Thermal evaluation of an indirect air heating system using solar collectors

Abstract

One of the current problems is the use of energy obtained from fossil fuels, especially due to the emission of greenhouse gases. An option to replace fossil fuels is the use of alternative energies such as solar or wind energy. The objective of this work is to carry out a thermal and energy analysis of an indirect air heating system that receives energy through solar collectors that operate with water as the thermal fluid used in a food dehydration system, in order to know the efficiency of the system and therefore, make improvements to the circuit, in addition to the characterization of the water storage tank of the system, obtain the amount of energy that can be provided and the behavior of temperatures at different operating flows. According to the methodology, the temperature profile was obtained inside the hot water tank in two modes of operation (heating and energy extraction) reaching temperatures of 50 to 70 ° C, where the optimum temperature for drying is found and in turn reaching an efficiency 84%, compared to a conventional drying system that uses LP gas.