Thermal analysis of tilted wick solar distillation-cum-drying system

The performance of the designed tilted wick solar water distillation-cum-drying unit has been tested at water flow rates of 50 and 65 ml/min in the distillation unit. Effect of water flow rates on the heat transfer coefficients of distillation and drying unit for drying ginger has been evaluated. The energy and exergy efficiency of the distillation system have also been evaluated. Average distillates of 2.36 and 2.2 l/m² were collected from the tilted wick solar still at flow rates of 50 and 65 ml/min, respectively. Large variation in convective and evaporative heat transfer coefficients of distillation unit has been observed at given water flow rates. Water flow rate in the distillation unit significantly affects the performance of the drying unit. Average convective heat transfer coefficients of 6.56 and 3.75 W/m^{2 o}C have been observed for drying ginger at flow rates of 50 and 65 ml/min, respectively. Energy and exergy efficiency of the distillation unit have been found to be nearly 19% and 0.9%, respectively. Experimental uncertainty has also been evaluated for distillation and drying units. The distillate cost for the developed distillation-cum-drying unit is calculated as $0.03729/l along with dried ginger of about 2.5 kg/m²/day.     

Experimental Investigation of Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient of Various Agricultural Products Under Open Sun Drying

Abstract

In this article, the convective heat transfer coefficients of various agricultural products were investigated under open sun drying conditions. Data obtained from open sun drying experiments for eight agricultural products, namely, mulberry, strawberry, apple, garlic, potato, pumpkin, eggplant, and onion were used to determine values of convective heat transfer coefficient. The value of convective heat transfer coefficient was determined as 1.861 W/m²°C for mulberry, 6.691 W/m²°C for strawberry, 11.323 W/m²°C for apple, 1.136 W/m²°C for garlic, 8.224 W/m²°C for potato, 8.613 W/m²°C for pumpkin, 6.981 W/m²°C for eggplant, and 6.767 W/m²°C for onion. The experimental error in terms of percent uncertainty was also calculated.     

Moisture transfer modeling during solar drying of potato cylinders considering shrinkage

In the present work, the thin layer drying kinetics of potato during natural convection solar drying was investigated experimentally. Cylindrical potato samples with length 50 mm and varying diameter of 8, 10 and 13 mm were dried in an in-house designed and fabricated laboratory scale mixed-mode solar dryer. Thirteen different thin-layer mathematical models were fitted to the experimental moisture ratio (MR) data. The obtained results indicated that the Modified Page model could satisfactorily describe the drying curve of potato cylinders with higher value of R² and lower values of RMSE and χ². The shrinkage parameter is incorporated in the analytical diffusion model to study the moisture transfer mechanism of potato cylinders. It was observed that the values of effective diffusion coefficient (D_eff) and convective mass transfer coefficient (h_m) are overestimated in the range of 85.02–90.27% and 39.11–45.11% for the range of sample diameter examined, without considering the shrinkage effect in the mass transfer analysis. A Multiphysics approach was adopted in this study to get insight into the drying behavior of potato cylinders in terms of food-moisture interactions during the solar drying process. The predicted results of MR are in close agreement with the experimental data. Moreover, the anisotropic behavior of shrinkage as well as the moisture distribution inside the potato cylinder was very well described by Multiphysics model.     

The convective hot air drying of Lactuca sativa slices

The storage of fresh agricultural products is not easy because of its high moisture. Dehydration is an efficient preservation method. The investigation of drying modeling and transfer characteristics are important for selecting operating conditions and equipment design. The drying behavior of Lactuca sativa slices, with the thickness of 2 mm, was investigated at 60.0–80.0°C and 0.60–1.04 m sec^?1 velocity in a convective hot air drier. The mass transfer during the drying process was described using six thin drying models. The convective heat transfer coefficient α and mass transfer coefficient k_H were finally calculated. The results showed that the drying process could be separated into three stages including accelerating rate, constant rate, and falling rate period, which was influenced by hot air temperature and velocity, and the Modi?ed Page model agreed well with the experimental data. When the operating temperature was increased from 60.0°C to 80.0°C, α was found increased from 88.07 to 107.93 W·m^?2·K^?1, and k_H increased from 46.32 × 10^–3 to 68.04 × 10^–3 kg·m^?2·sec^?1·ΔH^?1. With the increase of air velocity from 0.60 to 1.04 m·sec^?1, α was increased from 78.85 to 101.35 W·m^?2·K^?1, and k_H was enhanced from 51.78 × 10^–3 to 65.85 × 10^–3 kg·m^?2·sec^?1·ΔH^?1.     

Drying of salted silver jewfish in a hybrid solar drying system and under open sun: Modeling and performance analyses

This study investigated the thin-layer drying kinetics of salted silver jewfish in a hybrid solar drying system and under open sun. Ten drying models were compared with experimental data of salted silver jewfish drying. A new model was introduced, which is an offset linear logarithmic (offset modified Page model). The fit quality of the models was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), and sum of squared absolute error (SSAE). The result showed that Midilli et al. model and new model were comparable with two or three-term exponential drying models. This study also analyzed energy and exergy during solar drying of salted silver jewfish. Energy analysis throughout the solar drying process was estimated on the basis of the first law of thermodynamics, whereas exergy analysis during solar drying was determined on the basis of the second law of thermodynamics. At an average solar radiation of 540 W/m² and a mass flow rate of 0.0778 kg/sec, the collector efficiency and drying system efficiency were about 41% and 23%, respectively. Specific energy consumption was 2.92 kWh/kg. Moreover, the exergy efficiency during solar drying process ranged from 17% to 44%, with an average value of 31%. The values of improvement potential varied between 106 and 436 W, with an average of 236 W.     

Simulation and validation of a suitable model for thin layer drying of ginger rhizomes in an induced draft dryer

Variation in drying material and their biological differences, coupled with heat supply method in different dryers, makes mathematical modeling of drying complicated. Attempt was made to simulate a drying process and to identify best suitable model out of six selected drying models, for drying of ginger slices in a solar-biomass integrated drying system designed and developed for spice drying. Moisture content data were converted into the moisture ratio (MR) expressions and curve fitting with drying time for the selected drying models was analyzed. Sigma Plot software was used for nonlinear regression to the data obtained during drying and for modeling of drying curves. The suitability of the models was evaluated in terms of statistical parameters such as coefficient of determination (R²), mean percentage error (P), and standard error estimate. Drying air temperature was in the range of 47–55°C and air velocity was between 1.0 and 1.3 m s^?1. Ginger slices were dried from 88.13% to 7.65 ± 0.65% (wb) in 16 h. Trays were interchanged in a predetermined matrix sequence from 4 h onwards when moisture content was reduced to 60–70% (wb), for uniformity in drying. Highest value of R² (0.997), lowest value of SEE (0.020), and P value < 0.0001 established Page model as the best suitable model for the developed drying system. The predicted MRs were in good agreement with the experimental values and the effective moisture diffusivity for ginger was found to be 2.97 × 10^–7 m² s^?1.     

Performance study on evacuated tubular collector coupled solar still in West Texas climate

Experimental study was performed on a single basin active solar distillation system augmented with a solar collector using evacuated solar tubes. Field tests were conducted over several days under the climatic conditions of West Texas to evaluate the effect evacuated solar tubes have on the daily distillate yield rate. To investigate the feasibility of the solar tubes, active and passive solar stills with and without exterior insulation were examined. The maximum daily production rate for the active distillation system using evacuated solar tubes and the passive distillation system was 3.6 and 1.4 kg/m²day, respectively. The results showed the augmentation of the still with evacuated solar tubes increased its production capacity by a factor of 2.63. It also increased the maximum temperature of the water in the still basin by at least 20 °C. Economic analysis shows that it is feasible to use evacuated tubular collector coupled solar still as an alternative means for reclaiming water in farmlands with a payback period of approximately 6 years.     

Feasibility Assessment of Basin Solar Stills

The present study assesses the feasibility of exploiting single- and double-basin solar stills in our daily lives. An investigation is carried out to determine the thermal performance and economic viability of making use of solar stills in water desalination. The climatic conditions of Tehran (35°44?N, 51°30?E) are considered to assess the feasibility of the basins. Transient energy and mass balance equations are utilized for modeling the thermal performance. The equations are solved by using fourth-order Runge–Kutta method in FORTRAN. The daily productivities of single- and double-basin solar stills are found to be 5.22 kg/m² and 7.73 kg/m², respectively, while the effect of different water masses (20–100 kg) on the productivity of each system was found to be optimum at 20 kg/m². The results are compared with experimental work performed under different climatic conditions to examine the validity of the feasibility of basins in general. A life cycle cost analysis performed for Tehran, yields that single- and double-basin solar stills have savings-to-investment ratios of 4.2 and 4.8, respectively, indicating that they are economically feasible.     

Global solar radiation and energy yield estimation from photovoltaic power plants for small loads

Daily global solar radiation on a horizontal surface and duration of sunshine hours have been determined experimentally for five meteorological stations in Saudi Arabia, namely, Abha, Al-Ahsa, Al-Jouf, Al-Qaisumah, and Wadi Al-Dawaser sites. Five-years of data covering 1998–2002 period have been used. Suitable Angstrom models have been developed for the global solar radiation estimation as a function of the sunshine duration for each respective sites. Daily averages of monthly solar PV power outputs have been determined using the Angstrom models developed. The effect of the PV cell temperature on the PV efficiency has been considered in calculating the PV power output. The annual average PV output energy has been discussed in all five sites for small loads. The minimum and maximum monthly average values of the daily global solar radiation are found to be 12.09 MJ/m²/d and 30.42 MJ/m²/d for Al-Qaisumah and Al-Jouf in the months of December June, respectively. Minimum monthly average sunshine hours of 5.89 hr were observed in Al-Qaisumah in December while a maximum of 12.92 hr in Al-Jouf in the month of June. Shortest range of sunshine hours of 7.33–10.12 hr was recorded at Abha station. Minimum monthly average Solar PV power of 1.59 MJ/m²/day was obtained at Al-Qaisumah in the month of December and a maximum of 3.39 MJ/m²/day at Al-Jouf in June. The annual PV energy output was found to be 276.04 kWh/m², 257.36 kWh/m², 256.75 kWh/m², 245.44 kWh/m², and 270.95 kWh/m² at Abha, Al-Ahsa, Al-Jouf, Al-Qaisumah, and Wadi Al-Dawaser stations, respectively. It is found that the Abha site yields the highest solar PV energy among the five sites considered.     

Comparative study on performances of a heat-pipe PV/T system and a heat-pipe solar water heating system

The heat-pipe solar water heating (HP-SWH) system and the heat-pipe photovoltaic/thermal (HP-PV/T) system are two practical solar systems, both of which use heat pipes to transfer heat. By selecting appropriate working fluid of the heat-pipes, these systems can be used in the cold region without being frozen. However, performances of these two solar systems are different because the HP-PV/T system can simultaneously provide electricity and heat, whereas the HP-SWH system provides heat only. In order to understand these two systems, this work presents a mathematical model for each system to study their one-day and annual performances. One-day simulation results showed that the HP-SWH system obtained more thermal energy and total energy than the HP-PV/T system while the HP-PV/T system achieved higher exergy efficiency than the HP-SWH system. Annual simulation results indicated that the HP-SWH system can heat the water to the available temperature (45°C) solely by solar energy for more than 121 days per year in typical climate regions of China, Hong Kong, Lhasa, and Beijing, while the HP-PV/T system can only work for not more than 102 days. The HP-PV/T system, however, can provide an additional electricity output of 73.019 kWh/m², 129.472 kWh/m², and 90.309 kWh/m² per unit collector area in the three regions, respectively.     

PCM thermal conductivity effect on mechanism of PV/PCM thermal control characteristics

ABSTRACT

According to the structure of photovoltaic/phase change material (PV/PCM), the mechanism of internal heat transfer, transmission, storage, and temperature control is analyzed, and a two-dimensional finite element analysis model of PV/PCM structure is established. This study is carried out on the effect of PCM thermal conductivity on internal temperature distribution characteristics of PV/PCM and temperature control characteristics of solar cells. The results show that the increase in thermal conductivity of PCM can prolong the temperature control time of solar cell in PV/PCM system, for example, when the thermal conductivity is increased from 0.2 W/(m·K) to1.5 W/(m·K) under a thickness of 4 cm, the duration when PV/PCM solar cell temperature is controlled below 40°C and extended from 52 min to 184 min. In addition, PV/PCM experimental prototypes are designed with the LA-SA-EG composite PCM peak melting point of 46°C and thermal conductivity of 0.8 W/(m·K) and 1.1 W/(m·K), respectively. The results indicate that compared with PCM-free solar cells, the maximum temperature of PV/PCM prototype solar cells with thermal conductivity of 0.8 W/(m·K) and 1.1 W/(m·K) is reduced by 10.8°C and 4.6°C, respectively, with average output power increased by 4.1% and 2.2%, respectively, under simulated light sources. Under natural light conditions, the average output power is increased by 6.9% and 4.3%, respectively. The results provide theoretical and experimental basis for the optimization of PV/PCM design by changing the thermal conductivity of PCM.     

Studies on the Drying Characteristics of Zingiber Officinale Under Open Sun and Solar Biomass (Hybrid) Drying

Drying characteristics of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) under the open sun and direct type natural convection solar biomass (hybrid) drying were studied. It has been observed that under open sun drying conditions, the drying rate depends on the product thickness and climatic conditions. The results have been drawn for both the summer (April-May, 2004) and winter (November-January, 2003–04) months of Delhi, in India. In the hybrid drier, the ginger, with a thickness of 0.008 m, dried in 33 hours in comparison to 96 hours in open-sun drying. The overall drying efficiency of the hybrid drier was found to be 18% and 13% under summer and winter climatic conditions respectively. The loss of volatile oil content of the ginger is less in hybrid drier in comparison to open sun drying. It was found that the average drying air temperature of 60°C with average air velocity of 0.6m/sec was sufficient for the drying of ginger in the hybrid drier. Ginger quality after drying is better and drying time is less in the hybrid drier in comparison to open-sun drying. The hybrid drier is a simple device, which can be manufactured with locally available materials and can be used for drying of other spices, vegetables and fruits etc.     

Performance of a small-scale solar-powered adsorption cooling system

In this study, an experimental investigation on the performance of a small-scale residential-size solar-driven adsorption (silica gel-water) cooling system that was constructed at Assiut University campus, Egypt is carried out. As Assiut area is considered as hot, arid climate, field tests for performance assessment of the system operation during the summer season are performed under different environmental operating conditions. The system consists of an evacuated tube with a reflective concentration parabolic surface solar-collector field with a total area of 36 m², a silica gel-water adsorption chiller of 8 kW nominal cooling capacity, and hot and cold water thermal storage tanks of 1.8 and 1.2 m³ in volume, respectively. The results of summer season field test show that under daily solar insolation varying from 21 to 27 MJ/m², the solar collectors employed in the system had high and almost constant thermal efficiency. The daily solar-collector efficiency during the period of system operation ranged from about 50% to 78%. The adsorption chiller performance shows that the chiller average daily coefficient of performance (COP) was 0.41 with the average cooling capacity of 4.4 kW when the cooling-water and chilled-water temperatures were about 31°C and 19°C, respectively. As the chiller cooling water is cooled by the cooling tower in the hot arid area, the cooling water is at a higher temperature than the design point of the chiller. Therefore, an experiment was carried out using the city water for cooling. The results show that an enhancement in the chiller COP by 40% and the chilling power by 17% has been achieved when the city water was 27.7°C.     

Management Implications of Snowpack Sensitivity to Temperature and Atmospheric Moisture Changes in Yosemite National Park,CA

In order to investigate snowpack sensitivity to temperature increases and end‐member atmospheric moisture conditions, we applied a well‐constrained energy‐ and mass‐balance snow model across the full elevation range of seasonal snowpack using forcing data from recent wet and dry years. Humidity scenarios examined were constant relative humidity (high) and constant vapor pressure between storms (low). With minimum calibration, model results captured the observed magnitude and timing of snowmelt. April 1 snow water equivalent (SWE) losses of 38%, 73%, and 90% with temperature increases of 2, 4, and 6°C in a dry year centered on areas of greatest SWE accumulation. Each 2°C increment of warming also resulted in seasonal snowline moving upslope by 300 m. The zone of maximum melt was compressed upward 100–500 m with 6°C warming, with the range reflecting differences in basin hypsometry. Melt contribution by elevations below 2,000 m disappeared with 4°C warming. The constant‐relative‐humidity scenario resulted in 0–100 mm less snowpack in late spring vs. the constant‐vapor‐pressure scenario in a wet year, a difference driven by increased thermal radiation (+1.2 W/m²) and turbulent energy fluxes (+1.2 W/m²) to the snowpack for the constant‐relative‐humidity case. Loss of snowpack storage and potential increases in forest evapotranspiration due to warming will result in a substantial shift in forest water balance and present major challenges to land management in this mountainous region.     

Enhanced solar still productivity using transparent walls with an integral trough and organic porous absorber material

This experimental work has been conducted to compare the performance of the modified stills with that of the conventional still. Three modified stills (S1, S2, and S3) and conventional still (S4) were fabricated, each with 0.5 m² of the basin area. S1 and S3 had transparent double glass walls with air in between acting as insulation, whereas S2 has a single transparent wall. S4 has insulated plywood walls painted black from inside. A mixture of coco peat and charcoal was used in S1, S2, and S3, whereas there was no basin material for S4. Experiments were conducted by changing the water quantity in the solar still ranging from 5 to 10 kg. Maximum distillate output of 5.46 l/m²-d was obtained for S2, whereas it was 3.80 l/m²-d for S4 for an average solar radiation intensity of 675 W/m² (24.3 MJ/m²-d). Use of transparent walls with troughs to collect condensate increased the condenser area by 78.4%. The distillate water cost per liter was estimated as Rs. 0.86 (0.013 US$) and Rs. 1.61 (0.025 US$) for S2 and S4, respectively. Energy payback time for S2 was estimated as 4 months. Theoretical and experimental values showed that there is a significant loss of incoming solar radiation due to wall shadow.     

An investigation of double-glass-covered trapezoidal salt-gradient solar pond coupled with reflector

In the present study, a trapezoidal salt-gradient solar pond (TSGSP) has been investigated experimentally. The top surface of solar pond has been covered with double-glass cover in order to reduce the evaporative and convective losses from the top. This results in increase of temperature even in the top zone of the solar pond and leads to more volume utilization for heat storage in the pond. A reflector made of aluminium sheet has been used to enhance the solar intensity on the solar pond during sunny hours. A procedure, to determine optimum tilt angle of reflector in order to utilize maximum amount of solar energy at noon, has been proposed. The use of reflector enhanced the average solar intensity on the top surface of solar pond by 22%. The maximum average temperature of trapezoidal solar pond with glass cover and reflector has been observed to be 70.5°C. The thermal efficiencies of LCZ, NCZ and UCZ for the trapezoidal solar pond with double-glass cover and reflector have been estimated to be 32.73%, 23.22% and 5.30%, respectively. In addition to experimental investigation, the sunny area ratio of TSGSP has been theoretically computed and compared with the cuboid solar pond having same top surface area and depth in order to see the effect of pond shape on sunny area ratio. The average yearly sunny area ratio of trapezoidal solar pond has been determined to be 11% higher than that of cuboid one.     

The global solar radiation estimation and analysis of solar energy: Case study for Osmaniye,Turkey

This paper investigates the prediction of solar radiation model and actual solar energy in Osmaniye, Turkey. Four models were used to estimate using the parameters of sunshine duration and average temperature. In order to obtain the statistical performance analysis of models, the coefficient of determination (R²), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean absolute bias error (MABE), and root mean square error (RMSE) were used. Results obtained from the linear regression using the parameters of sunshine duration and average temperature showed a good prediction of the monthly average daily global solar radiation on a horizontal surface. In order to obtain solar energy, daily and monthly average solar radiation values were calculated from the five minute average recorded values by using meteorological measuring device. As a result of this measurement, the highest monthly and yearly mean solar radiation values were 698 (April in 2013) and 549 (2014 year) W/m² respectively. On an annual scale the maximum global solar radiation changes from 26.38 MJ/m²/day by June to 19.19 MJ/m²/day by September in 2013. Minimum global solar radiation changes from 14.05 MJ/m²/day by October to 7.20 MJ/m²/day by January in 2013. Yearly average energy potential during the measurement period was 16.53 MJ/m²/day (in 2013). The results show that Osmaniye has a considerable solar energy potential to produce electricity.     

Optimizing process parameters of palm oil bleaching on locally prepared animal bone–based activated carbon using response surface methodology

Adsorptive bleaching potentials of activated animal bone on palm oil was investigated. Palm oil was obtained locally from the mesocarp of oil palm fruits. The obtained palm oil was degummed, neutralized, and subjected to proximate analysis before bleaching. The animal bone–based activated carbon used as a bleaching material was locally prepared by cleaning, drying, carbonization, and chemical activation process. The prepared activated carbon (CBAC) was characterized using Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, Braummer–Emmett–Teller, and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Bleaching of the prepared palm oil on CBAC was done at different process conditions. The characterization results of BET analysis show that CBAC has a surface area of 593.270 m²/g, micropore surface area 595.56 m²/g, micropore volume 0.212 cm³/g, Langmuir surface area 1.38e+04 m²/g, and adsorption energy 3.998 KJ/mol. XRD analysis indicates gypsum as the dominant mineral in the activated carbon sample. The CBAC efficiency of 75.14% was obtained for time/temperature interactions at 50 min/120°C while at 25 g/50 min dosage/time interactions an efficiency of 75.17% was obtained.     

Performance of a large-scale greenhouse solar dryer integrated with phase change material thermal storage system for drying of chili

ABSTRACT

Large-scale greenhouse solar dryers have been used for drying various products and this type of dryer is usually equipped with LPG burner as auxiliary heater, which creates more operating cost. To overcome this problem, phase change material (PCM) thermal storage was proposed to substitute for the LPG burner. In this work, the performance of a large-scale greenhouse solar dryer integrated with a PCM as a latent heat storage for drying of chili was investigated. Experimental studies were conducted to compare the performance of this dryer with that of another large-scale greenhouse solar dryer without the PCM thermal storage and open sun drying. Chili with an initial moisture content of 74.7% (w.b.) was dried to a final moisture content of 10.0% (w.b.) in 2.5 days, 3.5 days, and 11 days using the solar dryer integrated with the PCM thermal storage, the solar dryer without the PCM thermal storage and the open sun drying, respectively. The performance of the solar dryer integrated with the PCM thermal storage was also evaluated using exergy analysis. The exergy efficiency of the drying room of the solar dryer integrated with the PCM thermal storage and the solar dryer without the PCM thermal storage for drying of chili was found to be 13.1% and 11.4%, respectively and the thermal storage helps to dry chili during adverse weather conditions. The results of exergy analysis implied that the exergy losses from the dryer with the PCM should be reduced.     

Indirect forced solar drying of banana slices: phenomenological explanation of non-isotropic shrinkage and color changes kinetics

Solar drying technology is a noteworthy technique as it uses the renewable solar energy. In this study, thin slices of banana were dried by using an indirect forced solar dryer at air mass flow rates of 0.016, 0.041, and 0.082 kg s^?1. In order to assess the kinetics of shrinkage and color changes, image processing technique was applied for determining area, volume, density, total color difference and browning index. Shrinkage factor of the samples was less than 1 during drying indicating non-isotropic shrinkage with contraction of inner voids. Furthermore, product shrinkage showed two descending drying steps in which the volume change was more than the evaporated water volume in the first step and equal to that in the second step. The dimensionless evaporated water volume with respect to the dimensionless volume difference of the product also revealed that two steps of volume change existed during drying separated at critical moisture ratio 0.23. The area and volume changes were only related to the product moisture content and were independent of the air mass flow rate, and hence air temperature. In contrary to the browning index, the total color difference was not influenced by air mass flow rate and the least change in browning index occurred at mass flow rate of 0.041 kg s^?1.