21th International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (ICREPQ’23)

Madrid (Spain), 24th to 26th May 2023

Renewable Energy and Power Quality Journal (RE&PQJ)
ISSN 2172-038 X, Volume No.21, July 2023

Design of a solar mango dryer for rural sectors located in Piura-Peru

Ph.D. Freddy J. Rojas1 B.Sc. David Huarcaya1
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Pontifical University Catholic of Peru
Av Universitaria 1801, San Miguel 15088 (Peru)
e-mail: fjrojas@pucp.pe, a20172788@pucp.edu.pe

Abstract. In the present study, the energy design of an indirect increase in the harvest area of approximately 3000
solar dryer with the capacity to dehydrate 10 kg of mango was hectares was evidenced, thus making this region one of the
carried out. The methodology used was based on calculations of [3].
heat transfer, thermodynamics and dimensioning of the main
components which are the solar collector and the drying chamber. The mango is one of the main fruits that are exported in
As results, it was analyzed that the ambient air must enter the our country and is recognized in international markets
collector with a minimum speed of 1.175 m/s; the air increases its being the Kent mango the main variety of mango to be
temperature to approximately 45 °C when passing through the
collector thanks to the energy in the form of heat that is supplied,
exported [3]. During the Peruvian mango campaign 2021-
this energy being 1.363 kW, the drying process time was 2022, which runs from September to April, it was possible
established in 8 hours and the environmental conditions in the to add the large amount of 191609 tons of mango exported
Piura region were considered. Additionally, simulations were worth US $ 235 million in which, compared to last season,
carried out that allow to know the behavior of the drying air inside an increase of 10% in volume and 5% in value was
the drying chamber, allowing to analyze and discuss the reason for observed [4]. As for the export value, the average price per
the results that are observed graphically and numerically. It is kilo of mango in 2020 was US$ 1.04.
concluded that the indirect solar dryer is a friendly option with the
environment since renewable energy such as solar energy is used, A solar dryer is an equipment that allows drying by using
thus replacing traditional dryers that generate polluting gases or
use electrical sources.
solar radiation as an energy source to heat the air and
thereby remove water from the fabrics of products such as
fruits, vegetables, seeds, meat, etc. [5]. The use of a dryer
Keywords. Indirect solar dryer, dehydrated mangos, of this type brings with it advantages such as being a
numerical simulation using CFD, renewable energy-solar
simple and natural method since expensive equipment is
not needed. There are three types of solar dryers: direct,
1. Introduction indirect, and mixed. The direct dryer is an equipment in
Currently, Peru is one of the countries that has a great which a collector and a drying chamber are the same
diversity of fruits with approximately 623 species [1]. The element, as a result is that the space that contains the food
production of different fruits in Peru over the last few years works as a collector receiving solar radiation [6]. The
has allowed the agro-export sector to be placed as the indirect dryer, unlike a direct one, has the collector and the
second activity that generates the highest economic income drying chamber as individual components, the radiation
in the country. However, a problem that has been observed affects the collector, it absorbs and stores the heat provided
is the loss and waste of food, also called "FLW", due to the and with that energy it will heat the air that is led to the
lack of organization that exists when it comes to agricultural drying chamber where the products to be dehydrated are
production, packaging, etc. Due to a bad practice at the time located. In the mixed dryer both the collector and the
of production is that fruits can decompose. According to a drying chamber directly receive solar radiation allowing it
study, it is estimated that an average of 5.6 million tons of to be absorbed by the product to be dried.
fruits and vegetables are lost annually in Peru [2].
There are studies in which solar dryers have been analyzed
Regarding the production of mangoes, it is known that Peru energetically. García et al. (2012) carried out the design of
produces mangoes mostly during the first and last quarter of an indirect solar dryer that works by forced convection
the year because it takes advantage of the fact that the main using a fan; they performed the selection of its
generators in the market do not produce during those dates components, the sizing calculations and finally
allowing to supply the international market. In addition, dehydration tests. Other studies show the solar drying of
mango production in Peru is greater in areas of the northern the mango; Iglesias Díaz et al. (2017) presented the design,
coast of the country since they have a suitable climate for construction, and evaluation of a solar dryer for Ataulfo
cultivation. The region of Piura is located in the northern mango in which they managed to dehydrate 100 kg of
part of Peru, and it was between 2000 and 2006 where an mango flakes in a time of 8 hours of sunshine thus

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reducing the initial humidity of the mango by approximately According to table 1, the average temperature will vary
72%. according to the month, so it is chosen to choose an
In order to prevent mangoes from rotting due to average value of 25 °C (Tamb). An adequate drying
decomposition and that the main producers run out of this temperature will depend on the size of the collector, as
product, it has been decided to mechanically and well as the place where it is installed. For this study, it will
energetically design an indirect dehydration system that be taken as an initial condition that the value of the drying
uses solar energy in the department of Piura-Peru; what you temperature must not exceed 60 °C since it is possible that
want to achieve with this drying equipment is to give it a at higher temperatures the product may enter a cooking
longer life span than the mangos. The capacity of the state [10]. In addition, a drying time of 8 hours is
equipment to be designed will be up to 10 kg of mango. established, as well as an average irradiance value of 0.779
kW/m2 (Isol).
2. Methodology It is known that the atmospheric pressure in Piura is 101.2
kPa (Patm), and a relative humidity of the air of
approximately 65% (HRamb) is chosen.
2.1. Geographic location The initial humidity of the mango is known due to the
The region of Piura is in the northwest of Peru, has an area physicochemical properties of the fruit, it is worth
of approximately 35 890 km2, borders other departments mentioning that this value is an approximate value, since
such as Tumbes in the north, Lambayeque in the south, the actual initial humidity will depend on the environment
Cajamarca in the east and in the west with the Pacific from where the mango is harvested. The value of 85.5%
Ocean. The latitude and longitude values of Piura are will be taken as the initial humidity in wet base of the
5.1945° S and 80.6328° W respectively [7]. mango [11] ; and for the final humidity of the mango the
value of 10% in wet base [12].
2.2. Weather conditions in Piura It is important to mention that available data of certain
The average values of temperature, irradiation, hours of parameters was used in some equations, so fuzzy logic can
sunshine, irradiance and relative humidity recorded in Piura be a useful tool to handle data affected by uncertainties and
from 2014 to 2021 are shown in table 1. [8][9]. inaccuracies, since it is capable of modeling these
problems through the use of fuzzy sets and disseminate the
Table 1. Monthly average values of parameters data by techniques of low computational complexity. This
Hours allows for a more realistic representation of the data and
Months
Temperature Irradiation of Irradiance Relative improves the accuracy and reliability of the results,
(°C) (kWh/m2) sunshine (kW/m2) humidity especially in applications where a fast and efficient
(h)
response is required [13].
Jan 26 6.3 8.7 0.724 0.62
Feb 27 6.1 8.2 0.744 0.64 2.4. Design calculations
Mar 27 6.1 8.8 0.693 0.64 Three important points which are part of the solar drying
Apr 26 6.1 9.1 0.67 0.63 equipment are established. (1) is where the ambient air
May 24 6 8.7 0.69 0.63 enters the solar collector, (2) is the outlet of the air heated
Jun 23 5.9 7.7 0.766 0.66
by the collector entering the drying chamber, and (3) is the
Jul exit of moist air from the chamber by means of a chimney,
21 6.2 7.4 0.838 0.66
these points are schematically in figure 1.
Aug 21 6.6 7.7 0.857 0.66
Sep 21 6.9 8 0.863 0.65
Oct 22 6.9 7.9 0.873 0.64
Nov 23 6.9 8 0.863 0.64
Dec 25 6.6 8.6 0.767 0.64

2.3. Initial conditions and characteristics of

solar drying equipment
The indirect solar dryer that is planned to be designed must
contain two of its main components that are the solar
collector responsible for collecting solar radiation and
increasing the temperature of the ambient air that will be
directed to the drying chamber where the mangos to be Fig.1. Diagram of inputs and outputs of the indirect solar
dehydrated are located. dryer
The parameters that matter to be able to carry out the energy
design and equipment sizing are the ambient temperature of 2.4.1 Heat supplied by the collector to
the air, the temperature after passing through the solar increase ambient air temperature
collector, the atmospheric pressure, the relative humidity of The calculations are started with the heat provided by the
the ambient air, the average irradiance in the environment, collector to increase the drying temperature to dehydrate
the drying time to be established and the initial and final the 10 kg of mango that are at the beginning. Since the
humidity of the mango. temperature at the collector outlet is not known, an

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expression is needed to approximate it. Equation 1 can be Now, with the water activity found, the final relative
proposed to approximate this temperature [14]. humidity at the outlet of the drying chamber can be
calculated with equation 6 [12].
Isol
ΔT = 2β ∗ (Tb − Tc ) ∗ (1)
Io HR 3 = 100 ∗ a w (6)
Where:
β =Dimensionless parameter [0.14-0.25] Optimal: 0.2 Finally, the equation representing the total energy in the
Tb = Boiling temperature of water at atmospheric pressure form of heat absorbed by the solar collector to heat the air
[100 °C] is expressed in equation 7 [12].
Tc = Freezing temperature of water at atmospheric pressure
[0 °C] E = ṁair ∗ (h2 − h1 ) (7)
Isol = Average solar irradiance in the area [779 W/m2]
Io = Solar constant [1367 W/m2] Where:
ΔT = Collector outlet temperature and ambient temperature h2 = Final enthalpy of air (Collector outlet), kJ/kg
difference [20 °C] h1 = Initial enthalpy of ambient air (Collector inlet), kJ/kg

Now, it is necessary to find the amount of water that is Below is a table with the results of the above equations.
required to evaporate using equation 2 [15].
Table 2. Results for heat provided by collector
mmango ∗(Miw −Mfw )
mw = (1−Mfw )
(2) Data or equation
Symbol Value Units
used
Where: T2 45 ℃ (1)
mmango = Initial amount of mango [10 kg] T3 34 ℃ Patm, HR3, ω3
Miw = Initial humidity of the mango on a wet basis [85.5%] mw 8.389 kg (2)
Mfw = Final humidity of the mango on a wet basis [10%] DR 1.049 kg/h (3)
mw = Amount of water to be removed from the mango
ω1 0.01293 kgwater/kgas Patm, HRamb
[8.389 kg]
ω3 0.01733 kgwater/kgas h2 , HR 3
Once the amount of water to be removed is found, the aw 0.514 - (5)
drying ratio (DR) can be known by dividing it by the drying HR 3 51.4 % (6)
time as shown in equation 3 [15]. h1 58.02 kJ/kg Tamb, HRamb
h2 78.63 kJ/kg T2 , ω1
mw
DR = (3) ṁair 238.143 kg/hr (4)
tdry
E 1.363 kW (7)
Where:
t dry = Drying time [8 h]
2.4.2 Collector sizing
Sizing the collector refers to knowing what area this
DR = Drying ratio [1.049 kg/h] equipment needs. The area can be calculated as shown in
equation 8 [16].
The air mass flow required for drying can also be expressed
with equation 4 [15]. E
Acol = (8)
Isol ∗ηcol
DR
ṁair = (4)
ω3 −ω1
Where:
ηcol =Collector efficiency [50%] [17]
Where:
Acol = Solar collector area [3.5 m2]
ω3 =Final absolute air humidity (Drying chamber outlet),
kgwater/kgas
Additionally, the width (Wcol ) is defined and the length
ω1 =Initial absolute humidity of the air (Entrance to the
(Lcol ) of the collector is calculated, knowing that the length
collector), kgwater/kgas
of the flat plate collectors is between 0.5m to 1m greater
than the width, so the following will be assumed.
As no data is known about the final relative humidity at the
outlet of the drying chamber, an equation known as
Wcol = 1.6 m
"Sorption Isotherms Equation" is used, which is expressed
in equation 5 [12]. Acol
Lcol = = 2.19 m
Wcol
(0.914+0.5639∗ln(Mfd ))
[−e ]
aw = 1 − e (5) 2.4.3 Angle of inclination of the collector
The necessary optimal angle of inclination (θ) can be
Where: expressed [18].
Mfd = Final dry air humidity [11.11 %]
a w = Water activity [0.514] θ = 10° + lat∅ (9)

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Where: ρmango = Mango density [1057.8 kg/m3]
lat∅ =Latitude in Piura [5.19 º] emango = Thickness of the product layer on the tray [0.015
θ = Angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal m]
[15.19 º] ζ =Porosity of the mango [0.066] [20]
εv = Empty space factor [0.3]
2.4. 4 Energy loss in the collector Adry = Total drying area [13.652 m2]
The absorber plate is the element of the collector that
contains most of the solar energy, so an energy balance is With the calculated drying area, 6 trays were chosen to
proposed to know how much the loss is it has. Using accommodate them in the drying chamber. Also, dividing
equation 10, this loss can be calculated [18]. the drying area by the number of trays will find the area
needed on each tray.
Isol ∗ Acol ∗ (τ ∗ α) = Q u + Q L + Q s (10) #trays = 6

Where: Adry
Atray = (15)
τ =Transparent cover transmissivity [0.85] [19] #trays
α =Absorbing plate absorptivity [0.9] [18]
Q u = Useful energy for heating air (Q u = E) [1.363 kW] Assuming that the width of each tray (Wtray ) is 1.5 m, the
Q s = Stored energy [0 kW] length of the trays (Ltray ) can be calculated by substituting
Q L = Energy lost by conduction, convection, and re- into equation 15.
radiation waves [0.723 kW]
13.652
1.5 ∗ Ltray =
2.4.5 Minimum required drying air velocity 6
It will be calculated how much is the speed that the air needs
to be able to work under the given conditions. First, the Ltray = 1.517 m ≈ 1.52 m
volumetric flow is calculated with equation 11.
Knowing the dimensions that the trays will have and
ṁair knowing that the width of the drying chamber must be
V̇air = (11)
ρair equal to the width of the calculated collector is that the
following dimensions are taken.
Where:
ρ air = Air density at collector inlet [1.173 kg/m3] Lchamber = 1.6 m
V̇air = Volumetric air flow [0.056 m3/s]
Wchamber = Wcol = 1.6 m
The minimum velocity required (vinl_air ) for the above
calculated flow to exist is calculated by dividing this flow Hchamber = 1.2 m
by the air inlet area (Ainl_ air ) of the collector. The
corresponding equations for the calculation are equations 12 2.4.7 Pressure drop in the drying chamber
and 13. The difference in air pressure from the inlet of the drying
chamber to its exit through the chimney can be expressed
Ainl_ air = B air ∗ H air (12) with equation 16 [21].
V̇air
vinl_ air = (13) ∆Pchamber = 0.0038 ∗ g ∗ (T2 − Tamb ) ∗ Hchamber (16)
Ainl_ air

Where:
Where:
g = Gravity [9.81 m/s2]
Wair = Air inlet width [1.6 m]
∆Pchamber = Air pressure drop in the drying chamber.
Hair = Air inlet height [0.03 m]
[1.267 Pa]
Ainl_air = Air inlet area [0.048 m2]
vinl_air = Minimum air inlet velocity [1.175 m/s]
2.4.8 Energy loss in the drying chamber
The internal and external convective coefficients must be
2.4.6 Drying chamber sizing calculated to perform the heat transfer equation and find
This calculation is related to the amount of mango to be the amount of heat going outside.
placed, the number of trays, as well as their dimensions and
other influencing factors. First, the drying area inside the
chamber will be sized, which is the total area in which the Calculation of internal convective coefficient
mango must be located to be dehydrated. The drying area is Since the airflow passes through a square section, the
calculated with equation 14 [19]. hydraulic diameter (Dhid ) will be equal to the side of the
square section equivalent to 1.6 m. On the other hand, the
mmango reference temperature for this calculation is the average of
Adry = (14)
ρmango ∗emango ∗ζ∗(1−εv ) the chamber inlet and outlet temperatures (Tave ) as shown
in equation 17.
Where: T +T
Tave = 2 3 (17)
2

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Tave = 39.5 ℃ Prext = Number of Prandtl exterior [0.7427]
Nuext =Number of Nusselt exterior [151.579]
Then, the Reynolds number inside the drying chamber is
calculated with equation 18. Finally, the external convective coefficient is calculated
with equation 23.
ρint ∗vent_ air ∗Dhid
Reint = (18)
μint Nuext ∗kext
αext = (23)
Dhid
Where:
ρint = Air density inside the drying chamber [1.118 kg/m3] Where:
μint =Dynamic viscosity of the air inside the drying k ext =Air conductivity coefficient outside the chamber
chamber [1.913*10-5 kg/m*s] [0.02557 W/m*K]
Reint =Number of Reynolds inside [1.099*105] αext =External convective coefficient of air [2.422
W/m2*K]
Since it is true that 10000 ≤ Reint ≤ 5 ∗ 106 and 0.5 ≤
Print ≤ 1.5, the Gnielinski equation expressed in equation Once the convective coefficients have been calculated, the
19 for gases is applied to find the Nusselt number. overall transfer coefficient from the inside to the outside is
calculated. For the analysis of this coefficient, a diagram
Nuint = 0.0214 ∗ (Reint 0,8 − 100) ∗ Print 0,4 (19) with the surfaces in the drying chamber that are in contact
with air is shown in the following figure 2.
Where:
Print = Prandtl number inside [0.7416]
Nuint =Nusselt number inside [202. 819]

Finally, the internal convective coefficient is calculated

with equation 20.

Nuint ∗kint
αint = (20)
Dhid

Where:
k int =Coefficient of conductivity of the air inside the
chamber [0.02666 W/m*K]
αint =Internal convective coefficient of air [3.79 W/m2*K]
Fig.2. Scheme of the walls of the drying chamber
Calculation of external convective coefficient
For this calculation, the ambient air temperature is taken as The thickness and conductivity of the materials of the
a reference. In addition, the wind speed (air) outside is internal insulation (fiberglass) and of the plates of the
determined by weather conditions. internal and external chamber (galvanized steel) that make
up the walls of the drying chamber are defined. Then, the
km m global transfer coefficient is calculated with equation 24.
v air_amb = 9 = 2.5
h s 1
U= 1 eplate_int e eplate_ext 1
(24)
( )+( )+( insulation )+( )+( )
αint kst_galv kfib_glass kst_galv αext
The Reynolds number outside the drying chamber is
calculated with equation 21. Where:
ρext ∗v air_amb ∗Dhid
einsulation = Chamber insulation thickness [30 mm]
Reext = (21) eplate_int = Thickness of the internal plate of the chamber
μext
[5 mm]
Where: eplate_ext = Thickness of the external plate of the chamber
ρext = Air density outside the drying chamber [1.173 [5 mm]
kg/m3] k fib_glass = Thermal conductivity of fiberglass [0.041
μext = Dynamic viscosity of the air outside the drying W/m*K]
chamber [1.846*10-5 kg/m*s] k st_galv = Thermal conductivity of galvanized steel [47
Reext = Number of Reynolds exterior [2.542*105] W/m*K]
U = Overall transfer coefficient [0.694 W/m2*K]
Equation 22 is used to calculate the Nusselt number since
Reext ≤ 5 ∗ 105 The total area of the chamber walls (Awalls ) that are in
1 1
contact with the airflow is expressed in equation 25.
Nuext = 0.332 ∗ Reext 2 ∗ Prext 3 (22)
Awalls = 2 ∗ (Lchamber ∗ Wchamber + Wchamber ∗
Where: Hchamber + Lchamber ∗ Hchamber ) (25)

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Awalls = 12.8 m2 3. Simulation
The simulation allows to observe how the air, after being
Finally, the heat lost by convection and conduction in the heated in the solar collector, passes through the drying
drying chamber (Q lost_chamber ) is calculated with equation chamber where the mango slices will be located. Using the
26. Ansys Workbench 2022 software, the results of the
simulation of parameters such as temperature, speed and
Q lost_chamber = U ∗ Awalls ∗ (Tave − Tamb ) (26) pressure will be obtained; the results obtained will be
analyzed in order to know the behavior of the air
Q lost_chamber = 128.823 W circulating inside the system.
Analyzing the temperature values first, the temperature
2.4.9 Heat to dehydrate mango contour can be seen in figure 4 in a symmetrical plane that
The heat needed to dehydrate the mango refers to the heat divides the dryer into two halves.
that the air that was heated in the solar collector will provide
to the mango by heat transfer for water evaporation. The
amount of heat can be divided into heat to preheat the
mango and the heat needed to evaporate the water. The
formula for finding heat to preheat the mango [22].

mmango ∗cpmango ∗(Tf_mango −Ti_mango )

Q pre_heat = (27)
tdry

Where:
Tf_mango = Final mango temperature [318 K]
Ti_mango = Initial mango temperature [298 K]
cpmango =Specific heat of the mango [3.77 kJ/kg*K]
Q pre_heat = Heat to preheating the mango [0.026 kW]
Fig.4. Temperature contour in the dryer
On the other hand, the necessary heat needed to evaporate
the water from the mango is shown in equation 28. There is an increase in temperature as planned, and that the
temperature value in the chamber is approximately
mw ∗hfg uniform. It is observed that the temperature value at the
Q evap = (28)
tdry exit of the collector goes between 311 K and 313 K (38 ºC
and 40 ºC), these values are lower than the calculated one
Where: which was 45 ºC, the reason is because in the simulation
hfg = Latent heat of water vaporization [2404 kJ/kg] the value of a specific day is taken to be able to take the
Q evap = Heat to evaporate water from the mango [0.7 kW] irradiation of that day, unlike the numerical calculation
where the average value of the months of the year was
Adding both terms, the total heat necessary to dehydrate the taken. The value at the exit of the solar dryer that is
mango is obtained (Q deh_mango ) and the formula can be seen expelled through the chimney according to the simulation
in equation 29. is 37.556 ºC (310.556 K), this value is higher by 3.556 ºC
to the previously calculated which was 34 ºC, the reason
Q deh_mango = Q pre_heat + Q evap (29) for this is because in this simulation the interaction with
the mango or with the trays where the air will flow is not
taken into account, this causes the air, when encountering
Q deh_mango = 0.726 kW
bodies that produce a type of resistance and dissipation to
heat, to decrease its temperature, thus being able to explain
Figure 3 shows a modeling of the indirect solar dryer the reason for this value a little higher.
formed by the solar collector and the drying chamber. Additionally, it can be considered how the temperature
distribution occurs in horizontal planes located in the
drying chamber, this in order to observe that this parameter
is uniform in the planes, since this allows to intuit that the
dehydrated will also be uniform which is something
beneficial since it will be achieved that the mango slices
obtain a very similar final moisture content and without
many deviations. The plans that were worked on were on
the ZX axis, 3 planes were worked in total, strategically
located in the lower, middle and upper part of the drying
chamber to know the temperature distribution in these
parts. The following figures show how the air temperature
Fig.3. Indirect solar dryer is distributed in the mentioned planes.

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 In addition, the distribution of the speed in the drying
chamber can be known thanks to the simulation carried out
and with the help of flow lines, this simulation gives an
idea of the direction and numerical value of the speed.
Figure 8 shows the air flow lines that circulate through the
drying chamber.

Fig.5. Temperature distribution in a low plane of the

drying chamber

Fig.8. Air flow lines in the drying chamber

From figure 8 it can be seen how the distribution and speed

values are given in the drying chamber. There is a
tendency of the air that leaves the collector, this tendency
is to flow through the lower wall of the drying chamber
until it reaches the rear wall of the same, once it reaches
the rear the air flow goes in a vertical direction towards
other walls such as the sides and the top, This phenomenon
Fig.6. Temperature distribution in a midplane of the drying is known as recirculation and is linked to drying processes.
chamber Brazil Maia et al. (2012) show a very similar behavior of
the air flowing in the drying chamber, they also show that
it is because of this recirculation that the temperature tends
to be higher at the back of the chamber.

The pressure of the air that enters the chamber is a

parameter that indicates with what force the fluid impacts
against the various bodies that will be found such as trays
and mangos slices. Because there is a proportional
relationship between pressure and temperature, it can be
identified that the pressure must also be approximately
uniform, this can be seen in figure 9 in which the pressure
contour can be seen in a plane that divides the dryer .

Fig.7. Temperature distribution in a high plane of the

drying chamber

From figures 5,6 and 7 it can be known that the distribution

of temperatures in the planes is uniform, there is a more
noticeable variation of temperature in the low plane because
this plane is the one that is closest to the air outlet of the
collector causing the air to concentrate in the back of the
plane and thus existing this slight difference. As the medium
and high planes are analyzed, it can be seen that the
uniformity is increasing, the reason for this phenomenon is
that the air temperature is closer and closer to the outlet
chimney, being much closer to the ambient air, which Fig.9. Pressure contour in the dryer
causes not only greater uniformity, but also a small decrease
in temperature compared to that obtained in the low plane. From the previous figure it can be seen that there is an
almost uniform pressure in the chamber. Additionally, in
Knowing the mass flow of air required at the collector inlet the previous calculations it was found what would be the
(ṁair ) it is possible to know the value of the inlet velocity. drop in pressure of the air that crossed the chamber

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(∆Pchamber ), this value can be compared with that obtained exit of the collector is between 38 ºC and 40 ºC, a value
in the simulation. Due to the use of the boundary condition similar to the analytical calculation that was
at the exit with 0 Pa, it can be affirmed that the inlet pressure approximately 45 ºC. In addition, there are other values
to the chamber is equal to the pressure difference that exists that were corroborated such as the speed of entry into the
in it. In figure 9, additionally, the pressure value of the point dryer or the pressure drop in the drying chamber, so it is
located at the entrance of the chamber is 1.2715 Pa; the concluded that the calculations of the air in the inlets and
difference between the pressure values of the simulation and outlets of the dryer were developed appropriately.
the calculated one is 0.0045 Pa, being a minimum
difference. 6. Acknowledgment
We thank the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú for
4. Discussion their support in preparing the project.
In the study by García et al. (2012) when calculating the
sizing of the solar collector, the value of 80% efficiency of References
the flat solar collector is taken, this value is high since the
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