Microcontroller-based solar tunnel dryer for sustainable drying in Northeast India

H D Singh; N Singh; H J Singh; T Bidyalakshmi; K Ajaykumar; D Chakraborty; B K   Sethy

doi:10.14719/pst.4867

Authors

H D Singh Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1143-2186
N Singh Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4555-7753
H J Singh Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya, India https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8880-3813
T Bidyalakshmi Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Ludhiana 1410 04, Punjab, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2481-4597
K Ajaykumar Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8166-3356
D Chakraborty Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam 793 103, Meghalaya, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1799-6188
B K Sethy Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar 751 023, Odisha, India https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5158-4340

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.4867

Keywords:

humid region, microcontroller, solar tunnel dryer, turmeric

Abstract

The growing world population necessitated enhanced food availability and reduced waste. Drying has been a popular technique for extending food storage for a long time since it minimizes volume and lowers moisture and enzymatic activity, reducing food loss. This project sought to create a microcontroller-driven solar tunnel dryer designed for the prevalent rainfall and elevated humidity conditions in Northeast India. The designed solar tunnel dryer is equipped with two DHT22 sensors that assess ambient humidity inside and outside the dryer, deciding whether to let airflow with the environment or isolate it. It controls fan operation based on real-time monitoring. The dryer has 12 trays on a six-tray structure that holds 100 kg of sliced turmeric in every batch. An additional tray with a load cell was provided to record turmeric weight during drying. Without any load, the maximum internal temperature exceeded the outside by 27.1°C, while the minimum internal humidity was 30% lower than external values. The turmeric was dried from an initial moisture content of 71.62% to less than 10% (wet basis) over 101 hours and 40 minutes (5 days) with 28.63 effective bright sunshine hours. The developed solar tunnel dryer's average efficiency was 19.20%, demonstrating its ability to dry turmeric in Meghalaya, India.

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References

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