EVALUATION OF PASSIVE NATURAL CONVECTION SOLAR CHIMNEY DRYER FOR RURAL FARMERS USING GIANT AFRICAN SNAILS.
- Department of Physics, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.
- Department of Biochemistry, Anambra State University, Uli.
- Department of Physics, Federal University Wukari, Wukari.
The performance evaluation of a solar chimney dryer for rural farmers using Giant African Snails has been carried out and the results compared with the open-sun drying. The solar dryer consists of the solar collector and the chimney drying chamber with four trays with dimensions of 1.00 x 0.70 x 0.20 m3 and 1.00 x 0.70 x 0.50 m3 respectively. The experiment was carried out at Uyo (Latitude 5 º 2?60 N and Longitude 7º55?60 E). The results show a reduction in mass from 20.00 kg to 3.70 kg and from 20.00 kg to 4.65 kg for dryer and open-sun drying respectively. The average drying temperature was about 46.06 ºC and the average insolation on the horizontal surface was about 393.09 Wm-2. The results also show that the moisture content left in the Giant African Snails after drying was about 24.48 % in the dryer. The solar chimney dryer efficiency was about 20.43 %.
Physics Department, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
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