The effects of geometrical changes on airflow of developing-world solar fruit dryers
Name
1196829866-MIT.pdf
Size
12.96 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
65cb9cd59d99181e105e329315a80acc
Author(s)
Tang, Lisa(Researcher in mechanical engineering)Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Advisor(s)
Daniel Sweeney.
Date Issued
2020
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Small fruit-drying operations are becoming increasingly prevalent in the developing world. Many of these operations rely on solar thermal dryers with small fans to induce active air flow, which enhances drying capabilities. This thesis examines the effects of changes in dryer geometry on the air flow within flatbed solar dryers. The interior of a dryer was simulated using Ansys Fluent, and air flow velocity and patterns were observed as the dryer's length, width, and height were varied. It was found that a small fan placed at the dryer's entrance introduces a thin jet of air, which slows and spreads out over the course of the dryer. A steady air flow pattern was reached 4 meters into the modeled dryer. Reducing dryer height was found to increase the air flow velocity at the dryer's center, but not at the dryer's bottom where fruit is usually located. In addition to decreasing dryer height, the study recommends vertically raising the racks of fruit further above the dryer bottom. Air flow consistency across the width of the dryer persisted as an issue through the variations of width and height.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, May, 2020
Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 43-45).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
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