태양에너지를 이용한 곡물건조시스템의 시뮬레이션에 관한 연구

Simulation of Drying Grain with Solar-Heated Air

Low-temperature drying systems have been extensively used for drying cereal grain such as shelled corn and wheat. Since the 1973 energy crisis, many researches have been conducted to apply solar energy as supplemental heat to natural air drying systems. However, little research on rough rice drying has been done in this area, especially very little in Korea. In designing a solar drying system, quality loss, airflow requirements, temperature rise of drying air, fan power and energy requirements should be throughly studied. The factors affecting solar drying systems are airflow rate, initial moisture content, the amount of heat added to drying air, fan operation method and the weather conditions. The major objectives of this study were to analyze the effects of the performance factors and determine design parameters such as airflow requirements, optimum bed depth, optimum temperature rise of drying air, fan operation method and collector size. Three hourly observations based on the 4-year weather data in Chuncheon area were used to simulate rough rice drying. The results can be summarized as follows: 1. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the experimental and predicted values of the temperature rise of the air passing through the collector agreed well. 2. Equilibrium moisture content was affected a little by airflow rate, but affected mainly by the amount of heat added, to drying air. Equilibrium moisture content ranged from 12.2 to 13.2 percent wet basis for the continuous fan operation, from 10.4 to 11.7 percent wet basis for the intermittent fan operation respectively, in range of 1. 6 to 5. 9 degrees Centigrade average temperature rise of drying air. 3. Average moisture content when top layer was dried to 15 percent wet basis ranged from 13.1 to 13.9 percent wet basis for the continuous fan operation, from 11.9 to 13.4 percent wet basis for the intermittent fan operation respectively, in the range of 1.6 to 5.9 degrees Centigrade average temperature rise of drying air and 18 to 24 percent wet basis initial moisture content. The results indicated that grain was overdried with the intermittent fan operation in any range of temperature rise of drying air. Therefore, the continuous fan operation is usually more effective than the intermittent fan operation considering the overdrying. 4. For the continuous fan operation, the average temperature rise of drying air may be limited to 2.2 to 3. 3 degrees Centigrade considering safe storage moisture level of 13.5 to 14 perceut wet basis. 5. Required drying time decrease ranged from 40 to 50 percent each time the airflow rate was doubled and from 3.9 to 4.3 percent approximately for each one degrees Centigrade in average temperature rise of drying air regardless of the fan operation methods. Therefore, the average temperature rise of drying air had a little effect on required drying time. 6. Required drying time increase ranged from 18 to 30 percent approximately for each 2 percent increase in initial moisture content regardless of the fan operation methods, in the range of 18 to 24 percent moisture. 7. The intermittent fan operation showed about 36 to 42 percent decrease in required drying time as compared with the continuous fan operation. 8. Drymatter loss decrease ranged from 34 to 46 percent each time the airflow rate was doubled and from 2 to 3 percent approximately for each one degrees Centigrade in average temperature rise of drying air, regardless of the fan operation methods. Therefore, the average temperature rise of drying air had a little effect on drymatter loss. 9. Drymatter loss increase ranged from 50 to 78 percent approximately for each 2 percent increase in initial moisture content, in the range of 18 to 24 percent moisture. 10. The intermittent fan operation: showed about 40 to 50 percent increase in drymatter loss as compared with the continuous fan operation and the increasing rate was higher at high level of initial moisture and average temperature rise. 11. Year-to-year weather conditions had a little effect on required drying time and drymatter loss. 12. The equations for estimating time required to dry top layer to 16 and 1536 wet basis and drymatter loss were derived as functions of the performance factors. by the least square method. 13. Minimum airflow rates based on 0.5 percent drymatter loss were estimated. Minimum airflow rates for the intermittent fan operation were approximately 1.5 to 1.8 times as much as compared with the continuous fan operation, but a few differences among year-to-year. 14. Required fan horsepower and energy for the intermittent fan operation were 3. 7 and 1. 5 times respectively as much as compared with the continuous fan operation. 15. The continuous fan operation may be more effective than the intermittent fan operation considering overdrying, fan horsepower requirements, and energy use. 16. A method for estimating the required collection area of flat-plate solar collector using average temperature rise and airflow rate was presented.