CFD ‐Assisted Design and Prototyping of a Solar Dryer for Pomegranate Arils: From Virtual Models to Physical Implementation

ABSTRACT This study presents the innovative design and development of an indirect solar dryer specifically tailored for pomegranate arils, utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for virtual prototyping. The dryer design consists of a solar collector unit, a drying chamber with three rack shelves, a chimney for exhaust air, and a fan. By integrating CFD simulations, the research optimizes the design parameters of the dryer. Following the virtual design and simulation data analysis, physical prototypes were constructed and tested. The maximum absorber temperatures reached 76.1°C without a fan and 66.6°C with a fan. Additionally, the maximum collector outlet temperature was 49.5°C under natural convection and 40.3°C under forced convection, which are within the safe thermal range for drying pomegranate arils (≤ 65°C). Measured and simulated temperature distributions showed that natural convection produced higher absorber and chamber temperatures with stronger vertical stratification, whereas forced convection resulted in lower and more uniform temperatures across trays. Moisture distribution analysis likewise showed position‐dependent drying, with both CFD and experiments indicating faster drying at the bottom tray and slower drying at the top and middle trays. Forced convection improved moisture uniformity, although natural convection produced slightly faster moisture reduction. The drying rate was slightly higher for solar dryer under natural circulation, taking only 6–10 h to reach the recommended moisture content of less than 15%, whereas under forced convection, the drying process extended to 9–12 h. While both drying modes achieved the target final moisture content, the higher temperatures observed during natural convection suggest a potential risk of thermal overexposure to the product, highlighting the practical need for tray rotation and monitoring to maintain uniform drying conditions. The CFD model accurately approximates the drying process, reflecting broad trends and relative variances between natural and forced convection.