Experimental Analysis of Solar Dryer Using Phase Change Material

The drying process preserves food for many agricultural and food commodities. Solar heating systems can store food and other crops without deteriorating which requires a high-performance solar dryer. Bangladeshi crude natural drying is inefficient and unsanitary. None of the solar dryers designed for this condition have been used yet. Experimentation and research are possible with phase-changing material (PCM) energy storage in solar drying. The experimental investigation's main goal is to build a solar chili dryer using the phase-changing material and study how it affects heat availability, utilization, and drying kinetics. PCM also maintains chili-drier temperatures. This experiment used a 1-m-wide, 0.53-m-deep collector this collector averaged 52.42 percent energy efficiency and 43.5 percent exergy efficiency. Solar radiation increases the collector's energy efficiency. The heat storage was 32.12-23.44 percent energy and exergy efficient. The drying chamber averaged 8.48% energy efficiency. The drying system used 6.43 kWh per kg of moisture and was 10.9 percent efficient. Moisture consumed 0.03 kWh per kilogram. This study shows that PCM with solar dryers is an effective drying process for food preservation.