Ebadi, Hossein and Zare, Dariush and Ahmadi, Masoud and Chen, Guangnan (2021) Performance of a hybrid compound parabolic concentrator solar dryer for tomato slices drying. Solar Energy, 215. pp. 44-63. ISSN 0038-092X
Abstract
In this study, a hybrid drying system incorporating a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) solar collector and an electric auxiliary heater was developed to make advances in sustainable tomato drying. The proposed dryer was designed to operate in a combined mode with solar energy as the prime source of energy, and the auxiliary unit was only used in the cases with the absence of solar radiation or limitation in generated solar power. Experimental tests were carried out to investigate the drying performance at different levels of sample thickness, airflow rate, and drying temperature. Using image processing and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques, the quality of the dried products was also evaluated in terms of the changes in color, shrinkage, and vitamin C content. Results indicated that the average drying time was about 231 min, while the shortest time was obtained as 83 min, suggesting an improved performance compared to similar works. It was found that drying temperature is the key factor influencing the rate of color changes, and shrinkage is only affected by the thickness of tomato slices. The experimental data further showed that the destruction of vitamin C was mostly influenced by the drying air temperature and sample thickness. The maximum energy and exergy efficiencies of the solar collector were determined as 25 and 6% at the maximum and minimum airflow rates, respectively.
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| Item Type: | Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C) |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Civil Engineering and Surveying (1 Jul 2013 -) |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Civil Engineering and Surveying (1 Jul 2013 -) |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Jan 2021 01:18 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Jan 2021 01:18 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Hybridization; Vitamin C destruction; Solar drying; Shrinkage; CPC solar collector |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 09 Engineering > 0999 Other Engineering > 099901 Agricultural Engineering |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 40 ENGINEERING > 4099 Other engineering > 409901 Agricultural engineering |
| Socio-Economic Objectives (2008): | B Economic Development > 82 Plant Production and Plant Primary Products > 8202 Horticultural Crops > 820215 Vegetables |
| Socio-Economic Objectives (2020): | 26 PLANT PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 2605 Horticultural crops > 260599 Horticultural crops not elsewhere classified |
| Identification Number or DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.12.026 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/40480 |
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