Experimental Investigation of an Indirect Type of Natural Convection Dryer for Thin Layer Paddy Drying
International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research and Development (IJMERD), Volume 1, Number 1, January – April (2011)
8 Pages Posted: 31 Dec 2019
Date Written: April 2011
Abstract
Selection of appropriate technology for drying of agricultural produce by using biomass has become a more reliable option in the developing country. In the present scenario, drying through natural convection grain dryer is an important alternative in the village level. This paper presents the development and performance evaluation of the natural convection grain dryer for drying of paddy in thin layers (approximately 2.5 cm to 5.5 cm height on drying tray). Experiments were conducted with wet paddy in four different batches, containing 10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg and 25 kg respectively. The amount of moisture transfer from paddy was studied with time by burning different amount of biomass and the results were compared for different thickness of paddy layers. Average moisture content, was reduced from 30.5% (wb) to14.69% (wb) in the experiment. The dryer developed in the present study will be useful for the small cultivators.
Keywords: Biomass, convection dryer, thin layer paddy
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