SOLAR HYBRID INDUSTRIAL DRYER - BIOMASS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF DEHYDRATED PEPPER

CONDORÍ, MIGUEL ANGEL; DURAN, GONZALO; ALTOBELLI, FABIANA; DURÁN, RODRIGO JAVIER; CRUZ, ILEANA GIMENA

FARO-PORTUGAL

Simposio; CONSOLFOOD 2022. Advances in Solar Thermal Food Processing; 2021

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF ALGARVE, CAMPUS DA PENHA, FARO-PORTUGAL

This work presents the design, construction, testing and feasibility analysis of a solar-biomass hybrid dryer forindustrial-scale production of pepper for paprika.The indirect type dryer has a 195 m2 flat solar collector bank. A wood burner, with a tubular smoke exchanger, works as an auxiliary energy system. Air circulation is forced by a 3 HP motor. The drying chamber has a volume of 55 m3, it allows continuous operation, with a load of 4 tons of fresh product.This dryer represents an improvement in drying time, seasonal production volume, and a reduction in traditional energy consumption compared to a conventional tunnel dryer with a wood burner that had been operating on site.The system was tested with solar operation during one harvest, in a drying period of five months, and in hybrid operation during the next harvest.Daily air temperature records in the drying chamber show values above 40 ° C and below 60 ° C for 8 hours. These values are adequate to ensure a 50% reduction in the water contained in the product at the end of the day, avoiding the formation of fungi. In fact, there have been no such problems in the two years of testing.