www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jmce/pa...lume-7/16.pdf
Abstract, IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, 2014
Drying is an essential process in the preservation of agricultural products. Drying preserves foods by removing enough moisture from food to prevent decay and spoilage. Drying of foods, the key is to remove moisture as quickly as possible at a temperature that does not seriously affect the flavor, texture and color of the food. Various drying methods are employed to dry different agricultural products. In present work local made solar dryer is used which is modified in form of vents for natural air flow in dryer and also platform constructed, which is made up of galvanized wire mesh which allow the free flow of air around the product by natural circulation. Fan/blower is used for forced circulation and to increase the air velocity. And experimentation was carried out in both cases on some agricultural product to study the effects on performance in different parameters after drying in the month of march and april. The results also revealed the dependence of the dryer performance on the proper air circulation through the system. The dryer efficiency increased as the air velocity through the system increased.
Keywords: Food Preservation, Drying methods, Solar dryer, Performance evaluation, Drying efficiency.