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Combined Sensible and Latent Heat Energy Storage Systems for a New Solar Tunnel Dryer—An Experimental Study

Applied Solar Energy volume 59, pages 14–25 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

In this present study, two similar solar tunnel dryers with different sensible and latent heat energy storage configurations were designed, realized and experimentally investigated. In this view, the performance of natural convection solar tunnel dryer has been investigated. Meanwhile, the performance of a natural convection solar tunnel dryer equipped with a heat energy storage configuration (HESC) has been compared experimentally to a similar solar tunnel dryer with another HESC. Accordingly, four thermal energy storage configurations (TESC) have been studied to determine the best configuration and its corresponding thermal performance. The experimental tests were carried out on the Demo-site implemented at the Applied Research Unit for Renewable Energies (URAER) in Ghardaia city, Algeria. The local real climatic condition (semi-arid) is considered as the operating environment of the new solar tunnel dryer, while the recorded results based on temperature distribution on the different parts of the solar tunnel dryer were applied to the system thermal performance analysis. The obtained results confirmed that the natural convection solar tunnel dryer with the third storage configuration, where a bed of cans filled with paraffin wax is placed, fit a better thermal performance than others. Moreover, at the day end, a difference temperature between storage mediums of two similar solar tunnel dryer averred an increase of 6°C for the first configuration, 10°C for the second configuration, 17°C for the fourth configuration and 26°C for the third configuration.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the Renewable Energy Applied Research Unit (URAER), Ghardaia, Algeria and Algeria Sun Power company, Hassi Messaoud for providing fund and technical support.

Funding

This work was supported by Renewable Energy Applied Research Unit (URAER-CDER), Ghardaïa, Algeria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherche Appliquée en Energies Renouvelables, URAER, Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelables, CDER, Ghardaïa, Algeria

    A. Benseddik & H. Bensaha

  2. Université Kasdi Merbah Ouargla, Laboratoire de Développement des énergies Nouvelles et Renouvelables en Zones Arides (LENREZA), Ouargla, Algeria

    A. Boubekri, W. Ben Djelloul & A. Rehaiem

  3. Research Laboratory Materials, Energy Systems Technology and Environment (MESTEL), Université de Ghardaia, Rue de l’aeroport Noumerate, 47000, Ghardaia, Algeria

    D. Lalmi

  4. Faculty of Biological and Agricultural Sciences, University Mouloud Mammeri of Tizi-Ouzou, Tizi Ouzou, Algeria

    A. Benahmed Djilali

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  1. A. Benseddik
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Benseddik, A., Boubekri, A., Bensaha, H. et al. Combined Sensible and Latent Heat Energy Storage Systems for a New Solar Tunnel Dryer—An Experimental Study. Appl. Sol. Energy 59, 14–25 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0003701X21101229

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