Empirical Modelling of Drying Characteristics of Elongate Glassy Perchlet (Chanda nama) (Hamilton, 1822) in Solar Hybrid Dryer
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Keywords:
Solar electrical hybrid dryer, drying performance, drying modelsAbstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the performance
of solar dryer with electrical back-up to
produce quality dried Glassy perchlet (Chanda
nama). Insolation of the experimental region varied
from 25 to 1025 W m-2. Atmospheric temperature
showed a variation between 29.5 to 34.5°C. Relative
humidity outside the dryer ranged from 56 to 76.5%
showing a direct relationship with temperature.
Drying experiment was carried out for 10 h
at drying air temperature of 60°C. Relative humidity
and velocity of drying air inside the drying chamber
was 68% and 0.8 m s-1 respectively. Drying
conditions were maintained inside the dryer by
electrical back-up. Weight loss of pre-processed C.
nama during drying was measured at 1 h duration.
Drying characteristic data were fitted into empirical
drying models. Two-term model was found to be the
best fit for the drying characteristic data under
specified conditions (R2=0.998, RMSE=0.016 and
χ2=0.00027).