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Showing 1 results for Vacuum Tube Collector (heat Pipe)
M. Iranmanesh, M.s. Barghi Jahromi,
Volume 19, Issue 11 (11-2019)
Abstract
One of the most important applications of solar energy is its utilization in solar dryers to maintain agricultural products for long-term storage. These dryers work based on passing warm air through fresh materials by natural or forced convection. So, they have a direct dependence on the intensity of the sun's irradiance to their collector, which it disrupts the drying process in the absence of a thermal energy source in the hours when the sun is not available. In order to solve this problem, the phase change material (PCM) as thermal energy storage is used. The materials that have the capacity to absorb the thermal energy (charge phase) and, they release the absorbed energy (discharge phase) when the intensity of the solar radiation is low or during the night and cause the uniformity of the outlet temperature solar collector, and inside the drying chamber. As well as they provide the necessary thermal energy for hours when the sun is not available and increase the duration of use of the dryer. In the present research, the experimental studies have been carried out through designing and construction of an indirect cabin type solar dryer equipped with a heat pipe evacuated tube collector and using PCM material as energy storage in the expansion tank. In the present research, the experimental studies have been carried out through designing and construction of an indirect cabin type solar dryer equipped with a heat pipe evacuated tube collector and use of PCM material as energy storage in the expansion tank. The effect of various parameters such as inlet and outlet temperatures of the collector, temperature, and humidity of the drying chamber and ambient, the intensity of the solar irradiance on the drying process is investigated, with and without PCM and at two different speed of forced convection through the drying chamber. The results show that the effectiveness of forced convection on the drying process is more than the effect of PCM.