Title

Conceptual design of a charcoal-fired dryer

.C0360:
A. M. Olaniyan and B. D. Omoleyomi
Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering Department
Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
[email protected]

Introduction
 Drying is one of the best methods of preserving bioresources products and thereby preventing them from deterioration and wastage. This process is a heat and mass transfer phenomenon where, due to application of heat energy, moisture migrates from the inner part of the product and moves

to the surface from where it evaporates by diffusion. The problem of postharvest processing and storage has always been preventing the micro and small scale farmers, food processors and produce merchants from thriving well in their business.

Though, dryers are of different types and categories, they work on the same basic principles: energy generation, energy distribution and drying process. Common types of dryer include bin (silo) dryers, cabinet (tray) dryers, tunnel (truck) dryers, belt dryers, rotary dryers, fluidized bed dryers,

pneumatic (flash) dryers, spray dryers, drum dryers, vacuum dryers, and freeze dryers.

Drying is a very important process in bioresources and food processing as dried products store and preserve much better than fresh products. There is scarcity of knowledge on conceptual design, analysis and optimization of dryers for food and bioresources processing. Therefore, the

objectives of the study reported in this paper were to design, fabricate and test a charcoal-fired dryer for drying food and bioresources products. This study would contribute to the body of knowledge and also solve the problem of bioresources and food drying, storage and preservation in rural

and sub-urban community.

Material Selection, Fabrication and

Testing
Material and Methods The dryer components were fabricated and assembled. The dryer was preheated for 1 h
under no-load test to ensure temperature uniformity within the drying chamber. 25 kg of
The dryer (as shown in the figures below) consists of four major functional units which include: combustion chamber,
paddy rice and which had been parboiled with a steam parboiler were weighed and dried
heat exchanger, suction unit, and drying chamber, with the components being connected together by 50 mm circular for 5 h with the temperature of the drying chamber being 47-56 0C throughout the drying
pipes. The combustion chamber is a charcoal-filled cylindrical container with conical head from where heat energy is
process. The dryer was also tested by for drying 2 kg of tomato for 5 h and 1.5 kg of okra
for 6 h with the temperature of the drying chamber being 39-45 0C throughout the drying
generated; the heat exchanger conserves and preserves the heated air before being transferred to the drying chamber.
process.
The drying chamber is double walled and insulated with fibre glass with a thickness of 2 cm. In operation, the solid fuel For fish drying test, 3 kg of fresh African catfish each with length 30 cm were purchased
(charcoal) is fired in the combustion chamber; the heated air then passes through the heat exchanger/conserver where it from Ipata market in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State. After washing,
300 g were weighed, washed and subjected to osmotic dehydration pretreatment. After
is filtered with the aid of the suction unit; and the heated air is conveyed to the drying chamber. In the drying chamber, as
pretreatments, drying of the fish samples was achieved by spreading them on the drying
the heated air passes over the products on the drying trays, drying takes place by heat and mass transfer and the trays in the drying chamber.
residual/exhaust air exits through the chimney. With the suction fan powered by a 240 V DC battery, the dyer can be Drying rate is the rate of change in moisture with drying time during the drying process.
produced with USD 320 with locally available construction materials.

Results and Discussion

Design Considerations The average drying rate were 0.97 kg/h, 25.0 g/h and 15.4 g/h for rice, tomato and okra respectively with the
average drying rate for catfish being 2.40-9.0 g/h. Test results showed that the osmotic dehydration
pretreatment had effect on the drying rate and post-drying qualities of African catfish. The data obtained from
the tests shows that the dryer performed satisfactorily but there is still plenty of scope for improvement in terms
While designing the dryer, considerations included quantity and variability of products to be dried over a specified period of of energy generation and heat transfer efficiency. The satisfactory performance was based on the drying rate
time; average ambient temperature and relative humidity for Ilorin area; initial moisture content of fresh products; and final and quality of the dried products which showed that the dryer work according to the conception and
moisture content considered safe for dried products. Other considerations included ease of loading fresh products into and construction. Specifically, a design that allows reuse of residual air will improve the efficiency of this dryer and
removing dried products out of the drying chamber; method of heat generation, heat transfer and mass transfer; and heat this will be a major improvement on the design.
conservation during the drying process. Also considered were structural stability and strong support for the dryer; a fan having
enough power to overcome the back-pressure caused by the trays containing the products during the drying process.
Consideration was also given to the fact that the speed of air flow through the trays must not be too high as to cause the
products to be blown off the drying trays.

COMBUSTION CHAMBER

HEAT EXCHANGER

CHIMNEY SUCTION
UNIT

ADJUSTABLE STAND

DRYING CHAMBER

FRAME
Exploded View
TRAY

Design Computations
• Design for mass of moisture to be removed from the products Conclusion
• Design for quantity of air needed for drying the products This paper presents the design concept, construction and preliminary testing of a small scale dryer for drying

bioresources and food products in the rural and sub-urban communities. The dryer was durable and portable enough for
• Design and selection of size and type of fan to convey the drying air
production, operation, repair and maintenance. The results of preliminary tests with paddy rice, tomato, okra and catfish
• Design for energy required for drying
showed that the dyer performed satisfactorily but the performance can still be improved further. Powered by a 240 V DC

• Design for quantity of charcoal needed for combustion battery through an 0.5 hp suction (centrifugal) fan, the dyer can be produced with USD 320 with locally available

construction materials.

A.M. Olaniyan
Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering Department
Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria