Performance Assessment and Modeling Techniques for Domestic Solar Dryers

Abstract

Solar dryers have always been criticized for their lower performances. There are numerous ways to define the performance of a solar drying system such as thermal performance, drying kinetics, environmental aspects, economic evaluations, and quality of the dried product. Different modeling techniques have also been developed to design and analyze solar dryers and drying processes. This article presents a systematic, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art overview of various performance indicators and modeling techniques used for the evaluation and analysis of solar dryers, especially domestic and low cost solar dryers. Environmental analysis has severe global implications, and product quality is one of the biggest concerns of consumers. But the environmental impact and product quality assessments for domestic solar dryers are observed to be rarely reported in the literature. The use of modeling techniques in solar drying has changed the way of analyzing any thermal system. Here, an attempt is made to establish an overall assessment criterion for domestic solar dryers and to give a one-stop solution for researchers and users around the world.