Phase-change material-based solar dryer: An experimental investigation for drying mango pulp

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 277; p. 112716
• Main Authors: Radhakrishnan, Gopinath Govindan, Sattanathan, Muthuvel, Radhakrishnan, Rajesh Kanna Govindhan, Jeevan, Ashok Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.07.2024
• Subjects: Mango; Paraffin; Passive heating; Solar dryer; Thermal energy storage; Mango; Thermal energy storage; Paraffin; Passive heating; Solar dryer
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2024.112716

•The solar drying process is an eco-friendly method for preserving agricultural produce, with a focus on drying Mango pulp.•Organic paraffin wax as a Phase Change Material (PCM) in a portable solar dryer as the heat storing material.•During peak sunshine hours, the excess heat can be stored and used in the off-sunshine hours.•When compared to the sun-dried products, the solar-dried products had better colour, aroma, and quality. Food drying is an important phase in the safeguarding of agricultural by products that assist as raw materials for a variety of end applications. In the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) application a Phase Change Material (PCM) is the suitable material. In this research, paraffin wax was utilized in the planning and building of the solar dryer. The novelty of this work is to reduce the drying duration and increases the drying efficiency. Ripened mango was grinded and dried using different method to preserve and improve the shelf life of that dried product. To create nutritious dried mango cubes for snacking. When compared to conventional drying methods, solar drying with PCM for drying mango pulp has shown good quality retention. The outcome revealed that PCM integrated in the solar dryer has the lowest drying duration compared with open sun dry and without PCM. In terms of quality, color, and scent, solar-dried items outperform sun-dried ones.