Sains Malaysiana 49(10)(2020): 2539-2545

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2020-4910-19

Temperature Performance of a Portable Solar Greenhouse Dryer with Various Collector Design

(Prestasi Suhu Pengering Rumah Hijau Suria Mudah Alih dengan Pelbagai Reka Bentuk Pengumpulan)

NURUL AIMAN MHD SAFRI¹, ZALITA ZAINUDDIN¹*, MOHD SYAHRIMAN MOHD AZMI², AHMAD FUDHOLI³, IDRIS ZULKIFLE¹ & MOHD HAFIDZ RUSLAN³

¹Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

²Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

³Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Received: 21 February 2020/Accepted: 24 April 2020

ABSTRACT

The two main components of a solar greenhouse drying system are the solar collector and drying chamber. Solar greenhouse utilized thermal energy to increase the temperature in the drying chamber at an optimum rate for drying purposes with the use of solar collectors. In this study the performance of a self-built portable solar greenhouse dryer using different types of solar collectors were evaluated, which are flat plate with insulator, V-groove with insulator, flat plate and V-groove with insulator and flat plate and V-groove without insulator. The experiment was conducted indoor, in the solar simulator laboratory using halogen lamps. Two parameters were varied, which are the mass flow rates at 0.011, 0.021, 0.030, and 0.041 kg/s, and the light intensities at 625, 708, 860, and 988 W/m². The results showed that for all types of collector, the combination of the maximum solar radiation intensity of 988 W/m² and the lowest mass flow rate of 0.011 kg/s produced the highest average maximum collector outlet temperature. Whereas, the highest efficiency is at the highest mass flow rate of 0.041 kg/s and the minimum solar radiation intensity of 625 W/m². In this study it was found that the solar collector that has the best performance of heat transfer is the combination of flat-plate and V-groove collector with an insulator under the V-groove while the best collector design for drying purpose is the combination of flat-plate and V-groove collector without insulator.

Keywords: Efficiency; performance; solar greenhouse dryer; V-groove collector

ABSTRAK

Dua komponen utama bagi sistem pengering rumah hijau suria adalah pengumpul suria dan kebuk pengeringan. Rumah hijau suria menggunakan tenaga terma untuk meningkatkan suhu di dalam kebuk pengeringan pada kadar yang optimum untuk tujuan pengeringan dengan penggunaan pengumpul suria. Dalam kajian ini, prestasi pengering rumah hijau suria mudah alih swabina menggunakan pengumpul suria berbeza jenis telah dinilai iaitu, plat-datar dengan penebat, lekuk-V dengan penebat, gabungan plat-datar dan lekuk-V dengan penebat dan gabungan plat-datar dan lekuk-V tanpa penebat. Uji kaji telah dijalankan di dalam makmal simulator suria yang menggunakan lampu halogen. Dua parameter telah diubah iaitu, kadar aliran jisim pada 0.011, 0.021, 0.030 dan 0.041 kg/s dan keamatan cahaya pada 625, 708, 860 dan 988 W/m². Keputusan kajian menunjukkan bahawa gabungan keamatan sinar suria maksimum bagi 988 W/m² dan kadar aliran jisim paling rendah bagi 0.011 kg/s telah mencapai suhu keluar pengumpul dengan purata maksimum yang paling tinggi untuk semua jenis pengumpul. Manakala kecekapan tertinggi adalah pada kadar aliran jisim tertinggi iaitu pada 0.041 kg/s dan keamatan sinar suria minimum pada 625 W/m². Kajian ini juga mendapati bahawa pengumpul suria dengan prestasi pemindahan haba terbaik adalah gabungan plat-datar dan lekuk-V dengan penebat di bawah lekuk-V manakala reka bentuk pengumpul suria terbaik bagi tujuan pengeringan adalah gabungan plat-datar dan lekuk-V tanpa penebat.

Kata kunci: Kecekapan; pengering rumah hijau suria; pengumpul berlekuk-V; prestasi

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*Corresponding author; email: zazai@ukm.edu.my