Simulation of the operation of a prototype of indirect solar dryer for drying cassava

Abstract

This work consisted in the simulation of the operation of a prototype of a large capacity indirect solar dryer intended to dry 501.4 kg of fresh cassava pieces per drying cycle. It is designed to lower the water content of cassava pieces from 62% to 17% on a wet basis under optimal drying conditions, in order to improve the quality of products from the dried cassava pieces and to meet the standards of the international market. The modeling of the physical phenomena at the level of the dryer was done to follow the evolution of the various parameters influencing the drying. These phenomena were translated by a system of equations in order to simulate the operation of the dryer. Solving all of these equations allowed us to determine the temperature evolution of the different elements of the solar dryer and then to determine the drying kinetics of the cassava pieces. The use of this dryer will not only take advantage of the available solar energy but also guarantee the nutritional value of products derived from cassava pieces.