Evaluation and Thermal-Analysis of a Solar-Assisted Drying-System: Study of the System’s Main Components

This part of the study on thermal analysis of solar-assisted drying-system, examined the thermal performance of the main components. Roselle is used as drying material for testing the drying-system. The silica gel is used to remove moisture from the drying-air before entering the drying-chamber. The research findings showed that the temperature and energy collected by the system increased with higher solar-irradiance levels. The solar collector had an average efficiency of 22%, and a time constant of 32 minutes. The average differences between the inlet and ambient temperatures, the outlet and inlet temperatures, and the inlet and ambient temperatures per unit of solar irradiance are 22.2°C, 1.5°C, and 0.04°Cm2/W, respectively.