Performance Analysis of a Solar Dryer Equipped With a Phase Change Material Thermal Storage Unit
Abstract
There are various ways of storing thermal energy to improve the efficiency of solar dryers. In this application, paraffin wax as a phase into change material (PCM) was used as the thermal energy storage medium. It was used because of its advantages over other PCMs, which include high latent heat of fusion, non-flammability, and most importantly, because it is readily available and cheap. The thermal energy storage was then coupled with the solar dryer used to dry banana slices. The drying rate of banana slices increased from 54% without thermal energy storage to 69% with the thermal energy storage incorporated. The thermal energy storage stores about 3,513 KJ of thermal energy. By incorporating the thermal energy storage with the solar dryer, the drying rate is increased, and the spoilage rate of the food item is decreased because there is continuous drying as the thermal energy storage provides the thermal energy needed for drying.
Keywords
Phase change material, solar dryer, banana slices, drying rate, thermal storage