Vol. 25, No. 1 (2026), Sim26720 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Sim26720

Numerical-experimental study of a solar dryer using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for its optimization

 

Authors

A. Tlatelpa-Becerro, L. Castro, M. Rebolledo Abri, I.S. Avilés-López, M. Navarrete-Procopio, V.M. Zezatti-Flores, E.O. Castañeda Magadán

Abstract

This research work involved a numerical-experimental study of a forced-flow, indirect solar dryer using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for optimization. The dryer has two main parts: a drying chamber that captures radiant energy from the sun, through which airflow is passed to increase its temperature before being transported to the drying chamber, where the products are dried. The dryer was instrumented with temperature sensors to record the data, which were used in the computational modeling. The computational simulations predicted that reducing the height of the drying chamber to 50 cm would increase the average temperature to 13.43 K compared to the original design. Therefore, CFD is a powerful tool for studying solar dryers, offering both technical and economic advantages.

Keywords

Solar dryer, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Optimization.

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