Development of wind and solar energy assisted drying unit

Wind energy is a rapidly increasing renewable energy source and is mostly used in electricity generation today. Drying is primarily used to extend the shelf life of food products. Within the scope of this study, it is aimed to use the energy obtained from two different renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy for the drying process. The main difference that distinguishes the study from the studies in the literature is that wind energy is used for the first time for the drying process. For this purpose, a small scale drying unit supported by solar energy has been developed. Wind energy, on the other hand, is stored in a battery as electrical energy and used to operate the fan, which causes electrical energy consumption in the drying system. In addition, it is planned to be small-scale in order to enable the system to work in every wind and solar efficient area. First of all, a wind turbine was selected in accordance with the energy consumption in order to generate the electrical energy required for the drying process. At the same time, the battery capacity where wind energy is stored as electrical energy has also been determined. In the next step, a drying unit with a product drying capacity of 1-2 kg was designed. The outer part of the drying unit was performed by bending the stainless steel plate. Insulation material was used in the intermediate layer. On the inside, the insulation material was covered with stainless steel sheet. As the solar collector material, from the bottom layer to the top layer, stainless steel sheet, insulation material, aluminum plate painted with black paint, and glass were used, respectively. Thus, a significant part of the energy required for the drying process was obtained by using renewable energy sources. Therefore, with this study, a system with high energy efficiency in the field of fruit and vegetable drying has been brought to the literature and drying industry.