Performance Evaluation of a Box-Type Absorber Solar Air Collector for Crop Drying

Abstract

A box-type absorber solar air collector was designed for use in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria on latitude 7.5o N and ‎constructed with materials that are readily available in the local market. The performance of solar ‎collector with the dryer was evaluated in the month of August. The results show that high temperature ‎can be achieved in the dryer with the use of the box-type absorber collector. The maximum average ‎temperature obtained (during the daylight) inside the collector and drying chamber were 64.0 and 57.0 oC ‎respectively, while the maximum ambient temperature observed was 33.5 oC. The heating temperature ‎inside the dryer was higher than the ambient temperature by an average of 15.3 oC (50.7 %) throughout ‎the daylight. Comparison between the performance of this system and that of the other systems with ‎different types of absorber shows that this system is more efficient. During the test a maximum collector ‎efficiency of 60.5 % was obtained in the system .