Solar Tunnel Dryer

The solar tunnel dryer is a polyhouse dryer suitable for drying of most of the food crops. It consists of a tunnel type semi-cylindrical drying chamber provided with windows to allow the ambient air to enter the dryer. An exhaust fan is provided to evacuate the moist air from the dryer. A sliding door is also provided to facilitate easy handling of the produce. Trolleys and trays (50 Nos.) are provided to hold one tonne chilli for drying. The maximum temperature of the air inside the dryer was observed to be 53-54°C. The drying time of 43-45 hours is required to dry one tonne byadagi chilli against 70 hours required for open sun drying. Saving in drying time was observed to be about 40 -60 per cent by using this dryer for drying Byadagi chilli. The dryer can also be used for drying grapes, sapota, figs, mango, amla, fish etc. Detailed Specifications of Solar Tunnel Dryer Particulars Specifications Length x width x height9.1 x 3.0 x 3.2 mFloor area27.3 m2Polythene cover UV stabilized thermicsheetHeight of the dome 1.2 mDoor (Sliding type) 1.2 mDoor (Sliding type) 2 x 1.5 mVentilators1.0 x 0.3 mExhaust fan300 mm dia., 0.125 hp, 1400 rpmAluminiumtray 1.0 x 1.0 x 0.15 mNo. of trays48 for one tonne capacity STDNo. of tiers in each trolley 3 NoNo. of trays in each tier 8 No.Min. clearance between the trolleys0.3 mGround clearance for the lower tier0.3 mWidth of alley way between two rows oftrolleys Clearance between the trolley and thewall 0.125 m