Simulation Study and Experimental Investigation of Natural Convection Solar Dryer With Thermal Energy Storage

Enhancing the performance of solar dyers by integrating thermal energy storage is required to improve efficiency under current scenario. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive investigation, both experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, of thermal performance of a solar dryer integrated with a latent heat storage system. The simulations examines temperature distribution, airflow behavior, and convective heat transfer under varying operational conditions such as drying air temperature, inlet air velocity, and absorber surface area. To validate the CFD model, simulation results are compared with experimental data, showing similar profile and confirming the model accuracy. The incorporation of phase change material (PCM) minimized the drying time by about 9% in comparison to open sun drying (OSD) and the system without heat storage. Moreover, PCM improved the total energy input to the drying system by roughly 1.72%, signifying increased thermal efficiency. The thermal efficiency was found to be 14% with PCM, 11% without PCM, and 9% with OSD. The findings reveal that optimized convective heat transfer significantly enhances the drying rate. Furthermore, the incorporation of paraffin wax as a PCM improves thermal energy storage, maintaining moderate drying temperatures that preserve product quality and extend shelf life. Compared to traditional OSD, the proposed dryer demonstrates higher drying efficiency, reduced drying time, and consistent thermal performance, highlighting the effectiveness of the combined CFD experimental approach in solar drying applications.