Solar Dryer PDF

Solar Crop Drying
Efficient, Simple, Cost Effective and Building Integrated

Presented by: Project funding provided by:
John Hollick, P.E.

Conserval Systems Inc.
The California Air Resources Board

ICAT (Innovative Clean Air Technology Program)
Web Cast Viewers

Please email your questions and comments to: onair@arb.ca.gov
Solar Crop Drying Topics

ICAT What is a transpired solar collector? How solar crop drying works System details/design Demonstration Projects Environmental benefits Economics of solar crop drying IEA Future solar crop drying potential Concluding remarks
Innovative Clean Air Technology Program (ICAT)

ICAT funds technically solid projects that can demonstrate the commercial utility in California of technical innovations that will improve emission prevention and control.
California Air Resources Board
Transpired solar collector

After years of R & D, it was found that a single, non-glazed perforated panel was more efficient and less expensive The transpired solar collector is a thin sheet of dark perforated metal. The dark wall absorbs solar radiation and heats fresh air drawn through its perforations by a building's ventilation fans. (National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL))
Panel Properties
Panels can be specified as aluminum or steel Wide variety of standard colors available Over 240 perforations per ft2 Corrugated to increase structural rigidity
Crop Drying Basics

Drying requires air movement and heat Warm air absorbs more moisture than cold air Increasing air flow or heat reduces drying time Fossil fuels generally provide heat source
How Solar Crop Drying Works

Sun shines on the solar collector Air is drawn through tiny perforations Heated air is drawn to the top of the system and into the dryer via the dryer fan
The following animation will help to explain the concept:
Solarwall Panel
Air Space
Crop Dryer
Material to be Dried
Dryer Fan/Burner
Main components of a solar crop drying system
Solarwall Panel
Air Space
The Solarwall panel absorbs the suns energy
Solarwall Panel
Air Space Profiled Sheet Provides Wind Boundary Layer
Perforation
Air Space Under Negative Pressure
The boundary layer air is heated and drawn through tiny perforations into the air space
Solarwall Panel
Outside Air is Heated and Passed through Absorber Perforation Profiled Sheet Provides Wind Boundary Layer
Air Space
Air Space Under Negative Pressure
The boundary layer air is heated and drawn through tiny perforations into the air space
Solarwall Panel
Air Space
The heated air travels up to the air intake and is drawn into the dryer
Solarwall Panel
Air Space
Additional heat is provided by the burner (if required) and the air passes through the material being dried
Solarwall Panel
Air Space
Heat loss through the roof is recovered when the fan is running
Solar Drying
Dries all types of produce Excellent for tea, coffee, fruit, spices, rubber, cocoa beans, rice, timber, nuts and manure Suitable for laundry drying & other commercial products Works with tunnel, trough, conveyor and other types of driers
Typical Installation
Panels are installed 6 12 inches from roof Can be installed over or around existing roof openings Can be installed over any non-combustible, waterproof roof membrane Easy installation no special skills or tools needed
Temperature Rise Graph

Air Temperature Rise vs. Solar Radiation for Various Air Flow Rates
Solar Radiation - BTU/ft2 of Transpired Collector
45
50
100
150
200
250
300 80 70
Air Temperature Rise - Deg. C
40 35 30 25 B 20 15 10 5 0 C
.1.1 (20 2 .4.0 CFM/ft (73 m3/h/m2) .7.0 CFM/ft2 (130 m3/h/m2)
CFM/ft2
m3/h/m2)
A 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1000
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Solar Radiation - Watt/m2 of Transpired Collector
Air Temperature Rise - Deg. F
Demonstration Projects
With generous support from the California Air Resources Board, five solar crop drying systems were installed in California Sunsweet (prunes) Carriere & Sons (walnuts) Keyawa Orchards (walnuts) Korina Farms (pecans) Sonoma County Herb Exchange (various herbs)
Sunsweet (prunes)
Roof-Mounted Solarwall Panels
Sunsweet (prunes)
Prune Dryer Layout
Sunsweet (prunes)
Fan Intake and Bypass
Sunsweet (prunes)
Gas Usage (% Difference) vs. Date
Sunsweet - 2004 Solarwall Monitoring
14
12
Gas Usage (% Difference)
10
Average Solarwall Gas Savings: 8.7%

8
0 07-Aug
09-Aug
11-Aug
13-Aug
15-Aug
17-Aug
19-Aug
21-Aug
Date
Sunsweet (prunes)
Date 08/12/04 08/13/04 08/14/04 08/15/04 08/15/04 08/16/04 Time 13:30 15:30 13:00 7:15 8:15 11:15 Ambient Solarwall Temp. (F) Temp. (F) Temp. Rise 109.4 104.3 96.4 75.7 98.9 80.4 129.4 126.6 127.4 99.8 121.6 127.6 20.0 22.3 31.0 24.1 22.7 47.2
Sunsweet (prunes)
SOLARWALL Size Air Volume Preheated Projected Savings Maximum Air Temperature 1,225 ft2 10,000 cfm (of estimated 50,000 cfm) 100 MMBTU (per month of use) 185 F
Carriere & Sons (walnuts)
Fan Intake
Walnut Dryer Layout

SOLARWALL Size Air Volume Preheated Projected Savings Maximum Air Temperature 3,200 ft2 17,500 cfm (of estimated 70,000 cfm) 172 MMBTU (per month of use) 110 F
Keyawa Orchards (walnuts)
Fan Supply Ducts

Air Temperature vs. Time
Keyawa Orchards - 2004 Solarwall Monitoring
120
110
Air Temperature (F)
100
90
80
70
60
50 9:30
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15:30
16:30
Ambient Air
Solar Heated Air
Time

SOLARWALL Size Air Volume Preheated Projected Savings Maximum Air Temperature 9,300 ft2 65,000 cfm 572 MMBTU (per month of use) 110 F
Korina Farms (pecans)
Fan Supply Duct (bypass open)
General Layout

Korina Farms - 2004 Solarwall Monitoring
100
Air Temperature (F)
90
80
70
60
50
Ambient Air
40 0.333333 3
0.375
0.416666 0.458333 7 3
0.5
Solar Heated Air
0.541666 0.583333 7 3
0.625
Time
0.666666 0.708333 7 3
0.75
0.791666 7

SOLARWALL Size Air Volume Preheated Projected Savings Maximum Air Temperature 5,200 ft2 37,000 cfm 163 MMBTU (per month of use) 80 F
Sonoma County Herb Exchange (various herbs)
Solar Batch Dryer

Sonoma County Herb Exchange - 2005 Solarwall Monitoring
120
110
Air Tem perature (F)
100
90
80
70
60
50 8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
Ambient Air
Solar Heated Air
Time

SOLARWALL Size Air Volume Preheated Projected Savings Maximum Air Temperature 105 ft2 350 cfm 3 MMBTU (per month of use) none
ICAT Summary
Sunsweet
Prunes SOLARWALL Size Air Volume Preheated Projected Savings (per month) Months of Use per Year 1,225 ft2 10,000 cfm
Carriere
Walnuts 3,200 ft2 17,500 cfm
Keyawa
Walnuts 9,300 ft2 65,000 cfm
Korina
Pecans 5,200 ft2 37,000 cfm
Sonoma
Herbs 105 ft2 350 cfm 3 MMBTU
100 MMBTU 172 MMBTU 572 MMBTU 163 MMBTU
12
Total Projected Savings (per month): 1,010 MMBTU Total Cumulative Savings (per year): 1,950 MMBTU
Solar Air Heating: The Right Choice for Agriculture

Fuel is renewable and non-polluting Maintenance-free Lifetime of free heating Cost effective Government incentives available Socially responsible New business opportunities
International Energy Agency

IEA Task 29 states One of the most promising applications for active solar heating worldwide is the drying of agricultural products.
International Energy Agency

3 Key Barriers: Lack of awareness Lack of good technical information Lack of good practical experience
Caf Duran Panama

Coffee Drying
Coopeldos Costa Rica
Coffee Drying
Coopeldos Costa Rica
Solar Displaces Wood Fuel
Drying Coir Pith India
Drying Coir Pith India
Marionbarie Tea Co India
Fruit Drying China
Jujube Drying
Chicken Barns Quebec
Manure Drying Quebec
Drying Chicken Manure
Krehers Buffalo, NY
Drying Chicken Manure
NASA Edwards, CA
Ventilation Air Preheater
PV Thermal Petaluma, CA
Summary
Five solar dryers successfully installed High value crops provided initial market Significant day time solar energy savings realized USDA and other agricultural agencies need to disseminate solar drying information ICAT demonstration assistance vital to the success of this project
For more information on solar air heating, please contact:

Conserval Engineering, Inc
www.solarwall.com Email: jhollick@solarwall.com

The California Air Resources Board
www.arb.ca.gov Email: schurch@arb.ca.gov

International Energy Agency (task 29)
www.iea-shc.org/task29/
Web Cast Viewers

Please email your questions and comments to: onair@arb.ca.gov

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Solar Crop Drying

Efficient, Simple, Cost Effective and Building Integrated

John Hollick, P.E.

The California Air Resources Board

Web Cast Viewers

Solar Crop Drying Topics

Innovative Clean Air Technology Program (ICAT)

Transpired solar collector

Crop Drying Basics

How Solar Crop Drying Works

The following animation will help to explain the concept:

Main components of a solar crop drying system

The Solarwall panel absorbs the suns energy

Air Space Profiled Sheet Provides Wind Boundary Layer

Air Space Under Negative Pressure

Air Space Under Negative Pressure

Temperature Rise Graph

Air Temperature Rise - Deg. C

Solar Radiation - Watt/m2 of Transpired Collector

Air Temperature Rise - Deg. F

Roof-Mounted Solarwall Panels

Prune Dryer Layout

Fan Intake and Bypass

Gas Usage (% Difference)

Average Solarwall Gas Savings: 8.7%

Carriere & Sons (walnuts)

Roof-Mounted Solarwall Panels

Carriere & Sons (walnuts)

Carriere & Sons (walnuts)

Walnut Dryer Layout

Carriere & Sons (walnuts)

Keyawa Orchards (walnuts)

Roof-Mounted Solarwall Panels

Keyawa Orchards (walnuts)

Fan Supply Ducts

Keyawa Orchards (walnuts)

Air Temperature (F)

Solar Heated Air

Keyawa Orchards (walnuts)

Korina Farms (pecans)

Roof-Mounted Solarwall Panels

Korina Farms (pecans)

Fan Supply Duct (bypass open)

Korina Farms (pecans)

Korina Farms (pecans)

Air Temperature (F)

Solar Heated Air

Korina Farms (pecans)

Sonoma County Herb Exchange (various herbs)

Roof-Mounted Solarwall Panels

Sonoma County Herb Exchange (various herbs)

Solar Batch Dryer

Sonoma County Herb Exchange (various herbs)

Air Tem perature (F)

Solar Heated Air

Sonoma County Herb Exchange (various herbs)

100 MMBTU 172 MMBTU 572 MMBTU 163 MMBTU

Solar Air Heating: The Right Choice for Agriculture

International Energy Agency