Chimney Solar Dryer

Product Description

The Chimney solar dryer is designed by researchers at the University of California, Davis, for fruits and vegetables. The chimney dryer has been designed to provide good drying in hazy or partially cloudy conditions. The device can be manufactured from low-cost materials which can be found locally in the markets and shops around the world.

Market Suggested Retail Price

$200.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

UC Davis Horticulture Lab has built the device in the United States, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Thailand, Guatemala and Honduras. The device can also be constructed using local materials following this guideline.

Manufacturing/Building Method

The product can be locally manufactured following this guideline.

Intellectural Property Type

Open Source

User Provision Model

Users can construct the device using the following guidelines.

Distributions to Date Status

Unknown

Design Specifications

The dryer is made of a long table covered with a black plastic that is connected to chimney at the end. The products are placed on mesh trays along the length of the table. A clear plastic is used to cover the trays and the table creating a tunnel that traps solar energy, heating the air and reducing its relative humidity. The dry, heated air speeds moisture loss from the product and the warm, moist air leaves the dryer through the chimney. The design of the dryer has been made to ensure there is little space between the black sheet on the table and the clear sheet covering the product in order to force the air to flow through a small cross sectional area and generates high air speed past the products thus accelerating drying. The end of the chimney is left open, to facilitate quick air flow, but it may be covered in case where there are insects and pests.

Technical Support

None

Replacement Components

Plastic sheets in case of wear and tear

Lifecycle

Unknown

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Designer specified performance targets include: fast and safe drying, easy to build, relatively high capacity, can be modified to suit the need of products and user.

Vetted Performance Status

Unknown

Safety

No known safety hazards are related to this product

Complementary Technical Systems

None

Academic Research and References

Andre ? G. Ferreira, G. A, 2008, Technical feasibility assessment of a solar chimney for food drying. Solar Energy, 82: 198–205

Compliance with regulations

None

Other Information

None