Numerical investigation on flat plate collector with struts for drying of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

The demand for quality food product is growing all around globe due to population explosion. Drying is one of the ancient technique to preserve the fruits and vegetables. Indirect solar drying system with flat plate collector is used in this experiment for drying operation. V-Shaped struts on top of the absorber plate to augment the thermal performance of the dryer. CFD study on the influence of V-shaped struts and its relative roughness pitch parameter on the thermal efficiency, Nusselt number and friction factor was performed. Providing V-shaped struts improved the thermal efficiency of the collector also increased the friction factor. Thermal efficiency improved by 47% while the Nusselt number increased by 2.1 times for plate with V-shaped strut of relative roughness pitch 10 compared to the plain tube.