Construction and instrumentation of a hybrid photovoltaic solar dryer for food processing in small scale

• Grant number: 18/24132-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Industrial Operations and Equipment for Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Nakamura Alves Vieira
• Grantee: Mariana Nascimento Candido
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Solar drying is a unit operation with very simple technology and low cost, which involves the usage of an abundant and renewable source of energy which cannot be monopolized. Additionally, solar drying is a common process for food production in small scale. Hybrid solar dryers are those which, besides radiation, also uses forced convection, so that heat and mass transfer rates are improved. The usage of photovoltaic energy for providing electrical energy for the fans which are responsible for the forced convection allows the use of solar radiation for both heat transfer mechanisms and renders the dryer completely independent from electrical energy distribution systems. Consequently, all the characteristics of the so-called hybrid photovoltaic solar dryers allows their application in food processing in small scale, such as those produced by local familiar agriculture. In this context, the objective of this work will be the construction and the instrumentation of a hybrid photovoltaic solar dryer, which can be used in food processing in small scale. The instrumentation of the dryers will consist of temperature meters, humidity transmitters and a pyranometer, which measures the solar energy rate. All the measurements from these pieces of equipment will be monitored in a data acquisition interface which will be developed in LabVIEW. Preliminary experiments will be carried out in order to evaluate the dryer functioning and its capacity of processing foodstuff in small scale.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

HIDALGO, LETICIA FERRARESI; CANDIDO, MARIANA NASCIMENTO; NISHIOKA, KARINA; FREIRE, JOSE TEIXEIRA; ALVES VIEIRA, GUSTAVO NAKAMURA. Natural and forced air convection operation in a direct solar dryer assisted by photovoltaic module for drying of green onion. Solar Energy, v. 220, p. 24-34, MAY 15 2021. (17/21890-5, 18/24132-7, 18/23762-7, 19/17654-0)