savings, and present worth of cumulative savings. The cost of drying 1 kg pineapple worked out to Rs. 11 which was roughly half of that of an electric dryer. The payback period worked out to 0.54 year, much less than the estimated life of the system (20 years).

  4. Use of geothermal heat for crop drying and related agricultural applications. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gordon, T.J.; Wright, T.C.; Fein, E.; Munson, T.R.; Richmond, R.C.

    1978-03-01

    Observations led to the selection of the alfalfa dehydration industry for in-depth analysis of the application of moderate-temperature geothermal heat. Six geothermal heat exchanger/dryer configurations were examined. A low-temperature conveyor dryer using geothermal water to supply all required heat was chosen for site-specific analysis, the retrofitting of a large alfalfa dehydration plant within the Heber KGRA in the Imperial Valley, California. Even in the most favorable scenario--sharing a geothermal pipeline with the neighboring fertilizer plant--geothermal retrofitting would increase the price of the alfalfa ''dehy'' about 40 percent. The geothermal brine is estimated to cost $2.58/million Btu's compared with a 1977 natural gas cost of $1.15. Capital cost for heat exchangers and the new dryers is estimated at $3.3 million. The Heber plant appeared to offer the only good opportunity for geothermal retrofitting of an existing alfalfa dehydration plant. Construction of new plants at geothermal resource sites cannot be justified due to the uncertain state of the ''dehy'' industry. Use of geothermal heat for drying other crops may be much more promising. The potato dehydration industry, which is concentrated in the geothermal-rich Snake River Valley of Idaho, appears to offer good potential for geothermal retrofitting; about 4.7 x 10{sup 12}Btu's are used annually by plants within 50 miles of resources. Drying together at the geothermal wellhead several crops that have interlocking processing seasons and drying-temperature requirements may be quite attractive. The best ''multicrop drying center'' site identified was at Power Ranch Wells, Arizona; 34 other sites were defined. Agricultural processing applications other than drying were investigated briefly.

  5. Performance of a chevron steam dryer for removal of lead-bismuth droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dostal, Vaclav; Yusibani, Elin; Takahashi, Minoru

    2005-01-01

    An analysis was performed of a chevron type steam dryer with a trap for the removal of lead-bismuth droplets from steam leaving the Water Boiling Direct Contact Lead or Lead-Bismuth Cooled Reactor. The Lagrangian method was used and is described here. The steam flow field was developed using a CFD code FrontFlow/Red. The simulated dryer performance results were compared to a simple theoretical model from literature. The simulation shown that droplets down to 6 microns in diameter can be completely removed by the steam dryer, which is better than reported earlier in literature. A discrepancy with the theoretical model was found for larger droplets (5 to 10 microns in diameter), where the theoretical model predicted lower removal efficiency. The discrepancy is attributed to be installation of the trap, which is not included in this theoretical model. Some droplets of 1 and 0.5 microns were removed in the dryer as well, which indicates the potential for the fine droplet removal if the trap design is carefully optimized. The investigation of the effect of initial droplet velocity shown that the removal efficiency increases with the increase of the positive velocity components. For larger droplets the effect of initial velocity was found to be minuscule. (author)

  6. Three year review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-01-01

    Since 1977 research and development activities include various biotechnology systems: algal systems, microbial systems, water hyacinth utilization systems, pisciculture biogas systems; food, fodder and forestry systems (including algal systems), cattle feeding with water hyacinth, biodynamic-intensive vegetable gardening, hydroponic raft culture in stagnant water, small-lot energy-food forestry, and energy plantations; wind and solar energy systems including a bidirectional horizontal-axis down-wind sail-wing windmill, a horizontal-axis down-wind sail-wing windmill, solar crop and fish dryers, solar cookers and water sterilizers; appropriate-construction systems including pond-construction systems, passive solar-building techniques and pond roofing; and communication systems.

  7. Tritium isotopic exchange in air detritiation dryers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Everatt, A.E.; Johnson, R.E.; Senohrabek, J.A.; Shultz, C.M.

    1989-02-01

    Isotopic exchange between tritiated and non-tritiated water species in a molecular sieve bed has been demonstrated. At high humidities (+6 degrees Celsius dew point) the rate of tritium isotopic exchange in a 2.4 L molecular sieve bed has been demonstrated to be at least 50% of published exchange rates. In an industrial-sized air detritiation dryer, utilizing the pretreatment technique of H 2 O steam washing to elute the residual tritium, a DF of 12 600 has been demonstrated when operating at an inlet vapor tritium concentration of 14 Ci/kg and at inlet and outlet dew points of 4.8 and -54 degrees Celsius, respectively. In the NPD dryer bed studied, which was not optimally designed for full benefit from isotopic exchange, at least one order of magnitude in additional detritiation is attributed to isotopic exchange in the unsaturated zone. The technique of eluting the residual tritium from an industrial sized bed by H 2 O washing at high temperature, high humidity and low bed loading has been demonstrated to be a fast and effective way of removing tritium from a molecular sieve bed during regeneration. The isotopic exchange model accurately predicted the exchange between tritiated and non-tritiated water species in a molecular sieve bed where there is no net adsorption or desorption. The model's prediction of the tritium breakthrough trend observed in the NPD tests was poor; however, a forced fit can be achieved if the exchange rates in the MTZ and the unsaturated zone are manipulated. More experiments are needed to determine the relative rates of tritium exchange in the saturated, mass transfer, and unsaturated zones of a dryer bed

  8. A study of particle motion in rotary dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. H. Lisboa

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this work was to study the performance of a rotary dryer in relation to number of flights. In this work an equationing was proposed to calculate the area used by the solids in two-segment flights of with any angle between the segments. From this area, the flight holdup and the length of fall of the particles were calculated for different angle positions and the results obtained were compared to experimental values. The results show an increase in dryer efficiency with the increase in number of flights up to a limit value, for ideal operational conditions. The experimental data on average residence time were compared to results obtained by calculations using equations proposed in the literature. The equation proposed for predicting flight holdup and length of fall of particles generated very accurate estimations.

  9. Quantitative real-time monitoring of dryer effluent using fiber optic near-infrared spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, S C; Walker, D S

    2000-09-01

    This paper describes a method for real-time quantitation of the solvents evaporating from a dryer. The vapor stream in the vacuum line of a dryer was monitored in real time using a fiber optic-coupled acousto-optic tunable filter near-infrared (AOTF-NIR) spectrometer. A balance was placed in the dryer, and mass readings were recorded for every scan of the AOTF-NIR. A partial least-squares (PLS) calibration was subsequently built based on change in mass over change in time for solvents typically used in a chemical manufacturing plant. Controlling software for the AOTF-NIR was developed. The software collects spectra, builds the PLS calibration model, and continuously fits subsequently collected spectra to the calibration, allowing the operator to follow the mass loss of solvent from the dryer. The results indicate that solvent loss can be monitored and quantitated in real time using NIR for the optimization of drying times. These time-based mass loss values have also been used to calculate "dynamic" vapor density values for the solvents. The values calculated are in agreement with values determined from the ideal gas law and could prove valuable as tools to measure temperature or pressure indirectly.

  10. Towards a Solid Foundation of Using Remotely Sensed Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence for Crop Monitoring and Yield Forecast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Y.; Sun, Y.; You, L.; Liu, Y.

    2017-12-01

    The growing demand for food production due to population increase coupled with high vulnerability to volatile environmental changes poses a paramount challenge for mankind in the coming century. Real-time crop monitoring and yield forecasting must be a key part of any solution to this challenge as these activities provide vital information needed for effective and efficient crop management and for decision making. However, traditional methods of crop growth monitoring (e.g., remotely sensed vegetation indices) do not directly relate to the most important function of plants - photosynthesis and therefore crop yield. The recent advance in the satellite remote sensing of Solar-Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF), an integrative photosynthetic signal from molecular origin and a direct measure of plant functions holds great promise for real-time monitoring of crop growth conditions and forecasting yields. In this study, we use satellite measurements of SIF from both the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) onboard MetOp-A and the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellites to estimate crop yield using both process-based and statistical models. We find that SIF-based crop yield well correlates with the global yield product Spatial Production Allocation Model (SPAM) derived from ground surveys for all major crops including maize, soybean, wheat, sorghum, and rice. The potential and challenges of using upcoming SIF satellite missions for crop monitoring and prediction will also be discussed.

  11. Estimating Water Footprints of Vegetable Crops: Influence of Growing Season, Solar Radiation Data and Functional Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Betsie le Roux

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Water footprint (WF accounting as proposed by the Water Footprint Network (WFN can potentially provide important information for water resource management, especially in water scarce countries relying on irrigation to help meet their food requirements. However, calculating accurate WFs of short-season vegetable crops such as carrots, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli and lettuce presented some challenges. Planting dates and inter-annual weather conditions impact WF results. Joining weather datasets of just rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature with ones that include solar radiation and wind-speed affected crop model estimates and WF results. The functional unit selected can also have a major impact on results. For example, WFs according to the WFN approach do not account for crop residues used for other purposes, like composting and animal feed. Using yields in dry matter rather than fresh mass also impacts WF metrics, making comparisons difficult. To overcome this, using the nutritional value of crops as a functional unit can connect water use more directly to potential benefits derived from different crops and allow more straightforward comparisons. Grey WFs based on nitrogen only disregards water pollution caused by phosphates, pesticides and salinization. Poor understanding of the fate of nitrogen complicates estimation of nitrogen loads into the aquifer.

  12. OPTIMIZACIÓN DEL AISLAMIENTO TÉRMICO DE UNA CUBIERTA TRANSPARENTE DE UN SECADOR HÍBRIDO DE Guadua angustifolia OTIMIZAÇÃO DE ISOLAMENTO TÉRMICO DE UMA TAMPA TRANSPARENTE DE SECADOR HÍBRIDO DE Guadua angustifolia THERMAL INSULATION OPTIMIZATION OF A TRANSPARENT COVER FROM HYBRID DRYER OF Guadua angustifolia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Alberto Orozco

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available El principal problema que tiene un secador solar híbrido (solar asistido con gas o electricidad son sus costos de operación por consumo de energía. Para ello se determinó el espesor óptimo de aire confinado en la cubierta plástica el cual actúa como aislamiento térmico, se calculó el coeficiente global de transferencia de calor 'U', se estimó la potencia de la fuente externa la cual fue de 1,8 kW y se encontró que el consumo de energía es aproximadamente 5,35 veces menos que la potencia del secador híbrido con cubierta sencilla. El concepto es aplicable a cualquier tipo de secador solar, solar-asistido o cualquier invernadero para el sector agroindustrial.0 principal problema con um secador solar híbrido (solar-gás assistido ou com electricidade são os custos operacionais para o consumo de energia. Para este fim a pesquisa determinou a espessura ideal de ar confinado na tampa de plástico (duas carnadas que atua como isolamento térmico, foi calculada a taxa global de transferencia de calor 'U' e estimada pela alimentação externa de 1,8 kW e descobriu que o consumo de energía é de cerca de 5,35 vezes menor do que a potência do secador revestido híbrido simples. 0 conceito é aplicável a qualquer tipo de secador solar, solar assistida ou qualquer tampa plástica no seitor agrícola.In a solar hybrid dryer (solar assisted gas or electricity its main problem is to minimize its operational costs due to energy consumption. For this, was determined the optimum thickness of air confined in the plastic cover as thermal isolation, was calculated overall coefficient of heat transfer 'U', and was estimated the power of the external source which was of 1,8 kW and found that energy consumption is approximately 5,35 times less than the power of the hybrid dryer with single plastic deck. The concept is applicable to any type of solar dryer, solar-assisted or any greenhouse in agroindustrial area.

  13. DEVELOPMENT OF VACUUM SUBLIMATION DRYERS USING THERMOELECTRIC MODULES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. A. Barykin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Summary. The main directions of use of freeze-dryed products and ingredients are revealed. The analysis of sales markets of freeze-dryed products is provided. It is shown that introduction of innovative production technologies will allow to develop dynamically not only to the large companies, but also small firms that will create prerequisites for growth of the Russian market of freeze-dryed products. Tendencies of development of the freeze-drying equipment are analysed. Relevance of development of energy saving freeze-dryers is proved The integrated approach to creation of competitive domestic technologies and the equipment for sublimation dehydration of thermolabile products consists in use of the effective combined remedies of a power supply, a process intensification, reduction of specific energy consumption and, as a result, decrease in product cost at achievement of high quality indicators. Advantages of thermoelectric modules as alternative direction to existing vapor-compression and absorbing refrigerating appliances are given. Researches of process of freeze-drying dehydration with use of thermoelectric modules are conducted. It is scientifically confirmed, that the thermoelectric module working at Peltier effect, promotes increase in refrigerating capacity due to use of the principle of the thermal pump. Options of use of thermoelectric modules in designs of dryers are offered. Optimum operating modes and number of modules in section are defined. Ways of increase of power efficiency of freeze-dryers with use of thermoelectric modules are specified. The received results will allow to make engineering calculations and design of progressive freeze-drying installations with various ways of a power supply.

  14. Eclipse effects on field crops and marine zooplankton: the 29 March 2006 total solar eclipse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Economou, G.; Christou, E. D.; Giannakourou, A.; Gerasopoulos, E.; Georgopoulos, D.; Kotoulas, V.; Lyra, D.; Tsakalis, N.; Tzortziou, M.; Vahamidis, P.; Papathanassiou, E.; Karamanos, A.

    2008-08-01

    Some effects in the biosphere from the Total Solar Eclipse of 29 March 2006 were investigated in field crops and marine zooplankton. Taking into account the decisive role of light on plant life and productivity, measurements of photosynthesis and stomatal behaviour were conducted on seven important field-grown cereal and leguminous crops. A drop in photosynthetic rates, by more than a factor of 5 in some cases, was observed, and the minimum values of photosynthetic rates ranged between 3.13 and 10.13 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1. The drop in solar irradiance and the increase in mesophyll CO2-concentration during the eclipse did not induce stomatal closure thus not blocking CO2 uptake by plants. Light effects on the photochemical phase of photosynthesis may be responsible for the observed depression in photosynthetic rates. Field studies addressing the migratory responses of marine zooplankton (micro-zooplankton (ciliates), and meso-zooplankton) due to the rapid changes in underwater light intensity were also performed. The light intensity attenuation was simulated with the use of accurate underwater radiative transfer modeling techniques. Ciliates, responded to the rapid decrease in light intensity during the eclipse adopting night-time behaviour. From the meso-zooplankton assemblage, various vertical migratory behaviours were adopted by different species.

  15. The effect of dryer load on freeze drying process design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Sajal M; Jameel, Feroz; Pikal, Michael J

    2010-10-01

    Freeze-drying using a partial load is a common occurrence during the early manufacturing stages when insufficient amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) are available. In such cases, the immediate production needs are met by performing lyophilization with less than a full freeze dryer load. However, it is not obvious at what fractional load significant deviations from full load behavior begin. The objective of this research was to systematically study the effects of variation in product load on freeze drying behavior in laboratory, pilot and clinical scale freeze-dryers. Experiments were conducted with 5% mannitol (high heat and mass flux) and 5% sucrose (low heat and mass flux) at different product loads (100%, 50%, 10%, and 2%). Product temperature was measured in edge as well as center vials with thermocouples. Specific surface area (SSA) was measured by BET gas adsorption analysis and residual moisture was measured by Karl Fischer. In the lab scale freeze-dryer, the molar flux of inert gas was determined by direct flow measurement using a flowmeter and the molar flux of water vapor was determined by manometric temperature measurement (MTM) and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) techniques. Comparative pressure measurement (capacitance manometer vs. Pirani) was used to determine primary drying time. For both 5% mannitol and 5% sucrose, primary drying time decreases and product temperature increases as the load on the shelves decreases. No systematic variation was observed in residual moisture and vapor composition as load decreased. Further, SSA data suggests that there are no significant freezing differences under different load conditions. Independent of dryer scale, among all the effects, variation in radiation heat transfer from the chamber walls to the product seems to be the dominant effect resulting in shorter primary drying time as the load on the shelf decreases (i.e., the fraction of edge vials increases).

  16. Farm level evaluation of biomass energy operated seed dryer at selected sites of Bangladesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, S.M.M.; Bhuiyan, M.G.K.; Rahman, M.A.; Baqui, M.A.; Bala, B.K.

    2006-01-01

    Drying is one of the major problem in post harvest and processing of farm produce specially paddy seed in Bangladesh resulting tremendous shortage of quality seed. Evaluation through demonstrations was undertaken for the resource poor farmers at the selected sites to have practical experience of the IRRI-BRRI seed dryer. Viability of the dried paddy was more than 90% after six months of storage. The farmers were satisfied on the performance of the dryer. 68-100% farmers were motivated to hire the dyer during Boro and Aus seasons. Thus, the farm level evaluation and adoption of seed dryer will give a better alternative, aware and motivate the farmers on producing quality seed through proper drying and will contribute increased production

  17. Feasibility analysis of heat pump dryer to dry hawthorn cake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, D.C.; Zhang, G.; Han, Y.P.; Zhang, J.P.; Tian, X.L.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → A heat pump dryer (HPD) is effectively proposed to dry hawthorn cake-likely materials. → Low drying temperature and high COP of heat pump are obtained in drying beginning. → HPD is more effective, economic than a traditional hot air dryer. → Feasibility of the HPD is also validated by the operation economy estimation. - Abstract: A heat pump dryer (HPD) would be an economic, environmentally friendly, hygienic drying machine used to dry some food, such as hawthorn cakes. Based on the production process of the hawthorn cake, a HPD is proposed and its basic principle is introduced. The experimental drying curves of the hawthorn cake using the heat pump drying method and the traditional hot air drying method are compared and analyzed. The drying process of hawthorn cakes is similar to that of the other drying materials. The higher drying temperature causes a faster drying process. But in the initial stage of the heat pump drying process, the water content of the hawthorn cake is not sensitive to the drying temperature, so a lower drying air temperature can be available in order to get a higher coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump (HP). The experimental results and the economic analysis indicate that the HPD is feasibly used to dry hawthorn cakes.

  18. Feasibility analysis of heat pump dryer to dry hawthorn cake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, D.C., E-mail: wdechang@163.com [College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China); Zhang, G.; Han, Y.P.; Zhang, J.P.; Tian, X.L. [College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071 (China)

    2011-08-15

    Highlights: {yields} A heat pump dryer (HPD) is effectively proposed to dry hawthorn cake-likely materials. {yields} Low drying temperature and high COP of heat pump are obtained in drying beginning. {yields} HPD is more effective, economic than a traditional hot air dryer. {yields} Feasibility of the HPD is also validated by the operation economy estimation. - Abstract: A heat pump dryer (HPD) would be an economic, environmentally friendly, hygienic drying machine used to dry some food, such as hawthorn cakes. Based on the production process of the hawthorn cake, a HPD is proposed and its basic principle is introduced. The experimental drying curves of the hawthorn cake using the heat pump drying method and the traditional hot air drying method are compared and analyzed. The drying process of hawthorn cakes is similar to that of the other drying materials. The higher drying temperature causes a faster drying process. But in the initial stage of the heat pump drying process, the water content of the hawthorn cake is not sensitive to the drying temperature, so a lower drying air temperature can be available in order to get a higher coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump (HP). The experimental results and the economic analysis indicate that the HPD is feasibly used to dry hawthorn cakes.

  19. 1 - 7_Abubakar

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    solar dryer using an indirect mode natural convection solar energy. The dryer was designed and ... unprotected from rain, wind-borne dirt and dust, infestation by insects ..... of a new hybrid solar dryer for banana. Energy Conversion and ...

  20. Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) Combined with Soil Solarization for Root-Knot Nematode Control in Vegetable and Ornamental Crops in Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) combined with soil solarization continues to be evaluated for management of plant-parasitic nematodes in vegetable and ornamental crops in Florida. ASD combines organic amendments and soil saturation to stimulate microbial activity and create anaerobic conditions...

  1. Technical and environmental analysis of biofuel dryers; Teknisk och miljoemaessig analys av biobraensletorkar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muenter, M; Hagman, U; Harnevie, H; Johansen, H; Kristensson, I; Westermark, M; Viberg, T [Vattenfall Energimarknad, Stockholm (Sweden)

    1999-03-01

    A study regarding technology and environmental impact of the drying process of biofuels has been conducted. In the study two different types of dryers are analyzed. The result from the study shows that emissions of primarily hydrocarbons is high from the direct technic. The emission can be decreased considerably by improving the burner of the dryer. For the indirect technic the evaporated water give rise to problems in the sewage treatment plant. Studies show that biological treatment will result in an acceptable condensate.

  2. Eclipse effects on field crops and marine zooplankton: the 29 March 2006 total solar eclipse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Economou

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Some effects in the biosphere from the Total Solar Eclipse of 29 March 2006 were investigated in field crops and marine zooplankton. Taking into account the decisive role of light on plant life and productivity, measurements of photosynthesis and stomatal behaviour were conducted on seven important field-grown cereal and leguminous crops. A drop in photosynthetic rates, by more than a factor of 5 in some cases, was observed, and the minimum values of photosynthetic rates ranged between 3.13 and 10.13 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1. The drop in solar irradiance and the increase in mesophyll CO2-concentration during the eclipse did not induce stomatal closure thus not blocking CO2 uptake by plants. Light effects on the photochemical phase of photosynthesis may be responsible for the observed depression in photosynthetic rates. Field studies addressing the migratory responses of marine zooplankton (micro-zooplankton (ciliates, and meso-zooplankton due to the rapid changes in underwater light intensity were also performed. The light intensity attenuation was simulated with the use of accurate underwater radiative transfer modeling techniques. Ciliates, responded to the rapid decrease in light intensity during the eclipse adopting night-time behaviour. From the meso-zooplankton assemblage, various vertical migratory behaviours were adopted by different species.

  3. Improving Dryer and Press Efficiencies Through Combustion of Hydrocarbon Emissions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sujit Banerjee

    2005-10-31

    Emission control devices on dryers and presses have been legislated into the industry, and are now an integral part of the drying system. These devices consume large quantities of natural gas and electricity and down-sizing or eliminating them will provide major energy savings. The principal strategy taken here focuses on developing process changes that should minimize (and in some cases eliminate) the need for controls. A second approach is to develop lower-cost control options. It has been shown in laboratory and full-scale work that Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) emerge mainly at the end of the press cycle for particleboard, and, by extension, to other prod-ucts. Hence, only the air associated with this point of the cycle need be captured and treated. A model for estimating terpene emissions in the various zones of veneer dryers has been developed. This should allow the emissions to be concentrated in some zones and minimized in others, so that some of the air could be directly released without controls. Low-cost catalysts have been developed for controlling HAPs from dryers and presses. Catalysts conventionally used for regenerative catalytic oxidizers can be used at much lower temperatures for treating press emissions. Fluidized wood ash is an especially inexpensive mate-rial for efficiently reducing formaldehyde in dryer emissions. A heat transfer model for estimating pinene emissions from hot-pressing strand for the manufacture of flakeboard has been constructed from first principles and validated. The model shows that most of the emissions originate from the 1-mm layer of wood adjoining the platen surface. Hence, a simple control option is to surface a softwood mat with a layer of hardwood prior to pressing. Fines release a disproportionate large quantity of HAPs, and it has been shown both theo-retically and in full-scale work that particles smaller than 400 µm are principally responsible. Georgia-Pacific is considering green

  4. Development of a multi-purpose dryer | Kadurumba | Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The novel design uses heat sources from electric burners and it is located beneath the product spreading chamber. This prevented the problem of discoloration due to direct heat from the burners. A thermostat was used for its temperature control and light indicators were introduced to monitor the operation of the dryer with a ...

  5. Studies of a photovoltaic-thermal solar dryi system for rural applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Othman, Mohd Yusof; Yatim, Baharudin; Abu Bakar, Mohd Nazari; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman

    2006-01-01

    Importance of solar drying in increasing worldwide. especially in areas where the use of abundant, renewable and clean solar energy is essentially advantageous. In developing countries and in rural areas the traditional open-air drying methods should be substituted by the more effective and more economic solar drying technologies. In the present work, a new design of a photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) solar drying system was fabricated. An experimental study of PV/T solar air collector has been performed towards achieving n efficient design of air collector suitable foe a solar dryer. A series of experiments were conducted based on the ASHRAE standard, under Malaysia Climatic conditions. The performance of the collector is examined over a wide range of operating conditions. Results of the test are presented and discussed.(Author)

  6. Corn Drying with Zeolite in The Fluidized Bed Dryer under Medium Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Djaeni

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Drying is an important step to find high quality of corn. Based on Standard of National Industry, populer as SNI, number 01-3920-1995, the corn was well stored at moisture content 14% or below (wet basis. However, conventional corn drying dealed with in-efficient energy process and corn quality degradation. This research evaluated the performance of corn drying assisted by zeolite as moisture adsorbent. In this process, the zeolite and corn were placed in the dryer fluidized by warm air as drying medium under 40 - 50oC. The air evaporated water product from corn, and at same time the zeolite adsorbed moisture in air. So, the relative humidity of air in dryer can be kept low in which enhanced the driving force for drying. Beside that, the moisture adsoprtion by zeolite was exothermic process that can supply the energy for drying or keep the dryer temperature. Thus, the drying rate can be faster. This work foccussed to observe the effect of drying temperature, air velocity, and corn to zeolite ratio on drying time as well as corn quality. As indicators, the drying rate was estimated and the proxymates content such as protein, fat, and carbohydrate content were analyzed. The results showed that compared with conventional fluidised bed dryer, corn drying with zeolite, can speed up drying time as well as improving the constant of drying rate. In addition, the corn proximate nutrition content can be well retained. At operating temperature 40oC, air velocity 9 m.s-1, and zeolite to corn ratio 1:2, the drying time can be 60 minutes shorter compared to that without zeolite.

  7. Potential use and performance studies of solar crop driers in Mauritius. African Energy Programme research report series no. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Wai Man, Y.K.L.

    1987-01-01

    Monoculture has in the past, been the norm in agriculture in Mauritius. However under a recent policy of self reliance, there has been a move to multi-crop culture. Under this policy it has been decided to release, in the first instance, 800 hectares of the best arable land for the production of food crops. This decision, coupled with further increase in intense cultivation of crops in the interrow space of the 80,000 hectares of sugar cane fields, will make the need for crop drying more and more indispensable. As the present oil bill of MuR 25 million in precious foreign exchange, for crop drying only is already too much the country could afford, the need for solar drying remains the only other alternative. The Government's Plan of Action calls for immediate action on at least 10 major crops, among which maize is the single most important. The major land holders who will participate in the programme of agricultural diversification will normally use the established artificial drying process. However the 1200 small scale farmers who will also be called upon to contribute their share will obviously not be able to afford such an expensive process and open air or sun drying remains the only resort for them. However sun drying methods have several major constraints not least of which is the inability to dry down to the safe moisture content for subsequent storage. For example, sun-dried maize will only reach a minimum of 15 to 16% moisture and must be further dried artificially at a cost of about MuR 200 per tonne to attain the 12% moisture for storage. It is apparent that the use of solar driers would generate a higher income, through a reduction in post-harvest losses and a saving in drying cost, to these small scale farmers. This, in turn, would act as an impetus to grow more food for self-reliance, if not for export. This research work was, therefore, undertaken with the aim of fulfilling the needs of small-scale farmers. The objectives of the project were to

  8. Thermal decomposition study of uranyl nitrate and cerium hydroxide in a spray dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva Wildhagen, G.R. da.

    1993-05-01

    A study, in a spray dryer system based on drying and thermal decomposition of uranyl nitrate solutions aiming the production of uranium trioxide adequate for the use in posterior steps of reduction and hydro fluorination in nuclear fuel cycle; and cerium hydroxide suspensions for the production of cerium oxide with high surface area is presented. Thus, the project and construction of a countercurrent spray dryer was elaborated for capacity of 10 Kg U O 3 /h and 3,5 k Ce O 2 /h. The methodology used in these experiments consisted in the analysis of several parameters (concentration and flow rate of the feed, atomization pressure and inlet temperature of the dryer) over the physical and chemical properties of the products. Using the obtained results, with the help of a mathematical model, it was developed the project of a continuous pilot unity for the production of uranium trioxide or cerium oxide, with capacity of 20 Kg U O 3 /h or 10 Kg Ce O 2 /h, respectively. (author)

  9. Development of drying equipment for heat sensitive material : final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schoenau, G.J.; Sokhansanj, S. [Saskatchewan Univ., Saskatoon, SK (Canada)

    2003-07-01

    This paper described a project in which two types of prototype heat pump dryer systems were designed, constructed and field tested in 2000 to 2002. Performance testing was accomplished through a computer based simulation model for predicting dryer performance. The paper describes the procedures followed and the results obtained. The dryer is used for high value specialty crops such as ginseng, herbs and echinacea which require low temperature drying. The heat pump dryer operates under a closed loop and can dry these crops at low temperatures, independent of ambient conditions. The first prototype was a small fixed bed cabinet dryer suitable for small growers. The other was a full scale prototype moving bed cross flow system suitable for large scale commercial drying of sensitive agricultural crops. The heat pump system is faster and more energy efficient than conventional dryers. The average moisture content of ginseng roots was reduced by 10 per cent in 5 days using 190 kWh of energy. The heat pump dryer is 22 per cent more efficient than a conventional dryer due to its recirculating system. Drying time is reduced by 65 per cent. A computerized simulation validated experimental results. 30 refs., 10 tabs., 29 figs.

  10. Determination of pistachio drying behaviour and conditions in a solar drying system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Midilli, Adnan [Karadeniz Technical Univ., Mechanical Engineering Dept., Trabzon (Turkey)

    2001-07-01

    The main object of this study is to determine the drying behaviour and conditions of shelled and unshelled pistachio samples using both solar assisted and open sun drying. For each drying experiment, 100 g each of unshelled and shelled pistachio were used. The least-squares method was applied to find the drying curve equation of pistachio. During the experiments, shelf temperatures, weight loss of pistachio, moisture content of air, and distribution of solar radiation were measured; and presented depending on the drying time. Also, the mass shrinkage ratios of shelled and unshelled pistachio samples were determined, and the experimental uncertainty ratio was calculated as 15-16.5 per cent based on the experimental results. It was deduced that the shelled and unshelled pistachio samples in the solar assisted forced convection dryer were perfectly dried at temperatures of 50{+-}10degC in the time period of 6 h. Whereas, the samples in the open sun drying were not sufficiently dried at temperatures of 28{+-}4degC in the same time period. Hence, it is suggested that the pistachio samples with approximately 29.0 per cent of moisture are dried in the solar assisted convection dryer at 50{+-}10degC of temperature in the time period of approximately 6 h in order to protect from the negative climatic and environmental effects. However, it is not desirable to dry the pistachio samples in the open sun because of greater drying time, dirt, dust and harmful insects. (Author)

  11. Steam generator with integral downdraft dryer. Final project report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hochmuth, F.W.

    1992-02-01

    On June 30, 1989, a financial assistance award was granted by the United State Department of Energy, the purpose of which was to study and evaluate the technical aspect, the economic viability, and commercial possibilities of a new furnace design for burning high moisture cellulose type fuels. The new design is an invention by F.W. Hochmuth, P.Eng. and has received United States Patents Nos. 4,480, 557 and 4,502,397. It was conceived as a method to improve the general operation and efficiency of waste wood burning boilers, to avoid the use of stabilizing fuels such as oil or gas, and to reduce objectionable stack emissions. A further objective was to obtain such benefits at relatively low cost by integrating all new material requirements within the furnace itself thereby avoiding the need for costly external equipment. The proposed integral down-draft dryer avoids the use of external dryer systems that are very expensive, have high power consumption, and require a large amount of maintenance. This document provides the details of this invention.

  12. Performance of a convective, infrared and combined infrared- convective heated conveyor-belt dryer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Mesery, Hany S; Mwithiga, Gikuru

    2015-05-01

    A conveyor-belt dryer was developed using a combined infrared and hot air heating system that can be used in the drying of fruits and vegetables. The drying system having two chambers was fitted with infrared radiation heaters and through-flow hot air was provided from a convective heating system. The system was designed to operate under either infrared radiation and cold air (IR-CA) settings of 2000 W/m(2) with forced ambient air at 30 °C and air flow of 0.6 m/s or combined infrared and hot air convection (IR-HA) dryer setting with infrared intensity set at 2000 W/m(2) and hot at 60 °C being blown through the dryer at a velocity of 0.6 m/s or hot air convection (HA) at an air temperature of 60 °C and air flow velocity 0.6 m/s but without infrared heating. Apple slices dried under the different dryer settings were evaluated for quality and energy requirements. It was found that drying of apple (Golden Delicious) slices took place in the falling rate drying period and no constant rate period of drying was observed under any of the test conditions. The IR-HA setting was 57.5 and 39.1 % faster than IR-CA and HA setting, respectively. Specific energy consumption was lower and thermal efficiency was higher for the IR-HA setting when compared to both IR-CA and HA settings. The rehydration ratio, shrinkage and colour properties of apples dried under IR-HA conditions were better than for either IR-CA or HA.

  13. A model for the thermodynamic analysis in a batch type fluidized bed dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Özahi, Emrah; Demir, Hacımurat

    2013-01-01

    An original model for thermodynamic analysis of a batch type fluidized bed dryer is proposed herein considering two separate systems comprised of drying air medium as a control volume and particles to be dried as a control mass. By means of the proposed model, energetic and exergetic analyses of a drying column of a batch type fluidized bed dryer are carried out as an original contribution to literature since there is no such like model in which the analyses are performed considering two separate systems. The energetic efficiencies evaluated by means of the proposed model using the data in literature are compared with those in literature and a good conformity is satisfied with an acceptable error margin of ±9%. A new correlation is also developed with a mean deviation of ±10% in order to evaluate the energetic efficiency for not only corn drying process but also drying processes of other particles at inlet air temperature of 50 °C. Effects of air mass flow rate, mass of particle and ambient temperature on energetic and exergetic efficiencies are analyzed and some concluding remarks are highlighted for further studies. - Highlights: • Energetic and exergetic analyses of a batch type fluidized bed dryer are developed. • An original model is proposed for thermodynamic analyses in a fluidized bed dryer. • The proposed model is compared with the data in literature with an accuracy of ±9%. • Effect of air mass flow rate is more significant than that of ambient temperature. • Effect of mass of particle is more significant than that of ambient temperature

  14. Thermal aspects of open sun drying of various crops

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jain, D.; Tiwari, G.N. [Indian Inst. of Technology, Center for Energy Studies, New Delhi (India)

    2003-01-01

    Open sun drying (OSD) is the most common method of crop drying in developing countries. Despite several disadvantages, it is widely practiced because it is a simple way of drying. Crop temperature, temperature around the crop, solar temperature, and rate of moisture evaporation are the important parameters in OSD. The thermal behavior of OSD of green chillies, green pea, white gram (kabuli chana), onions, potatoes, and cauliflower was studied. The heat transfer analysis which is mainly dependent on the rate of moisture transfer has also been extended during drying process. A mathematical model has been developed to predict the crop temperature, rate of moisture removal, and solar temperature for a steady state condition. The rate of moisture transfer for potato slices and cauliflower was significantly higher than that in other crops. A fair agreement was observed between predicted and experimental results with coefficient of correlations ranging from 0.8936 to 0.7520, 0.9792-0.4172, and 0.9986-0.9942 for crop temperature, temperature above the crop surface, and rate of the moisture removal during drying, respectively except potato slices. (Author)

  15. Fluctuation characteristics of solar radiation in crop cultivation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, S.; Suzuki, H.

    1996-01-01

    The objective of this study was to clarify the fluctuation of solar radiation for long and short periods, which is very crucial for plant growth. Data obtained from a meteorological observatory were used to investigate solar radiation and sunshine duration for a long period. For a short period, observation of global solar radiation and sky solar radiation were conducted in a glass house and at an open field. (1) Yearly average percentage of solar radiation at Kagawa from 1973 to 1994 was 44.3%, and its coefficient of variation was 3.9%. The percentage of possible sunshine and the coefficient were larger than those of solar radiation, 47.3% and 56% respectively. (2) Percentage of possible solar radiation and percentage of possible sunshine showed seasonal variation. Those coefficients of variation both increased exponentially with cloud amount. (3) Variations of global solar radiation and direct solar radiation were more remarkable in the glass house than those in the open field, while variations of sky solar radiation were small in the house and at the open field. (4) The fluctuation of solar radiation observed every 5 minutes was presented as the difference of radiation, present value minus the preceding value. The difference was positive in the morning, negative in the afternoon at the open field. In the house both positive and negative values were obtained the whole day. (5) Diurnal variation of ratio of direct solar radiation to sky solar radiation showed a parabolic effect, whereas it had irregular and large fluctuations at the open field

  16. Comparison of three control strategies for optimization of spray dryer operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lars Norbert; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2017-01-01

    controllers for operation of a four-stage spray dryer. The three controllers are a proportional-integral (PI) controller that is used in industrial practice for spray dryer operation, a linear model predictive controller with real-time optimization (MPC with RTO, MPC-RTO), and an economically optimizing...... nonlinear model predictive controller (E-NMPC). The MPC with RTO is based on the same linear state space model in the MPC and the RTO layer. The E-NMPC consists of a single optimization layer that uses a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations for its predictions. The PI control strategy has...... the production rate, while minimizing the energy consumption, keeping the residual moisture content of the powder below a maximum limit, and avoiding that the powder sticks to the chamber walls. We use an industrially recorded disturbance scenario in order to produce realistic simulations and conclusions...

  17. Laboratory Development of A High Capacity Gas-Fired paper Dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chudnovsky, Yaroslav [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States); Kozlov, Aleksandr [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States); Sherrow, Lester [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

    2005-09-30

    Paper drying is the most energy-intensive and temperature-critical aspect of papermaking. It is estimated that about 67% of the total energy required in papermaking is used to dry paper. The conventional drying method uses a series of steam-heated metal cylinders that are required to meet ASME codes for pressure vessels, which limits the steam pressure to about 160 psig. Consequently, the shell temperature and the drying capacity are also limited. Gas Technology Institute together with Boise Paper Solutions, Groupe Laparrier and Verreault (GL&V) USA Inc., Flynn Burner Corporation and with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. natural gas industry, and Gas Research Institute is developing a high efficiency gas-fired paper dryer based on a combination of a ribbon burner and advanced heat transfer enhancement technique. The Gas-Fired Paper Dryer (GFPD) is a high-efficiency alternative to conventional steam-heated drying drums that typically operate at surface temperatures in the 300ºF range. The new approach was evaluated in laboratory and pilot-scale testing at the Western Michigan University Paper Pilot Plant. Drum surface temperatures of more than 400ºF were reached with linerboard (basis weight 126 lb/3000 ft2) production and resulted in a 4-5 times increase in drying rate over a conventional steam-heated drying drum. Successful GFPD development and commercialization will provide large energy savings to the paper industry and increase paper production rates from dryer-limited (space- or steam-limited) paper machines by an estimated 10 to 20%, resulting in significant capital costs savings for both retrofits and new capacity.

  18. Drying of Ceramic Hollow Bricks in an Industrial Tunnel Dryer: A Finite Volume Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Tavares

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to study the drying of industrial hollow bricks in a tunnel dryer cross flow type. The theoretical model is based on mass and energy conservation equations applied to air and product. To validate the methodology, numerical and experimental results for the moisture content and the temperature of brick during the drying in an industrial scale are compared and a good correlation was obtained. Results of moisture content and temperature of the product, and temperature, relative humidity and absolute humidity of drying air as a function of drying time and position in the dryer are presented and analyzed.

  19. Improving adsorption dryer energy efficiency by simultaneous optimization and heat integration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Atuonwu, J.C.; Straten, G. van; Deventer, H.C. van; Boxtel, A.J.B. van

    2011-01-01

    Conventionally, energy-saving techniques in drying technology are sequential in nature. First, the dryer is optimized without heat recovery and then, based on the obtained process conditions, heat recovery possibilities are explored. This work presents a methodology for energy-efficient adsorption

  20. Impacts on the environment and landscape of new energy productions on farm parcels and buildings, Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pointereau, Ph.; Bochu, J.L.; Couturier, Ch.; Coulon, F.; Arnal, A.; Giorgis, S.

    2009-01-01

    This study aims at identifying positive and negative impacts of new energy productions implemented in farms on the environment (water, soil, biodiversity, space occupancy) and on landscapes, and at proposing techniques and regulations to strengthen positive consequences and to limit possible problems created by these energy productions. The considered productions are: trees apart from forest (hedges and copses), new farm energetic crops (Miscanthus for example), solar equipment (photovoltaic mounted on buildings or on ground, solar hot water and solar dryers), biogas production equipment, hydraulic micro-plants. The authors addressed the following environmental impacts: water (in quantity and quality), soils (quality, erosion risks), biodiversity, space occupancy (with respect to other activities), and landscape

  1. Thermal decomposition of uranylnitrate by the Spray-Dryer process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wildhagen, G.R.S.; Silva, G.C. da

    1988-01-01

    The proposal of this work consist in the thermal decomposition of uranyl nitrate solutions by the Spray-Dryer process aiming the production of highly reactive fluidized UO 3 , adequate for the use in posterior of reduction to UO 2 and hydrofluorination to UF 4 , in a fluidized bed for the obtention of UF 6 in the cicle of nuclear fuels. (author) [pt

  2. Fluid bed dryer and Aeropep solidification system. Amendment 1 to topical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1975-01-01

    Information is presented on interfaces between the aerojet fluid bed dryer and the liquid radwaste system, plant ventilation system, and radioactive solid waste handling system for BWR and PWR type reactors. (U.S.)

  3. Determination of stresses caused by fluctuation of acoustic load in the steam dryers of a BWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Centeno P, J.; Quezada G, S.; Prieto G, A.; Vazquez R, A.; Espinosa P, G.; Nunez C, A.

    2014-10-01

    The extended power up-rate (EPU) in a nuclear power plant cause various problems in BWR components also in the steam system. This due to increased steam flow generated in the reactor and is conveyed to the turbine by the four main steam lines (MSL). One of the most serious problems is the generation of acoustic pressure loads in the metal structure of the steam dryer which eventually leads to fatigue failure and even the appearance of cracks, and in turn it causes loose parts that are entrained by the steam and transported in the MSL. This problem is due to the fluctuation of load acoustics caused by the union of the safety or relief valves (SRV) with the MSL, spreading through these to reach the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) where the effect of resonance of the acoustic wave is amplified and impacts directly in the supporting structure of the steam dryer, skirt and the panels where the mixture liquid-steam is dried, by centrifugation effect and runoff of liquid water. Efforts in the steam dryer operating conditions of EPU for two cases will be analyzed in this work, the first is before the installation of Acoustic Side Branch (ASB), and in the second case we consider the installation of said ASB in the standpipes of SRV. The analysis was performed with numerical experiments on a platform for computational fluid dynamics with virtual geometries previously designed based on the actual components of the reactor and steam system. The model to study is delimited by the top of the RPV, the steam dryer and a section of each of the four MSL with ten standpipes of SRV. With the obtained data and considering the mechanical-structural properties of the steam dryer material, we can evaluate the mechanical resistance to impacts by acoustic pressure load and its possible deformation or cracking. (Author)

  4. Modeling of thermal mode of drying special purposes ceramic products in batch action chamber dryers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukianov, E. S.; Lozovaya, S. Yu; Lozovoy, N. M.

    2018-03-01

    The article is devoted to the modeling of batch action chamber dryers in the processing line for producing shaped ceramic products. At the drying stage, for various reasons, most of these products are warped and cracked due to the occurrence of irregular shrinkage deformations due to the action of capillary forces. The primary cause is an untruly organized drying mode due to imperfection of chamber dryers design specifically because of the heat-transfer agent supply method and the possibility of creating a uniform temperature field in the whole volume of the chamber.

  5. Usage of hybrid solar collector system in drying technologies of medical plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Čiplienė, Aušra; Novošinskas, Henrikas; Raila, Algirdas; Zvicevičius, Egidijus

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Solar radiation energy utilization in drying technologies. • Accumulation of solar radiation energy. • The system comprising two different solar collector types. • Preparation of the drying agent by employing solar radiation energy around the clock. • The energy resources saving technology for medicinal plants’ raw material processing and drying. - Abstract: In the temperate climate zone under natural conditions, medicinal plants drying up to 8–12% moisture content and preparation of the quality medicinal plant’s raw material are complicated tasks. In many cases drying process of medicinal plants raw material, particularly rich in volatile compounds, needs the optimal drying temperatures of 30–45 °C and relative humidity not higher than 50–60%. In Lithuania, located in the northern part of the temperate climate zone, in summer the average temperature of ambient air is 16.1 ± 0.5 °C, and relative humidity is 77.3 ± 1.8%. In order to improve the sorption properties of ambient air, it is heated up to the admissible drying temperature. The experimental dryer was developed comprising two different solar collectors: the air type solar collector with area 12 m 2 for direct heating of the drying agent and the flat-plate type solar collector (8 m 2 ) for accumulation of converted heat energy. The research of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L.) drying was carried out in the dryer. It was determined that by combining operation of two different solar collectors, the solar radiation energy for drying agent’s heating could be used continuously around the clock by employing the accumulated energy, in order to compensate the solar irradiance variability and to ensure stability of the drying process. In the daytime the air-type solar collector at an airflow equal to 367 m 3 h −1 , i.e. at comparative flow of the drying agent per ton of dried medicinal plant raw material – 2450 m 3 h −1 , heats the air up to 30 °C when the solar

  6. Economic Optimization of Spray Dryer Operation using Nonlinear Model Predictive Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lars Norbert; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we investigate an economically optimizing Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (E-NMPC) for a spray drying process. By simulation we evaluate the economic potential of this E-NMPC compared to a conventional PID based control strategy. Spray drying is the preferred process to reduce...... the water content for many liquid foodstuffs and produces a free flowing powder. The main challenge in controlling the spray drying process is to meet the residual moisture specifications and avoid that the powder sticks to the chamber walls of the spray dryer. We present a model for a spray dryer that has...... been validated on experimental data from a pilot plant. We use this model for simulation as well as for prediction in the E-NMPC. The E-NMPC is designed with hard input constraints and soft output constraints. The open-loop optimal control problem in the E-NMPC is solved using the single...

  7. Dimensioning, construction and commissioning of a coffee beans drying system with use of solar collectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mora Vindas, Allan Gerardo

    2014-01-01

    A system of low-cost solar drying of coffee beans is dimensioned, built and commissioned by using solar collectors based on recycled aluminum cans. The information is collected from literature about the drying of coffee, types of drying and the various types of solar dryers.The coffee beans drying system is conceptualized and sized based on a solar collector constructed of aluminum cans as solar radiation absorbing material. The grain drying system is then built in coffee benefit CoopeTarrazu to all provided by the company and help materials and labor facilities. A guide to implementation of solar drying technology with general information is tailored to implement, select, build and maintain a solar grain dryer in Central America. The launch of the drying system was made by checking the proper functioning of the system and measurement instruments variables selected to calculate the efficiency of the system. The drying system is tested with a load of 45 kg of coffee bean, using a flow of air through natural convection to operate the system with the exclusive use of renewable energy. The grain is drying from a humidity of 50% (b.n), up to a humidity between 11% and 13% (b.n), which is the range generally used for the safe storage of grain. Facts of solar radiation, temperature, air velocity, relative humidity and grain humidity were taken to determine the behavior of the sized system. The maximum thermal efficiency achieved by the solar collector is determined constructed of 18%, with an air flow of 0.013 kg/s and a solar radiation 1138 W/m 2 . The average drying efficiency during experimentation was 17.8%, which is among the range of efficiencies for the type of drying equipment. Best thermal efficiencies were obtained from the solar collector built that the commercial solar collector compared. Controlling the flow of air into the equipment is recommended in order to improve the thermal efficiency and drying equipment, using blowers, fans or induced draft chimney

  8. Vibration Analysis for Steam Dryer of APR1400 Steam Generator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Sung-heum; Ko, Doyoung [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Minki [Doosan Heavy Industry, Changwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    This paper is related to comprehensive vibration assessment program for APR1400 steam generator internals. According to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Regulatory Guide 1.20 (Rev.3, March 2007), we conducted vibration analysis for a steam dryer as the second steam separator of steam generator internals. The vibration analysis was performed at the 100 % power operating condition as the normal operation condition. The random hydraulic loads were calculated by the computational fluid dynamics and the structural responses were predicted by power spectral density analysis for the probabilistic method. In order to meet the recently revised U.S. NRC RG 1.20 Rev.3, the CVAP against the potential adverse flow effects in APR1400 SG internals should be performed. This study conducted the vibration response analysis for the SG steam dryer as the second moisture separator at the 100% power condition, and evaluated the structural integrity. The predicted alternating stress intensities were evaluated to have more than 17.78 times fatigue margin compared to the endurance limit.

  9. Activité antérieure – En Inde, le système pénal manque de services ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    15 avr. 2016 ... Solar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan. Solar-powered fruit and vegetable driers are helping residents of southeastern Bhutan's remote villages increase their food security and improve li. View moreSolar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan ...

  10. Performance of mechanically shaken indirect contact atmospheric dryer in drying pastelike materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. P. Melo

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available Pastelike materials are encountered in many technological processes in chemical, pharmaceutical, foodstuff and natural product industries. The most important factor in the drying of this type of materials is the nature of the moisture bonding that occurs. Because of the different characteristics of pastes, it is impossible to recommend a universal type of dryer for all of these materials. Some of the dryers available provide only indirect contact with the drying agent (heat and also maintain constant moisture with a system of rotating paddles. We evaluated the performance of this type by studying the dryer kinetics curves for ground coffee under a variety of operational conditions of moisture load of material, temperature of the heating plate, intensity of the mechanical mixing of the moisture material, and initial moisture. The effects of these parameters (except for moisture were studied using a 2³ factorial design. According the analyses of the kinetics drying curves, was observed that the increase in the temperature of the plate and rotation as well as the decrease in the load facilitates more effective removal of moisture. In statistical analysis was determined that the load of the material and the heating plate temperature influence the final moisture content of the material and plate temperature modifies the final temperature of the solid. Also, was suggested linear models from the factorial design to describe the process of drying coffee grounds satisfactorily.

  11. Use of the solar and eolic energy in the drying of bean seed at rural level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grajales Avila, W.; Racines Sanchez, L.E.

    1985-01-01

    The drying is a camera through which is made pass air heated in a solar collector, by means of a rotational fan impelled by the wind. The dryer is wooden and the zinc consists of five levels where the trays are deposited that contain the product. In the end of the chimney placed above the drying camera this the fan that is a rotor of corrugate fins; when rotating under the action of the wind it extracts air of the ventilation chimney; in the periods that the wind doesn't blow the drying it happens for natural convention. In the collector the badge absorbent is zinc colored corrugate of black; the mark is wooden, isolated in its inferior part with icopor and the cover a sheet of plastic. To evaluate the dryer they were carried out four drying rehearsals with seed of bean variety Calima. One observes that the bean drying with this dryer type is feasible even with cloudy or partially cloudy sky. The drying was satisfactory with the two loads of 200 and 400 kg. With the flow of air through the trays and for the load of 210 kg with flow around them; being the drying uniform for this it finishes. The quality of the seeds was not affected in the drying coke superior temperatures they were presented to 43-centigrade degrees. The dryer can adapt to individual necessities and conditions you specify of operation. It is recommended to carry out rehearsals for other agricultural products that allow knowing the capacity and functionality from the dryer to property level

  12. Technicoeconomic optimization of a hybrid agricultural drier using supplement and solar energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ezbakhe, El Bouardi H.; Ajzoul, T.

    2006-01-01

    Solar energy installations are very expensive, what carries out to research the simple and economic means. However the real problem of the industrial utilization of the solar energy is not posed in these terms. Better adapted solutions are generally not simple, and are sometimes independent of prioritised research of the best reverent price, will that these considerations are only developed on few examples as the solar heating of building. The drying, in general, is one of processes that was thermally most studied, wasn't economically developed. In this research work, we are interested in evaluating the economic profitability of a hybrid drier installation while leading a comparative study between two total costs. -The first one is relative to hybrid installation (solar-fossil) where air collectors and stock, which are considered as a solar size, were modelled. -The second one, used as a reference, is relative to the fossil dryer installation. It must satisfy the same energy demand than the first one. For this, we must establish the general equation of assessment of values relative to the drying operation; the energy value is not necessarily currency, but it could be done by any unspecified scale of reference. We retained that of thermodynamic origin. The object of these methods, when it acts only on one optimisation constraint, is to minimize the function-objective, organized by the total cost of the project, expressed in a certain domains of value (currency, energy). This total cost being given by the balanced sum of the investments and exploitation costs, considering a certain mode of calculation of depreciation over a supposed lifespan. In this paper, we mention three economic methods, only one will be used to evaluate the optimal dimensions of a hybrid installation dryer destined to agricultural products.(Author)

  13. Climate Change Impacts on Crop Production in Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mereu, V.; Gallo, A.; Carboni, G.; Spano, D.

    2011-12-01

    a wide variety of possible climate projections for the impact analysis. Multiple combinations of soil and climate conditions and crop management and varieties were considered for each Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) of Nigeria. A sensitivity analysis was made to evaluate the model response to changes in precipitation and temperature. The climate impact assessment was made by comparing the yield obtained with the climate data for the present period and the yield obtainable under future climate conditions. The results were analyzed at state, AEZ and country levels. The analysis shows a general reduction in crop yields in particular in the dryer regions of northern Nigeria.

  14. Radiometric relations of a sugarcane crop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machado, E.C.; Pereira, A.R.; Camargo, M.B.P. de; Fahl, J.I.

    1985-01-01

    The radiometric relations of a sugarcane crop, cv. NA56-79, are studied during the period of maximum leaf area index. The coefficients of reflection, transmission and absorption of the incoming solar radiation were function of solar elevation and the waveband considered. The photosynthetically active radiation was always less reflected and transmitted but more absorved than the near infrared radiation. (M.A.C.) [pt

  15. Sanitary condition of electrical hand dryers in toilets of shopping centres in Kraków

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Lenart-Boroń

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Shopping habits have changed over the past several years and consumers choose shopping centres, where they can spend time and visit restaurants. People usually wash hands before meals, but toilets in shopping centres are visited by hundreds of users every day which makes their cleanliness questionable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the sanitary condition of electrical hand dryers in toilets of the selected shopping centres in Kraków. Material and methods. Air was sampled at the outlet of electrical hand dryers and surface swabs of hand dryers were taken in toilets of five shopping centres. Air sampling was conducted using the MAS-100 impactor. The number of mesophilic bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, staphylococci and Escherichia coli was determined. The results of air analyses were compared with the limits provided by the Polish Standards on air quality. Results. The number of microorganisms varied between the studied centres. In terms of mesophilic bacteria and fungi the air was unpolluted. The concentration of actinomycetes however significantly exceeded the limits set by the Polish Standards. Numerous Escherichia coli were found both in the air and in swabs in one of the centres. However the number of E. coli and staphylococci did not exceed the minimum infective dose. Conclusions. The studies showed high concentrations of airborne actinomycetes and staphylococci. Also the presence of E. coli in the air and swabs allows the conclusion that legal regulations for concentrations of airborne microorganisms are necessary to make people aware of this problem. However, it was found that using electrical hand dryers does not have impact on human health.

  16. Effect of openings collectors and solar irradiance on the thermal efficiency of flat plate-finned collector for indirect-type passive solar dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batubara, Fatimah; Dina, Sari Farah; Klaudia Kathryn Y., M.; Turmuzi, M.; Siregar, Fitri; Panjaitan, Nora

    2017-06-01

    Research on the effect of openings solar collector and solar irradiance to thermal efficiency has been done. Solar collector by flat plate-finned type consists of 3 ply insulator namely wood, Styrofoam and Rockwool with thickness respectively are 10 mm, 25 mm and 50 mm. Absorber plate made of aluminum sheet with thickness of 0.30 mm, painted by black-doff. Installation of 19 units fins (length x height x thickness: 1000x20x10 mm) on the collector will increase surface area of absorber so it can receive much more solar energy. The solar collector cover is made of glass (thickness of 5 mm). During the research, the solar irradiance and temperature of collector are measured and recorded every five minutes. Temperature measurement performed on the surface of the absorber plate, inside of collector, surface cover and the outer side insulator (plywood). This data is used to calculate the heat loss due to conduction, convection and radiation on the collector. Openings of collectors vary as follows: 100%, 75%, 15% and 0% (total enclosed). The data collecting was conducted from 09.00 am to 17.00 pm and triplicates. The collector thermal efficiency calculated based on the ratio of the amount of heat received to the solar irradiance absorbed. The results show that each of openings solar collector has different solar irradiance (because it was done on a different day) which is in units of W/m2: 390 (100% open), 376 (75% open), 429 (15% open), and 359 (totally enclosed). The highest thermal efficiency is in openings variation of 15% opened. These results indicate that the efficiency of the collector is influenced by the solar irradiance received by the collector and the temperature on the collector plate. The highest thermal efficiency is in variation of openings 15%. These indicate that the efficiency of the collector was influenced by solar irradiance received by the collector and openings of the collector plate.

  17. The determination of carbon dioxide concentration using atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry/isotopic dilution and errors in concentration measurements caused by dryers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeLacy, Brendan G; Bandy, Alan R

    2008-01-01

    An atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry/isotopically labeled standard (APIMS/ILS) method has been developed for the determination of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) concentration. Descriptions of the instrumental components, the ionization chemistry, and the statistics associated with the analytical method are provided. This method represents an alternative to the nondispersive infrared (NDIR) technique, which is currently used in the atmospheric community to determine atmospheric CO(2) concentrations. The APIMS/ILS and NDIR methods exhibit a decreased sensitivity for CO(2) in the presence of water vapor. Therefore, dryers such as a nafion dryer are used to remove water before detection. The APIMS/ILS method measures mixing ratios and demonstrates linearity and range in the presence or absence of a dryer. The NDIR technique, on the other hand, measures molar concentrations. The second half of this paper describes errors in molar concentration measurements that are caused by drying. An equation describing the errors was derived from the ideal gas law, the conservation of mass, and Dalton's Law. The purpose of this derivation was to quantify errors in the NDIR technique that are caused by drying. Laboratory experiments were conducted to verify the errors created solely by the dryer in CO(2) concentration measurements post-dryer. The laboratory experiments verified the theoretically predicted errors in the derived equations. There are numerous references in the literature that describe the use of a dryer in conjunction with the NDIR technique. However, these references do not address the errors that are caused by drying.

  18. COMMERCIAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE MANUFACTURED AGGREGATE PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY UTILIZING SPRAY DRYER ASH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roy Scandrol

    2003-10-01

    Universal Aggregates, LLC proposes to design, construct and operate a lightweight aggregate manufacturing plant at the Birchwood Power Facility in King George, Virginia. The installation and start-up expenses for the Birchwood Aggregate Facility are $19.5 million. The DOE share is $7.2 million (37%) and the Universal Aggregates share is $12.3 (63%). The project team consists of CONSOL Energy Inc., P.J. Dick, Inc., SynAggs, LLC, and Universal Aggregates, LLC. The Birchwood Facility will transform 115,000 tons per year of spray dryer by-products that are currently being disposed of in an offsite landfill into 167,000 tons of a useful product, lightweight aggregates that can be used to manufacture lightweight aggregates that can be used to manufacture lightweight and medium weight masonry blocks. In addition to the environmental benefits, the Birchwood Facility will create nine (9) manufacturing jobs plus additional employment in the local trucking industry to deliver the aggregate to customers or reagents to the facility. A successful demonstration would lead to additional lightweight aggregate manufacturing facilities in the United States. There are currently twenty-one (21) spray dryer facilities operating in the United States that produce an adequate amount of spray dryer by-product to economically justify the installation of a lightweight aggregate manufacturing facility. Industry sources believe that as additional scrubbing is required, dry FGD technologies will be the technology of choice. Letters from potential lightweight aggregate customers indicate that there is a market for the product once the commercialization barriers are eliminated by this demonstration project.

  19. COMMERCIAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE MANUFACTURED AGGREGATE PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY UTILIZING SPRAY DRYER ASH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roy Scandrol

    2003-04-01

    Universal Aggregates, LLC proposes to design, construct and operate a lightweight aggregate manufacturing plant at the Birchwood Power Facility in King George, Virginia. The installation and start-up expenses for the Birchwood Aggregate Facility are $19.5 million. The DOE share is $7.2 million (37%) and the Universal Aggregates share is $12.3 (63%). The project team consists of CONSOL Energy Inc., P.J. Dick, Inc., SynAggs, LLC, and Universal Aggregates, LLC. The Birchwood Facility will transform 115,000 tons per year of spray dryer by-products that are currently being disposed of in an offsite landfill into 167,000 tons of a useful product, lightweight aggregates that can be used to manufacture lightweight aggregates that can be used to manufacture lightweight and medium weight masonry blocks. In addition to the environmental benefits, the Birchwood Facility will create eight (8) manufacturing jobs plus additional employment in the local trucking industry to deliver the aggregate to customers or reagents to the facility. A successful demonstration would lead to additional lightweight aggregate manufacturing facilities in the United States. There are currently twenty-one (21) spray dryer facilities operating in the United States that produce an adequate amount of spray dryer by-product to economically justify the installation of a lightweight aggregate manufacturing facility. Industry sources believe that as additional scrubbing is required, dry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technologies will be the technology of choice. Letters from potential lightweight aggregate customers indicate that there is a market for the product once the commercialization barriers are eliminated by this demonstration project.

  20. Desalination of salty water using vacuum spray dryer driven by solar energy

    KAUST Repository

    Hamawand, Ihsan

    2016-11-18

    This paper addresses evaporation under vacuum condition with the aid from solar energy and the recovered waste heat from the vacuum pump. It is a preliminary attempt to design an innovative solar-based evaporation system under vacuum. The design details, equipment required, theoretical background and work methodology are covered in this article. Theoretically, based on the energy provided by the sun during the day, the production rate of pure water can be around 15 kg/m2/day. Assumptions were made for the worst case scenario where only 30% of the latent heat of evaporation is recycled and the ability of the dark droplet to absorb sun energy is around 50%. Both the waste heat from the pump and the heat collected from the photovoltaic (PV) panels are proposed to raise the temperature of the inlet water to the system to its boiling point at the selected reduced pressure.

  1. Desalination of salty water using vacuum spray dryer driven by solar energy

    KAUST Repository

    Hamawand, Ihsan; Lewis, Larry; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Bundschuh, Jochen

    2016-01-01

    This paper addresses evaporation under vacuum condition with the aid from solar energy and the recovered waste heat from the vacuum pump. It is a preliminary attempt to design an innovative solar-based evaporation system under vacuum. The design details, equipment required, theoretical background and work methodology are covered in this article. Theoretically, based on the energy provided by the sun during the day, the production rate of pure water can be around 15 kg/m2/day. Assumptions were made for the worst case scenario where only 30% of the latent heat of evaporation is recycled and the ability of the dark droplet to absorb sun energy is around 50%. Both the waste heat from the pump and the heat collected from the photovoltaic (PV) panels are proposed to raise the temperature of the inlet water to the system to its boiling point at the selected reduced pressure.

  2. Evaluating the parameters of a mobile maize dryer in practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef Los

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The method of drying maize for grain has been recently employed on a large scale in the Czech Republic not only thanks to new maize hybrids but also thanks to the existence of new models of drying plants. One of the new post-harvest lines is a plant in Lipoltice (mobile dryer installed in 2010, storage base in 2012 where basic operational measurements were made of the energy intensiveness of drying and operating parameters of the maize dryer were evaluated. The process of maize drying had two stages, i.e. pre-drying from the initial average grain humidity of 28.55% to 19.6% in the first stage, and the additional drying from 16.7% to a final storage grain humidity of 13.7%. Mean volumes of natural gas consumed per 1 t% for drying in the first and second stage amounted to 1.275 m3 and 1.56 m3, respectively. The total mean consumption of electric energy per 1 t% was calculated to be 1.372 kWh for the given configuration of the post-harvest line.

  3. Impact of flow induced vibration acoustic loads on the design of the Laguna Verde Unit 2 steam dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsyth, D. R.; Wellstein, L. F.; Theuret, R. C.; Han, Y.; Rajakumar, C.; Amador C, C.; Sosa F, W.

    2015-09-01

    Industry experience with Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) has shown that increasing the steam flow through the main steam lines (MSLs) to implement an extended power up rate (EPU) may lead to amplified acoustic loads on the steam dryer, which may negatively affect the structural integrity of the component. The source of these acoustic loads has been found to be acoustic resonance of the side branches on the MSLs, specifically, coupling of the vortex shedding frequency and natural acoustic frequency of safety relief valves (SRVs). The resonance that results from this coupling can contribute significant acoustic energy into the MSL system, which may propagate upstream into the reactor pressure vessel steam dome and drive structural vibration of steam dryer components. This can lead to high-cycle fatigue issues. Lock-in between the vortex shedding frequency and SRV natural frequency, as well as the ability for acoustic energy to propagate into the MSL system, are a function of many things, including the plant operating conditions, geometry of the MSL/SRV junction, and placement of SRVs with respect to each other on the MSLs. Comision Federal de Electricidad and Westinghouse designed, fabricated, and installed acoustic side branches (ASBs) on the MSLs which effectively act in the system as an energy absorber, where the acoustic standing wave generated in the side-branch is absorbed and dissipated inside the ASB. These ASBs have been very successful in reducing the amount of acoustic energy which propagates into the steam dome. In addition, modifications to the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 steam dryer have been completed to reduce the stress levels in critical locations in the dryer. The objective of this paper is to describe the acoustic side branch concept and the design iterative processes that were undertaken at Laguna Verde Unit 2 to achieve a steam dryer design that meets the guidelines of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boiler and Pressure

  4. Impact of flow induced vibration acoustic loads on the design of the Laguna Verde Unit 2 steam dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forsyth, D. R.; Wellstein, L. F.; Theuret, R. C.; Han, Y.; Rajakumar, C. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (United States); Amador C, C.; Sosa F, W., E-mail: forsytdr@westinghouse.com [Comision Federal de Electricidad, Central Nucleoelectrica Laguna Verde, Km 42.5 Carretera Cardel-Nautla, 91680 Alto Lucero, Veracruz (Mexico)

    2015-09-15

    Industry experience with Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) has shown that increasing the steam flow through the main steam lines (MSLs) to implement an extended power up rate (EPU) may lead to amplified acoustic loads on the steam dryer, which may negatively affect the structural integrity of the component. The source of these acoustic loads has been found to be acoustic resonance of the side branches on the MSLs, specifically, coupling of the vortex shedding frequency and natural acoustic frequency of safety relief valves (SRVs). The resonance that results from this coupling can contribute significant acoustic energy into the MSL system, which may propagate upstream into the reactor pressure vessel steam dome and drive structural vibration of steam dryer components. This can lead to high-cycle fatigue issues. Lock-in between the vortex shedding frequency and SRV natural frequency, as well as the ability for acoustic energy to propagate into the MSL system, are a function of many things, including the plant operating conditions, geometry of the MSL/SRV junction, and placement of SRVs with respect to each other on the MSLs. Comision Federal de Electricidad and Westinghouse designed, fabricated, and installed acoustic side branches (ASBs) on the MSLs which effectively act in the system as an energy absorber, where the acoustic standing wave generated in the side-branch is absorbed and dissipated inside the ASB. These ASBs have been very successful in reducing the amount of acoustic energy which propagates into the steam dome. In addition, modifications to the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 steam dryer have been completed to reduce the stress levels in critical locations in the dryer. The objective of this paper is to describe the acoustic side branch concept and the design iterative processes that were undertaken at Laguna Verde Unit 2 to achieve a steam dryer design that meets the guidelines of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boiler and Pressure

  5. Process analysis of biofuelled heat and power plants integrated with a flue gas dryer; Processtudie av biobraensleeldade kraftvaermeverk integrerade med roekgastork

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johansson, Kent; Steinwall, Pontus [Sycon Energikonsult AB, Malmoe (Sweden)

    2000-01-01

    In this report three different processes for combined heat and power production from biomass have been evaluated and compared. Both economical and technical questions have been investigated. The examined processes are: 1. CFB fuelled with wet biomass; 2. A boiler fuelled with pulverised biomass integrated with a traditional flue gas dryer; and 3. A boiler fuelled with pulverized biomass integrated with a flue gas dryer with a closed loop. All the processes have a district heat output of 80 MW. Calculations have been made at three different loads: 100, 70 and 40 % respectively. The performance characteristics in form of electric efficiency and fuel utilisation are very similar for the processes. To evaluate the thermodynamic differences between the processes, calculations have been made with extreme temperatures in the district heating net, 65 deg C/100 deg C. The process with a closed loop drier has a saturation temperature in the flue gas of 95 deg C. Therefore this process has a high fuel utilization even if the incoming water has a high temperature. The fuel utilization for alternatives 1 and 2 decreases almost down to the efficiency of the furnace. This shows that the temperature of the water is too high to recapture the latent heat in the flue gases. The investment costs for the processes have been estimated. Also these are very similar for the three alternatives. The cost for the process with the CFB is 412 million SEK. The boiler in alternative 2 and 3 is approximately 20 million SEK cheaper than the CFB. The decreased cost for the boiler is compensated by the cost for the dryers. The investment cost for the traditional dryer has been estimated to 20 million SEK and 30 million SEK for the closed loop dryer. The total cost for alternative 2 is then 417 million SEK and 414 million SEK for alternative 3. Operation and maintenance costs for the processes with dryer are supposed to be 1 respectively 1.5 million SEK higher than for alternative 1. The dryers may

  6. A novel rate of the reaction between NaOH with CO2 at low temperature in spray dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yadollah Tavan

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Carbon dioxide (CO2 is an influential greenhouse gas that has a significant impact on global warming partly. Nowadays, many techniques are available to control and remove CO2 in different chemical processes. Since the spray dryer has high removal efficiency rate, a laboratory-scale spray dryer is used to absorb carbon dioxide from air in aqueous solution of NaOH. In the present study, the impact of NaOH concentration, operating temperature and nozzle diameter on removal efficiency of CO2 is explored through experimental study. Moreover, the reaction kinetic of NaOH with CO2 is studied over the temperature range of 50–100 °C in a laboratory-scale spray dryer absorber. In the present contribution, a simple reaction rate equation is proposed that shows the lowest deviation from the experimental data with error less than 2%.

  7. PADDY DRYING IN MIXED ADSORPTION DRYER WITH ZEOLITE: DRYING RATE AND TIME ESTIMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mochammad Djaeni

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the main problem of the rice stock and distribution in Indonesia is the quality degradation as indicated in unpleasant odor (smelly, stained, yellowness, and high percentage of broken rice. This is due to the low of paddy quality dried by from either direct sunlight or conventional fluidized bed dryer. As a result, the paddy cracks and breaks easily during milling in which causes the storage life being shorter as the enzymatic degradation by germ or fungi occurs. Air dehumidified with zeolite at drying medium temperature is potential to improve the quality of paddy. Zeolite is a material having high affinity to water vapor. In this case, the paddy and zeolite was mixed and fluidized with the air. The air will evaporate water from paddy, and at same time, the zeolite will adsorb water from air. Hence, the humidity of dryer can be kept low in which improves the driving force for drying. This work discusses the effect of presence of zeolite in the dryer, operational drying temperature, air velocity and relative humidity on drying rate of paddy. The results showed that increasing of zeolite as well as operational temperature increased the drying rate. In addition, using the model, the air dehumidification with zeolite and increase of air velocity can speed up drying time significantly at operational temperature below 80oC. This condition is very suitable for paddy drying since the quality degradation can be avoided.

  8. Saving energy. [Metal Coating With Infrared Dryers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmid, K

    1981-01-01

    One way of saving energy in metal coating is by using electrically heated infrared dryers with medium-wave radiation (2 to 3 ..mu..m). The absorbing capacity of varnishes and plastic coatings is >90% in this range so that the radiation energy is almost completely transformed into heat. Medium-wave radiation sources have a much higher service life than short-wave sources (30.000 hours of operation) and do not require cooling; compared with long-wave sources, they have a higher heat transfer and thus much shorter drying times. The main fields of application, a cost example, and practical examples among the customers of Messrs. Eisenmann are presented.

  9. Modelling of hot air chamber designs of a continuous flow grain dryer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjær, Lotte Strange; Poulsen, Mathias; Sørensen, Kim

    2018-01-01

    The pressure loss, flow distribution and temperature distribution of a number of designs of the hot air chamber in a continuous flow grain dryer, were investigated using CFD. The flow in the dryer was considered as steady state, compressible and turbulent. It is essential that the grain...... is uniformly dried as uneven drying can result in damage to the end-product during storage. The original commercial design was modified with new guide vanes at the inlets to reduce the pressure loss and to ensure a uniform flow to the line burner in the hot air chamber. The new guide vane design resulted...... in a 10% reduction in pressure loss and a γ-value of 0.804. Various design changes of the hot air chamber were analysed in terms of pressure loss and temperature distribution with the aim of a temperature variation of 5 K at the outlet ducts. An obstruction design was analysed, which improved mixing...

  10. Sensitivity of APSIM/ORYZA model due to estimation errors in solar radiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Bryan Heinemann

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Crop models are ideally suited to quantify existing climatic risks. However, they require historic climate data as input. While daily temperature and rainfall data are often available, the lack of observed solar radiation (Rs data severely limits site-specific crop modelling. The objective of this study was to estimate Rs based on air temperature solar radiation models and to quantify the propagation of errors in simulated radiation on several APSIM/ORYZA crop model seasonal outputs, yield, biomass, leaf area (LAI and total accumulated solar radiation (SRA during the crop cycle. The accuracy of the 5 models for estimated daily solar radiation was similar, and it was not substantially different among sites. For water limited environments (no irrigation, crop model outputs yield, biomass and LAI was not sensitive for the uncertainties in radiation models studied here.

  11. Tibebu et al

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PUBLICATIONS1

    Most solar dryers rely on only solar energy as the heat source. This condition limits its use in off ... to: develop a solar dryer with biomass backup heater for drying fruits; analyze its performance; and carry out comparative analysis of the ..... International Development Innovation Network. (IDIN) and Technology Consultancy ...

  12. Final Report: Laboratory Development of a High Capacity Gas-Fired Paper Dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yaroslav Chudnovsky; Aleksandr Kozlov; Lester Sherrow

    2005-09-30

    Paper drying is the most energy-intensive and temperature-critical aspect of papermaking. It is estimated that about 67% of the total energy required in papermaking is used to dry paper. The conventional drying method uses a series of steam-heated metal cylinders that are required to meet ASME codes for pressure vessels, which limits the steam pressure to about 160 psig. Consequently, the shell temperature and the drying capacity are also limited. Gas Technology Institute together with Boise Paper Solutions, Groupe Laperrier and Verreault (GL&V) USA Inc., Flynn Burner Corporation and with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. natural gas industry, and Gas Research Institute is developing a high efficiency gas-fired paper dryer based on a combination of a ribbon burner and advanced heat transfer enhancement technique. The Gas-Fired Paper Dryer (GFPD) is a high-efficiency alternative to conventional steam-heated drying drums that typically operate at surface temperatures in the 300 deg F range. The new approach was evaluated in laboratory and pilot-scale testing at the Western Michigan University Paper Pilot Plant. Drum surface temperatures of more than 400 deg F were reached with linerboard (basis weight 126 lb/3000 ft2) production and resulted in a 4-5 times increase in drying rate over a conventional steam-heated drying drum. Successful GFPD development and commercialization will provide large energy savings to the paper industry and increase paper production rates from dryer-limited (space- or steam-limited) paper machines by an estimated 10 to 20%, resulting in significant capital costs savings for both retrofits and new capacity.

  13. Uses of solar energy in Costa Rica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nandwani, Shyam S. [Laboratorio de Energia Solar, Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Heredia, P.O. Box 728, 3000 Heredia (Costa Rica)

    2006-04-15

    Costa Rica, a small country with the population of 4 million, and without military and hence no military expenditure, promotes the use of renewable sources like Hydro, Mini hydro, Wind, Geothermal and Sun, mainly for electricity generation. Almost 90% of the electricity is produced from these renewable sources. Through different policies and some incentives, etc., private generation is also encouraged and there are some decentralized systems like solar water heaters, swimming pool heaters, cookers, dryers and stills and also photo voltaic panels. The last ones are mostly for the population where there is no electric grid. Depending on the province, 91-99.5% of the population is electrified. Government also encourages the use of energy saving devices specially at domestic and industrial sector. In addition to provide these data, some of the solar energy systems are mentioned. [Author].

  14. 76 FR 22453 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Dryers and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-21

    ... Mode and Off Mode b. Automatic Cycle Termination c. Ventless Clothes Dryers d. Consumer Usage Habits e... as cooling capacity in British thermal units (Btu) per hour (h) divided by electrical input power in...

  15. Evaluation of an industrial gas-fired IR dryer; Utvaerdering av en industriell gaseldad IR-straalare

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stenstroem, S; Hermodsson, S

    1994-11-01

    The IR dryer is used in a paper making machine to dry the paper web after it has been coated with a surface layer. In part 1 of the project a mathematical model have been developed, capable of calculating the radiation intensity and other energy flows in the dryer. In part 2 of the project, measurements have been made on the IR radiator mounted in the paper making machine. The calculation model shows the efficiency of the radiator to 39% at full power and 35% at half power. The direct measurements were made at half power and gave an efficiency of 31% for new radiators and 28% for old ones. The conclusion is that the calculation model values corresponds very well compared with direct measurements.

  16. Energy and rice quality aspects during drying of freshly harvested paddy with industrial inclined bed dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarker, M.S.H.; Ibrahim, M. Nordin; Ab. Aziz, N.; Mohd. Salleh, P.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We presented performance evaluation approach for industrial inclined bed paddy dryer. • Specific electrical energy consumption was 1.44–1.95 MJ/kg water evaporated. • Specific thermal energy consumption was 2.77–3.47 MJ/kg water evaporated. • Dryer yielded 1–4% higher head rice at drying temperature of 38–39 °C than 41–42 °C. • Dryers should be operated at 38–39 °C for 1–4% higher head rice at reasonable energy. - Abstract: The performance evaluation of any industrial dryer regarding energy consumption and product quality should be assessed to check its present status and to suggest for further efficient operation. An investigation was carried out to evaluate the impact of drying temperature and air flow on energy consumption and quality of rice during paddy drying with industrial inclined bed dryer (IBD) with average holding capacity of 15 ton in the selected complexes of Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS)-the national paddy custodian of Malaysia. In reducing paddy moisture content (mc) from 22% to 23% wet basis (wb) down to around 12.5% wb, the final mc, the specific electrical (in terms of primary energy) and the specific thermal energy consumption were found to be varied between 1.44 to 1.95 MJ/kg water evaporated and 2.77 to 3.47 MJ/kg water evaporated, respectively. Analysis revealed that the specific electrical energy consumption was around 20% lesser and the specific thermal energy consumption of IBDs was around 10% higher during drying with air temperature of 41–42 °C than drying with 38–39 °C in reducing paddy mc from 22% to 23% (wb) down to around 12.5% (wb). However, paddy being with almost same initial mc dried using drying temperature of 38–39 °C, IBDs yielded 1–4% higher head rice yield while milling recovery and whiteness were comparable at acceptable milling degree and transparency. The bed air flows between 0.27 and 0.29 m 3 m −2 s −1 resulted in higher head rice yield slightly while its

  17. Investigation of one-dimensional heat flow in a solarflat plate collector with sun tracing system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Samimi Akhijahani

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Drying is one of the most common methods for storing food and agricultural products. During drying process, free water that causes the growth of microorganisms and spoilage of products is removed from the product. There are several methods for drying of agricultural products. one of the most important methods of investment is drying by using sunlight. Iran is situated at 25- 43oE longitude and mean solar radiation is about 4.9 kwh.m-2.d-1. Because of the proper solar radiations in 95% of the agricultural areas in Iran, solar drying is widely used for drying of fruits and vegetables. The use of solar dryer causes saving in energy consumption and processing costs for drying of products in farms and gardens. Several researchers investigated heat transfer and heat flow in dryers. Selection of appropriate method was carried out for drying of agricultural products using heat pump. Experiments were done and mathematical relationships were estimated to obtain correlation parameters between Reynolds number and Nusselt number for the three cases of solar dryer (cabinet, indirect and combination.The best working conditions were determined for three types of solar collectors (flat, finned and corrugated. In this study, the process of heat transfer and heat transfer coefficient of a solar dryer with and without rotation of absorber plate was compared. Materials and Methods The experiments were conducted in Azarshahr, East Azarbayjan province, Iran in September 2014. Newton's law of thermodynamic was used to analyze the working condition of solar absorber. For this purpose the absorber plate was divided into four equal parts. According to the thermal equations and related boundary conditions as well as the relationship between heat transfer coefficient and the temperature gradient, equation 1 for the Nusselet number obtained: 1 Beside the relationship between Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficient is defined as equation 2: 2 Finally

  18. Mathematical modeling of a mixed flow spray dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasiri, N.; Delkhan, F.

    2001-01-01

    In this paper a mathematical model has been developed to simulate the behavior of spray dryers with an up-flowing spray. The model is based on mass, energy and momentum balance on a single droplet , and mass and energy balances on the drying gas. The system of nonlinear differential equations thus obtained is solved to predict the changes in temperature, humidity, diameter, velocity components and the density of the droplets as well as the temperature and the humidity changes of the drying gas. The predicted results were then compared with an industrially available set of results. A good degree of proximity between the two is reported

  19. Estimation of paddy water temperature during crop development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Centeno, H.G.S.; Horie, T.

    1996-01-01

    The crop meristem is in direct contact with paddy water during crop's vegetative stage. Ambient air temperature becomes an important factor in crop development only when internodes elongate sufficiently for the meristem to rise above the water surface. This does not occur until after panicle initiation. Crop growth at vegetative stage is affected more by water temperature than the most commonly measured air temperature. During transplanting in 1992 dry season, the maximum paddy water temperature was 10 deg C higher than the maximum air temperature. For rice crop models, the development of a submodel to estimate water temperature is important to account the effect of paddy water temperature on plant growth. Paddy water temperature is estimated from mean air temperature, solar radiation, and crop canopy. The parameters of the model were derived using the simplex method on data from the 1993 wet- and dry-season field experiments at IRRI

  20. Improved Processing and Marketing of Healthy Fish Products in ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Improved Processing and Marketing of Healthy Fish Products in Inland Fisheries in Malawi (CultiAF). This project aims ... They will test different pre-drying methods: -no pre-drying treatment -parboiling -smoking -brining Solar dryer and business model testing Researchers will assess the solar dryers' economic performance.

  1. energetic performance analysis of drying agricultural products

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    ... a solar box dryer aided by a tracking device, and open air drying over an effective total drying time of 6 hours each day, for 5 days. ... cost in the use of modern dryers. Drying can be ..... speed, cloud cover and humidity respectively. 4.2 Solar ...

  2. Effect of separation and drainage of condensate on dehumidification in a refrigerated dryer; Reito joshitsuki ni okeru gyoshukusui bunri/haishutsu noryoku no joshitsu seino ni oyobosu eikyo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goto, H.; Ichinose, T. [SMC Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Tanzawa, Y.; Hashizume, T. [Waseda Univ., Tokyo (Japan). Science and Engineering Research Lab.

    1995-11-15

    The representative refrigerated dryer as the compressed air dryers is one in which air was cooled at rather low temperature by working medium of refrigerators, and the dew point was decreased with increase of pressure, and air with low relative humility called as the dried air was obtained again by heating. In this paper, for clarifying effect of separation and drainage of condensate on dehumidification in a refrigerated dryer in relation to shape of a main cooler and a precool-reheater and air temperature of each part, calculation and experimental investigation were conducted. In a refrigerated dryer, condensate happened in the precool part of a precool-reheater and a main cooler, and this would give rise to reduce of separation and drainage of condensate and increase of thermal loads of each heat exchange, and would made dehumidification low. For a fact that decrease of separation and drainage of condensate in a main cooler would bring out heat conduction with phase change in the reheating part of a precool-reheater, it has a profitable side, but it is not desirable for ability of dryers. 6 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

  3. 78 FR 20842 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Dryers and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-08

    ... DeLonghi); energy and environmental advocates (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 10 CFR Part 430 [Docket Number EERE-2013-BT-STD-0020] RIN 1904-AC98 Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Dryers and Room Air Conditioners...

  4. Modifikasi dan Uji Kinerja Alat Pengering Energi Surya-Hybrid Tipe Rak untuk Pengeringan Ikan Teri

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Risman Hanafi

    2017-04-01

    Abstract. At the time of harvest fish, fishermen get a lot of anchovy as catches with very large amount. Due to the very large number of these, sometimes anchovy is not sold out. This resulted in an anchovy rot if not done preservation (cool storage. One way in which the fisherman is by drying anchovy naturally (the drying in the sun. A tool rack type solar dryer is a box-shaped dryer that utilize the sun as thermal energy. The constraints of this tool is only utilizing the heat from solar energy, so when the weather is cloudy or at nightfall these tools can not function. The research aims to modify the tool rack type solar dryer to be a hybrid dryer for drying anchovy. The results were obtained that total efficiency of energy use during drying is for drying empty test hybrid is 0,010%, for drying hybrid test at 0,695%, and for drying solar test of 20,319%. As for the length of drying time, hybrid test replicates 1 for 7 hours, hybrid test replicates 2 for 8 hours, solar test replicates 1 for 10 hours, and solar test replicates 2 for 11 hours. For the total energy available, hybrid drying of 305,838 MJ and solar drying of 9,896 MJ.

  5. Simulation of exhaust gas heat recovery from a spray dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golman, Boris; Julklang, Wittaya

    2014-01-01

    This study explored various alternatives in improving the energy utilization of spray drying process through the exhaust gas heat recovery. Extensible and user-friendly simulation code was written in Visual Basic for Applications within Microsoft Excel for this purpose. The effects of process parameters were analyzed on the energy efficiency and energy saving in the industrial-scale spray drying system with exhaust gas heat recovery in an air-to-air heat exchanger and in the system with partial recirculation of exhaust air. The spray dryer is equipped with an indirect heater for heating the drying air. The maximum gains of 16% in energy efficiency and 50% in energy saving were obtained for spray drying system equipped with heat exchanger for exhaust air heat recovery. In addition, 34% in energy efficiency and 61% in energy saving for system with recirculation of exhaust air in the present range of process parameters. The high energy efficiency was obtained during drying of large amount of dilute slurry. The energy saving was increased using the large amount of hot drying air. - Highlights: • We model industrial-scale spray drying process with the exhaust gas heat recovery. • We develop an Excel VBA computer program to simulate spray dryer with heat recovery. • We examine effects of process parameters on energy efficiency and energy saving. • High energy efficiency is obtained during drying of large amount of dilute slurry. • Energy saving is increased using the large amount of hot drying air

  6. Solar heating - a major source of renewable energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bosselaar, L.

    2001-01-01

    Actions that can be taken to increase the uptake of technology for solar water heaters and solar buildings are discussed. An overview of existing technology covers solar water heating, solar buildings, space heating, solar cooling, solar drying, solar desalination. Solar water heating, solar buildings and solar crop drying are discussed individually under the sub-headings of (a) the technology; (b) the market; (c) potential; (d) economics and (e) market acceleration strategies. Other subjects discussed are market acceleration, main opportunities, R and D needs and conclusions. The IEA solar heating and solar cooling programme is described

  7. Sensitivity of APSIM/ORYZA model due to estimation errors in solar radiation

    OpenAIRE

    Alexandre Bryan Heinemann; Pepijn A.J. van Oort; Diogo Simões Fernandes; Aline de Holanda Nunes Maia

    2012-01-01

    Crop models are ideally suited to quantify existing climatic risks. However, they require historic climate data as input. While daily temperature and rainfall data are often available, the lack of observed solar radiation (Rs) data severely limits site-specific crop modelling. The objective of this study was to estimate Rs based on air temperature solar radiation models and to quantify the propagation of errors in simulated radiation on several APSIM/ORYZA crop model seasonal outputs, yield, ...

  8. Analysis of Energy Consumption of "Compression Heat" Pressure Heat Dryer%“压缩热”干燥机能耗分析

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    李申

    2015-01-01

    作为典型的热质交换设备,吸附干燥器再生能量是被吸水量锁定的。总耗能受到吸附剂本身物理性质的制约,可用“质量守恒”与“能量守恒”两大定律来解释其能耗过程。各类吸附干燥器能耗量都要通过“能量衡算”来确定。“压缩热”干燥器与其他一切加热干燥器一样采取了“长周期”工作循环制,解吸环节无效热损很大。无热再生干燥器则采用了“短周期”工作制,为实际耗气量减少留有了较大的空间。%As the typical heat and mass transfer equipment, the energy of regenerative desiccant dryers is limited by water absorption. The total energy consumption is restricted by the physical properties of the adsorbent, which can be explained through two laws of conservation of mass and energy conservation. The energy consumption in each absorption dryers should be determined by“energy balance”.“Compression heat”dryer adopts“long-period”working cycle system as other heating dryers, in which invalid heat losses are great in desorption process. However, regenerated dryer without heat adopts“short-period”working cycle system, which provides greater space for actual gas consumption reduction.

  9. Rancang Bangun Pengering Surya Tipe Bak Untuk Biji Kopi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendri Syah

    2016-04-01

    Abstract. The main aim of this study was to design and develop hybrid dryer in which heat sources are coming from coffee husks furnace and solar collectors used for coffee beans drying. We also tested its performance and calculated the energy consumption produced and total costs required to perform coffee beans drying. The study consisted of three stages; (1 structural and functional design of drying chamber, furnace and solar collector, (2 dryer construction and development, (3 functional test. The overall results of this study showed that solar collector was effectively working properly during the ten days drying. Yet, this developed dryer is still heavily influenced by the weather, and thus the use of biomass as an energy supplement is needed. The average air temperature produced by the dryer ranges between 36.2 oC to 48.6 oC, while the relative humidity (RH ranging from 43.6% -72.6%.

  10. Comparisons of solar radiation interception, albedo and net radiation as influenced by row orientations of crops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baten, Md.A.; Kon, H.

    1997-01-01

    Field experiments were conducted on soybean (Glycin max L.) in summer and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in autumn to evaluate the effect of row orientations of crops on some selected micro meteorological factors during 1994 and 1995. The intercepted solar radiation was the largest in the plants growing in bidirection in summer and it exhibited intermediate trend in autumn as compared to E-W or N-S row orientations. In summer, penetrated solar radiation between two plants and near the stem base of a N-S row was larger than that of E-W row. While in autumn, the observed solar radiation between two plants and near the stem base of a E-W row was markedly larger than that of N-S row. The area weighted mean of penetrated solar radiation was larger in E-W soybean rows but lower in potato rows as compared to N-S row orientations. Soil surface temperature between N-S potato rows was larger than that of E-W potato rows and the upper canopy surface temperature of potato was larger in E-W rows as compared to N-S rows. Net radiation observed over E-W potato rows was larger as compared to N-S potato rows but net radiation measured under canopy of E-W potato rows was smaller than that of in N-S rows. Net radiation measured over N-S soybean rows was larger than that of E-W soybean rows and it was smaller between N-S soybean rows when measured under canopy as compared to E-W rows. The albedo observed over potato was larger over E-W rows as compared to N-S rows. Albedos over soybean canopy showed opposite trend with the albedos observed over potato canopy. It was larger over N-S rows as compared to E-W rows. High harvest index was associated with larger interception of radiation. (author)

  11. Development of greenhouse solar systems for bulk tobacco curing and plant production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, B.K.; Bowers, C.G. Jr.

    1986-12-01

    Among many farm crops, bright leaf tobacco is the most energy- and labor-intensive crop. The greenhouse solar system (solar bulk-curing/greenhouse system, or solar barn) was developed to provide multiple-use facilities for year-round solar energy utilization to save fossil fuels in tobacco curing and plant production and to facilitate the total mechanization of tobacco culture. Two types of full-size greenhouse solar systems, the load-supporting wall design and the shell design, both utilizing the thermal envelope concept, were designed and constructed for solar bulk-curing of tobacco, growing transplants and horticultural crops under controlled environment, and aiding automation of transplanting operations. Full-scale field tests of solar bulk curing showed that the fuel savings were consistantly improved from 37% in 1975 to 51% in 1978 for this solar bulk-curing system as compared with a conventional bulk-curing barn as a control. The feasibility of the system to save energy by using solar energy as a first priority source was significantly demonstrated. Three-year greenhouse and field tests showed that high germination rate of 95-97% with excellent emergence frequency was obtained for tobacco seeds under the controlled environment provided by the greenhouse solar system. In general, the containerized transplants from greenhouse solar system significantly exceeded the conventional bare-root transplants in growth, leaf-quality and yield. 9 figs., 3 tabs., 10 refs.

  12. Les femmes et la militarisation en Asie du Sud : bourses de ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    4 mai 2016 ... Solar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan. Des séchoirs à fruits et à légumes fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire aident les résidents de villages reculés du sud‑est du Bhoutan à accroître leur. Voir davantageSolar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan ...

  13. Reducing post-harvest losses in South Asia's mango orchards ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    29 avr. 2016 ... Solar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan. Des séchoirs à fruits et à légumes fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire aident les résidents de villages reculés du sud‑est du Bhoutan à accroître leur. Voir davantageSolar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan ...

  14. Activité antérieure – Assurer la sécurité alimentaire grâce à la ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    15 avr. 2016 ... Solar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan. Des séchoirs à fruits et à légumes fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire aident les résidents de villages reculés du sud‑est du Bhoutan à accroître leur. Voir davantageSolar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan ...

  15. Activité antérieure – Le Dr David Butler-Jones discute de la lutte ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    15 avr. 2016 ... Solar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan. Des séchoirs à fruits et à légumes fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire aident les résidents de villages reculés du sud‑est du Bhoutan à accroître leur. Voir davantageSolar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan ...

  16. Analysis of heat recovery from a spray dryer by recirculation of exhaust air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golman, Boris; Julklang, Wittaya

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We study a spray dryer with heat recovery by partial recirculation of exhaust air. • We examine effects of process parameters on energy efficiency and energy savings. • Decreasing drying air temperature and flow rate will increase energy efficiency. • Increasing recirculation ratio and slurry feed rate will increase energy efficiency. - Abstract: Model simulations were employed to investigate the influences of process parameters on the energy recovery in spray drying process that partially recycle the exhaust drying gas. The energy efficiency and energy saving were studied for various values of recirculation ratios with respect to the temperature and flow rate of the drying air, slurry feed rate and concentration of slurry in spray drying of advanced ceramic materials. As a result, significant gains in energy efficiency and energy saving were obtained for a spray drying system with high recirculation ratio of exhaust air. The high slurry feed rate and the low slurry concentration, inlet drying air temperature and drying air flow rate enhanced the energy efficiency of spray drying system. However, the high energy saving was obtained in spray dryers operating at low slurry feed rate and high slurry concentration

  17. The Evaluation of Science Learning Program, Technology and Society Application of Audio Bio Harmonic System with Solar Energy to Improve Crop Productivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Rosana

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available One of the greatest challenges in science learning is how to integrate a wide range of basic scientific concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology into an integrated learning material. Research-based teaching material in this area is still very poor and does not much involve students of science education in its implementation as part of the learning program science technology and society (STS. The purpose of this study is to get the result of evaluation of the teaching and learning of STS in the form of public service in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta. The program to improve crop productivity through the application of Audio Bio Harmonic System (ABHS with solar energy have been selected for utilizing the natural animal sounds to open stomata of the leaves conducted during foliar fertilization, making it suitable for integrated science lessons. Component of evaluation model used is Stufflebeam model evaluation (CIPP. CIPP evaluation in these activities resulted in two aspects: The first aspect was improving the skills of students and farmers in using ABHS, and these two aspects, namely food crop productivity; (1 cayenne increased 76.4%, (2 increased red onions (56.3% and (3 of maize increased by 67.8%. Besides, it was also the effect of the application of ABHS on the rate of plant growth. The outcome of this study is the STS teaching materials and appropriate technology of ABHS with solar energy.

  18. Assessing the Performance of Global Solar Radiation Empirical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In the region where solar radiation data are scarce, the next alternative method is to use solar radiation models to estimate the data needed for some applications such as simulation of crop performance and the design of solar energy conversion devices. In this paper, the validations of fifteen models for estimating monthly ...

  19. Comparison of the solar collection efficiencies of various vinyl house

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, K H; Shin, H N; Lee, D S; Shin, D H; Suh, K B

    1982-01-01

    Three plastic film solar dryers covered with different film layers were constructed by modifying a farm vinyl house and studying their performance. The collection efficiency and temperature raising of type C which was covered with double layers of transparent PE and black PVC film was most efficient, followed by B (which was covered with a double layer of transparent PE film) and type A (which was covered with single layer transparent PE film). The inside temperature of type C averaged 18/sup 0/C higher than ambient temperature and its collection efficiency was 31.5% with air flow rate of 3.8 m/sup 3//min. The solar energy collection efficiency of type C was increased in proportion to air flow rate up to 60.2% at 11.3 m/sup 3//min. In a demonstration drying test of red pepper in type C, drying capacity per unit area was 2.5 times higher than that of conventional solar drying on straw mat and drying time shortened to about half.

  20. Studies of a photovoltaic-thermal solar during system for rural applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Othman, Y.; Yatim, B.; Bakar, N.A. [Kebangsaan Malaysia Univ., Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia). Center for Applied Physics Studies; Sopian, K. [Kebangsaan Malaysia Univ., Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia). Dept. of Mechanical and Material Engineering

    2007-07-01

    The use of solar drying is increasing in areas where the use of abundant, renewable and clean solar energy is advantageous. Particularly in developing countries and in rural areas, the traditional open-air drying methods are being substituted by the more effective and more economic solar drying technologies. Since the air collector is the most important component of a solar food drying system, improvement of the design of collectors would lead to better performance of the system. This paper presented a new design of a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar drying system. In order to achieve an efficient design of an air collector suitable for a solar dryer, the results of an experimental study of PVT solar air collector was conducted and presented. The paper presented the methodology and discussed a series of experiments that were conducted under Malaysian climatic conditions. The paper discussed the design of a double pass photovoltaic-thermal solar air collector with compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) and fins. The collector design concept and the collector array were demonstrated. The performance of the collector was examined over a wide range of operating conditions. Results of the test were then presented and discussed. It was concluded that the performance of the solar collector was satisfactory. The quality attributes such as colour, flavour, and taste were significantly improved since it was protected from rain, dust, and insects, in contrast to sun drying. 10 refs., 8 figs.

  1. Influence of the process control on the thermal energy requirement of convection dryers in the brick industry; Einfluss der Prozessfuehrung auf den thermischen Energiebedarf von Konvektionstrocknern in der Ziegelindustrie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tretau, Anne

    2008-06-10

    Brick manufacturing demands high amount of energy. The energy flow analysis inside the brick factory shows that the convective drying of green bricks consumes more than half of the total thermal energy required for brick manufacturing. Therefore this paper deals with the theoretical analysis and investigation for the energy requirement of green bricks. For this, a physical-based model has been developed, which describes the dependence of drying-kinetics as well as the energy-requirement interims of the process parameter like mass of the supply air. It turns out that the specific energy requirement substantially depends on temperature and humidity of the ambience air and also supply air mass flow and its temperature. Due to the continuous temperature rise of the green bricks during the second drying section the specific energy requirement increases significantly with the progressive motion of the drying in a chamber dryer. This is due to the fact that the green brick as well as the air conditioning distance more and more from the cooling limit. Just a low part of the dryer exhaust air is saturated. The exhaust air is continuously sucked out and the green bricks are pulled inside the dryer. So the exhaust air has a relatively higher water saturation. On general, continuous dryers have a lower energy requirement than chamber dryer. For the both types of dryers, the mathematical model shows that the increasing of the supply air temperature combined with a commensurate subsidence of supply air mass flow, results in a reduction of drying energy requirement. The change of other essential parameters of drying like green brick thickness, and density as well as the moisture diffusion coefficient, and the vapour diffusity which are only important in the second drying section are of comparatively negligible effect. The developed mathematical model is successfully implemented for the energy investigation in the industrial dryers. The increase in supply air temperature results

  2. The progress of test and study for steam dryer in vertical steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Xunshen

    1993-01-01

    Constructions, tests and test results are reviewed for three types of steam generator dryer that are concentric vertical corrugated separator, centrifugal conic separator and chevron separator. The last type is considered as the best one in comparison, which has been applied to Qinshan 300 MW steam generator. A number of pertinent remarks to draining scheme, hydraulic loss reduction, and conduct of test are given based on experiences

  3. Market opportunities for solar drying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voskens, R.G.J.H.; Out, P.G.; Schulte, B.

    2000-01-01

    One of the most promising applications for solar heating is the drying of agricultural products. The drying of agricultural products requires large quantities of low temperature air, in many cases, on a year-round basis. Low cost air-based collectors can provide heated air at solar collection efficiencies of 30 to 70%. In 1998/1999 a study was commissioned to better understand the technical and economic potential for solar drying of agricultural products in the world. The practical potential for solar drying was then determined for 59 crops and 22 regions. The world market for solar drying can be divided into three market segments: 1) mechanical drying T 50 deg. C; 3) sun drying. The most promising market for solar drying is generally market segment 1. For this segment the potential amount of energy displaced by solar is in between 216 770 PJ (World-wide). For Western Europe this potential is estimated between 23 88 PJ and for Eastern Europe between 7 and 13 PJ. A different market introduction strategy is required for each market segment. A total of 13 combinations of crops and regions are selected that appear to have the highest practical potential for solar drying. In the Netherlands a programme of activities was carried out by Ecofys and other organisations, to identify and develop the market potential for solar (assisted) drying of agricultural products. A promotional campaign for the use of renewable energy in the (promising) flower bulb sector is planned on a short-term basis to speed up market developments. It can be concluded that there is a large market for solar drying in the World as well as in Europe. (au)

  4. Numerical analysis of the turbulent natural convection in a solar chimney; Analise numerica da conveccao natural turbulenta em uma chamine solar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brasil, Cristiana S.; Valle, Ramon M.; Cortez, Marcio F.B.; Ferreira, Andre G. [Minas Gerais Univ., Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Mecanica]. E-mail: tite@demec.ufmg.br; ramon@demec.ufmg.br; fonteboa@demec.ufmg.br; ferreira@demec.ufmg.br

    2000-07-01

    This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the turbulent natural convection in a solar chimney operating in steady flow, with prescribed conditions of temperature in the ground. The solar radiation heats the air under the cover, which flows to the tower without artificial pumping. The hot air produced may be used to dry several agricultural products. The numerical analysis of the natural convection in this kind of dryer has fundamental importance on the design and building of this device. The mathematical model includes the conservation laws for mass, momentum and thermal energy and the transport equations for the turbulence model variables (k and e ). The k- e model of turbulence with wall functions was used. A computational code using the Finite Volume Method in Generalized Coordinates was developed to solve the system of equations that describes thermal and hydro dynamically the flow. The velocity and temperature fields are shown to the flow in the solar chimney. With geometrical alterations on the device, one can obtain a detailed description of the flow, which allow the guideline for a suitable configuration to build an experimental prototype. (author)

  5. Optimal Control Design for a Solar Greenhouse

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ooteghem, van R.J.C.

    2010-01-01

    Abstract: An optimal climate control has been designed for a solar greenhouse to achieve optimal crop production with sustainable instead of fossil energy. The solar greenhouse extends a conventional greenhouse with an improved roof cover, ventilation with heat recovery, a heat pump, a heat

  6. Temperature and energy consumption for clothing dryer; Temperatura e consumo de energia em secadora de vestuario

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ribeiro, Jefferson Almeida; Magalhaes Filho, Paulo [UNESP, Guaratingueta, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Engenharia. Dept. de Energia]. E-mail: pfilho@feg.unesp.br

    2000-07-01

    The cloth dehumidification is done by hot air circulation through it in dryers. The air circulation is done by a fan, run by an electrical motor, and the air temperature raise, which goes through the cloths aiming their moisture dragging, is gotten by the heat dissipation from electrical resistance. This work shows the results of an experimental modeling, examining the behavior of several kinds of cloth in a vertical suspense-type dryer, such as: polyester, cotton-spandex, flannel, blue-jeans and viscose rayon. It was analyzed the behavior of the moisture content in these cloths related to controlled-temperature-air flows, determining the needed heat to reach the required drying standards. The drying device fans were tested for the determination of their flow rate and energy consumption, establishing a flow rate versus consumption relationship. Comparative results among the various kinds of cloths are presented. (author)

  7. Growth and solar energy conversion of Azolla sp., cultivated under four solar irradiance flux density; Crescimento e conversao da energia solar de Azolla sp. cultivada em quatro densidades do fluxo radiante

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carvalho, E.F. de [Acre Univ., Rio Branco, AC (Brazil); Lopes, N.F. [Vicosa Univ., MG (Brazil). Dept. de Biologia Vegetal

    1994-02-01

    Growth and solar energy conversion were studied in three Azolla species grown under four levels (30, 50, 70 and 100%) of solar radiation incidence under outdoor conditions. Under full sunlight, the specie A. microphylla showed higher crop growth rate, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and efficiency of solar energy conversion than the other ones. (author). 8 figs., 23 refs.

  8. Removal of SO2 and NO/sub x/ from flue gas by means of a spray dryer/electron beam combination: a feasibility study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helfritch, D.J.; Feldman, P.L.; Ray, A.B.; Morgan, J.R.; Hildreth, G.A.

    1982-04-01

    This study examines the feasibility of adding an electron beam between the spray dryer and the fabric filter of dry scrubber flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. The beam promises effective removal of nitrogen oxides (NO/sub x/) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), even at higher coal-sulfur levels than usually economic for dry scrubbers. The beam excites gas molecules, promoting reactions that convert SO 2 and NO/sub x/ to acids that then react with calcium compounds and are removed by the filter. Concerns examined here are feasibility and waste disposal. The cost findings are promising for both manufacture and operation. The system uses commercially available components. The relatively low temperatures and high humidity downstream of the spray dryer favor economic beam operation. The beam removes SO 2 , so the dryer can be run for economy, not high removal. The beam's incidental heating effect reduces reheat cost. Safe landfilling of the nitrate-rich waste appears practical, with leachate carrying no more nitrate than natural rain and dustfall. We expect natural pozzolanic reactions between alumina-silica compounds in the fly ash and lime compounds from the spray dryer to form an impermeable concrete-like material within 10 days after landfilling. Dry scrubber with electron beam appears competitive with commercial FGD systems, and we recommend a pilot scale operation

  9. Heat transfer to immersed horizontal tubes in gas fluidized bed dryers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jonassen, Ola

    1999-10-01

    The main objective of this study was to construct heat pump fluidized bed dryers of the FHT type with improved dewatering capacity for a given size of the dryer. The use of heat exchangers immersed in the fluidized bed drying chambers is an important part of the FHT (Fluidized Bed High Temperature Heat Pump Dryer) concept. A pilot plant FHT dryer was built and successfully tested on fish meal raw material and seaweed. The plant included two fluidized bed drying chambers with immersed heat exchangers. The gain in water vapor of the drying air through the chambers was increased up to four times that of adiabatic drying. The energy saving concept was retained as a SMER ratio of 3.5 to 4.7 was measured in the same tests. Therefore optimization of the immersed heat exchangers was considered the most important single objective for this work. The optimization study of the heat exchangers was confined to the actual operating conditions for the dryers using: (1) Bubbling gas fluidized beds were used, (2) air as the only type of fluidising gas, (3) beds at atmospheric pressure, (4) bed temperatures below 100 {sup o}C, (5) fluidized particles of Geldart classes B and D, (6) horizontal tube banks for the immersed heat exchanger, and the influence of radiation heat transfer was ignored. The heat transfer study was confined to the fluidized bed side of the heat exchanger surface. It was concluded early in this work that the bubbles play a major role in generating the particle circulation inside the bed and hence also in heat transfer. Publications describing the most important bubble induced mechanisms contributing to high rates of heat transfer were found to be limited. Therefore the first part of this study was aimed at establishing a method for locating and measuring the size and rise velocity of bubbles inside the bed. The method established through this work using differential pressure measurements from two static pressure probes was used later in the study of heat transfer

  10. Crop maize evapotranspiration; 2: ratios between the evapotranspiration to class A pan evaporation, to the reference evapotranspiration and to global solar radiation, at three sowing dates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matzenauer, R.; Bergamashi, H.; Berlato, M.A.

    1998-01-01

    Water availability is the most limiting factor for growth and grain yield of maize in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, reducing frequently this production. Therefore, studies involving the determination of the water requirements are important for irrigation management to minimize the water availability problem. The main objective of this study was to calculate ratios between the maize crop evapotranspiration (ETm) to the class A pan evaporation (Eo), to the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and to global solar radiation (Rs), in order to obtain ralations between ETm/Eo, ETm/ETo and ETm/Rs, at different crop stages for three different sowing dates. Field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Station of Taquari/RS, 29°48’ of south latitude, 51°49’of west longitude, and 76m of altitude, from 1976/77 to 1988/89. ETm was measured using drainage lysimeters (Thornthwaite-Mather type). The average ratio between ETm and Eo for whole crop cycle (from sowing to physiological maturity) was 0.66, 0.72, and 0.68, respectively, in crops sown on September, October, and November. The average ratio between ETm and ETo for whole crop cycle was 0.74, 0.81, and 0.8, in crops sown on September, October, and November, while the average ratio between ETm and Rs was 0.45, 0.51, and 0.49 for the same sowing dates. The higher average values of crop coefficients occured from tasseling to the milk grain stage, when ETm/Eo was 0.81, 0.92, and 0.81; ETm/ETo was 0.97, 1.05, and 0.96, whereas ETm/Rs was 0.6, 0.68, and 0.6 for crops sown on September, October, and November, respectively [pt

  11. Radiation balance in the sweet sorghum crop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Assis, F.N. de; Mendez, M.E.G.; Martins, S.R.; Verona, L.A.

    1987-01-01

    The fluxes of incident solar radiation, reflected and net radiation were measured during the growing cicle of two fields of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), cus. BR-501 and BR-503, maintained under convenient irrigation level. Resultant data allowed to estimate the crop albedo as well as the estimates of Rn. (M.A.C.) [pt

  12. Modelling and experimental validation of thin layer indirect solar drying of mango slices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dissa, A.O.; Bathiebo, J.; Kam, S.; Koulidiati, J. [Laboratoire de Physique et de Chimie de l' Environnement (LPCE), Unite de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences Exactes et Appliquee (UFR/SEA), Universite de Ouagadougou, Avenue Charles de Gaulle, BP 7021 Kadiogo (Burkina Faso); Savadogo, P.W. [Laboratoire Sol Eau Plante, Institut de l' Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, 01 BP 476, Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso); Desmorieux, H. [Laboratoire d' Automatisme et de Genie des Procedes (LAGEP), UCBL1-CNRS UMR 5007-CPE Lyon, Bat.308G, 43 bd du 11 Nov. 1918 Villeurbanne, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon1, Lyon (France)

    2009-04-15

    The thin layer solar drying of mango slices of 8 mm thick was simulated and experimented using a solar dryer designed and constructed in laboratory. Under meteorological conditions of harvest period of mangoes, the results showed that 3 'typical days' of drying were necessary to reach the range of preservation water contents. During these 3 days of solar drying, 50%, 40% and 5% of unbound water were eliminated, respectively, at the first, second and the third day. The final water content obtained was about 16 {+-} 1.33% d.b. (13.79% w.b.). This final water content and the corresponding water activity (0.6 {+-} 0.02) were in accordance with previous work. The drying rates with correction for shrinkage and the critical water content were experimentally determined. The critical water content was close to 70% of the initial water content and the drying rates were reduced almost at 6% of their maximum value at night. The thin layer drying model made it possible to simulate suitably the solar drying kinetics of mango slices with a correlation coefficient of r{sup 2} = 0.990. This study thus contributed to the setting of solar drying time of mango and to the establishment of solar drying rates' curves of this fruit. (author)

  13. Increasing the total productivity of a land by combining mobile photovoltaic panels and food crops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valle, B.; Simonneau, T.; Sourd, F.; Pechier, P.; Hamard, P.; Frisson, T.; Ryckewaert, M.; Christophe, A.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •Combining solar panels and crops on the same land increases the total productivity. •Use of solar trackers permits to balance or promote food/energy production. •Controlling mode of trackers strongly affect the total production per unit area. •Dynamic agrivoltaic systems increases productivity without competing with food. -- Abstract: Agrivoltaic systems, consisting of the combination of photovoltaic panels (PVPs) with crops on the same land, recently emerged as an opportunity to resolve the competition for land use between food and energy production. Such systems have proved efficient when using stationary PVPs at half their usual density. Dynamic agrivoltaic systems improved the concept by using orientable PVPs derived from solar trackers. They offer the possibility to intercept the variable part of solar radiation, as well as new means to increase land productivity. The matter was analysed in this work by comparing fixed and dynamic systems with two different orientation policies. Performances of the resulting agrivoltaic systems were studied for two varieties of lettuce over three different seasons. Solar tracking systems placed all plants in a new microclimate where light and shade bands alternated several times a day at any plant position, while stationary systems split the land surface into more stable shaded and sunlit areas. In spite of these differences, transient shading conditions increased plant leaf area in all agrivoltaic systems compared to full-sun conditions, resulting in a higher conversion of the transmitted radiation by the crop. This benefit was lower during seasons with high radiation and under controlled tracking with more light transmitted to the crop. As expected, regular tracking largely increased electric production compared to stationary PVPs but also slightly increased the transmitted radiation, hence crop biomass. A large increase in transmitted radiation was achieved by restricting solar tracking around midday

  14. Effect of solar radiation on drying house performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rachmat, R.

    2000-01-01

    Solar drying is one of thermal utilization where radiation energy can be utilized efficiently. Solar drying of all sorts of agricultural products have been thoroughly studied and reported in literature, but brown rice drying system has not yet done as many as other products. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of solar radiation on drying house performance and brown rice drying characteristics. A construction of drying house is made from FRP sheets with 30 deg. of root slope faces southern part and inside the drying house is installed a flat bed dryer. The site of construction has 136 deg. 31.4'E in longitude and 34 deg. 43.8N in latitude with 3 m in elevation from sea level. The investigated parameters are global solar radiation, absorbed and net radiation and brown rice drying characteristics. The results showed that in unload condition, the air temperature inside drying house was higher (10 deg. C - 12 deg. C) than ambient air when there was not collector and temperature rise become higher (16 deg. C) when there was a black FRP collector inside drying house. The effect of solar radiation on temperature rise has the trend as a linear function. The heat collection efficiency of drying house with black FRP collector was two times higher (36.9 percent) than that without collector (16.3 percent). These phenomena exhibited significant result of collector utilization to the advantageous condition for a drying purpose [in

  15. Aging and service wear of air compressors and dryers in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moyers, J.C.

    1989-01-01

    Compressed air systems and their associated compressors and dryers as incorporated in LWR power plants usually are not classified as safety related systems and components because their continued operation is not required to bring the plant to a safe shutdown condition. However, control air is a vital requirement for maintaining stable plant operation and its loss often results in a reactor trip and, on occasion, the actuation of engineered safety feature systems. Concerns caused by repeated instances of failures in air systems resulted in the high-priority ranking of Generic Issue No. 43, ''Reliability of Air Systems'' by the NRC. In support of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is carrying out a Phase I aging assessment of air compressors and dryers used in LWR power plants. The objectives of this study include: (1) determination of the types and ratings of equipment utilized in typical plants; (2) identification of aging and service wear stressors imposed on the machines; (3) evaluation of operating experience with the machines; (4) comparison of user and manufacturer-recommended inspection, surveillance, and monitoring (ISM) methods; and (5) the identification of any improved ISM methods that might lead to longer, more reliable, service. 2 refs

  16. Solar drying: An appropriate technology for the north Argentina; Secado solar: Una tecnologia apropiada para el norte argentino

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zurlo, Hugo D; Vergara, Liliana; Spotorno, Ruben; Benitez, Francisco; De Pedro, Jorge; Cervino, Veronica; Monzon, Sergio [Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, Chaco (Argentina)

    2000-07-01

    The results concerning to solar drying of nutritious products for rehearsed a low cost solar dryer, adapted to the area, composed by a plane solar collector of 2 m{sup 2} and a drying camera with capacity for, approximately, 5 kg of product. The objectives of the work were: a) to develop a low cost solar dry, capable to dehydrate products for human alimentary use; b) to transfer the developed technology to low resources rural communities through the INCUPO (Institute of Popular Culture) and to small producers through the INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) and c) to diffuse the practice of the solar drying among small producers. The diffusion and transfer of the developed technology to small rural producers, contribute to improve their quality of life when facilitating them additional revenues for productive diversification, besides the contribution to the sustainable use of the forest like source of non conventional nutritious resources contributing to the task of cultural rescue faced by organizations like the INCUPO. [Spanish] Se exponen los resultados concernientes al secado solar de productos alimenticios para consumo humano. Se diseno, construyo y ensayo un secador solar de bajo costo, adaptado a la zona, compuesto por un colector solar plano de 2m{sup 2} y una camara de secado con capacidad para, aproximadamente, 5 kg de producto fresco. Los objetivos del trabajo fueron: a) desarrollar un secadero solar de bajo costo, apto para deshidratar productos para uso alimentario humano; b) transferir la tecnologia desarrollada a comunidades rurales de bajos recursos a traves del INCUPO (Instituto de Cultura Popular) y a pequenos productores a traves del INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria) y c) difundir la practica del secado solar entre productores frutihorticolas. La difusion y transferencia de la tecnologia desarrollada a pequenos productores rurales, contribuye a mejorar su calidad de vida al posibilitarles ingresos adicionales

  17. Protection de la vie privée dans un monde numérique en Asie ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    9 juin 2016 ... Solar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan. Des séchoirs à fruits et à légumes fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire aident les résidents de villages reculés du sud‑est du Bhoutan à accroître leur. Voir davantageSolar dryers are improving livelihoods in Bhutan · Ce que nous faisons · Financement ...

  18. (2) TAIWO ET AL PAPER ON CASSAVA CHIPS

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adeyinka Odunsi

    and in beds of varying thickness. It would be impractical from both the standpoint of manufacture and customer use, to design and build many different models of crop dryers. (Dorn, 2009). To accomplish the above stated objective, a prototype cabinet dryer developed in a previous research effort was equipped with a ...

  19. Evaluating shade effects on crop productivity in sorghum-legume intercropping systems using support vector machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorghum-legume intercropping has the potential to improve forage productivity, resource use efficiency, and forage quality under irrigation in the Southern High Plains of the United States. Crop production is conversion of solar radiation into biomass and solar radiation is wasted early in the seaso...

  20. Performance of A Horizontal Cylinder Type Rotary Dryer for Drying Process ofOrganic Compost from Solid Waste Cocoa Pod

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukrisno Widyotomo

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Cocoa pod husk is the bigest component of cocoa pod, about 70% of total ht of mature pod, and to potentially used as organic compost source. Poten tial solid waste of cocoa pod husk from a cocoa processing centre is about 15— 22 m3/ha/year. A cocoa plantation needs about 20—30 ton/ha/year of organic matters. One of important steps in compos processing technology of cocoa pod solid waste is drying process. Organic compost with 20% moisture content is more easy in handling, application, storage and distribution. Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute has designed and tested a horizontal cylinder type rotary dryer for drying process of organic compos from solid waste cocoa pod with kerosene burner as energy sources. The objective of this research is to study performance of a horizontal cylinder type rotary dryer using kerosene burner as energy source for drying process of organic compost from solid waste cocoa pod. The material used was solid waste cocoa pod with 70—75% moisture content (wet basis, 70% size particle larger than 4.76 mm, and 30% size particle less than 4.76 mm, 690—695 kg/m3 bulk density. Drying process temperatures treatment were 60OC, 80OC, and 100OC, and cylinder rotary speed treatments were 7 rpm, 10 rpm, dan 16 rpm. The results showed that dryer had capacity about 102—150 kg/h depend on drying temperature and cylinder rotary speed. Optimum operation condition at 100OC drying temperature, and 10 rpm cylinder rotary speed with drying time to reach final moisture content of 20% was 1,6 h, capacity 136,14 kg/ h, bulk density 410 kg/m3, porocity 45,15%, kerosene consumption as energy source was 2,57 l/h, and drying efficiency 68,34%. Key words : cocoa, drying, rotary dryer, compost, waste

  1. Temperature Control System for Mushroom Dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wibowo, I. A.; Indah, Nur; Sebayang, D.; Adam, N. H.

    2018-03-01

    The main problem in mushroom cultivation is the handling after the harvest. Drying is one technique to preserve the mushrooms. Traditionally, mushrooms are dried by sunshine which depends on the weather. This affects the quality of the dried mushrooms. Therefore, this paper proposes a system to provide an artificial drying for mushrooms in order to maintain their quality. The objective of the system is to control the mushroom drying process to be faster compared to the natural drying at an accurate and right temperature. A model of the mushroom dryer has been designed, built, and tested. The system comprises a chamber, heater, blower, temperature sensor and electronic control circuit. A microcontroller is used as the controller which is programmed to implement a bang-bang control that regulates the temperature of the chamber. A desired temperature is inputted as a set point of the control system. Temperature of 45 °C is chosen as the operational drying temperature. Several tests have been carried out to examine the performance of the system including drying speed, the effects of ambient conditions, and the effects of mushroom size. The results show that the system can satisfy the objective.

  2. Thin layer convective solar drying and mathematical modeling of prickly pear peel (Opuntia ficus indica)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lahsasni, Siham; Kouhila, Mohammed; Mahrouz, Mostafa; Idlimam, Ali; Jamali, Abdelkrim

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents the thin layer convective solar drying and mathematical modeling of prickly pear peel. For these purposes, an indirect forced convection solar dryer consisting of a solar air collector, an auxiliary heater, a circulation fan and a drying cabinet is used for drying experiments. Moreover, the prickly pear peel is sufficiently dried in the ranges of 32 to 36 deg. C of ambient air temperature, 50 to 60 deg. C of drying air temperature, 23 to 34% of relative humidity, 0.0277 to 0.0833 m 3 /s of drying air flow rate and 200 to 950 W/m 2 of daily solar radiation. The experimental drying curves show only a falling drying rate period. The main factor in controlling the drying rate was found to be the drying air temperature. The drying rate equation is determined empirically from the characteristic drying curve. Also, the experimental drying curves obtained were fitted to a number of mathematical models. The Midilli-Kucuk drying model was found to satisfactorily describe the solar drying curves of prickly pear peel with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9998 and chi-square (χ 2 ) of 4.6572 10 -5

  3. Solarization soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abou Ghraibe, W.

    1995-01-01

    Solar energy could be used in pest control, in soil sterilization technology. The technique consists of covering humid soils by plastic films steadily fixed to the soil. Timing must be in summer during 4-8 weeks, where soil temperature increases to degrees high enough to control pests or to produce biological and chemical changes. The technique could be applied on many pests soil, mainly fungi, bacteria, nematods, weeds and pest insects. The technique could be used in greenhouses as well as in plastic film covers or in orchards where plastic films present double benefits: soil sterilization and production of black mulch. Mechanism of soil solarization is explained. Results show that soil solarization can be used in pest control after fruit crops cultivation and could be a method for an integrated pest control. 9 refs

  4. 75 FR 37593 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Clothes Dryers and Room...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-29

    ... docket number EERE-2008-BT-TP-0010 and/or RIN 1904-AC02 in the subject line of the message. 3. Mail: Ms... DOE clothes washer test procedure), which is assumed to proportionally impact dryer load sizes. DOE... noted that IEC Standard 62087 specifies methods of measuring the power consumption of TV receivers...

  5. Solar drying of rose (Rosa sp.) petals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balladin, D.A.; Headley, Oliver [University of the West Indies, Center for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, St. Michael (Barbados)

    1999-10-01

    The rose (Rosa sp.) petals can be dried after 2 days at about 30degC reaching an equilibrium moisture content after 16 h using the solar wire basket dryer. The initial moisture content (wet wt basis) and final moisture content (dry wt basis), determined by the Dean-Stark toluene were 65.7 and 25.2% respectively. The intensity of the rose red coloured pigment (pelargonidin) decreased by a factor of 2.5 after drying. The pelargonidin ethanoic extract as an acid-base indicator, has a K{sub 4} value of 1 x 10{sup -4} mol 1{sup -1} and pH of end point 4 and imbibed on filter paper and allowed to air dry for 5 min showed excellent properties as acid-based test tapes. (Author)

  6. Heat transfer to immersed horizontal tubes in gas fluidized bed dryers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jonassen, Ola

    1999-07-01

    The main objective of this study was to construct heat pump fluidized bed dryers of the FHT type with improved dewatering capacity for a given size of the dryer. The use of heat exchangers immersed in the fluidized bed drying chambers is an important part of the FHT (Fluidized Bed High Temperature Heat Pump Dryer) concept. A pilot plant FHT dryer was built and successfully tested on fish meal raw material and seaweed. The plant included two fluidized bed drying chambers with immersed heat exchangers. The gain in water vapor of the drying air through the chambers was increased up to four times that of adiabatic drying. The energy saving concept was retained as a SMER ratio of 3.5 to 4.7 was measured in the same tests. Therefore optimization of the immersed heat exchangers was considered the most important single objective for this work. The optimization study of the heat exchangers was confined to the actual operating conditions for the dryers using: (1) Bubbling gas fluidized beds were used, (2) air as the only type of fluidizing gas,(3) beds at atmospheric pressure, (4) bed temperatures below 100 {sup o}C, (5) fluidized particles of Geldart classes B and D, (6) horizontal tube banks for the immersed heat exchanger and the influence of radiation heat transfer was ignored. The heat transfer study was confined to the fluidized bed side of the heat exchanger surface. It was concluded early in this work that the bubbles play a major role in generating the particle circulation inside the bed and hence also in heat transfer. Publications describing the most important bubble induced mechanisms contributing to high rates of heat transfer were found to be limited. Therefore the first part of this study was aimed at establishing a method for locating and measuring the size and rise velocity of bubbles inside the bed. The method established through this work using differential pressure measurements from two static pressure probes was used later in the study of heat transfer

  7. Sensitivity of APSIM/ORYZA model due to estimation errors in solar radiation Análise de sensibilidade do modelo APSIM/ORYZA na estimava de erros na radiação solar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Bryan Heinemann

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Crop models are ideally suited to quantify existing climatic risks. However, they require historic climate data as input. While daily temperature and rainfall data are often available, the lack of observed solar radiation (Rs data severely limits site-specific crop modelling. The objective of this study was to estimate Rs based on air temperature solar radiation models and to quantify the propagation of errors in simulated radiation on several APSIM/ORYZA crop model seasonal outputs, yield, biomass, leaf area (LAI and total accumulated solar radiation (SRA during the crop cycle. The accuracy of the 5 models for estimated daily solar radiation was similar, and it was not substantially different among sites. For water limited environments (no irrigation, crop model outputs yield, biomass and LAI was not sensitive for the uncertainties in radiation models studied here.Modelos de simulação de culturas são importantes para quantificar riscos climáticos. Esses modelos necessitam de dados climáticos como dados de entrada. Entretanto, dados diários de precipitação pluvial e temperatura são facilmente encontrados, enquanto dados de radiação solar (Rs limitam-se à aplicação de modelos de simulação de culturas. O objetivo deste estudo foi estimar a Rs utilizando cinco modelos de estimativa de radiação solar com base na temperatura do ar e quantificar a propagação de erros na radiação simulada na produtividade, biomassa, área foliar e radiação solar acumulada durante o ciclo da cultura do arroz de terras altas simulados pelo modelo de simulação ORYZA/APSIM. A acurácia dos cinco modelos de estimativa da radiação solar foi similar e não foi diferente entre os diferentes locais. Para ambientes que ocorre estresse hídrico, as saídas do modelo ORYZA/APSIM produtividade, biomassa e índice de área foliar não foram sensíveis às incertezas provenientes da radiação solar estimadas neste estudo.

  8. Energy aAnalysis and Kinetics of Mint Leaves Dehydration Using Vibro-Fluidized Bed Heat Pump Dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. M Ataei Ardestani

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Fluidized bed dryers have not yet been used for drying products such as mint leaves. This could be due to high porosity and low mechanical resistance resulting in poor quality of fluidization. Applying vibration has been recommended to overcome problems such as channeling and defluidization, and hence improving the fluidization quality. In this research, a laboratory scale vibro-fluidized bed heat pump dryer was designed and constructed for drying mint leaves. The experiments were conducted at vibration frequency of 80 Hz and amplitude of 3 mm. The velocity and temperature of the inlet air was controlled by an automatic control system. Experiments were carried out at 40, 50 and 60 °C, and two methods: heat pump drying (HPD and non-heat pump drying (NHPD. The results revealed that drying process primarily occurred in the falling rate period. Effective moisture diffusivity of the samples increased with increase in drying air temperature and varied from 4.26656×10-11 to 2.95872×10-10 m2 s-1 for the HPD method, and 3.71918×10-11 to 1.29196×10-10 m2 s-1 for the NHPD method and was within the reported range of 10-9 to 10-11 m2 s-1 for drying of food materials. The activation energy was determined to be 84 kJ mol-1 for the HPD and 54.34 kJ mol-1 for the NHPD, both have very good agreement with the results of other investigators. The coefficient of performance and specific moisture evaporation rate showed the acceptable performance of the heat pump system. Moreover, the energy consumption of the dryer for the NHPD method was more than the HPD method.

  9. An auto-calibration procedure for empirical solar radiation models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bojanowski, J.S.; Donatelli, Marcello; Skidmore, A.K.; Vrieling, A.

    2013-01-01

    Solar radiation data are an important input for estimating evapotranspiration and modelling crop growth. Direct measurement of solar radiation is now carried out in most European countries, but the network of measuring stations is too sparse for reliable interpolation of measured values. Instead of

  10. Performance of a forced convection solar drier integrated with gravel as heat storage material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohanraj, M. [Dr Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, Pollachi (India). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Chandrasekar, P. [Swinburne Univ. of Technology, Sarawak (Malaysia). School of Engineering Sciences

    2009-07-01

    Sun drying is the most common method used in India to dry agricultural products such as grains, fruits and vegetables. The rate of drying depends on solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind velocity, relative humidity, initial moisture content, type of crops, crop absorptivity and mass product per unit exposed area. However, this method of spreading the crop in a thin layer on the ground has several disadvantages. This paper reported on a study that focused on developing a forced convection solar drier integrated with heat storage materials for drying various agricultural crops. The indirect forced convection solar drier, integrated with gravel as a sensible heat material, was used to dry pineapple slices under conditions similar to those found in Pollachi, India. The performance of the system was discussed along with the drying characteristics, drying rate, and specific moisture extraction rate. The results showed that the moisture content (wet basis) of pineapple was reduced from about 87.5 to 14.5 per cent (equilibrium moisture content) in about 29 hours in the bottom tray and 32 hours in the top tray. The thermal efficiency of the solar air heater was also reviewed. 9 refs., 5 figs.

  11. Evaluation of Pathogen Removal in a Solar Sludge Drying Facility Using Microbial Indicators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. İpek Kurtböke

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available South East Queensland is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia with a correspondingly rapid increase in sewage production. In response, local councils are investing in more effective and sustainable options for the treatment and reuse of domestic and industrial effluents. A novel, evaporative solar dryer system has been installed on the Sunshine Coast to convert sewage sludge into a drier, usable form of biosolids through solar radiation exposure resulting in decreased moisture concentration and pathogen reduction. Solar-dried biosolids were analyzed for selected pathogenic microbial, metal and organic contaminants at the end of different drying cycles in a collaborative study conducted with the Regional Council. Although fecal coliforms were found to be present, enteroviruses, parasites, E. coli, and Salmonella sp. were not detected in the final product. However, elevated levels of zinc and copper were still present which restricted public use of the biosolids. Dilution of the dried biosolids with green waste as well as composting of the biosolids is likely to lead to the production of an environmentally safe, Class A end-product.

  12. Mathematical modelling of the thin layer solar drying of banana, mango and cassava

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koua, Kamenan Blaise; Fassinou, Wanignon Ferdinand; Toure, Siaka [Laboratoire d' Energie Solaire, Universite de Cocody- Abidjan, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22 (Ivory Coast); Gbaha, Prosper [Laboratoire d' Energie Nouvelle et Renouvelable, Institut National Polytechnique, Felix HOUPHOUET - BOIGNY de Yamoussoukro (Ivory Coast)

    2009-10-15

    The main objectives of this paper are firstly to investigate the behaviour of the thin layer drying of plantain banana, mango and cassava experimentally in a direct solar dryer and secondly to perform mathematical modelling by using thin layer drying models encountered in literature. The variation of the moisture content of the products studied and principal drying parameters are analysed. Seven statistical models, which are empirical or semi-empirical, are tested to validate the experimental data. A non-linear regression analysis using a statistical computer program is used to evaluate the constants of the models. The Henderson and Pabis drying model is found to be the most suitable for describing the solar drying curves of plantain banana, mango and cassava. The drying data of these products have been analysed to obtain the values of the effective diffusivity during the falling drying rate phase. (author)

  13. Modeling 3D conjugate heat and mass transfer for turbulent air drying of Chilean papaya in a direct contact dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemus-Mondaca, Roberto A.; Vega-Gálvez, Antonio; Zambra, Carlos E.; Moraga, Nelson O.

    2017-01-01

    A 3D model considering heat and mass transfer for food dehydration inside a direct contact dryer is studied. The k- ɛ model is used to describe turbulent air flow. The samples thermophysical properties as density, specific heat, and thermal conductivity are assumed to vary non-linearly with temperature. FVM, SIMPLE algorithm based on a FORTRAN code are used. Results unsteady velocity, temperature, moisture, kinetic energy and dissipation rate for the air flow are presented, whilst temperature and moisture values for the food also are presented. The validation procedure includes a comparison with experimental and numerical temperature and moisture content results obtained from experimental data, reaching a deviation 7-10 %. In addition, this turbulent k- ɛ model provided a better understanding of the transport phenomenon inside the dryer and sample.

  14. Grapes ( Vitis vinifera) drying by semitransparent photovoltaic module (SPVM) integrated solar dryer: an experimental study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Sumit; Tiwari, G. N.

    2018-06-01

    In present research paper, semi-transparent photovoltaic module (SPVM) integrated greenhouse solar drying system has been used for grapes ( Vitis vinifera) drying. Based on hourly experimental information namely solar intensity, moisture evaporated, ambient air temperature, grape surface temperatures, relative humidity and greenhouse air temperature etc. heat and mass transfer coefficient for the SPVM drying system have been evaluated. It has been seen that the convective heat transfer coefficients for grapes found between 3.1-0.84 W/m2 K. Also, there is a fair agreement between theoretical and practical mass transfer (moisture evaporated) during drying of grapes with a correlation coefficient (r) and root mean square percentage deviation (e) of 0.88 and 11.56 respectively. Further, nonlinear regression procedure has been used to fit various drying models namely Henderson and Pabis model, Newton's model, and Page's model. From the analysis, it was found that Page's model is best fitted for grapes drying in SPV greenhouse as well as open sun drying. Further, net electrical energy, thermal energy and equivalent thermal energy were found to be 3.61, 17.66 and 27.15 kWh during six days of drying respectively.

  15. Grapes (Vitis vinifera) drying by semitransparent photovoltaic module (SPVM) integrated solar dryer: an experimental study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Sumit; Tiwari, G. N.

    2017-12-01

    In present research paper, semi-transparent photovoltaic module (SPVM) integrated greenhouse solar drying system has been used for grapes (Vitis vinifera) drying. Based on hourly experimental information namely solar intensity, moisture evaporated, ambient air temperature, grape surface temperatures, relative humidity and greenhouse air temperature etc. heat and mass transfer coefficient for the SPVM drying system have been evaluated. It has been seen that the convective heat transfer coefficients for grapes found between 3.1-0.84 W/m2 K. Also, there is a fair agreement between theoretical and practical mass transfer (moisture evaporated) during drying of grapes with a correlation coefficient (r) and root mean square percentage deviation (e) of 0.88 and 11.56 respectively. Further, nonlinear regression procedure has been used to fit various drying models namely Henderson and Pabis model, Newton's model, and Page's model. From the analysis, it was found that Page's model is best fitted for grapes drying in SPV greenhouse as well as open sun drying. Further, net electrical energy, thermal energy and equivalent thermal energy were found to be 3.61, 17.66 and 27.15 kWh during six days of drying respectively.

  16. Drying characteristics of garlic ( Allium sativum L) slices in a convective hot air dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demiray, Engin; Tulek, Yahya

    2014-06-01

    The effects of drying temperatures on the drying kinetics of garlic slices were investigated using a cabinet-type dryer. The experimental drying data were fitted best to the Page and Modified Page models apart from other theoretical models to predict the drying kinetics. The effective moisture diffusivities varied from 4.214 × 10-10 to 2.221 × 10-10 m2 s-1 over the temperature range studied, and activation energy was 30.582 kJ mol-1.

  17. Drying of Ceramic Hollow Bricks in an Industrial Tunnel Dryer: A Finite Volume Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    F Tavares; S Neto; E Barbosa; A Lima; C Silva

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to study the drying of industrial hollow bricks in a tunnel dryer cross flow type. The theoretical model is based on mass and energy conservation equations applied to air and product. To validate the methodology, numerical and experimental results for the moisture content and the temperature of brick during the drying in an industrial scale are compared and a good correlation was obtained. Results of moisture content and temperature of the product, and temperature, relative hu...

  18. Investigation of influence of drying agent movement on the drying process effectiveness in the gravitational shelf dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. O. Artyukhova

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article stands for a research of the drying process efficiency of various approaches of reciprocal movement organization of drying agent and disperse material. It focuses on the results of shelf dryer investigation. The test condition was as follows: backflow of the drying agent and disperse material movement; backflow of the drying agent and disperse material movement with the drying agent recirculation; backflow of the drying agent and disperse material movement with the bypassing of drying agent and it’s putting on separate stage of gravitational shelf dryer. The influence of the drying agent movement organization on the characteristics of disperse material and drying agent, energy costs for this process and its efficiency is shown. The recommendations of usage of represented approaches of flows movement organization depending on the desired final moisture of the material as well as its physical and chemical properties are given. The proposed ways of reciprocal flows movement organization allow to reduce the costs of drying agent heating or to increase the efficiency of moisture removal at constant energy consumption.

  19. KAJIAN TEKNIS-EKONOMIS ALAT PENGERING PATI SAGU MODEL CROSS FLOW VIBRO FLUIDIZED BED (Study on Technical-Economic of Sago Starch Dryer Model of Cross Flow Vibro Fluidized Bed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abadi Jading

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to evaluate performance of vibro cross flow fluidized bed dryer using biomass fuel for drying sago starch. The phase of research were evaluation of dryer heated by a biomass stove using coconut shell as a fuel and observation of the drying temperature, moisture content, drying time, energy analysis, and drying effiviency, as well as calculation of its economic analysis. The dryer has dimension of 200x50x1500 cm for length, width, hight, respectively, and working capacity of 35kg/process. The results showed that biomass fuel consumption for drying sago starch for 7 hours was 12740,00 MJ (70 kg/process and electricity consumption for blower and vibrator was 37,80 MJ. Furthermore, the dryer reduced moisture content of sago starch from 42% (wb to 12% (wb with temperature in the vibrator chamber of 40-60 oC and relative humidity of 50%, as well as ambient temperature of 30 3C and drying efficiency of 46,02%. Economic analysis showed that the dryer had NPV of Rp. 16.002.858, BCR of 1,53, IRR of 35%, and PBP of 3,51 years. Keywords: Cross flow, vibro fluidized bed dryer, biomass stoves, sago starch, financial analysis   ABSTRAK Tujuan penelitian ini adalah melakukan pengujian terhadap alat pengering pati berbasis sagu model cross flow vibrofluidized bed bertenaga biomassa. Tahapan penelitian meliputi pengujian alat pengering menggunakan tungku biomassa berbahan bakar tempurung kelapa dengan melakukan pengamatan suhu selama pengeringan, penurunan kadar air, waktu pengeringan, kebutuhan energi, efisiensi pengering, dan analisis finansial. Konstruksi alat pengering pati sagu model vibro fluidized bed bertenaga biomassa berukuran panjang, lebar dan tinggi masing-masing (200x50x1500 cm, serta memiliki daya tampung atau kapasitas maksimum pati sagu basah 35 kg/proses. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa alat pengering ini mampu mengeringkan pati sagu selama 7 jam, dengan konsumsi bahan bakar tempurung kelapa sebanyak 70 kg

  20. Thin layer convective solar drying and mathematical modeling of prickly pear peel (Opuntia ficus indica)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lahsasni, S.; Mahrouz, M. [Unite de Chimie Agroalimentaire (LCOA), Faculte des Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech (Morocco); Kouhila, M.; Idlimam, A.; Jamali, A. [Ecole Normale Superieure, Marrakech (Morocco). Lab. d' Energie Solaire et Plantes Aromatiques et Medicinales

    2004-02-01

    This paper presents the thin layer convective solar drying and mathematical modeling of prickly pear peel. For these purposes, an indirect forced convection solar dryer consisting of a solar air collector, an auxiliary heater, a circulation fan and a drying cabinet is used for drying experiments. Moreover, the prickly pear peel is sufficiently dried in the ranges of 32 to 36 {sup o} C of ambient air temperature, 50 to 60 {sup o}C of drying air temperature, 23 to 34% of relative humidity, 0.0277 to 0.0833 m{sup 3}/s of drying air flow rate and 200 to 950 W/m{sup 2} of daily solar radiation. The experimental drying curves show only a falling drying rate period. The main factor in controlling the drying rate was found to be the drying air temperature. The drying rate equation is determined empirically from the characteristic drying curve. Also, the experimental drying curves obtained were fitted to a number of mathematical models. The Midilli-Kucuk drying model was found to satisfactorily describe the solar drying curves of prickly pear peel with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9998 and chi-square ({chi}{sup 2}) of 4.6572 10{sup -5}. (Author)

  1. Análise de sensibilidade do modelo APSIM/ORYZA na estimava de erros na radiação solar

    OpenAIRE

    Heinemann, Alexandre Bryan; van Oort, Pepijn A.J.; Fernandes, Diogo Simões; Maia, Aline de Holanda Nunes

    2012-01-01

    Crop models are ideally suited to quantify existing climatic risks. However, they require historic climate data as input. While daily temperature and rainfall data are often available, the lack of observed solar radiation (Rs) data severely limits site-specific crop modelling. The objective of this study was to estimate Rs based on air temperature solar radiation models and to quantify the propagation of errors in simulated radiation on several APSIM/ORYZA crop model seasonal outputs, yield, ...

  2. High-resolution global grids of revised Priestley-Taylor and Hargreaves-Samani coefficients for assessing ASCE-standardized reference crop evapotranspiration and solar radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aschonitis, Vassilis G.; Papamichail, Dimitris; Demertzi, Kleoniki; Colombani, Nicolo; Mastrocicco, Micol; Ghirardini, Andrea; Castaldelli, Giuseppe; Fano, Elisa-Anna

    2017-08-01

    The objective of the study is to provide global grids (0.5°) of revised annual coefficients for the Priestley-Taylor (P-T) and Hargreaves-Samani (H-S) evapotranspiration methods after calibration based on the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers)-standardized Penman-Monteith method (the ASCE method includes two reference crops: short-clipped grass and tall alfalfa). The analysis also includes the development of a global grid of revised annual coefficients for solar radiation (Rs) estimations using the respective Rs formula of H-S. The analysis was based on global gridded climatic data of the period 1950-2000. The method for deriving annual coefficients of the P-T and H-S methods was based on partial weighted averages (PWAs) of their mean monthly values. This method estimates the annual values considering the amplitude of the parameter under investigation (ETo and Rs) giving more weight to the monthly coefficients of the months with higher ETo values (or Rs values for the case of the H-S radiation formula). The method also eliminates the effect of unreasonably high or low monthly coefficients that may occur during periods where ETo and Rs fall below a specific threshold. The new coefficients were validated based on data from 140 stations located in various climatic zones of the USA and Australia with expanded observations up to 2016. The validation procedure for ETo estimations of the short reference crop showed that the P-T and H-S methods with the new revised coefficients outperformed the standard methods reducing the estimated root mean square error (RMSE) in ETo values by 40 and 25 %, respectively. The estimations of Rs using the H-S formula with revised coefficients reduced the RMSE by 28 % in comparison to the standard H-S formula. Finally, a raster database was built consisting of (a) global maps for the mean monthly ETo values estimated by ASCE-standardized method for both reference crops, (b) global maps for the revised annual coefficients of the P

  3. Assessment of irrigated maize yield response to climate change scenarios in Portugal

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yang, Chenyao; Fraga, Helder; Ieperen, van W.; Andrade Santos, João

    2017-01-01

    Maize is an important crop for the Portuguese agricultural sector. Future climate change, with warmer and dryer conditions in this Mediterranean environment, will challenge this high-water demanding crop. The present study aims at assessing the response of maize yield, growth cycle, seasonal water

  4. Sensitivity of APSIM/ORYZA model due to estimation errors in solar radiation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heinemann, A.B.; Oort, van P.A.J.; Simoes Fernandes, D.; Maia, A.H.N.

    2012-01-01

    Crop models are ideally suited to quantify existing climatic risks. However, they require historic climate data as input. While daily temperature and rainfall data are often available, the lack of observed solar radiation (Rs) data severely limits site-specific crop modelling. The objective of this

  5. Dinâmica de crescimento da abobrinha italiana em duas estações de cultivo = Growth dynamic of summer squash in two crop seasons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Samuel Strassburger

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar os índices de crescimento, a produção e a distribuição de matéria seca da cultura da abobrinha italiana cultivada em substrato de casca de arroz in natura com solução nutritiva recirculante, em duas épocas de cultivo: primavera-verão de 2005 e verão-outono de 2006, caracterizadas, respectivamente, como períodos de alta e baixa disponibilidades de radiação solar. Cada tratamento correspondeu a uma época de amostragem, sendo a produção de matéria seca quantificada aos 0, 18, 32, 46 e 68 dias após o transplante (DAT no cultivo de primavera-verão, e aos 0, 15, 29, 43 e 55 DAT no cultivo de verão-outono.A produção de matéria seca foi maior quando a disponibilidade de radiação solar foi mais elevada. Nessa situação (alta disponibilidade de radiação solar, os frutos caracterizaram-se como os maiores drenos da cultura, não ocorrendo o mesmo em condições de baixa disponibilidade de radiação solar. As taxas de crescimento (da cultura, dos frutos, dos órgãos vegetativos aéreos e relativa também foram mais elevadas quando a radiação solar disponível foi mais elevada. A razão de área foliar e a área foliar específica apresentaram dinâmicas semelhantes à taxa de crescimento relativo, decrescendo com o decorrer do período de cultivo.The objective of this work was to quantify the growth rates, dry matter production and distribution of summer squash grown in raw rice husk medium with recirculating nutrient solution, in two crop seasons:spring-summer 2005 and summer-autumn 2006, which are periods characterized by high and low solar radiation availability, respectively. Each treatment corresponded to a sampling date and dry matter production was evaluated at 18, 32, 46 and 68 days after setting (DAS in springsummer, and 15, 29, 43 and 55 DAS in the summer-autumn crop season. Dry matter production was highest in high solar radiation availability conditions. In those

  6. Researching Seeds: Films, Sanitation Methods, Microbiological Growth, Viability, and Selection for New Crops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padgett, Niki; Smith, Trent

    2018-01-01

    A major factor in long-term human exploration of the solar system is crop growth in microgravity. Space crops can provide fresh, nutritious food to supplement diets for astronauts. Important factors impacting space plant growth and consumption are water delivery to root zone in microgravity, sanitation methods for microbiological safety, plant responses to light quality/spectrum, and identifying optimal edible plants suitable for growth on the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts growing their own food on the ISS provides necessary data for crop production for long duration deep space missions. The seed film project can be used in Advanced Plant Habitat and Veggies that are currently being utilized on the ISS.

  7. Modeling solar radiation at the Earth's surface recent advances

    CERN Document Server

    Badescu, Viorel

    2008-01-01

    Solar radiation data is important for a wide range of applications, e.g. in engineering, agriculture, health sector, and in many fields of the natural sciences. A few examples showing the diversity of applications may include: architecture and building design e.g. air conditioning and cooling systems; solar heating system design and use; solar power generation; weather and climate prediction models; evaporation and irrigation; calculation of water requirements for crops; monitoring plant growth and disease control; skin cancer research. Solar radiation data must be provided in a variety of f

  8. Solar energy applications in different agricultural and industrial processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agudelo Florez, Sergio; Pineda Rios, Alexander

    2002-01-01

    Solar thermal technology can offer so much more than just domestic hot water, in this paper it is shown some solar system that can provide process heat for many industrial and agricultural requirements, for example can dry crops, extract potable water from brackish or saline supplies, destroy hazardous contaminants and be used in the manufacture of advanced material

  9. Continual observation on crop leaf area index using wireless sensors network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiao, Sihong

    2014-01-01

    Crop structural parameter, i.e. leaf area index(LAI), is the main factor that can effect the solar energy re-assignment in the canopy. An automatic measuring system which is designed on the basis of wireless sensors network(WSN) is present in this paper. The system is comprised of two types of node. One is the measurement nodes which measured solar irradiance and were deployed beneath and above the canopy respectively, and another is a sink node which was used to collect data from the other measurement nodes. The measurement nodes also have ability to repeater data from one node to another and finally transfer signal to the sink node. Then the collected data of sink node are transferred to the data center through GPRS network. Using the field data collected by WSN, canopy structural parameters can be calculated using the direct transmittance which is the ratio of sun radiation captured by the measurement node beneath and above the canopy on different sun altitude angles. The proposed WSN measurement systems which is consisted of about 45 measurement node was deployed in the Heihe watershed to continually observe the crop canopy structural parameters from 25 June to 24 August 2012. To validate the performance of the WSN measured crop structural parameters, the LAI values were also measured by LAI2000. The field preliminary validation results show that the designed system can capture the varies of solar direct canopy transmittance on different time in a day, which is the basis to calculate the target canopy structural parameters. The validation results reveal that the measured LAI values derived from our propose measurement system have acceptable correlation coefficient(R2 from 0.27 to 0.96 and averaged value 0.42) with those derived from LAI2000. So it is a promising way in the agriculture application to utilize the proposed system and thus will be an efficient way to measure the crop structural parameters in the large spatial region and on the long time series

  10. Capture and use of solar radiation, water, and nitrogen by sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaggard, K W; Qi, A; Ober, E S

    2009-01-01

    Sugar beet is spring-sown for sugar production in most sugar beet-growing countries. It is grown as a vegetative crop and it accumulates yield (sugar) from very early in its growth cycle. As long as the sugar beet plants do not flower, the sugar accumulation period is indefinite and yield continues to increase. This paper reviews the success of the sugar beet crop in capturing and using solar radiation, water and mineral nitrogen resources. The prospects for improved resource capture and therefore increased sugar yield are also considered, particularly the potential to increase solar radiation interception in the future by sowing the crop in the autumn.

  11. Diurnal Solar Energy Conversion and Photoprotection in Rice Canopies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meacham, Katherine; Sirault, Xavier; Quick, W Paul; von Caemmerer, Susanne; Furbank, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Genetic improvement of photosynthetic performance of cereal crops and increasing the efficiency with which solar radiation is converted into biomass has recently become a major focus for crop physiologists and breeders. The pulse amplitude modulated chlorophyll fluorescence technique (PAM) allows quantitative leaf level monitoring of the utilization of energy for photochemical light conversion and photoprotection in natural environments, potentially over the entire crop lifecycle. Here, the diurnal relationship between electron transport rate (ETR) and irradiance was measured in five cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa) in canopy conditions with PAM fluorescence under natural solar radiation. This relationship differed substantially from that observed for conventional short term light response curves measured under controlled actinic light with the same leaves. This difference was characterized by a reduced curvature factor when curve fitting was used to model this diurnal response. The engagement of photoprotective processes in chloroplast electron transport in leaves under canopy solar radiation was shown to be a major contributor to this difference. Genotypic variation in the irradiance at which energy flux into photoprotective dissipation became greater than ETR was observed. Cultivars capable of higher ETR at midrange light intensities were shown to produce greater leaf area over time, estimated by noninvasive imaging. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  12. Crop water-stress assessment using an airborne thermal scanner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millard, J. P.; Jackson, R. D.; Reginato, R. J.; Idso, S. B.; Goettelman, R. C.

    1978-01-01

    An airborne thermal scanner was used to measure the temperature of a wheat crop canopy in Phoenix, Arizona. The results indicate that canopy temperatures acquired about an hour and a half past solar noon were well correlated with presunrise plant water tension, a parameter directly related to plant growth and development. Pseudo-colored thermal images reading directly in stress degree days, a unit indicative of crop irrigation needs and yield potential, were produced. The aircraft data showed significant within-field canopy temperature variability, indicating the superiority of the synoptic view provided by aircraft over localized ground measurements. The standard deviation between airborne and ground-acquired canopy temperatures was 2 C or less.

  13. Evaluation and mitigation of tritium memory in detritiation dryers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malara, C.; Ricapito, I.; Edwards, R.A.H.; Toci, F.

    1999-01-01

    In atmospheric detritiation, and other tritium processes, tritium is adsorbed on zeolites (molecular sieves) in the form of tritiated water. Regeneration removes almost all the physically adsorbed water, but a proportion remains permanently in the zeolite and binder structure as chemically bound water or hydroxyl groups. Exchange between adsorbed water and bound water means that tritiated water is retained in the structure after regeneration. At the end of its life, the zeolite therefore constitutes a tritiated waste. Furthermore, if an atmosphere detritiation dryer (ADD) gets highly contaminated from a tritium spill, retained tritium contaminates both the small amount of vapour leaving the bed during the next drying cycle, and the water produced in the subsequent regeneration. This report first describes experiments to measure the tritiated water retained in a 5A zeolite bed after standard regeneration treatments, and then investigates strategies to mitigate the effect: more thorough regeneration and isotope swamping or elution. The effect of zeolite ageing after thermal cycling is also seen. (orig.)

  14. Drying process optimization for an API solvate using heat transfer model of an agitated filter dryer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nere, Nandkishor K; Allen, Kimberley C; Marek, James C; Bordawekar, Shailendra V

    2012-10-01

    Drying an early stage active pharmaceutical ingredient candidate required excessively long cycle times in a pilot plant agitated filter dryer. The key to faster drying is to ensure sufficient heat transfer and minimize mass transfer limitations. Designing the right mixing protocol is of utmost importance to achieve efficient heat transfer. To this order, a composite model was developed for the removal of bound solvent that incorporates models for heat transfer and desolvation kinetics. The proposed heat transfer model differs from previously reported models in two respects: it accounts for the effects of a gas gap between the vessel wall and solids on the overall heat transfer coefficient, and headspace pressure on the mean free path length of the inert gas and thereby on the heat transfer between the vessel wall and the first layer of solids. A computational methodology was developed incorporating the effects of mixing and headspace pressure to simulate the drying profile using a modified model framework within the Dynochem software. A dryer operational protocol was designed based on the desolvation kinetics, thermal stability studies of wet and dry cake, and the understanding gained through model simulations, resulting in a multifold reduction in drying time. Copyright © 2012 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  15. Directional reflectance factor distributions of a cotton row crop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimes, D. S.; Newcomb, W. W.; Schutt, J. B.; Pinter, P. J., Jr.; Jackson, R. D.

    1984-01-01

    The directional reflectance factor distribution spanning the entire exitance hemisphere was measured for a cotton row crop (Gossypium barbadense L.) with 39 percent ground cover. Spectral directional radiances were taken in NOAA satellite 7 AVHRR bands 1 and 2 using a three-band radiometer with restricted 12 deg full angle field of view at half peak power points. Polar co-ordinate system plots of directional reflectance factor distributions and three-dimensional computer graphic plots of scattered flux were used to study the dynamics of the directional reflectance factor distribution as a function of spectral band, geometric structure of the scene, solar zenith and azimuth angles, and optical properties of the leaves and soil. The factor distribution of the incomplete row crops was highly polymodal relative to that for complete vegetation canopies. Besides the enhanced reflectance for the antisolar point, a reflectance minimum was observed towards the forwardscatter direction in the principle plane of the sun. Knowledge of the mechanics of the observed dynamics of the data may be used to provide rigorous validation for two- or three-dimensional radiative transfer models, and is important in interpreting aircraft and satellite data where the solar angle varies widely.

  16. Comparison of Linear and Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Optimization of Spray Dryer Operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lars Norbert; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we compare the performance of an economically optimizing Nonlinear Model Predictive Controller (E-NMPC) to a linear tracking Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for a spray drying plant. We find in this simulation study, that the economic performance of the two controllers are almost...... equal. We evaluate the economic performance with an industrially recorded disturbance scenario, where unmeasured disturbances and model mismatch are present. The state of the spray dryer, used in the E-NMPC and MPC, is estimated using Kalman Filters with noise covariances estimated by a maximum...

  17. Solar energy system performance evaluation: Scattergood School Recreation Center, West Branch, Iowa, September 1977--May 1978

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1978-07-01

    An operational summary is provided of the solar energy system performance at Scattergood School, West Branch, Iowa. This analysis is made by evaluation of measured system performance and by comparison of measured climatic data with long term average climatic conditions. Performance of major subsystems is also presented to illustrate their operation. The solar energy system, utilizing 2496 square feet of flat plate, air collectors, supplies a portion of the space heating and domestic hot water requirements for the 6900 square foot gymnasium and 1966 square feet of locker rooms at the Scattergood School, West Branch, Iowa. The solar energy system was installed during building construction. A 6000 bushel grain dryer, installed later, may also use the solar system during its operation. Included are: a brief system description, review of actual system performance during the report period, analysis of performance based on evaluation of climatic, load and operational conditions, and an overall discussion of results. The Scattergood solar energy system availability was 65 percent for the ECSS subsystem, 95 percent for the space heating subsystem and 55 percent for the hot water heating subsystem. The ECSS availability was affected by a malfunction of the total solar system during April 1--8 and April 14 through May 11. The hot water availability was greatly affected by the failure of the subsystem and resultant repair interval. The space heating subsystem operated throughout the entire reporting period except when the solar system was down in April and May.

  18. Two-dimensional mathematical model for simulation of the drying process of thick layers of natural materials in a conveyor-belt dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salemović Duško R.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the mathematical model and numerical analysis of the convective drying process of thick slices of colloidal capillary-porous materials slowly moving through conveyor-belt dryer. A flow of hot moist air was used as drying agent. The drying process has been analyzed in the form of a 2-D mathematical model, in two directions: along the conveyor and perpendicular on it. The mathematical model consists of two non-linear differential equations and one equation with a transcendent character and it is based on the mathematical model developed for drying process in a form of a 1-D thin layer. The appropriate boundary conditions were introduced. The presented model is suitable for the automated control of conveyor-belt dryers. The obtained results with analysis could be useful in predicting the drying kinetics of potato slices and similar natural products.

  19. Solar greenhouse aquaculture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toever, W V

    1979-01-01

    Rainbow and Speckled Trout have been successfully hatched and reared in a recirculating aquaculture system. The system is integrated into the Ark greenhouse providing thermal mass for temperature regulation and supplying nutrient-rich water for plants. The system incorporates bacterial, algal and hydroponic water filtration. Various vegetable crops have been raised in the hydroponic troughs. A scaled-down system suitable for domestic solar greenhouse application is also under development.

  20. Assessment of the environmental microbiological cross contamination following hand drying with paper hand towels or an air blade dryer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margas, E; Maguire, E; Berland, C R; Welander, F; Holah, J T

    2013-08-01

    This study compared the potential for cross contamination of the surrounding environment resulting from two different hand-drying methods: paper towels and the use of an air blade dryer. One hundred volunteers for each method washed their hands and dried them using one of the two methods. Bacterial contamination of the surrounding environment was measured using settle plates placed on the floor in a grid pattern, air sampling and surface swabs. Both drying methods produced ballistic droplets in the immediate vicinity of the hand-drying process. The air blade dryer produced a larger number of droplets which were dispersed over a larger area. Settle plates showed increased microbial contamination in the grid squares which were affected by ballistic droplets. Using the settle plates counts, it was estimated that approx. 1.7 × 10(5) cfu more micro-organisms were left on the laboratory floor (total area approx. 17.15 m(2)) after 100 volunteers used an air blade dryer compared to when paper towels were used. The two drying methods led to different patterns of ballistic droplets and levels of microbial contamination under heavy use conditions. Whilst the increase in microbial levels in the environment is not significant if only nonpathogenic micro-organisms are spread, it may increase the risk of pathogen contamination of the environment when pathogens are occasionally present on people's hands. The study suggests that the risk of cross contamination from the washroom users to the environment and subsequent users should be considered when choosing a hand-drying method. The data could potentially give guidance following the selection of drying methods on implementing measures to minimise the risk of cross contamination. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  1. Quantifying biomass production in crops grown for energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bullard, M J; Christian, D; Wilkins, C

    1997-12-31

    One estimate suggests that continued CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) reform may lead to as much as 2 million hectares of land set aside from arable production by the year 2020 in the UK alone, with 20 million hectares in the EU in total. Set-aside currently occupies more than 500,000 hectares in the UK. Set-aside land is providing more opportunities for non-food crops, for example fuel crops, which provide biomass for energy. Whilst any crop species will produce biomass which can be burnt to produce energy, arable crops were not developed with this in mind but rather a specific harvestable commodity, e.g. grain, and therefore the total harvestable commodity is seldom maximised. The characteristics of an ideal fuel crop have been identified as: dry harvested material for efficient combustion; perennial growth to minimise establishment costs and lengthen the growing season; good disease resistance; efficient conversion of solar radiation to biomass energy; efficient use of nitrogen fertiliser (where required) and water; and yield close to the theoretical maximum. Miscanthus, a genus of Oriental and African C4 perennial grasses, has been identified as possessing the above characteristics. There may be other species, which, if not yielding quite as much biomass, have other characteristics of merit. This has led to the need to identify inherently productive species which are adapted to the UK, and to validate the productivity of species which have already been 'discovered'. (author)

  2. Quantifying biomass production in crops grown for energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bullard, M.J.; Christian, D.; Wilkins, C.

    1996-12-31

    One estimate suggests that continued CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) reform may lead to as much as 2 million hectares of land set aside from arable production by the year 2020 in the UK alone, with 20 million hectares in the EU in total. Set-aside currently occupies more than 500,000 hectares in the UK. Set-aside land is providing more opportunities for non-food crops, for example fuel crops, which provide biomass for energy. Whilst any crop species will produce biomass which can be burnt to produce energy, arable crops were not developed with this in mind but rather a specific harvestable commodity, e.g. grain, and therefore the total harvestable commodity is seldom maximised. The characteristics of an ideal fuel crop have been identified as: dry harvested material for efficient combustion; perennial growth to minimise establishment costs and lengthen the growing season; good disease resistance; efficient conversion of solar radiation to biomass energy; efficient use of nitrogen fertiliser (where required) and water; and yield close to the theoretical maximum. Miscanthus, a genus of Oriental and African C4 perennial grasses, has been identified as possessing the above characteristics. There may be other species, which, if not yielding quite as much biomass, have other characteristics of merit. This has led to the need to identify inherently productive species which are adapted to the UK, and to validate the productivity of species which have already been 'discovered'. (author)

  3. Energy and exergy analyses of native cassava starch drying in a tray dryer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aviara, Ndubisi A.; Onuoha, Lovelyn N.; Falola, Oluwakemi E.; Igbeka, Joseph C.

    2014-01-01

    Energy and exergy analyses of native cassava starch drying in a tray dryer were carried out to assess the performance of the system in terms of energy utilization, energy utilization ratio, energy efficiency, exergy inflow and outflow, exergy loss and exegetic efficiency. The results indicated that for the starch with ash content of 0.76%, 0.85% crude protein, 0.16% crude fat, negligible amount of fiber, average granule size of 14.1 μm, pH of 5.88, amylose content of 23.45% and degree of crystallinity of 22.34%, energy utilization and energy utilization ratio increased from 1.93 to 5.51 J/s and 0.65 to 0.6 as the drying temperature increased from 40 to 60 °C. Energy efficiency increased from 16.036 to 30.645%, while exergy inflow, outflow and losses increased from 0.399 to 2.686, 0.055 to 0.555 and 0.344 to 2.131 J/s respectively in the above temperature range. Exergetic efficiency increased with increase in both drying air temperature and energy utilization and was lower than energy efficiency. Exergetic improvement potential also increased with increase in drying air temperature. Model equations that could be used to express the energy and exergy parameters as a function of drying temperature were established. - Highlights: • Energy and exergy analyses of cassava starch drying in a tray dryer were carried out. • Energy utilization increased with drying temperature. • Energy efficiency was higher than exergy efficiency. • Energy and exergy efficiencies increased with increase in temperature. • Improvement potential increased with increase in temperature

  4. Mycotoxin risks and toxigenic fungi in date, prune and dried apricot among Mediterranean crops

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hayrettin OZER

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Dried fruit is fruit that is preserved by removing the original water content naturally, through sun drying or artificially, by the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia and is prized because of its sweet taste, nutritive value and long shelf life. Traditional dried fruits such as raisins, figs, dates, apricots and prunes have been a staple of Mediterranean diets for millennia. The Mediterranean region is very favourable for production of dried fruits, not only with its climatic conditions, but also its exceptional fertile lands. Additionally, proximity to trade routes historically has allowed Mediterranean countries more access to dried fruits than landlocked countries. Today, dried fruit consumption is widespread. Nearly half of the dried fruits sold throughout the world are raisins, followed by dates, prunes (dried plums, figs, apricots, peaches, apples and pears. Dates, prunes, apricots, figs and raisins are the major dried fruits produced in the Mediterranean area. Dried fruits are not perishable but can support mold growth, some of which can produce mycotoxins. Occurence of toxigenic molds and mycotoxins on these dried fruits can be a problem in the Mediterranean basin, as in the other parts of the world, being a health hazard to the population as well as a trade issue for the export of local products. Although the most important mycotoxins occuring in Mediterranean crops are aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2 and ochratoxin A, the type and level of mycotoxins and toxigenic molds vary by crop and also by country and in some cases geographic location within a country. In this review mycotoxin risks and toxigenic fungi in date, prune and dried apricot among Mediterranean crops are reported and discussed.

  5. Addressing crop interactions within cropping systems in LCA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goglio, Pietro; Brankatschk, Gerhard; Knudsen, Marie Trydeman

    2018-01-01

    objectives of this discussion article are as follows: (i) to discuss the characteristics of cropping systems which might affect the LCA methodology, (ii) to discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the current available methods for the life-cycle assessment of cropping systems, and (iii) to offer...... management and emissions, and (3) functional unit issues. The LCA approaches presented are as follows: cropping system, allocation approaches, crop-by-crop approach, and combined approaches. The various approaches are described together with their advantages and disadvantages, applicability...... considers cropping system issues if they are related to multiproduct and nutrient cycling, while the crop-by-crop approach is highly affected by assumptions and considers cropping system issues only if they are related to the analyzed crop. Conclusions Each LCA approach presents advantages and disadvantages...

  6. Climate effects on crop yields in the Northeast Farming Region of China during 1961–2010

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yin, Xiaogang; Olesen, Jørgen Eivind; Wang, M.

    2016-01-01

    on the yield of maize (Zea mays L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in different crop growth phases. The crop growing season was divided into three growth phases based on the average crop phenological dates from records covering 1981 and 2010...... cycles), average daily solar radiation, accumulated precipitation, aridity index (which is used to assess drought stress) and heat degree-days index (HDD) (which is used to indicate heat stress) were calculated for each growth phase and year. Over the 1961–2010 period, the minimum temperature increased...... water management....

  7. The Effect of Operating Conditions on Drying Characteristics and Quality of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roscoe) Using Combination of Solar Energy-Molecular Sieve Drying System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasibuan, R.; Zamzami, M. A.

    2017-03-01

    Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is an agricultural product that can be used as beverages and snacks, and especially for traditional medicines. One of the important stages in the processing of ginger is drying. The drying process intended to reduce the water content of 85-90% to 8-10%, making it safe from the influence of fungi or insecticide. During the drying takes place, the main ingredient contained in ginger is homologous ketone phenolic known as gingerol are chemically unstable at high temperatures, for the drying technology is an important factor in maintaining the active ingredient (gingerol) which is in ginger. The combination of solar energy and molecular sieve dryer that are used in the research is capable of operating 24 hours. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of operating conditions (in this case the air velocity) toward the drying characteristics and the quality of dried ginger using the combination of solar energy and molecular sieve dryer. Drying system consist of three main parts which is: desiccator, solar collector, and the drying chamber. To record data changes in the mass of the sample, a load cell mounted in the drying chamber, and then connected to the automated data recording system using a USB data cable. All data of temperature and RH inside the dryer box and the change of samples mass recorded during the drying process takes place and the result is stored in the form of Microsoft Excel. The results obtained, shows that the air velocity is influencing the moisture content and ginger drying rate, where the moisture content equilibrium of ginger for the air velocity of 1.3 m/s was obtained on drying time of 360 minutes and moisture content of 2.8%, at 1.0 m/s was obtained on drying time of 300 minutes and moisture content of 1.4%, at 0, 8 m/s was obtained at 420 minutes drying time and the moisture content is 2.0%. The drying characteristics shows that there are two drying periods, which is: the increasing drying rate

  8. RAF/5/071: Enhancing Crop Nutrition and Soil and Water Management and Technology Transfer in Irrigated Systems for Increased Food Production and Income Generation (AFRA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sijali, I.

    2017-01-01

    The overall objective is to enhance food security, income and the resilience of smallholder farmers through climate change adaptive, mitigation and coping strategies and specific objective to Improve water and nitrogen use efficiency under different irrigated cropping systems using quantifying nuclear technique. Technologies perfected at KALRO transferred to pastoral communities (Maasai land). Technologies included drip irrigation systems for vegetables and orchards, water harvesting ponds dam lining, Solar pump, greenhouse management techniques and introduction of new crops such as sweet potatoes, green grams and sorghums. A low-cost solar-powered irrigation pump has been developed by on-station testing and demonstration was done for a small solar pump

  9. Sensitivity and requirement of improvements of four soybean crop simulation models for climate change studies in Southern Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battisti, R.; Sentelhas, P. C.; Boote, K. J.

    2017-12-01

    Crop growth models have many uncertainties that affect the yield response to climate change. Based on that, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of crop models to systematic changes in climate for simulating soybean attainable yield in Southern Brazil. Four crop models were used to simulate yields: AQUACROP, MONICA, DSSAT, and APSIM, as well as their ensemble. The simulations were performed considering changes of air temperature (0, + 1.5, + 3.0, + 4.5, and + 6.0 °C), [CO2] (380, 480, 580, 680, and 780 ppm), rainfall (- 30, - 15, 0, + 15, and + 30%), and solar radiation (- 15, 0, + 15), applied to daily values. The baseline climate was from 1961 to 2014, totalizing 53 crop seasons. The crop models simulated a reduction of attainable yield with temperature increase, reaching 2000 kg ha-1 for the ensemble at + 6 °C, mainly due to shorter crop cycle. For rainfall, the yield had a higher rate of reduction when it was diminished than when rainfall was increased. The crop models increased yield variability when solar radiation was changed from - 15 to + 15%, whereas [CO2] rise resulted in yield gains, following an asymptotic response, with a mean increase of 31% from 380 to 680 ppm. The models used require further attention to improvements in optimal and maximum cardinal temperature for development rate; runoff, water infiltration, deep drainage, and dynamic of root growth; photosynthesis parameters related to soil water availability; and energy balance of soil-plant system to define leaf temperature under elevated CO2.

  10. Sensitivity and requirement of improvements of four soybean crop simulation models for climate change studies in Southern Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battisti, R.; Sentelhas, P. C.; Boote, K. J.

    2018-05-01

    Crop growth models have many uncertainties that affect the yield response to climate change. Based on that, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of crop models to systematic changes in climate for simulating soybean attainable yield in Southern Brazil. Four crop models were used to simulate yields: AQUACROP, MONICA, DSSAT, and APSIM, as well as their ensemble. The simulations were performed considering changes of air temperature (0, + 1.5, + 3.0, + 4.5, and + 6.0 °C), [CO2] (380, 480, 580, 680, and 780 ppm), rainfall (- 30, - 15, 0, + 15, and + 30%), and solar radiation (- 15, 0, + 15), applied to daily values. The baseline climate was from 1961 to 2014, totalizing 53 crop seasons. The crop models simulated a reduction of attainable yield with temperature increase, reaching 2000 kg ha-1 for the ensemble at + 6 °C, mainly due to shorter crop cycle. For rainfall, the yield had a higher rate of reduction when it was diminished than when rainfall was increased. The crop models increased yield variability when solar radiation was changed from - 15 to + 15%, whereas [CO2] rise resulted in yield gains, following an asymptotic response, with a mean increase of 31% from 380 to 680 ppm. The models used require further attention to improvements in optimal and maximum cardinal temperature for development rate; runoff, water infiltration, deep drainage, and dynamic of root growth; photosynthesis parameters related to soil water availability; and energy balance of soil-plant system to define leaf temperature under elevated CO2.

  11. Investigations of a type 316L steam dryer plate material suffering from IGSCC after few years in BWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Autio, J.M.; Ehrnsten, U.; Pakarinen, J.; Mouginot, R.; Cocco, M.

    2015-01-01

    A steam dryer plate material suffered from intergranular stress corrosion cracking after only one and two years of operation in two BWR plants. Numerous indications were observed on the inner roof plates of the steam dryers adjacent to the support beam welds. The material was Type 316L austenitic stainless steel with carbon content below 0.02%. The material was subjected to detailed investigations using optical microscopy, EBSD/SEM, TEM, hardness and nano-indentation. The material showed macro-segregation through the plate thickness. These bands coincided with the location of delta-ferrite islands indicating non-optimal solution heat treatment. α'-martensite was observed deep in the plate indicating cold deformation after solution annealing. A nonhomogeneous distribution of grain orientation was also observed through the plate thickness. Further, surface deformation, although not extending very deep, was observed using EBSD and surface hardness values above 300 HV when measured using small loads. Although the material fulfills the set requirements, the material characteristics have obviously increased the susceptibility of the material to IGSCC. The paper will discuss the possible role of changes in manufacturing over the years and the challenges in quality definitions in material specifications. (authors)

  12. Wood drying project with solar energy and absorption plant; Proyecto de un secador de madera con energia solar termica y una planta de absorcion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Corretger, J. M.; Lara, J.; Arnau, J.; Marquez, A.

    2004-07-01

    Wood drying processes currently are developed in tunnel dryers using an air hot flow through the wood to remove the water. These processes are interesting to dry current wood that does not require special control of the drying velocity. However, could be necessary to control drying velocity at any moment of the process in order to dry some high quality wood. This implies to combine heating processes, cooling and dehumidification processes and humidification processes. The aim of this project is to dry noble woods with a drying complex process, in order to improve the quality of the products and to increase the energy saving by free-cooling operations and advanced control strategies, increased by using solar energy to get cold and hot water. The saving of energy will produce a bill reduction and an important minimization of environmental impact. (Author)

  13. CFD Analysis to Calculate the Optimal Air Velocity in Drying Green Tea Process Using Fluidized Bed Dryer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yohana, Eflita; Nugraha, Afif Prasetya; Diana, Ade Eva; Mahawan, Ilham; Nugroho, Sri

    2018-02-01

    Tea processing is basically distinguished into three types which black tea, green tea, and oolong tea. Green tea is processed by heating and drying the leaves. Green tea factories in Indonesia are generally using the process of drying by panning the leaves. It is more recommended to use the fluidization process to speed up the drying process as the quality of the tea can be maintained. Bubbling fluidization is expected to occur in this research. It is a process of bubbles are formed in the fluidization. The effectiveness of the drying process in a fluidized bed dryer machine needs to be improved by using a CFD simulation method to proof that umf < u < ut, where the average velocity value is limited by the minimum and the maximum velocity of the calculation the experimental data. The minimum and the maximum velocity value of the fluidization is 0.96 m/s and 8.2 m/s. The result of the simulation obtained that the average velocity of the upper bed part is 1.81 m/s. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the calculation and the simulation data is in accordance with the condition of bubbling fluidization in fluidized bed dryer.

  14. Evaluation of steam and soil solarization for Meloidogyne arenaria control in Florida floriculture crops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steam and soil solarization were investigated for control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria in two years of field trials on a commercial flower farm in Florida. The objective was to determine if pre-plant steam treatments in combination with solarization, or solarization alone effective...

  15. Design and performance of a Nafion dryer for continuous operation at CO2 and CH4 air monitoring sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. R. Welp

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In preparation for routine deployment in a network of greenhouse gas monitoring stations, we have designed and tested a simple method for drying ambient air to near or below 0.2% (2000 ppm mole fraction H2O using a Nafion dryer. The inlet system was designed for use with cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS analyzers such as the Picarro model G2301 that measure H2O in addition to their principal analytes, in this case CO2 and CH4. These analyzers report dry-gas mixing ratios without drying the sample by measuring H2O mixing ratio at the same frequency as the main analytes, and then correcting for the dilution and peak broadening effects of H2O on the mixing ratios of the other analytes measured in moist air. However, it is difficult to accurately validate the water vapor correction in the field. By substantially lowering the amount of H2O in the sample, uncertainties in the applied water vapor corrections can be reduced by an order of magnitude or more, thus eliminating the need to determine instrument-specific water vapor correction coefficients and to verify the stability over time. Our Nafion drying inlet system takes advantage of the extra capacity of the analyzer pump to redirect 30% of the dry gas exiting the Nafion to the outer shell side of the dryer and has no consumables. We tested the Nafion dryer against a cryotrap (−97 °C method for removing H2O and found that in wet-air tests, the Nafion reduces the CO2 dry-gas mixing ratios of the sample gas by as much as 0.1 ± 0.01 ppm due to leakage across the membrane. The effect on CH4 was smaller and varied within ± 0.2 ppb, with an approximate uncertainty of 0.1 ppb. The Nafion-induced CO2 bias is partially offset by sending the dry reference gases through the Nafion dryer as well. The residual bias due to the impact of moisture differences between sample and reference gas on the permeation through the Nafion was approximately −0.05 ppm for CO2 and varied within ± 0.2 ppb for CH4. The

  16. Energetic evaluation of a mechanical dryer (flex) to familiar agriculture; Avaliacao energetica de um secador mecanico (FLEX) para cafeicultura familiar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Donzeles, Sergio M.L. [Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuaria de Minas Gerais (CTZM/EPAMIG), Vicosa, MG (Brazil). Centro Tecnologico da Zona da Mata], E-mail: slopes@ufv.br; Silva, Juarez S.; Martin, Samuel; Nogueira, R.M.; Silva, Jadir N.; Zanata, Fabio L. [Universidade Federal de Vicosa (DEA/UFV), MG (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Agricola], Emails: juarez@ufv.br, jadir@ufv.br, samuel.martin@ufv.br

    2009-07-01

    Actually, the coffee is one of the most important exportation crops of the country. The utilization of obsolete or unsuitable processes, specifically related to the coffee drying, it can to damage the final quality of the product, besides to result in a low profitability of the coffee growing. In this work a mechanical drier (flex) was built, for the familiar coffee growing, being subsequently evaluated, to the drying of peeled cherry coffee, by the realization of two tests: one with heating of the air using vegetable coal and other combining the use of solar heater with vegetable coal. Basing on the results, it was possible to conclude that the drying of coffee in the mechanical drier Flex can be carried out using vegetable coal as fuel as well as associating the use of the vegetable coal with the solar collector, to save energy. (author)

  17. Advancing Green Economy through Technology Transfer ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ii) highlighting how successfully implemented pilot and innovative solar energy kiosks and solar fish dryers can serve as case studies on enhancing environmental education efforts. Based on experiences from the projects, a literature review, ...

  18. Diurnal Solar Energy Conversion and Photoprotection in Rice Canopies1[OPEN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quick, W. Paul; von Caemmerer, Susanne; Furbank, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Genetic improvement of photosynthetic performance of cereal crops and increasing the efficiency with which solar radiation is converted into biomass has recently become a major focus for crop physiologists and breeders. The pulse amplitude modulated chlorophyll fluorescence technique (PAM) allows quantitative leaf level monitoring of the utilization of energy for photochemical light conversion and photoprotection in natural environments, potentially over the entire crop lifecycle. Here, the diurnal relationship between electron transport rate (ETR) and irradiance was measured in five cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa) in canopy conditions with PAM fluorescence under natural solar radiation. This relationship differed substantially from that observed for conventional short term light response curves measured under controlled actinic light with the same leaves. This difference was characterized by a reduced curvature factor when curve fitting was used to model this diurnal response. The engagement of photoprotective processes in chloroplast electron transport in leaves under canopy solar radiation was shown to be a major contributor to this difference. Genotypic variation in the irradiance at which energy flux into photoprotective dissipation became greater than ETR was observed. Cultivars capable of higher ETR at midrange light intensities were shown to produce greater leaf area over time, estimated by noninvasive imaging. PMID:27895208

  19. Breakage and drying behaviour of granules in a continuous fluid bed dryer: Influence of process parameters and wet granule transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Leersnyder, F; Vanhoorne, V; Bekaert, H; Vercruysse, J; Ghijs, M; Bostijn, N; Verstraeten, M; Cappuyns, P; Van Assche, I; Vander Heyden, Y; Ziemons, E; Remon, J P; Nopens, I; Vervaet, C; De Beer, T

    2018-03-30

    Although twin screw granulation has already been widely studied in recent years, only few studies addressed the subsequent continuous drying which is required after wet granulation and still suffers from a lack of detailed understanding. The latter is important for optimisation and control and, hence, a cost-effective practical implementation. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to increase understanding of the drying kinetics and the breakage and attrition phenomena during fluid bed drying after continuous twin screw granulation. Experiments were performed on a continuous manufacturing line consisting of a twin-screw granulator, a six-segmented fluid bed dryer, a mill, a lubricant blender and a tablet press. Granulation parameters were fixed in order to only examine the effect of drying parameters (filling time, drying time, air flow, drying air temperature) on the size distribution and moisture content of granules (both of the entire granulate and of size fractions). The wet granules were transferred either gravimetrically or pneumatically from the granulator exit to the fluid bed dryer. After a certain drying time, the moisture content reached an equilibrium. This drying time was found to depend on the applied airflow, drying air temperature and filling time. The moisture content of the granules decreased with an increasing drying time, airflow and drying temperature. Although smaller granules dried faster, the multimodal particle size distribution of the granules did not compromise uniform drying of the granules when the target moisture content was achieved. Extensive breakage of granules was observed during drying. Especially wet granules were prone to breakage and attrition during pneumatic transport, either in the wet transfer line or in the dry transfer line. Breakage and attrition of granules during transport and drying should be anticipated early on during process and formulation development by performing integrated experiments on the granulator

  20. Optimal control design for a solar greenhouse

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ooteghem, van R.J.C.

    2007-01-01

    The research of this thesis was part of a larger project aiming at the design of a greenhouse and an associated climate control that achieves optimal crop production with sustainable instead of fossil energy. This so called solar greenhouse design extends a conventional greenhouse with an improved

  1. An experimentally validated simulation model for a four-stage spray dryer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lars Norbert; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2017-01-01

    mathematical model is an index-1 differential algebraic equation (DAE) model with 12 states, 9 inputs, 8 disturbances, and 30 parameters. The parameters in the model are identified from well-excited experimental data obtained from the industrialtype spray dryer. The simulated outputs ofthe model are validated...... is divided into four consecutive stages: a primary spray drying stage, two heated fluid bed stages, and a cooling fluid bed stage. Each of these stages in the model is assumed ideally mixed and the dynamics are described by mass- and energy balances. These balance equations are coupled with constitutive...... equations such as a thermodynamic model, the water evaporation rate, the heat transfer rates, and an equation for the stickiness of the powder (glass transition temperature). Laboratory data is used to model the equilibrium moisture content and the glass transition temperature of the powder. The resulting...

  2. Sensitivity and requirement of improvements of four soybean crop simulation models for climate change studies in Southern Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battisti, R; Sentelhas, P C; Boote, K J

    2018-05-01

    Crop growth models have many uncertainties that affect the yield response to climate change. Based on that, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of crop models to systematic changes in climate for simulating soybean attainable yield in Southern Brazil. Four crop models were used to simulate yields: AQUACROP, MONICA, DSSAT, and APSIM, as well as their ensemble. The simulations were performed considering changes of air temperature (0, + 1.5, + 3.0, + 4.5, and + 6.0 °C), [CO 2 ] (380, 480, 580, 680, and 780 ppm), rainfall (- 30, - 15, 0, + 15, and + 30%), and solar radiation (- 15, 0, + 15), applied to daily values. The baseline climate was from 1961 to 2014, totalizing 53 crop seasons. The crop models simulated a reduction of attainable yield with temperature increase, reaching 2000 kg ha -1 for the ensemble at + 6 °C, mainly due to shorter crop cycle. For rainfall, the yield had a higher rate of reduction when it was diminished than when rainfall was increased. The crop models increased yield variability when solar radiation was changed from - 15 to + 15%, whereas [CO 2 ] rise resulted in yield gains, following an asymptotic response, with a mean increase of 31% from 380 to 680 ppm. The models used require further attention to improvements in optimal and maximum cardinal temperature for development rate; runoff, water infiltration, deep drainage, and dynamic of root growth; photosynthesis parameters related to soil water availability; and energy balance of soil-plant system to define leaf temperature under elevated CO 2 .

  3. Cover crops support ecological intensification of arable cropping systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wittwer, Raphaël A.; Dorn, Brigitte; Jossi, Werner; van der Heijden, Marcel G. A.

    2017-02-01

    A major challenge for agriculture is to enhance productivity with minimum impact on the environment. Several studies indicate that cover crops could replace anthropogenic inputs and enhance crop productivity. However, so far, it is unclear if cover crop effects vary between different cropping systems, and direct comparisons among major arable production systems are rare. Here we compared the short-term effects of various cover crops on crop yield, nitrogen uptake, and weed infestation in four arable production systems (conventional cropping with intensive tillage and no-tillage; organic cropping with intensive tillage and reduced tillage). We hypothesized that cover cropping effects increase with decreasing management intensity. Our study demonstrated that cover crop effects on crop yield were highest in the organic system with reduced tillage (+24%), intermediate in the organic system with tillage (+13%) and in the conventional system with no tillage (+8%) and lowest in the conventional system with tillage (+2%). Our results indicate that cover crops are essential to maintaining a certain yield level when soil tillage intensity is reduced (e.g. under conservation agriculture), or when production is converted to organic agriculture. Thus, the inclusion of cover crops provides additional opportunities to increase the yield of lower intensity production systems and contribute to ecological intensification.

  4. Improved Processing and Marketing of Healthy Fish Products in ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    A solar solution This project aims to address the problem by testing and promoting ... -no pre-drying treatment -parboiling -smoking -brining Solar dryer and business model ... IDRC panel tackles early marriage at UN Status of Women forum.

  5. Effect of soil solarization on soil-borne pathogens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobh, Hana

    1995-01-01

    Author.Soil solarization was conducted at three locations on the Lebanese coast. Maximum soil temperatures recorded were 53 and 48 celsius degrees at Jiyeh, 48.9, 46 and 43 celsius degrees at Naameh and 48, 45 and 43.5 celsius degrees at Khaldeh at 5, 15 and 25cm soil depths respectively. Mean soil temperatures recorded at 3pm were at Jiyeh 51.6, 47 and 46 celsius degrees compared to Naameh 47, 45 and 41 celsius degrees and Khaldeh 44, 42 and 41 celsius degrees at 5, 15 and 25 cm respectively. The mean temperature in solarized soils were 7.3 to 15 celsius degrees higher than those of the nonsolarized soils indicating a sustained increase of soil temperature in the solarized soils. The effect of soil solarization on artificially introduced fungal pathogens in the soil at Khaldeh, resulted in complete destruction of sclerotia of Sclerotinia spp. at three depths studied. However, with respect to the two other pathogens tested, solarization resulted in reduction of the viability of microsclerotia of Verticillium spp. by 99-79% and of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis inoculum by 88-54% at 5 and 15 cm respectively, but only by 45% and 14% reduction at 25 cm. This level of control is significant when it is compared to the percentage of control where the level of reduction of inoculum viability did not exceed 10% at any soil depth. As there were contradicting reports in the literature on nematodes, two field trials in greenhouses were conducted to study the possibility of integrating 2 methods for management on nematodes. Soil solarization alone or in combination with biological control of nematodes using Arthrobotrys spp. and Dactyl ella brocophaga to control the root-knot nematodes on two crops, tomato at Naameh and cucumber at Jiyeh were compared to Methyl Bromide treatment. It was evident that, even on a very susceptible crop like cucumber, the integration of biological control and soil solarization gave a good level of control similar to methyl bromide. Neither root

  6. Construction of a flexible pilot dryer for products such as biofuels and iron ore pellets; Uppbyggnad av flexibel pilottork foer produkter som biobraenslen och jaernmalmspellets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karlsson, Erik; Truedsson, Ida; Stenstroem, Stig

    2009-02-15

    Drying of different products is an operation that requires large amounts of energy in Sweden, a compilation from 2006 indicates a total use of over 32 TWh of thermal energy. A more energy efficient drying process can thus result in significant savings of energy for this process. The interest to use biofuels for heating purposes increases with increasing energy prices and thus also the interest to dewater and dry these products. Often an excess of low-value heat (flue gases, warm water etc.) is available and it would be desirable to use these streams for drying of different products. The goal in this project has been to carry out two subtasks: A Rebuild and modernise the old pilot dryer at the department so that it can be used for studies of drying kinetics for different products in a bed or as separate particles. B Perform a number of drying experiments with two representative bio-fuels which can be used for evaluation of different proposals for drying of these products. The results will mainly be of interest for companies handling biofuels in the forestry sector, for LKAB producing iron ore pellets and for manufacturers of industrial dryers. The constructed pilot dryer can be used for studies of drying kinetics of different types of products such as bark, wood chips, materials in the form of pellets such as iron ore pellets or wood pellets and foods. If the drying cell is designed so that fine particulate materials are not entrained with the gas flow, products such as municipal or industrial sludges can also be handled in the dryer. The results indicate specific energy use figures of between 2500 and 3000 kJ/kg evaporated water, both for different fractions of bark and independently if the origin of the bark was Vaeroe or Iggesund. The drying time to reach a dry matter content of 60 % for a bed with a thickness of 20 cm and an air velocity of 1 m/s is about 5000 seconds at an air temperature of 50 deg C. It increases to 15000 seconds to reach a dry matter content

  7. Drying wood waste with a pulse combustion dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buchkowski, A.G. [Spectrum Engineering Corp., Ltd., Peterborough, Ontario (Canada); Kitchen, J.A. [John A. Kitchen, Ltd., Hastings, Ontario (Canada)

    1993-12-31

    There is a vast amount of wood waste available to be used as an alternate fuel if its moisture could be reduced efficiently. Tests have been conducted to assess an industrial dryer using pulse combustion as a heating source for drying wood waste; specifically sawdust and pulverized wet hog fuel. Pulse combustion offers the advantage of high heat transfer, efficient combustion, and low NO{sub x} emissions. The material is injected into the exhaust gases in the tailpipe of the combustor which uses natural gas or propane as a fuel. The turbulence created by the pulsations enhance the drying process by reducing the boundary layer thicknesses. The materials is further dried in a rotary drum. The material has been dried without scorching or burning in tests where the inlet moisture content has been as high as 60% on a wet basis. The outlet moisture contents achieved have typically been 10%. Analysis of the test data and cost estimates of the equipment indicate that the pulse combustion drying system is at least comparable to existing systems in terms of operating costs, and offers very significant savings in capital costs. Testing with various other materials such as wood pulp, sludges and peat is continuing to further assess the equipment`s performance.

  8. Characterization and drying of caja bagasse (Spondias mombin L. in a tray dryer using a factorial planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andréia Souto da Silva

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The caja (Spondias mombin L. is used in the manufacture of ice-cream, jams, pulps, beverages being also consumed in natura. One of the most important procedures in food conservation is drying, considering that most fresh fruits contain approximately 80% of water. Food drying is used to obtain two basic aspects: (1 the economic factor; in the shipping and handling of the product; (2 at the manipulation; once dried and grinded, the material is rehydrated, at desirable levels, to formulate a new product as in ice cream, jams, yoghurts and drinks and may also be added to pasta, biscuits and other industrialized products. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinetics of caja bagasse drying in a fixed-bed tray dryer, using central composite factorial planning. The following factors were evaluated: temperature (55, 65 and 75 ºC, dryer inlet air velocity (3.2, 4.6 and 6.0 m.s-1 and cake thickness (0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 cm where the response of the considered variable was caja bagasse moisture content (b.s. and the results showed that the main effects and their interactions were significant at a 95% confidence level being the best condition obtained at temperature of 75 ºC, velocity of 6.0 m.s-1 and cake thickness of 0.8 cm.

  9. Determination of stresses caused by fluctuation of acoustic load in the steam dryers of a BWR; Determinacion de esfuerzos originados por fluctuacion de carga acustica en los secadores de vapor de un reactor BWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Centeno P, J.; Quezada G, S.; Prieto G, A.; Vazquez R, A.; Espinosa P, G. [Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Unidad Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, Col. Vicentina, 09340 Mexico D. F. (Mexico); Nunez C, A., E-mail: javcuami26@hotmail.com [Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias, Dr. Jose Ma. Barragan No. 779, Col. Narvarte, 03020 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

    2014-10-15

    The extended power up-rate (EPU) in a nuclear power plant cause various problems in BWR components also in the steam system. This due to increased steam flow generated in the reactor and is conveyed to the turbine by the four main steam lines (MSL). One of the most serious problems is the generation of acoustic pressure loads in the metal structure of the steam dryer which eventually leads to fatigue failure and even the appearance of cracks, and in turn it causes loose parts that are entrained by the steam and transported in the MSL. This problem is due to the fluctuation of load acoustics caused by the union of the safety or relief valves (SRV) with the MSL, spreading through these to reach the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) where the effect of resonance of the acoustic wave is amplified and impacts directly in the supporting structure of the steam dryer, skirt and the panels where the mixture liquid-steam is dried, by centrifugation effect and runoff of liquid water. Efforts in the steam dryer operating conditions of EPU for two cases will be analyzed in this work, the first is before the installation of Acoustic Side Branch (ASB), and in the second case we consider the installation of said ASB in the standpipes of SRV. The analysis was performed with numerical experiments on a platform for computational fluid dynamics with virtual geometries previously designed based on the actual components of the reactor and steam system. The model to study is delimited by the top of the RPV, the steam dryer and a section of each of the four MSL with ten standpipes of SRV. With the obtained data and considering the mechanical-structural properties of the steam dryer material, we can evaluate the mechanical resistance to impacts by acoustic pressure load and its possible deformation or cracking. (Author)

  10. Estimating national crop yield potential and the relevance of weather data sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Wart, Justin

    2011-12-01

    To determine where, when, and how to increase yields, researchers often analyze the yield gap (Yg), the difference between actual current farm yields and crop yield potential. Crop yield potential (Yp) is the yield of a crop cultivar grown under specific management limited only by temperature and solar radiation and also by precipitation for water limited yield potential (Yw). Yp and Yw are critical components of Yg estimations, but are very difficult to quantify, especially at larger scales because management data and especially daily weather data are scarce. A protocol was developed to estimate Yp and Yw at national scales using site-specific weather, soils and management data. Protocol procedures and inputs were evaluated to determine how to improve accuracy of Yp, Yw and Yg estimates. The protocol was also used to evaluate raw, site-specific and gridded weather database sources for use in simulations of Yp or Yw. The protocol was applied to estimate crop Yp in US irrigated maize and Chinese irrigated rice and Yw in US rainfed maize and German rainfed wheat. These crops and countries account for >20% of global cereal production. The results have significant implications for past and future studies of Yp, Yw and Yg. Accuracy of national long-term average Yp and Yw estimates was significantly improved if (i) > 7 years of simulations were performed for irrigated and > 15 years for rainfed sites, (ii) > 40% of nationally harvested area was within 100 km of all simulation sites, (iii) observed weather data coupled with satellite derived solar radiation data were used in simulations, and (iv) planting and harvesting dates were specified within +/- 7 days of farmers actual practices. These are much higher standards than have been applied in national estimates of Yp and Yw and this protocol is a substantial step in making such estimates more transparent, robust, and straightforward. Finally, this protocol may be a useful tool for understanding yield trends and directing

  11. Solar radiation use efficiency and morphophysiological indices in common bean cultivars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gisele Carneiro da Silva Teixeira

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Common bean crops present a broad edaphoclimatic adaptation, allowing their cultivation throughout the year. However, in order to reach good economic income levels, it is fundamental to understand the processes that affect the growth and development of the crop in various environments. This study aimed to compare two common bean cultivars (BRS Radiante and Pérola contrasting in cycle and growth behavior by using morphophysiological indices and solar radiation use efficiency. The following traits were evaluated: light extinction coefficient, radiation use efficiency, phenologic development, leaf area index, total dry matter weight, crop growth rate, relative growth rate and dry matter partitioning. The BRS Radiante cultivar shows a higher vigor, when compared to the Pérola cultivar, due to its faster initial phenologic development and higher initial and relative growth rates. Both cultivars differ for leaf area index and shoot architecture, although that does not happen for light extinction coefficient. The BRS Radiante cultivar shows a higher solar radiation use efficiency, resulting in a greater dry matter yield throughout its development.

  12. Alternative crops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreasen, L.M.; Boon, A.D.

    1992-01-01

    Surplus cereal production in the EEC and decreasing product prices, mainly for cereals, has prompted considerable interest for new earnings in arable farming. The objective was to examine whether suggested new crops (fibre, oil, medicinal and alternative grains crops) could be considered as real alternatives. Whether a specific crop can compete economically with cereals and whether there is a market demand for the crop is analyzed. The described possibilities will result in ca. 50,000 hectares of new crops. It is expected that they would not immediately provide increased earnings, but in the long run expected price developments are more positive than for cereals. The area for new crops will not solve the current surplus cereal problem as the area used for new crops is only 3% of that used for cereals. Preconditions for many new crops is further research activities and development work as well as the establishment of processing units and organizational initiatives. Presumably, it is stated, there will then be a basis for a profitable production of new crops for some farmers. (AB) (47 refs.)

  13. Wood chip drying in connection with combined heat and power or solar energy in Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rinne Samuli

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available 20% of the Finnish district heating (DH power plant fuels are wood-based and the share is increasing. The wood fuel demand probably exceeds the potential supply in the future. The wood fuel drying with waste heat is one profitable opportunity to gain more wood fuel. If the drying energy can be produced with lower primary energy use than combusting the fuel directly, the drying potentially improves the system efficiency. In this study, the drying feasibility in the connection of a combined heat and power (CHP system, possibly with solar collectors, is calculated. The wood fuel heating can be increased profitably by 6%, using the heat from CHP for drying only when the marginal cost of the heat is low enough, i.e. the electricity price is high enough and there is free capacity after the DH demand. Although the drying is profitable, a larger heat storage can also increase the annual result similarly. The best investment choice depends on the plant properties. Here the optimal system enables 20% DH production cost savings. Solar heat may be profitable, when the solar heat has a 2–3% share of the annual heat demand. However, the dryer or larger storage tank are more profitable investments.

  14. Solar system for soil drainage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kocic, Z.R.; Stojanovic, J.B.; Antic, M.A.; Pavlovic, T.M.

    1999-01-01

    The paper reviews solar system for drainage of the cultivable agricultural surfaces which can be situated near the rivers in plains. These are usually very fertile surfaces which cannot be cultivated die to constant presence of the water. Using such solar systems should increase the percentage of cultivable surfaces. These systems can also be installed on the cultivable agricultural surfaces, where the water surfaces or so called still waters appear, which make impossible the application of agritechnical measures on these surfaces, significantly decreasing crops and creating conditions for the growth of pond plants and animals. Increasing the percentage of cultivable agricultural surfaces would increase national agricultural income. At the same time, increasing the percentage of cultivable agricultural surfaces decreases the surfaces of unhealthy bog, swamp and marshland soils, where many insect breed. They are the cause for soil spraying from the air, which causes the pollution of environment. Solar systems do not pollute the environment because they use solar energy as the purest source of energy. Their usage has special significance in the places where there is no electricity distribution network

  15. Determinación del coeficiente global de transferencia de calor en secaderos rotativos de cáscara de limón Determination of global heat transfer coefficient in lemon peel rotary dryers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos A. Golato

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available En la bibliografía consultada no se encontraron trabajos de secado de cáscara de limón en secaderos rotativos. Se realizaron ensayos de medición en secaderos rotativos de cáscara de limón en una instalación agroindustrial del noroeste argentino. Se desarrolló un modelo matemático semiempírico mediante la resolución de los balances de materia y energía. Se obtuvo una correlación estadística para la predicción de los coeficientes globales volumétricos de transferencia de calor aparentes para secaderos rotativos de cáscara de limón.No papers on lemon peel drying in rotary dryers were actually found in the sources consulted. Measurement tests were carried out in the assessment of rotary dryer systems used to dehydrate lemon peel in an agroindustrial plant of Northwestern Argentina. A semiempirical mathematic model was developed solving mass and energy balances. A statistical correlation for predicting global heat transfer coefficient in rotary dryer lemon peel dehydration was obtained.

  16. Adapting crop rotations to climate change in regional impact modelling assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Edmar I; de Ruiter, John; Ausseil, Anne-Gaelle; Daigneault, Adam; Johnstone, Paul; Holmes, Allister; Tait, Andrew; Ewert, Frank

    2018-03-01

    The environmental and economic sustainability of future cropping systems depends on adaptation to climate change. Adaptation studies commonly rely on agricultural systems models to integrate multiple components of production systems such as crops, weather, soil and farmers' management decisions. Previous adaptation studies have mostly focused on isolated monocultures. However, in many agricultural regions worldwide, multi-crop rotations better represent local production systems. It is unclear how adaptation interventions influence crops grown in sequences. We develop a catchment-scale assessment to investigate the effects of tactical adaptations (choice of genotype and sowing date) on yield and underlying crop-soil factors of rotations. Based on locally surveyed data, a silage-maize followed by catch-crop-wheat rotation was simulated with the APSIM model for the RCP 8.5 emission scenario, two time periods (1985-2004 and 2080-2100) and six climate models across the Kaituna catchment in New Zealand. Results showed that direction and magnitude of climate change impacts, and the response to adaptation, varied spatially and were affected by rotation carryover effects due to agronomical (e.g. timing of sowing and harvesting) and soil (e.g. residual nitrogen, N) aspects. For example, by adapting maize to early-sowing dates under a warmer climate, there was an advance in catch crop establishment which enhanced residual soil N uptake. This dynamics, however, differed with local environment and choice of short- or long-cycle maize genotypes. Adaptation was insufficient to neutralize rotation yield losses in lowlands but consistently enhanced yield gains in highlands, where other constraints limited arable cropping. The positive responses to adaptation were mainly due to increases in solar radiation interception across the entire growth season. These results provide deeper insights on the dynamics of climate change impacts for crop rotation systems. Such knowledge can be used

  17. Effect of solarization with fresh chicken manure on verticillium wilt ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    BİM

    2016-12-28

    Dec 28, 2016 ... crops and weeds, as well as fruit, landscape, and ... Author(s) agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons ... possible to use solar energy instead of fumigation, and it.

  18. Elimination of pathogenic bacteria in sewage sludge during the solar drying; Eliminacion de bacterias patogenas en lodos residuales durante el secado solar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cota Espericueta, Alma Delia; Ponce Corral, Carlos [Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, (Mexico)

    2008-11-15

    This paper describes the performance of a solar dryer capable of bacterial pathogen removal from the physicochemical sludge of the main wastewater treatment plant for Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The solar setup was proposed as an alternative solution, technically feasible, for reducing the volume of the 135 tons of sludge produced per day in this plant. The experimental-greenhouse prototype has a 4.5 m{sup 2} collection area, a 1 m{sup 3}-drying bed, and automatic systems for ventilation, extraction, and data acquisition. The automatic operation was controlled by temperature and humidity differences between internal and external conditions. Global solar radiation, pH and water content of the sludge were monitored. The overall effectiveness of the solar dryer was determined by assessing thermal and microbiological performance. Water content in sludge during the process was used as an indicator of thermal effectiveness. The microbiological elimination was quantified at different residence times considering two contamination indicators: faecal coliforms and Salmonella spp. Quantification of the pathogenic microorganisms was carried out by the multiple-tube fermentation technique presented in the Mexican regulation NOM-004-SEMARNAT-2002. The thermal results related to the water content showed an exponential decay that achieved up to a 99 % reduction. Regarding microbiological removal effectiveness, there was a strong dependence between the number of bacteria present and the water content in the sludge. As a consequence, with the removal of 92 % of water, it was verified that the elimination of faecal coliforms fell from 3.8x10{sup 6} to 1.6 MPN per gram of dried sludge; and for Salmonella spp. the reduction was from 1.5x10{sup 1}3 to 1.9x10{sup 3} MPN per gram of dried sludge. [Spanish] La presente investigacion describe el desempeno de un secador solar con respecto a la eliminacion de bacterias patogenas contenidas en lodos fisicoquimicos provenientes de la principal

  19. Solar desalination System of Sea Water for Efficient Irrigation of a Crop Module; Sistema de desalacion solar de agua de mar para riego eficiente en un modulo de cultivo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Porta Gandara, Miguel Angel; Rubio Cerda, Eduardo; Fernandez Zayas, Jose Luis [Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noreste (Mexico)

    2002-06-01

    The lack of vegetables in the diet of people living by the seaside in Mexican California results in important health problems. It is not easy to produce vegetable due to the lack of potable water. In order to solve this problem, this paper introduces a household agricultural production system utilizing seawater, which is distilled by means of a shallow solar still. The still has a free surface of 10 m{sup 2} and can yield an average daily quantity of 5/m{sup 2} daily. Distilled water is employed to grow vegetable (basically radishes, pumpkins and tomatoes) in an experimental plot of land where a highly efficient irrigation is pursued. Hence, it is possible to obtain biomass production of about 1 kg of fresh product for every 19 to 200 liters of distilled water, depending on the crop, in also variable crop cycles, between 30 and 150 days of duration. This paper ends with an economic evaluation and the assessment of water use. In comparison with the irrigation district of the valley of Santo Domingo, B. C. S., where extreme lack of water is felt, water is used in the latter in a proportion of between 180 and 500 times more than the strictly indispensable per unit product. [Spanish] La carencia de verduras en la dieta de los habitantes del litoral californiano produce graves problemas de salud, pero no es facil producir hortaliza, dada la carencia de agua potable. Con el fin de subsanar esta deficiencia, se presenta un sistema para producir alimentos a escala unifamiliar, usando agua de mar destilada mediante un destilador solar somero de 10 m{sup 2} de superficie, capaz de arrojar una produccion promedio de 5 l/m{sup 2} cada dia. El agua destilada se utiliza para producir hortalizas (primordialmente rabanos, calabazas y tomates) en una parcela experimental de alta eficiencia de empleo del agua, que permite obtener producto fresco del orden de 1 kg de rabanos por cada 10 litros de agua destilada en 30 dias, o 1 kg de tomate por cada 200 litros de agua en 150 dias

  20. The Role of Soil Solarization in India: How an Unnoticed Practice Could Support Pest Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harsimran K. Gill

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Plant protection represents one of the strategies to fill the yield gap and to achieve food security, a key topic for India development. Analysis of climate risks for crops indicates that South Asia is one of the regions most exposed to the adverse impact on many plants that are relevant to inhabitants exposed to food safety risks. Furthermore, accumulation of pesticide residues in the aquatic and other ecosystems is becoming a significant threat in India. These perspectives require to develop programs of crop protection that can be feasible according to Indian rural development and pollution policy. Here we review the research works done on soil solarization in India. Soil solarization (also called plasticulture is an eco-friendly soil disinfestations method for managing soil-borne plant pathogens. This is the process of trapping solar energy by moist soil covered with transparent polyethylene films and chemistry, biology and physical properties of soil are involved in pest control. So far, this technique is applied in more than 50 countries, mostly in hot and humid regions. India has 29 states and these states fall under five climatic zones, from humid to arid ones. We report pest management application in different climatic zones and their effects on production, weeds, nematodes, and pathogenic microorganisms. The analysis of soil temperatures and crop protection results indicate as environmental requirement for soil solarization fits in most of Indian rural areas. Soil solarization is compatible with future Indian scenarios and may support Indian national food security programs.

  1. A Simple Method Using a Topography Correction Coefficient for Estimating Daily Distribution of Solar Irradiance in Complex Terrain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yun, J.I.

    2009-01-01

    Accurate solar radiation data are critical to evaluate major physiological responses of plants. For most upland crops and orchard plants growing in complex terrain, however, it is not easy for farmers or agronomists to access solar irradiance data. Here we suggest a simple method using a sun-slope geometry based topographical coefficient to estimate daily solar irradiance on any sloping surfaces from global solar radiation measured at a nearby weather station. An hourly solar irradiance ratio (W i ) between sloping and horizontal surface is defined as multiplication of the relative solar intensity (k i ) and the slope irradiance ratio (r i ) at an hourly interval. The k i is the ratio of hourly solar radiation to the 24 hour cumulative radiation on a horizontal surface under clear sky conditions. The r i is the ratio of clear sky radiation on a given slope to that on a horizontal reference. Daily coefficient for slope correction is simply the sum of W i on each date. We calculated daily solar irradiance at 8 side slope locations circumventing a cone-shaped parasitic volcano (c.a., 570 m diameter for the bottom circle and 90 m bottom-to-top height) by multiplying these coefficients to the global solar radiation measured horizontally. Comparison with the measured slope irradiance from April 2007 to March 2008 resulted in the root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.61 MJ m −2 for the whole period but the RMSE for April to October (i.e., major cropping season in Korea) was much lower and satisfied the 5% error tolerance for radiation measurement. The RMSE was smallest in October regardless of slope aspect, and the aspect dependent variation of RMSE was greatest in November. Annual variation in RMSE was greatest on north and south facing slopes, followed by southwest, southeast, and northwest slopes in decreasing order. Once the coefficients are prepared, global solar radiation data from nearby stations can be easily converted to the solar irradiance map at landscape

  2. Biomass equipments. Dryers. Drying, crushing, agglomeration of agro-industrial products; Materiels pour la biomasse. Les secheurs, sechage, broyage, agglomeration de produits agro-industriels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deur, O. [Promill (France)

    1997-12-31

    This paper describes the French Promill Company activity in the design and manufacturing of complete drying-crushing-agglomerating units for agro-industrial products (pulp of beet, lucerne, etc..). The paper focusses on the thermal and mechanical efficiency of the high temperature dryer and on the pulp granulating squeezer. (J.S.)

  3. Performance of a Big Scale Green House Type Dryer for Coffee Drying Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukrisno Widyotomo

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Dying is one of important steps in coffee processing to produce good quality. Greenhouse is one of artificial drying alternatives that potential for coffee drying method cause of cleans environmental friendly, renewable energy sources and chippers. Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute has developed and testing a big scale greenhouse type dryer for fresh coffee cherries and wet parchment coffee drying process. Greenhouse has 24 m length, 18 m width, also 3 m high of the front side and 2 m high of the rear side. The maximum capacity of greenhouse is 40 tons fresh coffee cherries. Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP used as greenhouse roof that combined with I and C profile of steel. Fresh coffee cherries and wet parchment coffee from Robusta variety use as main materials in this research. The treatment of this research was 30 kg/m2, 60 kg/m2 and 90 kg/m2 for coffee density. String process has done by manual, two times a day in the morning and in the afternoon. As control, fresh coffee cherries and wet parchment coffee has dried by fully sun drying method. The result showed that a big scale greenhouse has heat drying efficiency between 29.9-58.2% depend on type and density of coffee treatments. On the full sunny day, greenhouse has produced maximum drying air temperature up to 52oC. In radiation cumulative level 4-5 kW-jam/m2 per day, 12.9-38.8 tons fresh coffee cherries or wet parchment coffee with 58-64% moisture content can be dried to 12% moisture content for 6 up to 14 days drying process. Slowly drying mechanism can be avoided negative effect to degradation of quality precursor compound. Capacity of the dryer can be raise and fungi can be reduce with application of controllable mechanical stirring in the greenhouse. Keywords: greenhouse, coffee, drying, quality

  4. CROP YIELD AND CO2 FIXATION MONITORING IN ASIA USING A PHOTOSYNTHETICSTERILITY MODEL WITH SATELLITES AND METEOROLOGICAL DATA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daijiro Kaneko [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Matsue National College of Technology, Matsue (Japan); Toshiro Kumakura [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka (Japan); Peng Yang [Laboratory of Resources Remote Sensing and Digital Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing (China)

    2008-09-30

    This study is intended to develop a model for estimating carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) fixation in the carbon cycle and for monitoring grain yields using a photosynthetic-sterility model, which integrates solar radiation and air temperature effects on photosynthesis, along with grain-filling from heading to ripening. Grain production monitoring would support orderly crisis management to maintain food security in Asia, which is facing climate fluctuation through this century of global warming. The author improved a photosynthesis-and-sterility model to compute both the crop yield and crop situation index CSI, which gives a percentage of rice yields compared to normal annual production. The model calculates photosynthesis rates including biomass effects, lowtemperature sterility, and high-temperature injury by incorporating solar radiation, effective air temperature, the normalized difference vegetation index NDVI, and the effect of temperature on photosynthesis by grain plant leaves. A decision-tree method classifies the distribution of crop fields in Asia using MODIS fundamental landcover and SPOT VEGETATION data, which include the Normalized Vegetation index (NDVI) and Land Surface Water Index (LSWI). This study provides daily distributions of the photosynthesis rate, which is the CO2 fixation in Asian areas combined with the land-cover distribution, the Japanese geostationary meteorological satellite (GMS), and meteorological re-analysis data by National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The method is based on routine observation data, enabling automated monitoring of crop yields.

  5. [Comparison of potential yield and resource utilization efficiency of main food crops in three provinces of Northeast China under climate change].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao-yu; Yang, Xiao-guang; Sun, Shuang; Xie, Wen-juan

    2015-10-01

    Based on the daily data of 65 meteorological stations from 1961 to 2010 and the crop phenology data in the potential cultivation zones of thermophilic and chimonophilous crops in Northeast China, the crop potential yields were calculated through step-by-step correction method. The spatio-temporal distribution of the crop potential yields at different levels was analyzed. And then we quantified the limitations of temperature and precipitation on the crop potential yields and compared the differences in the climatic resource utilization efficiency. The results showed that the thermal potential yields of six crops (including maize, rice, spring wheat, sorghum, millet and soybean) during the period 1961-2010 deceased from west to east. The climatic potential yields of the five crops (spring wheat not included) were higher in the south than in the north. The potential yield loss rate due to temperature limitations of the six crops presented a spatial distribution pattern and was higher in the east than in the west. Among the six main crops, the yield potential loss rate due to temperature limitation of the soybean was the highest (51%), and those of the other crops fluctuated within the range of 33%-41%. The potential yield loss rate due to water limitation had an obvious regional difference, and was high in Songnen Plain and Changbai Mountains. The potential yield loss rate of spring wheat was the highest (50%), and those of the other four rainfed crops fluctuated within the range of 8%-10%. The solar energy utilization efficiency of the six main crops ranged from 0.9% to 2.7%, in the order of maize> sorghum>rice>millet>spring wheat>soybean. The precipitation utilization efficiency of the maize, sorghum, spring wheat, millet and soybean under rainfed conditions ranged from 8 to 35 kg . hm-2 . mm-1, in the order of maize>sorghum>spring wheat>millet>soybean. In those areas with lower efficiency of solar energy utilization and precipitation utilization, such as Changbai

  6. Biosolarization in garlic crop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fabeiro, Concepcion; Andres, Manuela; Wic, Consuelo

    2014-05-01

    One of the most important limitations of garlic cultivation is the presence of various soil pathogens. Fusarium proliferatum and Sclerotinium cepivorum and nematode Ditilenchus dipsaci cause such problems that prevent the repetition of the crop in the same field for at least 5 -8 years or soil disinfection is necessary. Chemical disinfection treatments have an uncertain future, in the European Union are reviewing their use, due to the effect on the non-pathogenic soil fauna. This situation causes a itinerant cultivation to avoid the limitations imposed by soil diseases, thereby increasing production costs. The Santa Monica Cooperative (Albacete, Spain) requested advice on possible alternative techniques, solarization and biosolarization. For which a trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness on the riverside area of the municipality. This place has recently authorized irrigation, which would allow the repeated cultivation of garlic if the incidence of soil diseases and the consequent soil fatigue could be avoided. Additionally, this work will serve to promote the cultivation of organic garlic. Last, but not least, the biosolarization technique allows to use waste from wineries, oil mills and mushroom crops. (Bello et al. 2003). The essay should serve as demonstrative proof for farmers' cooperative members. The specific objective for this first year is to assess, the effect on the global soil biota, on the final garlic production and quality and the effect of biosolarization to control soil pathogens. The trial is set on a cooperative's plot previously cultivated with corn. 5 treatments were set, defined by different amounts of organic matter applied, 7.5, 5, 2.5 kg m -2, a solarized with no organic matter, and a control without any treatment. The plot has inground sprinkler for full coverage with four sprinkler lines demarcating the five bands of differential treatment, randomly arranged. Organic matter was incorporated the August 14, 2013, then thoroughly

  7. Building crop models within different crop modelling frameworks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adam, M.Y.O.; Corbeels, M.; Leffelaar, P.A.; Keulen, van H.; Wery, J.; Ewert, F.

    2012-01-01

    Modular frameworks for crop modelling have evolved through simultaneous progress in crop science and software development but differences among these frameworks exist which are not well understood, resulting in potential misuse for crop modelling. In this paper we review differences and similarities

  8. Impacts of climate change and inter-annual variability on cereal crops in China from 1980 to 2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Tianyi; Huang, Yao

    2012-06-01

    Negative climate impacts on crop yield increase pressures on food security in China. In this study, climatic impacts on cereal yields (rice, wheat and maize) were investigated by analyzing climate-yield relationships from 1980 to 2008. Results indicated that warming was significant, but trends in precipitation and solar radiation were not statistically significant in most of China. In general, maize is particularly sensitive to warming. However, increase in temperature was correlated with both lower and higher yield of rice and wheat, which is inconsistent with the current view that warming results in decline in yields. Of the three cereal crops, further analysis suggested that reduction in yields with higher temperature is accompanied by lower precipitation, which mainly occurred in northern parts of China, suggesting droughts reduced yield due to lack of water resources. Similarly, a positive correlation between temperature and yield can be alternatively explained by the effect of solar radiation, mainly in the southern part of China where water resources are abundant. Overall, our study suggests that it is inter-annual variations in precipitation and solar radiation that have driven change in cereal yields in China over the last three decades. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

  9. Solarização do solo para o controle de Pythium e plantas daninhas em cultura de crisântemo Soil solarization for Pithium and weed control in chrysanthemum crop

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Bettiol

    1994-12-01

    Full Text Available A solarização, durante dois meses, de um solo naturalmente infestado com Pythium, promoveu o controle do patógeno, de modo semelhante à aplicação de metalaxyl + mancozeb, na cultura de crisântemo. A incidência média de plantas mortas foi de 2,3% nas parcelas solarizadas; 1,0% no solo solarizado que recebeu metade da dose dos fungicidas; 9,0% com a aplicação da dose completa dos fungicidas (1 g de metalaxyl + 4,8 g de mancozeb/m² e 38,9%, na testemunha não tratada. A solarização também promoveu o controle de plantas daninhas, avaliado através do peso da matéria seca das plantas emergentes aos 21 dias após o transplante das mudas, semelhantemente ao herbicida oxidiazon.Two months solarization of a soil naturally infested with Pythium sp. promoted a level of control similar to what was obtained with the application of methalaxyl + mancozeb for the chrysanthemum crop. The average rate of dead plants was 9.0% with the application of fungicides (1 g of methalaxyl + 4.8 g of mancozeb/ m²; 2.3% in solarized plots; 1.0% in solarized plots which received half the dosages of the fungicides and 38.9% in control plots. Similar control of weeds was obtained in solarized plots and plots treated with the herbicide oxidiazon.

  10. Estimating the solar radiation environment on the soil surface between rows using crop canopy architectural models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuge, K.; Haraguchi, T.; Nakano, Y.; Kuroda, M.; Funakoshi, T.

    2002-01-01

    The objective of this study is quantification of the solar radiation in the farmland located in the hilly and mountainous areas, considering the effect of the shelter adjacent to the field, such as the forest (This effect is called as the edge-effect in this study.). To evaluate the edge-effect on the solar radiation environment in the farmland, solar radiations are measured at the center and edge of the study site adjacent to the forest. The simulation model is composed, coupling with the fish-eye projection method and procedure for the separating direct and diffuse solar radiations. Using this model, the diurnal solar radiations are simulated at the center and edge of the study site. The simulation result showed good agreement with the observation. The spatial distribution of the solar radiation in an observational field is quantified by this method, considering the edge-effect. The simulation result indicated that the solar radiation environment on the field surface is affected by the shelter adjacent to the field and the field direction. (author)

  11. Soil fertility and soil loss constraints on crop residue removal for energy production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Flaim, S.

    1979-07-01

    A summary of the methodologies used to estimate the soil fertility and soil loss constraints on crop residue removal for energy production is presented. Estimates of excess residue are developed for wheat in north-central Oklahoma and for corn and soybeans in central Iowa. These sample farming situations are analyzed in other research in the Analysis Division of the Solar Energy Research Institute.

  12. Crop yield response to climate change varies with cropping intensity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Challinor, Andrew J; Parkes, Ben; Ramirez-Villegas, Julian

    2015-04-01

    Projections of the response of crop yield to climate change at different spatial scales are known to vary. However, understanding of the causes of systematic differences across scale is limited. Here, we hypothesize that heterogeneous cropping intensity is one source of scale dependency. Analysis of observed global data and regional crop modelling demonstrate that areas of high vs. low cropping intensity can have systematically different yields, in both observations and simulations. Analysis of global crop data suggests that heterogeneity in cropping intensity is a likely source of scale dependency for a number of crops across the globe. Further crop modelling and a meta-analysis of projected tropical maize yields are used to assess the implications for climate change assessments. The results show that scale dependency is a potential source of systematic bias. We conclude that spatially comprehensive assessments of climate impacts based on yield alone, without accounting for cropping intensity, are prone to systematic overestimation of climate impacts. The findings therefore suggest a need for greater attention to crop suitability and land use change when assessing the impacts of climate change. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Energy productivity of some plantation crops in Malaysia and the status of bioenergy utilisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, K.O.; Zainal Alimuddin Zainal Alauddin; Ghulam Abdul Quadir; Mohd Zulkifly Abdullah

    2000-01-01

    The paper assesses the energy productivity of the major plantation crops in Malaysia as well as the status of bioenergy utilisation in that country. Of the crops studied and under present local cultivation practices, oil palms and cocoa trees stand out as good trappers of solar energy while paddy plants are the least efficient. Presently, Malaysia consumes roughly 340 million boe of energy per year. Of this amount 14% are contributed by biomass. However of the total amount of biowastes generated in the country roughly 24.5% are already utilised for energy purposes and roughly 75.5% are still unutilised and therefore wasted. (Author)

  14. Biogas production from energy crops and crop residues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lehtomaeki, A.

    2006-07-01

    The feasibility of utilising energy crops and crop residues in methane production through anaerobic digestion in boreal conditions was evaluated in this thesis. Potential boreal energy crops and crop residues were screened for their suitability for methane production, and the effects of harvest time and storage on the methane potential of crops was evaluated. Codigestion of energy crops and crop residues with cow manure, as well as digestion of energy crops alone in batch leach bed reactors with and without a second stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) or methanogenic filter (MF) were evaluated. The methane potentials of crops, as determined in laboratory methane potential assays, varied from 0.17 to 0.49 m3 CH{sub 4} kg-1 VS{sub added} (volatile solids added) and from 25 to 260 m3 CH4 t-1 ww (tons of wet weight). Jerusalem artichoke, timothy-clover and reed canary grass gave the highest methane potentials of 2 900-5 400 m3 CH{sub 4} ha-1, corresponding to a gross energy potential of 28-53 MWh ha-1 and 40 000-60 000 km ha-1 in passenger car transport. The methane potentials per ww increased with most crops as the crops matured. Ensiling without additives resulted in minor losses (0-13%) in the methane potential of sugar beet tops but more substantial losses (17-39%) in the methane potential of grass, while ensiling with additives was shown to have potential in improving the methane potentials of these substrates by up to 19-22%. In semi-continuously fed laboratory continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) co-digestion of manure and crops was shown feasible with feedstock VS containing up to 40% of crops. The highest specific methane yields of 0.268, 0.229 and 0.213 m3 CH{sub 4} kg-1 VS{sub added} in co-digestion of cow manure with grass, sugar beet tops and straw, respectively, were obtained with 30% of crop in the feedstock, corresponding to 85-105% of the methane potential in the substrates as determined by batch assays. Including 30% of crop in

  15. Connecting Biochemical Photosynthesis Models with Crop Models to Support Crop Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Alex; Song, Youhong; van Oosterom, Erik J; Hammer, Graeme L

    2016-01-01

    The next advance in field crop productivity will likely need to come from improving crop use efficiency of resources (e.g., light, water, and nitrogen), aspects of which are closely linked with overall crop photosynthetic efficiency. Progress in genetic manipulation of photosynthesis is confounded by uncertainties of consequences at crop level because of difficulties connecting across scales. Crop growth and development simulation models that integrate across biological levels of organization and use a gene-to-phenotype modeling approach may present a way forward. There has been a long history of development of crop models capable of simulating dynamics of crop physiological attributes. Many crop models incorporate canopy photosynthesis (source) as a key driver for crop growth, while others derive crop growth from the balance between source- and sink-limitations. Modeling leaf photosynthesis has progressed from empirical modeling via light response curves to a more mechanistic basis, having clearer links to the underlying biochemical processes of photosynthesis. Cross-scale modeling that connects models at the biochemical and crop levels and utilizes developments in upscaling leaf-level models to canopy models has the potential to bridge the gap between photosynthetic manipulation at the biochemical level and its consequences on crop productivity. Here we review approaches to this emerging cross-scale modeling framework and reinforce the need for connections across levels of modeling. Further, we propose strategies for connecting biochemical models of photosynthesis into the cross-scale modeling framework to support crop improvement through photosynthetic manipulation.

  16. Connecting Biochemical Photosynthesis Models with Crop Models to Support Crop Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Alex; Song, Youhong; van Oosterom, Erik J.; Hammer, Graeme L.

    2016-01-01

    The next advance in field crop productivity will likely need to come from improving crop use efficiency of resources (e.g., light, water, and nitrogen), aspects of which are closely linked with overall crop photosynthetic efficiency. Progress in genetic manipulation of photosynthesis is confounded by uncertainties of consequences at crop level because of difficulties connecting across scales. Crop growth and development simulation models that integrate across biological levels of organization and use a gene-to-phenotype modeling approach may present a way forward. There has been a long history of development of crop models capable of simulating dynamics of crop physiological attributes. Many crop models incorporate canopy photosynthesis (source) as a key driver for crop growth, while others derive crop growth from the balance between source- and sink-limitations. Modeling leaf photosynthesis has progressed from empirical modeling via light response curves to a more mechanistic basis, having clearer links to the underlying biochemical processes of photosynthesis. Cross-scale modeling that connects models at the biochemical and crop levels and utilizes developments in upscaling leaf-level models to canopy models has the potential to bridge the gap between photosynthetic manipulation at the biochemical level and its consequences on crop productivity. Here we review approaches to this emerging cross-scale modeling framework and reinforce the need for connections across levels of modeling. Further, we propose strategies for connecting biochemical models of photosynthesis into the cross-scale modeling framework to support crop improvement through photosynthetic manipulation. PMID:27790232

  17. Colocation opportunities for large solar infrastructures and agriculture in drylands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ravi, Sujith; Macknick, Jordan; Lobell, David; Field, Christopher; Ganesan, Karthik; Jain, Rishabh; Elchinger, Michael; Stoltenberg, Blaise

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • We explored the potential to colocate solar installations and agriculture. • Water use at solar installations are similar to amounts required for desert plants. • Co-located systems are economically viable in some areas. • Colocation can maximize land and water use efficiency in drylands. - Abstract: Solar energy installations in arid and semi-arid regions are rapidly increasing due to technological advances and policy support. Although solar energy provides several benefits such as reduction of greenhouse gases, reclamation of degraded land, and improved quality of life in developing countries, the deployment of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure may negatively impact land and water resources. Meeting the ever-expanding energy demand with limited land and water resources in the context of increasing demand for alternative uses such as agricultural and domestic consumption is a major challenge. The goal of this study was to explore opportunities to colocate solar infrastructures and agricultural crops to maximize the efficiency of land and water use. We investigated the energy inputs/outputs, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and economics of solar installations in northwestern India in comparison to aloe vera cultivation, another widely promoted and economically important land use in these systems. The life cycle analyses show that the colocated systems are economically viable in some rural areas and may provide opportunities for rural electrification and stimulate economic growth. The water inputs for cleaning solar panels are similar to amounts required for annual aloe productivity, suggesting the possibility of integrating the two systems to maximize land and water use efficiency. A life cycle analysis of a hypothetical colocation indicated higher returns per m"3 of water used than either system alone. The northwestern region of India has experienced high population growth in the past decade, creating additional demand for land

  18. Infrared thermometry and the crop water stress index. II. Sampling procedures and interpretation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gardner, B.R.; Nielsen, D.C.; Shock, C.C.

    1992-01-01

    Infrared thermometry can be a valuable research and production tool for detecting and quantifying water stress in plants, as shown by a large volume of published research. Users of infrared thermometers (IRT) should be aware of the many equipment, environmental, and plant factors influencing canopy temperature measured by an IRT. The purpose of this paper is to describe factors influencing measured plant temperature, outline sampling procedures that will produce reliable Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) values, and offer interpretations of CWSI and plant temperatures relative to crop production and other water stress parameters by reviewing previously conducted research. Factors that are considered are IRT condition, configuration, and position; psychrometer location; wind speed; solar radiation; time of day; leaf area and orientation; and appropriate non-water-stressed baseline equation. Standard sampling and CWSI calculation procedures are proposed. Use of CWSI with crops varying in type of response to water stress is described. Previously conducted research on plant temperatures or CWSI is tabulated by crop and water stress parameters measured. The paper provides valuable information to assist interested users of IRTs in making reliable water stress measurements. (author)

  19. Infrared thermometry and the crop water stress index. II. Sampling procedures and interpretation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gardner, B. R. [BP Research, Cleveland, OH (United States); Nielsen, D. C.; Shock, C. C.

    1992-10-15

    Infrared thermometry can be a valuable research and production tool for detecting and quantifying water stress in plants, as shown by a large volume of published research. Users of infrared thermometers (IRT) should be aware of the many equipment, environmental, and plant factors influencing canopy temperature measured by an IRT. The purpose of this paper is to describe factors influencing measured plant temperature, outline sampling procedures that will produce reliable Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) values, and offer interpretations of CWSI and plant temperatures relative to crop production and other water stress parameters by reviewing previously conducted research. Factors that are considered are IRT condition, configuration, and position; psychrometer location; wind speed; solar radiation; time of day; leaf area and orientation; and appropriate non-water-stressed baseline equation. Standard sampling and CWSI calculation procedures are proposed. Use of CWSI with crops varying in type of response to water stress is described. Previously conducted research on plant temperatures or CWSI is tabulated by crop and water stress parameters measured. The paper provides valuable information to assist interested users of IRTs in making reliable water stress measurements. (author)

  20. A Novel Parabolic Trough Concentrating Solar Heating for Cut Tobacco Drying System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiang Tao Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel parabolic trough concentrating solar heating for cut tobacco drying system was established. The opening width effect of V type metal cavity absorber was investigated. A cut tobacco drying mathematical model calculated by fourth-order Runge-Kutta numerical solution method was used to simulate the cut tobacco drying process. And finally the orthogonal test method was used to optimize the parameters of cut tobacco drying process. The result shows that the heating rate, acquisition factor, and collector system efficiency increase with increasing the opening width of the absorber. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data for cut tobacco drying process. The relative errors between simulated and experimental values are less than 8%, indicating that this mathematical model is accurate for the cut tobacco airflow drying process. The optimum preparation conditions are an inlet airflow velocity of 15 m/s, an initial cut tobacco moisture content of 26%, and an inlet airflow temperature of 200°C. The thermal efficiency of the dryer and the final cut tobacco moisture content are 66.32% and 14.15%, respectively. The result shows that this parabolic trough concentrating solar heating will be one of the heat recourse candidates for cut tobacco drying system.

  1. Evaluation of Aqua crop Model to Predict Crop Water Productivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Noor Hidayat Adenan; Faiz Ahmad; Shyful Azizi Abdul Rahman; Abdul Rahim Harun; Khairuddin Abdul Rahim

    2015-01-01

    Water and nutrient are critical inputs for crop production, especially in meeting challenges from increasing fertilizer cost and irregular water availability associated with climate change. The Land and Water Division of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed Aqua Crop, an integrated application software to simulate the interactions between plant, water and soil. Field management and irrigation management are the factors that need to be considered since it affects the interactions. Four critical components are needed in the Aqua Crop model, viz. climate, crop, field management and soil conditions. In our case study, climate data from rice field in Utan Aji, Kangar, Perlis was applied to run a simulation by using AquaCrop model. The rice crop was also assessed against deficit irrigation schedules and we found that use of water at optimum level increased rice yield. Results derived from the use of the model corresponded conventional assessment. This model can be adopted to help farmers in Malaysia in planning crop and field management to increase the crop productivity, especially in areas where the water is limited. (author)

  2. Estimation of Rice Crop Yields Using Random Forests in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, C. F.; Lin, H. S.; Nguyen, S. T.; Chen, C. R.

    2017-12-01

    Rice is globally one of the most important food crops, directly feeding more people than any other crops. Rice is not only the most important commodity, but also plays a critical role in the economy of Taiwan because it provides employment and income for large rural populations. The rice harvested area and production are thus monitored yearly due to the government's initiatives. Agronomic planners need such information for more precise assessment of food production to tackle issues of national food security and policymaking. This study aimed to develop a machine-learning approach using physical parameters to estimate rice crop yields in Taiwan. We processed the data for 2014 cropping seasons, following three main steps: (1) data pre-processing to construct input layers, including soil types and weather parameters (e.g., maxima and minima air temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation) obtained from meteorological stations across the country; (2) crop yield estimation using the random forests owing to its merits as it can process thousands of variables, estimate missing data, maintain the accuracy level when a large proportion of the data is missing, overcome most of over-fitting problems, and run fast and efficiently when handling large datasets; and (3) error verification. To execute the model, we separated the datasets into two groups of pixels: group-1 (70% of pixels) for training the model and group-2 (30% of pixels) for testing the model. Once the model is trained to produce small and stable out-of-bag error (i.e., the mean squared error between predicted and actual values), it can be used for estimating rice yields of cropping seasons. The results obtained from the random forests-based regression were compared with the actual yield statistics indicated the values of root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) achieved for the first rice crop were respectively 6.2% and 2.7%, while those for the second rice crop were 5.3% and 2

  3. Unique concept results in 67% energy saving of dryer. Successful use of a NH3 heat pump for a McCain fried potato dryer; Uniek concept leidt tot een energiebesparing van 67% op de droger. NH3-warmtepomp succesvol toegepast op frietdroger van McCain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Leeuw, M. [De Kleijn Energie Consulting, Druten (Netherlands)

    2013-07-15

    French fries producer McCain Foods installed in the summer of 2012 an ammonia heat pump for a fried potato dryer in Lelystad, Netherlands. After six months it appears that the installation operates without problems and with a very high efficiency [Dutch] Frietproducent McCain Foods installeerde in de zomer van 2012 een warmtepomp op de frietdroger in Lelystad. Na een half jaar kan geconstateerd worden dat de installatie zonder problemen en met een zeer hoog rendement draait.

  4. Simulation of Solar Radiation Incident on Horizontal and Inclined Surfaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MA Basunia

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A computer model was developed to simulate the hourly, daily and monthly average of daily solar radiation on horizontal and inclined surfaces. The measured hourly and daily solar radiation was compared with simulated radiation, and favourable agreement was observed for the measured and predicted values on clear days. The measured and simulated monthly averages of total (diffuse and beam daily solar radiation were compared and a reasonable agreement was observed for a number of stations in Japan. The simulation showed that during the rice harvesting season, September to October, there is a daily average of 14.7 MJ/m2 of solar irradiation on a horizontal surface in Matsuyama, Japan. There is a similar amount of solar radiation on a horizontal surface during the major rice harvesting season, November to December, in Bangladesh. This radiation can be effectively utilized for drying rough rice and other farm crops.

  5. Thin-layer drying of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. cv. Rio Grande) slices in a convective hot air dryer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Demiray, Engin; Tulek, Yahya [Pamukkale University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Food Engineering, Kinikli, Denizli (Turkey)

    2012-05-15

    The effects of different drying temperatures on the drying kinetics of tomato slices were investigated using a cabinet-type dryer. The experimental drying data were fitted best to the to the Page and Modified Page models apart from other theoretical models to predict the drying kinetics. The effective moisture diffusivities varied from 1.015 x 10{sup -9} to 2.650 x 10{sup -9} m {sup 2} s {sup -1}over the temperature range studied, and activation energy was 22.981 kJ mol {sup -1}. (orig.)

  6. Controlling in situ crystallization of pharmaceutical particles within the spray dryer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Meng Wai; Lee, May Ginn; Shakiba, Soroush; Mansouri, Shahnaz

    2017-11-01

    Simultaneous solidification and in situ crystallization (or partial crystallization) of droplets within the drying chamber are commonly encountered in the spray drying of pharmaceuticals. The crystallinity developed will determine the functionality of the powder and its stability during storage. This review discusses strategies that can be used to control the in situ crystallization process. Areas covered: The premise of the strategies discussed focuses on the manipulation of the droplet drying rate relative to the timescale of crystallization. This can be undertaken by the control of the spray drying operation, by the use of volatile materials and by the inclusion of additives. Several predictive approaches for in situ crystallization control and new spray dryer configuration strategies are further discussed. Expert opinion: Most reports, hitherto, have focused on the crystallinity of the spray dried material or the development of crystallinity during storage. More mechanistic understanding of the in situ crystallization process during spray drying is required to guide product formulation trials. The key challenge will be in adapting the mechanistic approach to the myriad possible formulations in the pharmaceutical industry.

  7. 75 FR 15603 - Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Florida Avocado Crop Insurance Provisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-30

    ... to: (1) Theft; or (2) Inability to market the avocados for any reason other than actual physical... Crop Insurance Regulations; Florida Avocado Crop Insurance Provisions AGENCY: Federal Crop Insurance... Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Florida Avocado Crop Insurance Provisions to convert the Florida...

  8. 4F CROPS: Future crops for food, feed, fibre and fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    E. Alexopoulou, E.; Christou, M.; Eleftheriadis, I. [Center for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES), Pikermi Attikis (Greece)

    2008-07-01

    As different sectors - food, feed, fiber, and fuels - compete for land, the yielding potential of the future non-food crops has to be as efficient as possible in order to minimize the competition for land. The main objective of 4F CROPS project is to survey and analyze all the parameters that will play an important role in successful non-food cropping systems in the agriculture of EU27 alongside the existing food crop systems. The work will start with the prediction of the future land use in short term (2020) and long term (2030), taking under consideration restrict factors for agriculture and the market demand for non-food crops. The cropping possibilities based on regional potential levels, ecology and climate will be determined. This group of non-food crops will be then subjected to a comparative cost analysis with conventional crops for the same time framework. Socio-economic impacts, like farmers' income, rural development, public development, and public acceptance will analyze. Then environmental implications will be assessed compared to their respective conventional products (fossil energy, conversional materials). Several environmental impacts will be assessed like soil quality and soil erosion, air quality and climate change, water issues, biodiversity and landscape by using LCA and EIE methods. The regulatory framework of the non-food crops will be considered including existing policies, co-existence and safety measures when the crops used for both food and non-food crops. All the collected information will be used for the formation of scenarios for successful non-food cropping alongside food cropping systems answering whether a completive bioeconomy is a viable option for EU27.

  9. Estimation of daily global solar radiation as a function of the solar energy potential at soil surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira, A.B.; Vrisman, A.L.; Galvani, E.

    2002-01-01

    The solar radiation received at the surface of the earth, apart from its relevance to several daily human activities, plays an important role in the growth and development of plants. The aim of the current work was to develop and gauge an estimation model for the evaluation of the global solar radiation flux density as a function of the solar energy potential at soil surface. Radiometric data were collected at Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil (latitude 25°13' S, longitude 50°03' W, altitude 880 m). Estimated values of solar energy potential obtained as a function of only one measurement taken at solar noon time were confronted with those measured by a Robitzsch bimetalic actinograph, for days that presented insolation ratios higher than 0.85. This data set was submitted to a simple linear regression analysis, having been obtained a good adjustment between observed and calculated values. For the estimation of the coefficients a and b of Angström's equation, the method based on the solar energy potential at soil surface was used for the site under study. The methodology was efficient to assess the coefficients, aiming at the determination of the global solar radiation flux density, whith quickness and simplicity, having also found out that the criterium for the estimation of the solar energy potential is equivalent to that of the classical methodology of Angström. Knowledge of the available solar energy potential and global solar radiation flux density is of great importance for the estimation of the maximum atmospheric evaporative demand, of water consumption by irrigated crops, and also for building solar engineering equipment, such as driers, heaters, solar ovens, refrigerators, etc [pt

  10. RANCANG BANGUN ALAT PENGERING TIPE RAK DENGAN SYSTEM HYBRID UNTUK USAHA PISANG SALE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Makky

    2008-09-01

    A rack type solar dryer has build with a secondary heat source using gas fireplace. The rack build from light material using fickle timber and aluminums made it become portable. The dryer build with a knock down system, so it can be assemble and disassemble to reposition it in area with better solar recipient. Total weight of this dryer is only 32 kg and consists of four major parts. The first part is solar collector, height 22 cm, width 85 cm and length 187 cm at an angle of 5o to the horizontal axle. The solar collector constructed in wave shape to maximize the acceptance area of solar ray. The collector builds in a glass house frame to optimize the heat dissipation so it can reach Working temperature of 65oC. The fireplace was the second part, and made from rust proof steel. It has dimension of 85 cm width, 65 cm length and 22 cm height. The fireplace filled with 6 liters sand to maximize heat collect from the stove. The stove was the third part; consist of a gas stove and a 5 kg gas tube. The stove can be turn on in rainy day or at night as an alternative heat source for drying process. The tube contain of 3 kg gas that can fuel the stove for 60 hours. The last part was the drying rack with 360 liters volume. It has five cabinets and can fill up to 1500 pieces of dried banana. The rack equipped with a shell type door to simplify the containing process.

  11. Do green manures as winter cover crops impact the weediness and crop yield in an organic crop rotation?

    OpenAIRE

    Madsen, Helena; Talgre, Liina; Eremeev, Viacheslav; Alaru, Maarika; Kauer, Karin; Luik, Anne

    2016-01-01

    The effects of different winter cover crops and their combination with composted cattle manure on weeds and crop yields were investigated within a five-field crop rotation (barley undersown with red clover, red clover, winter wheat, pea, potato) in three organic cropping systems. The control system (Org 0) followed the rotation. In organic systems Org I and Org II the winter cover crops were used as follows: ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. in 2011/2012) and a mixture of winter oilseed-rape (Brass...

  12. Crop Yield Simulations Using Multiple Regional Climate Models in the Southwestern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stack, D.; Kafatos, M.; Kim, S.; Kim, J.; Walko, R. L.

    2013-12-01

    Agricultural productivity (described by crop yield) is strongly dependent on climate conditions determined by meteorological parameters (e.g., temperature, rainfall, and solar radiation). California is the largest producer of agricultural products in the United States, but crops in associated arid and semi-arid regions live near their physiological limits (e.g., in hot summer conditions with little precipitation). Thus, accurate climate data are essential in assessing the impact of climate variability on agricultural productivity in the Southwestern United States and other arid regions. To address this issue, we produced simulated climate datasets and used them as input for the crop production model. For climate data, we employed two different regional climate models (WRF and OLAM) using a fine-resolution (8km) grid. Performances of the two different models are evaluated in a fine-resolution regional climate hindcast experiment for 10 years from 2001 to 2010 by comparing them to the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) dataset. Based on this comparison, multi-model ensembles with variable weighting are used to alleviate model bias and improve the accuracy of crop model productivity over large geographic regions (county and state). Finally, by using a specific crop-yield simulation model (APSIM) in conjunction with meteorological forcings from the multi-regional climate model ensemble, we demonstrate the degree to which maize yields are sensitive to the regional climate in the Southwestern United States.

  13. 76 FR 71276 - Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Pecan Revenue Crop Insurance Provisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ...-0008] RIN 0563-AC35 Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Pecan Revenue Crop Insurance Provisions AGENCY... Corporation (FCIC) proposes to amend the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Pecan Revenue Crop Insurance... Regulations (7 CFR part 457) by revising Sec. 457.167 Pecan Revenue Crop Insurance Provisions, to be effective...

  14. Sustainable crop intensification through surface water irrigation in Bangladesh? A geospatial assessment of landscape-scale production potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krupnik, Timothy J; Schulthess, Urs; Ahmed, Zia Uddin; McDonald, Andrew J

    2017-01-01

    Changing dietary preferences and population growth in South Asia have resulted in increasing demand for wheat and maize, along side high and sustained demand for rice. In the highly productive northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, farmers utilize groundwater irrigation to assure that at least two of these crops are sequenced on the same field within the same year. Such double cropping has had a significant and positive influence on regional agricultural productivity. But in the risk-prone and food insecure lower Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP), cropping is less intensive. During the dryer winter months, arable land is frequently fallowed or devoted to lower yielding rainfed legumes. Seeing opportunity to boost cereals production, particularly for rice, donors and land use policy makers have consequently reprioritized agricultural development investments in this impoverished region. Tapping groundwater for irrigation and intensified double cropping, however, is unlikely to be economically viable or environmentally sound in the EIGP. Constraints include saline shallow water tables and the prohibitively high installation and energetic extraction costs from deeper freshwater aquifers. The network of largely underutilized rivers and natural canals in the EIGP could conversely be tapped to provide less energetically and economically costly surface water irrigation (SWI). This approach is now championed by the Government of Bangladesh, which has requested USD 500 million from donors to implement land and water use policies to facilitate SWI and double cropping. Precise geospatial assessment of where freshwater flows are most prominent, or where viable fallow or low production intensity cropland is most common, however remains lacking. In response, we used remotely sensed data to identify agricultural land, detect the temporal availability of freshwater in rivers and canals, and assess crop production intensity over a three-year study period in a 33,750

  15. Prediction of County-Level Corn Yields Using an Energy-Crop Growth Index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andresen, Jeffrey A.; Dale, Robert F.; Fletcher, Jerald J.; Preckel, Paul V.

    1989-01-01

    Weather conditions significantly affect corn yields. while weather remains as the major uncontrolled variable in crop production, an understanding of the influence of weather on yields can aid in early and accurate assessment of the impact of weather and climate on crop yields and allow for timely agricultural extension advisories to help reduce farm management costs and improve marketing, decisions. Based on data for four representative countries in Indiana from 1960 to 1984 (excluding 1970 because of the disastrous southern corn leaf blight), a model was developed to estimate corn (Zea mays L.) yields as a function of several composite soil-crop-weather variables and a technology-trend marker, applied nitrogen fertilizer (N). The model was tested by predicting corn yields for 15 other counties. A daily energy-crop growth (ECG) variable in which different weights were used for the three crop-weather variables which make up the daily ECG-solar radiation intercepted by the canopy, a temperature function, and the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration-performed better than when the ECG components were weighted equally. The summation of the weighted daily ECG over a relatively short period (36 days spanning silk) was found to provide the best index for predicting county average corn yield. Numerical estimation results indicate that the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration (ET/PET) is much more important than the other two ECG factors in estimating county average corn yield in Indiana.

  16. Combining Multi-Agent Systems and Wireless Sensor Networks for Monitoring Crop Irrigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Villarrubia

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Monitoring mechanisms that ensure efficient crop growth are essential on many farms, especially in certain areas of the planet where water is scarce. Most farmers must assume the high cost of the required equipment in order to be able to streamline natural resources on their farms. Considering that many farmers cannot afford to install this equipment, it is necessary to look for more effective solutions that would be cheaper to implement. The objective of this study is to build virtual organizations of agents that can communicate between each other while monitoring crops. A low cost sensor architecture allows farmers to monitor and optimize the growth of their crops by streamlining the amount of resources the crops need at every moment. Since the hardware has limited processing and communication capabilities, our approach uses the PANGEA architecture to overcome this limitation. Specifically, we will design a system that is capable of collecting heterogeneous information from its environment, using sensors for temperature, solar radiation, humidity, pH, moisture and wind. A major outcome of our approach is that our solution is able to merge heterogeneous data from sensors and produce a response adapted to the context. In order to validate the proposed system, we present a case study in which farmers are provided with a tool that allows us to monitor the condition of crops on a TV screen using a low cost device.

  17. Emergy analysis of cropping-grazing system in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, L.X.; Yang, Z.F.; Chen, G.Q.

    2007-01-01

    An ecological energetic evaluation is presented in this paper as a complement to economic account for the cropping-grazing system in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China in the year 2000. Based on Odum's well-known concept of emergy in terms of embodied solar energy as a unified measure for environmental resources, human or animal labors and industrial products, a systems diagram is developed for the crop and livestock productions with arms and sub-arms for free renewable natural resource input, purchased economic investment, yields of and interactive fluxes between the cropping and grazing sub-industries. In addition to conventional systems indices of the emergy yield ratio (EYR), emergy investment ratio (EIR), environmental load ratio (ELR) and environmental sustainability index (ESI) introduced for congregated systems ecological assessment with essential implication for sustainability, new indicators of soil emergy cost (SEC), self-support intensity (SSI) and self-support orientation (SSO) are defined to characterize the desertification and internal recycling associated with the special agricultural system. Extensive emergy accounting is made for the cropping-grazing system as a whole as well as for the cropping and grazing subsystems. The overall cropping-grazing system is shown with outstanding production competence compared with agricultural systems in some other provinces and the national average in China, though confronted with severe desertification associated with soil loss. The production of crops has higher emergy density and yield rate per unit area as well as higher rate of soil loss than grazing system. The soil emergy cost defined as the soil loss emergy divided by the yield emergy is estimated to be of the same value for both of the subsystems, but the grazing activity is with less extraction intensity, leaving rangeland to rest and rehabilitate. Suggestions with regard to the local sustainability and national ecological security in

  18. Preserving Food by Drying. A Math/Science Teaching Manual. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Manual No. M-10.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahy, Cynthia; And Others

    This manual presents a design for teaching science principles and mathematics concepts through a sequence of activities concentrating on weather, solar food dryers, and nutrition. Part I focuses on the effect of solar energy on air and water, examining the concepts of evaporation, condensation, radiation, conduction, and convection. These concepts…

  19. (2) TAIWO ET AL PAPER ON CASSAVA CHIPS

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adeyinka Odunsi

    Department of Agricultural Engineering, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State,. Nigeria. Corresponding Author: A. Taiwo. .... manufacture and customer use, to design and build many different models of crop dryers. (Dorn .... Evaluation of the mechanical- convection (forced-draft) type cassava chip.

  20. Modulating protein release profiles by incorporating hyaluronic acid into PLGA microparticles Via a spray dryer equipped with a 3-fluid nozzle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wan, Feng; Maltesen, Morten Jonas; Andersen, Sune Klint

    2014-01-01

    with or without HA were prepared using a spray dryer equipped with a 3-fluid nozzle. The effects of HA on the surface tension and the rheological behavior of the inner feed solution were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the resulting microparticles were characterized using scanning electron......: The present work demonstrates the potential of HA to modulate protein release profile from PLGA microparticle formulations produced via spray drying using 3-fluid nozzle....

  1. The effects of solar ultraviolet-B radiation on the growth and yield of barley are accompanied by increased DNA damage and antioxidant responses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazza, C.A.; Battista, D.; Zima, A.M.; Szwarcberg-Bracchitta, M.; Giordano, C.V.; Acevedo, A.; Scopel, A.L.; Ballare, C.L.

    1999-01-01

    There is limited information on the impacts of present-day solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) on biomass and grain yield of field crops and on the mechanisms that confer tolerance to UV-B radiation under field conditions. We investigated the effects of solar UV-B on aspects of the biochemistry, growth and yield of barley crops using replicated field plots and two barley strains, a catalase (CAT)-deficient mutant (RPr 79/4) and its wild-type mother line (Maris Mink). Solar UV-B reduced biomass accumulation and grain yield in both strains. The effects on crop biomass accumulation tended to be more severe in RPr 79/4 (≈ 32% reduction) than in the mother line (≈ 20% reduction). Solar UV-B caused measurable DNA damage in leaf tissue, in spite of inducing a significant increase in UV-absorbing sunscreens in the two lines. Maris Mink responded to solar UV-B with increased CAT and ascorbate peroxidase (APx) activity. No effects of UV-B on total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected. Compared with the wild type, RPr 79/4 had lower CAT activity, as expected, but higher APx activity. Neither of these activities increased in response to UV-B in RPr 79/4. These results suggest that growth inhibition by solar UV-B involves DNA damage and oxidative stress, and that constitutive and UV-B-induced antioxidant capacity may play an important role in UV-B tolerance. (author)

  2. Relay cropping as a sustainable approach: problems and opportunities for sustainable crop production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanveer, Mohsin; Anjum, Shakeel Ahmad; Hussain, Saddam; Cerdà, Artemi; Ashraf, Umair

    2017-03-01

    Climate change, soil degradation, and depletion of natural resources are becoming the most prominent challenges for crop productivity and environmental sustainability in modern agriculture. In the scenario of conventional farming system, limited chances are available to cope with these issues. Relay cropping is a method of multiple cropping where one crop is seeded into standing second crop well before harvesting of second crop. Relay cropping may solve a number of conflicts such as inefficient use of available resources, controversies in sowing time, fertilizer application, and soil degradation. Relay cropping is a complex suite of different resource-efficient technologies, which possesses the capability to improve soil quality, to increase net return, to increase land equivalent ratio, and to control the weeds and pest infestation. The current review emphasized relay cropping as a tool for crop diversification and environmental sustainability with special focus on soil. Briefly, benefits, constraints, and opportunities of relay cropping keeping the goals of higher crop productivity and sustainability have also been discussed in this review. The research and knowledge gap in relay cropping was also highlighted in order to guide the further studies in future.

  3. Crop residue management in arable cropping systems under a temperate climate. Part 2: Soil physical properties and crop production. A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiel, MP.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Residues of previous crops provide a valuable amount of organic matter that can be used either to restore soil fertility or for external use. A better understanding of the impact of crop residue management on the soil-water-plant system is needed in order to manage agricultural land sustainably. This review focuses on soil physical aspects related to crop residue management, and specifically on the link between soil structure and hydraulic properties and its impact on crop production. Literature. Conservation practices, including crop residue retention and non-conventional tillage, can enhance soil health by improving aggregate stability. In this case, water infiltration is facilitated, resulting in an increase in plant water availability. Conservation practices, however, do not systematically lead to higher water availability for the plant. The influence of crop residue management on crop production is still unclear; in some cases, crop production is enhanced by residue retention, but in others crop residues can reduce crop yield. Conclusions. In this review we discuss the diverse and contrasting effects of crop residue management on soil physical properties and crop production under a temperate climate. The review highlights the importance of environmental factors such as soil type and local climatic conditions, highlighting the need to perform field studies on crop residue management and relate them to specific pedo-climatic contexts.

  4. Effect of solar radiation and temperature on grain number definition in maize

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Didonet, A.D.; Rodrigues, O.; Mario, J.L.; Ide, F.

    2002-01-01

    The objective of this experiment was to study the effect of solar radiation and temperature regime between emergence and silking on the crop development rate and the number of grain per growing rate unit of the crop, and the relationships of such parameters with the grain yield of corn hybrids. The experiments were carried out in the years 1994/95 to 1996/97, using the commercial hybrids C-901, XL-560, and XL-678 in 1994/95 and the hybrids C-901, XL-212, and XL-370 in the remaining years. The treatments consisted of sowing dates from September to December, in 1994/95, and from August to December, in 1995/96 and 1996/97. High dry matter accumulation was observed when there was high incidence of solar radiation during the period between emergence and flowering. However, as the mean air temperature exerts effect on the duration of that period, the growth rate during such period was more associated to temperature than to solar radiation. The effect of the temperature was inversely proportional to the number of grains per unit of growing rate in this period, possibly due to the longer time for solar radiation interception. As a result of the association between temperature and radiation, the photothermal coefficient was positively associated with the grain yield. (author) [pt

  5. GEOGLAM Crop Monitor Assessment Tool: Developing Monthly Crop Condition Assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGaughey, K.; Becker Reshef, I.; Barker, B.; Humber, M. L.; Nordling, J.; Justice, C. O.; Deshayes, M.

    2014-12-01

    The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) developed the Global Agricultural Monitoring initiative (GEOGLAM) to improve existing agricultural information through a network of international partnerships, data sharing, and operational research. This presentation will discuss the Crop Monitor component of GEOGLAM, which provides the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) with an international, multi-source, and transparent consensus assessment of crop growing conditions, status, and agro-climatic conditions likely to impact global production. This activity covers the four primary crop types (wheat, maize, rice, and soybean) within the main agricultural producing regions of the AMIS countries. These assessments have been produced operationally since September 2013 and are published in the AMIS Market Monitor Bulletin. The Crop Monitor reports provide cartographic and textual summaries of crop conditions as of the 28th of each month, according to crop type. This presentation will focus on the building of international networks, data collection, and data dissemination.

  6. Predicting optimum crop designs using crop models and seasonal climate forecasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, D; de Voil, P; Hudson, D; Brown, J N; Hayman, P; Marrou, H; Meinke, H

    2018-02-02

    Expected increases in food demand and the need to limit the incorporation of new lands into agriculture to curtail emissions, highlight the urgency to bridge productivity gaps, increase farmers profits and manage risks in dryland cropping. A way to bridge those gaps is to identify optimum combination of genetics (G), and agronomic managements (M) i.e. crop designs (GxM), for the prevailing and expected growing environment (E). Our understanding of crop stress physiology indicates that in hindsight, those optimum crop designs should be known, while the main problem is to predict relevant attributes of the E, at the time of sowing, so that optimum GxM combinations could be informed. Here we test our capacity to inform that "hindsight", by linking a tested crop model (APSIM) with a skillful seasonal climate forecasting system, to answer "What is the value of the skill in seasonal climate forecasting, to inform crop designs?" Results showed that the GCM POAMA-2 was reliable and skillful, and that when linked with APSIM, optimum crop designs could be informed. We conclude that reliable and skillful GCMs that are easily interfaced with crop simulation models, can be used to inform optimum crop designs, increase farmers profits and reduce risks.

  7. Solar Energy within the Central Valley, CA: Current Practices and Potential

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffacker, M. K.; Hernandez, R. R.; Allen, M. F.

    2015-12-01

    Utility-scale solar energy (USSE, ≥ 1 megawatt [MW]) systems are rapidly being deployed in the Central Valley of California, generating clean electricity and new job opportunities. Utility-scale solar energy systems require substantial quantities of land or space, often prompting an evaluation of environmental impacts and trade-offs when selecting their placement. Utilizing salt-contaminated agricultural land (as the sodium absorption and electrical conductivity values are unsuitably high), unsuitable for food production, and lands within the built environment (developed), can serve as a co-benefit opportunity when reclamation of these lands for USSE development is prioritized. In this study, we quantify the theoretical and generation-based solar energy potential for the Central Valley according to land-cover type, crop type, and for salt-contaminated lands. Further, we utilize the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility (CEEC) model to identify and prioritize solar energy, integrating environmental resource opportunities and constraints most relevant to the Central Valley. We use the CEEC model to generate a value-based environmental compatibility output for the Central Valley. The Central Valley extends across nearly 60,000 km2 of California with the potential of generating 21,800 - 30,300 TWh y-1 and 41,600 TWh y-1 of solar energy for photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP), respectively. Pasture, hay, and cultivated crops comprise over half of the Central Valley, much of which is considered prime agriculture or of statewide or local importance for farming (28,200 km2). Together, approximately one-third of this region is salt-contaminated (16%) or developed (11%). This confers a generation-based potential of 5713 - 7891 TWh y-1 and 2770 TWh y-1 for PV and CSP, respectively. As energy, food, and land are inextricably linked, our study shows how land favorable for renewable energy systems can be used more effectively in places where land is

  8. Topgrass. A trial of the suitability of switchgrass and reed canary grass as biofuel crops under UK conditions. 4th interim report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riche, A.B.

    2004-04-01

    This report summarises the results of the Topgrass project growing miscanthus, switchgrass and reed canary grass at nine UK sites and covers a one year period between the winter harvesting of the plots in 2002/3 and 2003/4. Details are given of the rainfall, air temperature and solar radiation; crop monitoring for pests, diseases and weeds; crop measurements; and a comparison of all sites. Appendices present individual site diaries and individual site operations and costs.

  9. Predictive Control Applied to a Solar Desalination Plant Connected to a Greenhouse with Daily Variation of Irrigation Water Demand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lidia Roca

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The water deficit in the Mediterranean area is a known matter severely affecting agriculture. One way to avoid the aquifers’ exploitation is to supply water to crops by using thermal desalination processes. Moreover, in order to guarantee long-term sustainability, the required thermal energy for the desalination process can be provided by solar energy. This paper shows simulations for a case study in which a solar multi-effect distillation plant produces water for irrigation purposes. Detailed models of the involved systems are the base of a predictive controller to operate the desalination plant and fulfil the water demanded by the crops.

  10. Performance of Heat Pump Dryer for Kaffir Lime Leaves and Quality of Dried Products under Different Temperatures and Media

    OpenAIRE

    N. Poomsa-ad; K. Deejing; L. Wiset

    2011-01-01

    This research is to study the performance of heat pump dryer for drying of kaffir lime leaves under different media and to compare the color values and essential oil content of final products after drying. In the experiments, kaffir lime leaves were dried in the closed-loop system at drying temperatures of 40, 50 and 60 oC. The drying media used in this study were hot air, CO2 and N2 gases. The velocity of drying media in the drying chamber was 0.4 m/s with bypass ratio o...

  11. Proposal for the award of a contract for the design, supply, installation, commissioning and testing at CERN of eight helium dryer units for the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    2001-01-01

    This document concerns the award of a contract for the design, supply, installation, commissioning and testing at CERN of eight helium dryer units for the LHC. Following a market survey carried out among 42 firms in ten Member States, a call for tenders (IT-2722/LHC/LHC) was sent on 10 August 2000 to seven firms and three consortia, consisting of two firms each, in seven Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received five tenders from three firms and two consortia in five Member States. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the firm COSMI (IT), the lowest bidder fulfilling the technical requirements, for the design, supply, installation, commissioning and testing at CERN of eight helium dryer units for a total amount of 3 514 779 euros, (5 307 329 Swiss francs), not subject to revision, with options for additional equipment for heating the adsorber bed and additional heat exchanger/condenser equipment, for an additional amount of 80 081 euros (120 923 Swiss fra...

  12. Particle size control of detergents in mixed flow spray dryers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Jonathan Crosby

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Particle size is a key quality parameter of a powder detergent as it determines its performance, the bulk density and the look and feel of the product. Consequently, it is essential that particle size is controlled to ensure the consistency of performance when comparing new formulations. The majority of study reported in the literature relating to particle size control, focuses on the spray produced by the atomisation technique. One approach advocated to achieve particle size control is the manipulation of the ratio of the mass slurry rate and mass flow rate of gas used for atomisation. Within this study, ratio control was compared with an automatic cascade loop approach using online measurements of the powder particle size on a small-scale pilot plant. It was concluded that cascade control of the mean particle size, based on manipulating the mass flow rate of gas, resulted in tighter, more responsive control. The effect of a ratio change varied with different formulations and different slurry rates. Furthermore, changes in slurry rate caused complications, as the impact on particle size growth in the dryer is non-linear and difficult to predict. The cascade loop enables further study into the effect of particle size on detergent performance.

  13. Biogas from Agricultural Residues as Energy Source in Hybrid Concentrated Solar Power

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Corré, W.J.; Conijn, J.G.

    2016-01-01

    This paper explores the possibilities of sustainable biogas use for hybridisation of Concentrated Solar Power (HCSP) in Europe. The optimal system for the use of biogas from agricultural residues (manure and crop residues) in HCSP involves anaerobic digestion with upgrading of biogas to

  14. Examining the Potential for Agricultural Benefits from Pollinator Habitat at Solar Facilities in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walston, Leroy; Mishra, Shruti Khadka; Hartmann, Heidi M; Hlohowskyj, Ihor; McCall, James; Macknick, Jordan

    2018-05-28

    Of the many roles insects serve for ecosystem function, pollination is possibly the most important service directly linked to human well-being. However, land use changes have contributed to the decline of pollinators and their habitats. In agricultural landscapes that also support renewable energy developments such as utility-scale solar energy [USSE] facilities, opportunities may exist to conserve insect pollinators and locally restore their ecosystem services through the implementation of vegetation management approaches that aim to provide and maintain pollinator habitat at USSE facilities. As a first step towards understanding the potential agricultural benefits of solar-pollinator habitat, we identified areas of overlap between USSE facilities and surrounding pollinator-dependent crop types in the United States (U.S.). Using spatial data on solar energy developments and crop types across the U.S, and assuming a pollinator foraging distance of 1.5 km, we identified over 3,500 km2 of agricultural land near existing and planned USSE facilities that may benefit from increased pollination services through the creation of pollinator habitat at the USSE facilities. The following five pollinator-dependent crop types accounted for over 90% of the agriculture near USSE facilities, and these could benefit most from the creation of pollinator habitat at existing and planned USSE facilities: soybeans, alfalfa, cotton, almonds, and citrus. We discuss how our results may be used to understand potential agro-economic implications of solar-pollinator habitat. Our results show that ecosystem service restoration through the creation of pollinator habitat could improve the sustainability of large-scale renewable energy developments in agricultural landscapes.

  15. Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Agricultural Water Demands and Crop Yields in California's Central Valley

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tansey, M. K.; Flores-Lopez, F.; Young, C. A.; Huntington, J. L.

    2012-12-01

    Long term planning for the management of California's water resources requires assessment of the effects of future climate changes on both water supply and demand. Considerable progress has been made on the evaluation of the effects of future climate changes on water supplies but less information is available with regard to water demands. Uncertainty in future climate projections increases the difficulty of assessing climate impacts and evaluating long range adaptation strategies. Compounding the uncertainty in the future climate projections is the fact that most readily available downscaled climate projections lack sufficient meteorological information to compute evapotranspiration (ET) by the widely accepted ASCE Penman-Monteith (PM) method. This study addresses potential changes in future Central Valley water demands and crop yields by examining the effects of climate change on soil evaporation, plant transpiration, growth and yield for major types of crops grown in the Central Valley of California. Five representative climate scenarios based on 112 bias corrected spatially downscaled CMIP 3 GCM climate simulations were developed using the hybrid delta ensemble method to span a wide range future climate uncertainty. Analysis of historical California Irrigation Management Information System meteorological data was combined with several meteorological estimation methods to compute future solar radiation, wind speed and dew point temperatures corresponding to the GCM projected temperatures and precipitation. Future atmospheric CO2 concentrations corresponding to the 5 representative climate projections were developed based on weighting IPCC SRES emissions scenarios. The Land, Atmosphere, and Water Simulator (LAWS) model was used to compute ET and yield changes in the early, middle and late 21st century for 24 representative agricultural crops grown in the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Tulare Lake basins. Study results indicate that changes in ET and yield vary

  16. Application of two-stream model to solar radiation of rice canopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawakata, T.

    2005-01-01

    The amount of solar radiation absorbed by a crop canopy is correlated with crop production, and thus it is necessary to estimate both transmission and reflection around the canopy for crop growth models. The 'forward and backward streams' representation of radiation has been refined to account for both transmission and reflection in the crop canopy. However, this model has not been applied to a rice canopy through the growing period. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the two-stream model is applicable to the rice canopy, and to investigate the parameters of the model. The values for both transmittance below the rice canopy and reflectance above it that were derived from the two-stream model represent the observed values throughout the growing period. The inclination factor of leaves (F), which is used in the two-stream model, was almost equivalent to the extinction coefficient of transmittance in the case of the rice canopy

  17. The Design And Development Of A Double Glazed Gape – Roof ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    On exposure of the developed dryer to the open for solar heating, the hot air in the solar collector plate (absorber) enters the drying chamber by natural circulation. While the heated air flows over the pellets moisture is extracted from the products. By this means, the cassava pellets achieve about 70% moisture, reduction, ...

  18. Design of a Low Cost Smart Dryer Temperature Measurement System for Tea Factories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Utpal SARMA

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the design of a low cost smart dryer temperature measurement system for Tea Factories using K-type Thermocouple implementing linearization polynomial. The thermo emf is amplified by an instrumentation amplifier having high CMRR (106 dB and high input impedance (1012 Ohm. The analog signal is converted to digital form with the help of an SPI compatible 12-bit ADC. Data acquisition and transmission is done with an 8- bit microcontroller. As the dependence of thermo emf on temperature is not linear hence it is fitted with a polynomial. NIST data for K-type TC is taken as a standard for this fitting. The error with linear fit and polynomial fit is also presented. The digital data is corrected according to the polynomial and sent to a PC located at a remote control room for monitoring and data logging via RS232C communication. The performance of the entire system is discussed in the paper.

  19. The Crop Journal: A new scientific journal for the global crop science community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianmin Wan

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available As global population increases and demands for food supplies become greater, we face great challenges in providing more products and in larger quantities from less arable land. Crop science has gained increasing importance in meeting these challenges and results of scientific research must be communicated worldwide on a regular basis. In many countries, however, crop scientists have to publish the results of their investigations in national journals with heterogeneous contents and in their native languages. As a consequence, valuable work often remains unknown to scientists elsewhere. As a big country with a large number of crop scientists, China has a wide range of climatic and ecological environments, diverse plant species and cropping systems, and different regional needs for food supplies, which justify the recent decision by the Crop Science Society of China and the Institute of Crop Science within the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, to launch a new communication channel, The Crop Journal. The goal of The Crop Journal is to meet an urgent need for a major Asia-based journal that covers the diverse fields of crop science. Our aim is to create a vital and thought-provoking journal that will highlight state-of-the-art original work and reviews by high-profile crop scientists and investigative groups throughout the world — a journal that will respond to the needs of specialists in strategic crop research. We will work with scientific and publishing colleagues worldwide, using The Plant Journal and Crop Science as models, to establish The Crop Journal as a broadly based high quality journal and a premier forum for issues in crop science. The Crop Journal will cover a wide range of topics, including crop genetics, breeding, agronomy, crop physiology, germplasm resources, grain chemistry, grain storage and processing, crop management practices, crop biotechnology, and biomathematics. The journal also encourages the submission of review

  20. Strawberry yield efficiency and its correlation with temperature and solar radiation Eficiencia de la producción de fresa y su correlación con la temperatura y la radiación solar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Palencia

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The impact that future climatic conditions will have on agricultural productivity depends on the sensitivity to each environmental factor and relative changes in temperature, precipitation and UV-B radiation. The strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa is a microclimatic crop cultivated almost worldwide and Spain is the world's second-largest strawberry producer after the USA. Strawberry production in Huelva has been affected by climate change in recent decades. Temperature and solar radiation are primary environmental factors controlling short-day strawberry plant growth and development. Temperature is a limiting factor in crop productivity. We assessed the effect of variations in temperature and solar radiation on strawberry production and crop cycle duration. The study was carried out in commercial strawberry fruit production fields in the province of Huelva (Spain's southwestern coast. Fresh plants of cv. Camarosa were cultivated from October to June. The resulting crop was recorded weekly in the production field: early and total strawberry productions (g/plant, were recorded from January to March and from January to May, respectively. Data revealed that between early production and temperature (R²= 0.86 and between early production and solar radiation (R²= 0.73 there was a linear relationship. However, total production and temperature (R²= 0.69 and total production and solar radiation (R²= 0.69 were related by a quadratic relationship. Our estimates suggest that strawberry production could be affected by climate change. Due to the relationship between yield and temperature, and between yield and solar radiation, climate change scenarios were found to result in reductions in crop cycle duration.El impacto que las condiciones climáticas futuras tendrán en la productividad agrícola, depende de la sensibilidad de cada factor ambiental y de los cambios relativos en la temperatura, precipitación y radiación UV-B. La fresa (Fragaria x ananassa es

  1. Modelling Condensation and Simulation for Wheat Germ Drying in Fluidized Bed Dryer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Der-Sheng Chan

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available A low-temperature drying with fluidized bed dryer (FBD for wheat germ (WG stabilization could prevent the loss of nutrients during processing. However, both evaporation and condensation behaviors occurred in sequence during FBD drying of WG. The objective of this study was to develop a theoretical thin-layer model coupling with the macro-heat transfer model and the bubble model for simulating both the dehydration and condensation behaviors of WG during low-temperature drying in the FBD. The experimental data were also collected for the model modification. Changes in the moisture content of WG, the air temperature of FBD chamber, and the temperature of WG during drying with different heating approaches were significantly different. The thermal input of WG drying with short heating time approach was one-third of that of WG drying with a traditional heating approach. The mathematical model developed in this study could predict the changes of the moisture content of WG and provide a good understanding of the condensation phenomena of WG during FBD drying.

  2. SOLERAS - Solar Controlled Environment Agriculture Project. Final report, Volume 1. Project summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1985-12-30

    A summary of the Solar Controlled Environment Agriculture Project is presented. The design of the greenhouses include transparent double pane glass roof with channels for fluid between the panes, inner pane tinted and double pane extruded acrylic aluminized mylar shade and diffuser. Solar energy technologies provide power for water desalination, for pumping irrigation water, and for cooling and heating the controlled environment space so that crops can grow in arid lands. The project is a joint effort between the United States and Saudi Arabia. (BCS)

  3. Determinants and the perceived effects of adoption of sustainable improved food crop technologies by smallholder farmers along the value chain in Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abiodun Elijah Obayelu

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Adoption of improved agricultural technologies is fundamental to transformation of sustainable farming system, and a driving force for increasing agricultural productivity. This study provides empirical evidence on the determinants, and the perceived effects of adoption of improved food crop technologies in Nigeria. It is a cross-sectional survey of available technologies and 1,663 farm households in Nigeria. Data were analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed very low technology adoption index. Available food crop production technologies used by sampled respondents were assessed as effective, appropriate, readily available, affordable, durable, user and gender friendly, with requisite skill to use them. However, processing technologies such as cabinet dryer were observed as unaffordable, not durable, not gender or users friendly. Packaging machines are also not users or gender friendly; washing machine not affordable, durable and gender friendly. Grain processing technologies like De-stoner, grading, and packaging machines are still not locally available and affordable. While parboilers have a negative impact on product quality, farmers’ health and the environment, tomato grinding machines have positive impact on the quality of the product, health of the users, yield and negatively affect the environment. The main determinants of adoption are the crop types, farm size and locations. Adoption of herbicide and inorganic fertilizer were influenced by travel cost to nearest place of acquisition, while the age of farmer has a positive and significant influence on the adoption of pesticide, water management and cassava harvester. Interestingly, male farmers only exhibit greater likelihood of adopting land preparation, inorganic and organic fertilizer technologies compared to their female counterpart. Therefore, policy options that consider all users at the development stages, favour reduction of travel cost

  4. Screening boreal energy crops and crop residues for methane biofuel production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lehtomaeki, A.; Rintala, J.A. [Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaeskylae, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyvaeskylae (Finland); Viinikainen, T.A. [Department of Chemistry, University of Jyvaeskylae, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

    2008-06-15

    The purpose of the study was to screen potential boreal energy crops and crop residues for their suitability in methane production and to investigate the effect of harvest time on the methane production potential of different crops. The specific methane yields of crops, determined in 100-200 d methane potential assays, varied from 0.17 to 0.49 m{sup 3} CH{sub 4} kg{sup -1} VS{sub added} (volatile solids added) and from 25 to 260 m{sup 3} CH{sub 4} t{sub ww}{sup -1} (tonnes of wet weight). Jerusalem artichoke, timothy-clover grass and reed canary grass gave the highest potential methane yields of 2900-5400 m{sup 3} CH{sub 4} ha{sup -1}, corresponding to a gross energy yield of 28-53 MWh ha{sup -1} and ca. 40,000-60,000 km ha{sup -1} in passenger car transport. The effect of harvest time on specific methane yields per VS of crops varied a lot, whereas the specific methane yields per t{sub ww} increased with most crops as the crops matured. (author)

  5. The Use of Cover Crops as Climate-Smart Management in Midwest Cropping Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basche, A.; Miguez, F.; Archontoulis, S.; Kaspar, T.

    2014-12-01

    The observed trends in the Midwestern United States of increasing rainfall variability will likely continue into the future. Events such as individual days of heavy rain as well as seasons of floods and droughts have large impacts on agricultural productivity and the natural resource base that underpins it. Such events lead to increased soil erosion, decreased water quality and reduced corn and soybean yields. Winter cover crops offer the potential to buffer many of these impacts because they essentially double the time for a living plant to protect and improve the soil. However, at present, cover crops are infrequently utilized in the Midwest (representing 1-2% of row cropped land cover) in particular due to producer concerns over higher costs and management, limited time and winter growing conditions as well as the potential harm to corn yields. In order to expand their use, there is a need to quantify how cover crops impact Midwest cropping systems in the long term and namely to understand how to optimize the benefits of cover crops while minimizing their impacts on cash crops. We are working with APSIM, a cropping systems platform, to specifically quantify the long term future impacts of cover crop incorporation in corn-based cropping systems. In general, our regional analysis showed only minor changes to corn and soybean yields (<1% differences) when a cover crop was or was not included in the simulation. Further, a "bad spring" scenario (where every third year had an abnormally wet/cold spring and cover crop termination and planting cash crop were within one day) did not result in any major changes to cash crop yields. Through simulations we estimate an average increase of 4-9% organic matter improvement in the topsoil and an average decrease in soil erosion of 14-32% depending on cover crop planting date and growth. Our work is part of the Climate and Corn-based Cropping Systems Coordinated Agriculture Project (CSCAP), a collaboration of eleven Midwestern

  6. Induction of mutations in tomato variety Solar Set

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peiris, R.

    1995-01-01

    The production of tomatoes in Sri Lanka is hampered by many problems. Tomato is an economic crop which is nutritious and has export potential. The major constraint for tomato production is Bacterial Wilt caused by Pseudomonas Solanacearum. A study was initiated with the obnjective of finding tomato genotype having resistance to bacterial wilt. The seeds of the varity, Solar Set which is highly susceptible to bacterial wilt was exposed to irradiation from Co 60 source after adjusting moisture content to 14%. The dosese given were 0, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 krad. The seeds were sown in plastic trays and germination count was taken after 3 days. The LD50 value for the induction of mutants in tomato variety Solar Set is observed to be 35.6 Kr and it is the best dose value for the induction of beneficial mutants in tomato variety, Solar Set by irradiation

  7. Solar photocatalytic disinfection of agricultural pathogenic fungi (Curvularia sp.) in real urban wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguas, Yelitza; Hincapie, Margarita; Fernández-Ibáñez, Pilar; Polo-López, María Inmaculada

    2017-12-31

    The interest in developing alternative water disinfection methods that increase the access to irrigation water free of pathogens for agricultural purposes is increasing in the last decades. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been demonstrated to be very efficient for the abatement of several kind of pathogens in contaminated water. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate and compare the capability of several solar AOPs for the inactivation of resistant spores of agricultural fungi. Solar photoassisted H 2 O 2 , solar photo-Fenton at acid and near-neutral pH, and solar heterogeneous photocatalysis using TiO 2, with and without H 2 O 2 , have been studied for the inactivation of spores of Curvularia sp., a phytopathogenic fungi worldwide found in soils and crops. Different concentrations of reagents and catalysts were evaluated at bench scale (solar vessel reactors, 200mL) and at pilot plant scale (solar Compound Parabolic Collector-CPC reactor, 20L) under natural solar radiation using distilled water (DW) and real secondary effluents (SE) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Inactivation order of Curvularia sp. in distilled water was determined, i.e. TiO 2 /H 2 O 2 /sunlight (100/50mgL -1 )>H 2 O 2 /sunlight (40mgL -1 )>TiO 2 /sunlight (100mgL -1 )>photo-Fenton with 5/10mgL -1 of Fe 2+ /H 2 O 2 at pH3 and near-neutral pH. For the case of SE, at near neutral pH, the most efficient solar process was H 2 O 2 /Solar (60mgL -1 ); nevertheless, the best Curvularia sp. inactivation rate was obtained with photo-Fenton (10/20mgL -1 of Fe 2+ /H 2 O 2 ) requiring a previous water adicification to pH3, within 300 and 210min of solar treatment, respectively. These results show the efficiency of solar AOPs as a feasible option for the inactivation of resistant pathogens in water for crops irrigation, even in the presence of organic matter (average Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC): 24mgL -1 ), and open a window for future wastewater reclamation and irrigation

  8. Biomass production on marginal lands - catalogue of bioenergy crops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumgarten, Wibke; Ivanina, Vadym; Hanzhenko, Oleksandr

    2017-04-01

    Marginal lands are the poorest type of land, with various limitations for traditional agriculture. However, they can be used for biomass production for bioenergy based on perennial plants or trees. The main advantage of biomass as an energy source compared to fossil fuels is the positive influence on the global carbon dioxide balance in the atmosphere. During combustion of biofuels, less carbon dioxide is emitted than is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis. Besides, 20 to 30 times less sulphur oxide and 3 to 4 times less ash is formed as compared with coal. Growing bioenergy crops creates additional workplaces in rural areas. Soil and climatic conditions of most European regions are suitable for growing perennial energy crops that are capable of rapid transforming solar energy into energy-intensive biomass. Selcted plants are not demanding for soil fertility, do not require a significant amount of fertilizers and pesticides and can be cultivated, therefore, also on unproductive lands of Europe. They prevent soil erosion, contribute to the preservation and improvement of agroecosystems and provide low-cost biomass. A catalogue of potential bioenergy plants was developed within the EU H2020 project SEEMLA including woody and perennial crops that are allowed to be grown in the territory of the EU and Ukraine. The catalogue lists high-productive woody and perennial crops that are not demanding to the conditions of growing and can guarantee stable high yields of high-energy-capacity biomass on marginal lands of various categories of marginality. Biomass of perennials plants and trees is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are directly used to produce solid biofuels. Thanks to the well-developed root system of trees and perennial plants, they are better adapted to poor soils and do not require careful maintenance. Therefore, they can be grown on marginal lands. Particular C4 bioenergy crops are well adapted to a lack of moisture and high

  9. 77 FR 22467 - Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Fresh Market Tomato (Dollar Plan) Crop Provisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-16

    ...-0006] RIN 0563-AC32 Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Fresh Market Tomato (Dollar Plan) Crop... Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Fresh Market Tomato (Dollar... Common Crop Insurance Regulations (7 CFR part 457), Fresh Market Tomato (Dollar Plan) Crop Provisions...

  10. Chitosan microspheres loaded with holmium-165 produced by spray dryer for liver cancer therapy: preliminary experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyamoto, Douglas Massao; Pires, Geovanna; Lira, Raphael A. de; Melo, Vitor H.S.; Nascimento, Nanci; Azevedo, Mariangela de Burgos M. de; Osso Junior, Joao Alberto

    2011-01-01

    Chitosan is a biopolymer of 2-deoxy-2-amino-D-glucose that is obtained by deacetylation of chitin. It's biocompatible, biodegradable, non toxic and has antitumor activity. Chitosan has many applications, such as their microparticles that can be used to treat prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and for liver tumor brachytherapy treatment. Our group is developing different biodegradable polymer-based microspheres loaded with holmium-165 for this purpose. The Chitosan microspheres were produced loaded with holmium (III) chloride, and not loaded with it, by Mini Spray Dryer procedure. The microspheres were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), confocal laser scanning microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, particle size, and X-ray diffraction. The EDS analysis confirmed the holmium chloride presence into the prepared chitosan microparticles. (author)

  11. Chitosan microspheres loaded with holmium-165 produced by spray dryer for liver cancer therapy: preliminary experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyamoto, Douglas Massao; Pires, Geovanna; Lira, Raphael A. de; Melo, Vitor H.S.; Nascimento, Nanci; Azevedo, Mariangela de Burgos M. de, E-mail: douglas.miyamoto@usp.b [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Osso Junior, Joao Alberto [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Centro de Radiofarmacia

    2011-07-01

    Chitosan is a biopolymer of 2-deoxy-2-amino-D-glucose that is obtained by deacetylation of chitin. It's biocompatible, biodegradable, non toxic and has antitumor activity. Chitosan has many applications, such as their microparticles that can be used to treat prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and for liver tumor brachytherapy treatment. Our group is developing different biodegradable polymer-based microspheres loaded with holmium-165 for this purpose. The Chitosan microspheres were produced loaded with holmium (III) chloride, and not loaded with it, by Mini Spray Dryer procedure. The microspheres were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), confocal laser scanning microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, particle size, and X-ray diffraction. The EDS analysis confirmed the holmium chloride presence into the prepared chitosan microparticles. (author)

  12. Lowland rice yield estimates based on air temperature and solar radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pedro Júnior, M.J.; Sentelhas, P.C.; Moraes, A.V.C.; Villela, O.V.

    1995-01-01

    Two regression equations were developed to estimate lowland rice yield as a function of air temperature and incoming solar radiation, during the crop yield production period in Pindamonhangaba, SP, Brazil. The following rice cultivars were used: IAC-242, IAC-100, IAC-101 and IAC-102. The value of optimum air temperature obtained was 25.0°C and of optimum global solar radiation was 475 cal.cm -2 , day -1 . The best agrometeorological model was the one that related least deviation of air temperature and solar radiation in relation to the optimum value obtained through a multiple linear regression. The yield values estimated by the model showed good fit to actual yields of lowland rice (less than 10%). (author) [pt

  13. Sustainable Biofuel Project: Emergy Analysis of South Florida Energy Crops

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amponsah, Nana Yaw [Intelligentsia International, Inc., LaBelle, FL (United States); Izursa, Jose-Luis [Intelligentsia International, Inc., LaBelle, FL (United States); Hanlon, Edward A. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States). Soil and Water Sciences Dept.; Capece, John C. [Intelligentsia International, Inc., LaBelle, FL (United States)

    2012-11-15

    This study evaluates the sustainability of various farming systems, namely (1) sugarcane on organic and mineral soils and (2) energycane and sweet sorghum on mineral soils. The primary objective of the study is to compare the relative sustainability matrices of these energy crops and their respective farming systems. These matrices should guide decision and policy makers to determine the overall sustainability of an intended or proposed bioethanol project related to any of these studied crops. Several different methods of energy analysis have been proposed to assess the feasibility or sustainability of projects exploiting natural resources (such as (Life Cycle Analysis, Energy Analysis, Exergy Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, Ecological Footprint, etc.). This study primarily focused on the concept of Emergy Analysis, a quantitative analytical technique for determining the values of nonmonied and monied resources, services and commodities in common units of the solar energy it took to make them. With this Emergy Analysis study, the Hendry County Sustainable Biofuels Center intends to provide useful perspective for different stakeholder groups to (1) assess and compare the sustainability levels of above named crops cultivation on mineral soils and organic soils for ethanol production and (2) identify processes within the cultivation that could be targeted for improvements. The results provide as much insight into the assumptions inherent in the investigated approaches as they do into the farming systems in this study.

  14. Biotechnology: herbicide-resistant crops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Transgenic, herbicide-resistant (HR) crops are planted on about 80% of the land covered by transgenic crops. More than 90% of HR crios are glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops, the others being resistant to glufosinate. The wide-scale adoption of HR crops, largely for economic reasons, has been the mos...

  15. Globally Increased Crop Growth and Cropping Intensity from the Long-Term Satellite-Based Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bin

    2018-04-01

    Understanding the spatiotemporal change trend of global crop growth and multiple cropping system under climate change scenarios is a critical requirement for supporting the food security issue that maintains the function of human society. Many studies have predicted the effects of climate changes on crop production using a combination of filed studies and models, but there has been limited evidence relating decadal-scale climate change to global crop growth and the spatiotemporal distribution of multiple cropping system. Using long-term satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and observed climate data from 1982 to 2012, we investigated the crop growth trend, spatiotemporal pattern trend of agricultural cropping intensity, and their potential correlations with respect to the climate change drivers at a global scale. Results show that 82.97 % of global cropland maximum NDVI witnesses an increased trend while 17.03 % of that shows a decreased trend over the past three decades. The spatial distribution of multiple cropping system is observed to expand from lower latitude to higher latitude, and the increased cropping intensity is also witnessed globally. In terms of regional major crop zones, results show that all nine selected zones have an obvious upward trend of crop maximum NDVI (p impact on the crop growth trend.

  16. Impact of perennial energy crops income variability on the crop selection of risk averse farmers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, Peter; Moran, Dominic

    2013-01-01

    The UK Government policy is for the area of perennial energy crops in the UK to expand significantly. Farmers need to choose these crops in preference to conventional rotations for this to be achievable. This paper looks at the potential level and variability of perennial energy crop incomes and the relation to incomes from conventional arable crops. Assuming energy crop prices are correlated to oil prices the results suggests that incomes from them are not well correlated to conventional arable crop incomes. A farm scale mathematical programming model is then used to attempt to understand the affect on risk averse farmers crop selection. The inclusion of risk reduces the energy crop price required for the selection of these crops. However yields towards the highest of those predicted in the UK are still required to make them an optimal choice, suggesting only a small area of energy crops within the UK would be expected to be chosen to be grown. This must be regarded as a tentative conclusion, primarily due to high sensitivity found to crop yields, resulting in the proposal for further work to apply the model using spatially disaggregated data. - Highlights: ► Energy crop and conventional crop incomes suggested as uncorrelated. ► Diversification effect of energy crops investigated for a risk averse farmer. ► Energy crops indicated as optimal selection only on highest yielding UK sites. ► Large establishment grant rates to substantially alter crop selections.

  17. Competition partition of soil and solar radiation resources between soybean cultivars and concurrent genotypes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bianchi, M.A.; Fleck, N.G.; Dillenburg, L.R.

    2006-01-01

    Plants compete for environmental resources located below and over soil surface. Physical separation of competition allows understanding the relative importance of each fraction, as well as identifying possible differences among species. The aim of this research was to separate the individual effects resulting from competition for soil or solar radiation resources, between soybean and concurrent plants. Thus, experiments using pots were carried out at UFRGS, in Porto Alegre-RS, in 2001 and 2002. The treatments tested resulted from the combinations of two concurrent genotypes (crop and competitor) and four competition conditions (absence of competition, competition for soil and solar radiation, competition for soil resources, and competition for solar radiation). Soybean cultivars IAS 5 and FEPAGRO RS 10 represented the crop, whereas radish forage and the soybean cultivar FUNDACEP 33 were the competitors tested. Morpho-physiological variables were evaluated in the soybean plants and radish forage. Growth of the soybean plants was most affected by soil resources competition, with RS 10 cultivar being more competitive than IAS 5.Radish forage did not interfere in the growth of soybean cultivars but it benefited from soybean presence. (author) 6

  18. Modelling, interpolation and stochastic simulation in space and time of global solar radiation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bechini, L.; Ducco, G.; Donatelli, M.; Stein, A.

    2000-01-01

    Global solar radiation data used as daily inputs for most cropping systems and water budget models are frequently available from only a few weather stations and over short periods of time. To overcome this limitation, the Campbell–Donatelli model relates daily maximum and minimum air temperatures to

  19. GLOBALLY INCREASED CROP GROWTH AND CROPPING INTENSITY FROM THE LONG-TERM SATELLITE-BASED OBSERVATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Chen

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the spatiotemporal change trend of global crop growth and multiple cropping system under climate change scenarios is a critical requirement for supporting the food security issue that maintains the function of human society. Many studies have predicted the effects of climate changes on crop production using a combination of filed studies and models, but there has been limited evidence relating decadal-scale climate change to global crop growth and the spatiotemporal distribution of multiple cropping system. Using long-term satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI and observed climate data from 1982 to 2012, we investigated the crop growth trend, spatiotemporal pattern trend of agricultural cropping intensity, and their potential correlations with respect to the climate change drivers at a global scale. Results show that 82.97 % of global cropland maximum NDVI witnesses an increased trend while 17.03 % of that shows a decreased trend over the past three decades. The spatial distribution of multiple cropping system is observed to expand from lower latitude to higher latitude, and the increased cropping intensity is also witnessed globally. In terms of regional major crop zones, results show that all nine selected zones have an obvious upward trend of crop maximum NDVI (p < 0.001, and as for climatic drivers, the gradual temperature and precipitation changes have had a measurable impact on the crop growth trend.

  20. MODELLING OF THIN LAYER SOLAR DRYING KINETICS AND EFFECTIVE DIFFUSIVITY OF Urtica dioica LEAVES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. LAMHARRAR

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Urtica dioica is an endemic plant of Morocco used for its virtues in traditional medicine. The drying kinetics of Urtica dioica leaves in a convective solar dryer was studied. The kinetics of drying is studied for three temperatures (40, 50 and 60 °C, ambient air temperature ranged from 30 to 35 °C. The experimental results are used to determine the characteristic drying curve. Nine mathematical models have been used for the description of the drying curve. The Midilli-Kuck model was found to be the most suitable for describing the drying curves of Urtica dioica leaves. The drying parameters in this model were quantified as a function of the drying air temperature. Moisture transfer from Urtica dioica leaves was described by applying the Fick’s diffusion model. Effective moisture diffusivity of the product was in the range of 9.38 – 72.92×10-11 m2/s. A value of 88,49 kJ/mol was determined as activation energy.