Experimental study on a north wall insulated passive greenhouse dryer: Effect of groundnuts sample mass

Abstract

A north wall insulated passive greenhouse dryer (NWI-PGD) was fabricated and tested groundnuts drying. Effect of varying sample mass (580, 880 and 1180 g) on thermal performance of the NWI-PGD was investigated. The enviro-economic indicators were also evaluated for the dryer along with the drying kinetics of groundnuts samples. The thermal performance indicators were observed to improve as the sample mass increased. The embodied energy and capital cost of the NWI-PGD were assessed as 111.68 kWh and INR 857.11, respectively. The dryer’s enviro-economic performance improved as the sample mass increased. The Midilli-Kucuk model demonstrated a strong fit to the drying behavior of groundnut samples. This work would contribute towards improving food sovereignty at both the local and global levels.