Natural convection solar grain dryer

Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6184578

Ibrahim, M N

Design parameters and procedure for developing a small to medium capacity grain (rice) dryer, with natural convection air flow and using solar heat, was established by theoretical consideration, simulated performance evaluation, and some experimental work. A mathematical model was derived expressing the air flow rate through the grain bed in relation to the grain bed depth, the stack height, and the differential densities between that of ambient air and stack air. By using this model, characteristic operational curves were generated for the proposed system operating under the weather and grain conditions prevailing in Malaysia. A specific system with corresponding average operating conditions to meet the drying requirements of a desired amount of grain was then selected from these curves. The expected performance of the selected system was evaluated by simulating its actual operation under varying solar energy input by using the simulation procedure developed in this study. The operation and performance of a simplified dryer under near constant drying air temperatures and the resulting air flow rate achievable by natural convection was illustrated by the experimental stack-dryer system used in this study. A specific design of the proposed system was selected for construction on a protoype scale for field evaluation under Malaysian conditions.

• OSTI ID: 6184578
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140905*
ASIA
CEREALS
CONVECTION
DESIGN
DRYERS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
GRASS
HEAT TRANSFER
MALAYSIA
MASS TRANSFER
NATURAL CONVECTION
PLANTS
RICE
SOLAR DRYERS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT