Comparative analysis of three solar dryer configurations based on temperature distribution in the drying chamber

Abstract

As part of our study, three different indirect solar dryer designs were simulated using SolidWorks flow simulation tools to evaluate their thermal performance under various climatic conditions. The systems, consisting of one, two, and three collectors, were evaluated using the Mathlab software on three key solar dates: March 21st , June 21st , and December 21st . We calculated the sun's elevation and azimuth angles at two critical time points—10:00 a.m. and noon to be used in the simulations. The simulations revealed that increasing the number of collectors significantly enhances the system's thermal efficiency, particularly during the midday period when solar radiation is at its peak. Although ambient temperatures varied across the studied dates, direct normal irradiance (DNI) had the greatest impact on system performance. Notably, the three-collector design consistently outperformed the other configurations, achieving the highest relative efficiency on June 21 at noon due to the position of the sun and the ambient air temperature .These results demonstrate that multi-collector designs provide superior drying efficiency and emphasize the importance of optimizing collector space based on local solar conditions and operational needs.