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.
