Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506

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Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

Modeling and comparative analysis of solar drying behavior of

potatoes
Ahmed Djebli a, b, Salah Hanini a, Ouassila Badaoui a, b, *, Brahim Haddad b,
Amina Benhamou c
a
Biomaterials and Transport Phenomena Laboratory (LBMPT), Universit
eYahia Fares Medea, street Aïnd'Heb, 26000, Algeria
b
Unit

e de D
eveloppement des Equipements Solaires, UDES/Centre de D

eveloppement des Energies Renouvelables, CDER, Bou Ismail, 42415, W. Tipaza,
Algeria
c
Materials Research Unit, Process and Environment (URMPE), University of M'Hamed Bougara, Boumerdes, 35000, Algeria

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Potatoes are a very high demand product in the consumer market and are widely available everywhere in
Received 10 January 2019 Algeria. With the extensive levels of solar energy across the country, solar drying becomes a natural
Received in revised form avenue for the production of solar dried potatoes as a new prospective commercial product. This paper is
3 June 2019
a study of the drying process of potatoes using an indirect and a mixed solar dryer with forced con-
Accepted 15 July 2019
vection and a comparison of their respective performances. Experimental results indicated that the
Available online 16 July 2019
mixed solar dryer had the slowest drying rate compared to the indirect solar dryer with drying times of
4 h 45min and 3 h 40min respectively, even though the temperature at the tray level in the mixed solar
Keywords:
Drying models
dryer was higher than that of the indirect solar dryer. Fourier series and Laplace transforms were used to
Indirect solar dryer solve the diffusivity equation. Seven theoretical models were investigated and their relative accuracy
Mixed solar dryer validated against experimental data. Two new dimensionless models were found to best fit the drying
Potatoes curve of potato slices using the two dryers. The proposed models were found to be more accurate for
charactering the drying process of Sultana grapes, chili peppers, bananas, mangoes and cassava, ac-
cording to models reported in the literature under different operating conditions using various solar
dryer designs.
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Potatoes, an herbaceous plant, are a product of great importance
economically and ranked as the fourth food crop worldwide after
maize, wheat, and rice. In Algeria, potatoes are a strategic product
whose production increased remarkably over the last three de-
cades. In 2014, the production reached more than 4 million tones
covering an area of 156,176 ha.
Drying is one of the oldest techniques that permits food pres-
ervation, such as grains [1], fruits [2], vegetables [3] and seafood [4].
It prolongs the lifespan of the product by reducing its moisture
content to stop bacterial activity, eliminates microorganisms that
cause rot or fermentation, stops mold proliferation and decreases
product weight to facilitate transport and storage [5]. The drying
* Corresponding author. Biomaterials and Transport Phenomena Laboratory
(LBMPT), Universite
Yahia Fares Medea, street Aïnd'Heb, 26000, Algeria.
E-mail address: ouassila_badaoui@yahoo.com (O. Badaoui).
process can reduce product storage costs. Moreover the drying
process preserves the flavor and nutritive benefits of the product
[6].
Drying is a technique that can be applied by several ways, the
most common is the open sun drying. However, this technique has
some drawbacks, namely; the product to be dried is exposed to dust
and insects as it is spread on the floor or on a mat and directly
exposed to the sun and wind [7]. In addition, the dried product may
be subject to contamination and of poor quality [8]. A different
approach that could alleviate the drawbacks of open sun drying is
that drying can be carried out using fuel and electricity, but these
drying methods may not be cost efficient and detrimental to the
environment. On the other hand, the use of tailor designed solar
drying equipment can be a good alternative and the most viable
solution from the economic and environmental perspectives [9]. In
principle, solar drying consists of converting solar energy to ther-
mal energy which is then used to remove moisture from the
product directly [10] or indirectly [11,12]. The most important factor

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.07.083
0960-1481/© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506
Nomenctalture
A, A1, A2, k, k1, k2, n, m, p models parameters
Deff effective diffusivity coefficient (m2/s)
Dmeff average effective diffusivity coefficient (m2/s)
DM dry Matter
e thickness of the potato slices
ISD indirect solar dryer
MAE mean Absolute Error
mb mass of the Beaker (kg)
md mass of the dried product in the solar dryer (kg)
mf mass final of the sample (kg)
mfb mass final of the sample with the Beaker (kg)
mi mass initial of the sample (kg)
MSD mixed solar dryer
N number of observations
that has an impact on yield is the daily solar radiation intensity [13].
The solar drying technique is widely used in the food industry
[14]. Many examples of solar dryers can be cited, Şevik [15] utilized
a solar dryer with a double pass solar air collector, heat pump and
photovoltaic unit to dry carrots. Under sunny weather conditions
the system can be easily operated without the need for a heat
pump. But during night time and cloudy weather the dryer can be
operated using a heat pump. Also, Reyes et al. [16] dehydrated
mushrooms in a hybrid solar dryer. Their results showed that slice
thickness and air recycling levels had statistically significant effects
on the product final moisture content. Air recycling percentages
help minimize energy supply for heating the drying air. Also, To-
matoes were dried by Ringeisen et al. [17] in Davis, California under
variable climatic conditions throughout the summer and fall using
a solar dryer with an energy concentrator. Note that the drying time
decreased by 21% on average when using a concave concentrator.
Thermal storage with desiccant makes solar drying more effective
in terms of drying time and energy consumption as indicated by
Dina et al. [18] experimental results when drying cocoa beans in a
solar dryer. As for the case of potatoes, Tesfamichael and Assefa [19]
reported an analysis of the drying curves and the time requirement
for drying potato slices in a natural convection solar dryer. The
results showed that the drying time can be reduced by 30%
compared to drying under direct sunlight. Likewise, Barubara et al.
[20] employed a finned forced convection, flat plate solar collected
to dry potatoes in Indonesia. Different slice thickness (0.01, 0.015
and 0.02 m) were tested, their average initial water content was
76.48%.The experimental results showed that the slice thickness of
1 cm is best for the drying process.
Drying agricultural product using indirect and mixed solar dryer
processes has been the subject of many researchers. Forson et al.
[21] developed a model in parallel with experimental work using a
mixed-mode natural convection solar crop-dryer. The model
permitted to predict the performance of the dryer. A new prototype
of an indirect active hybrid solareelectrical dryer for agricultural
products using a high range of air mass flow rates between 0.04 and
0.08 kg/m2s was examined by Boughali et al. [22]. Their results
showed that low airflow rates are preferable for the drying process.
El-Sebaii and Shalaby [23] experimentally investigated the thermal
performance of an indirect-mode, forced convection solar dryer.
The drying experiments were performed using thyme and mint. It
was found that the drying times of the two products depend on the
mass of the product to be dried and the temperature of the drying
air. Their drying kinetics follow the constant and failing rate phase.
The performance of a mixed mode solar greenhouse dryer for
1495
r2 correlation coefficient
RMSE root Mean Squared Error
t drying time (h)
T temperature ( C)
Tmax maximum temperature ( C)
V drying rate
WM wet Matter
M moisture content (kg water/kg dry matter)
M0 initial moisture content (kg water/kg dry matter)
Meq equilibrium moisture content (kg water/kg dry
matter)
MR moisture ratio (kg water/(kg dry matter.h))
Mexp,i experimental moisture ratio
Mpre,i predicted moisture ratio
c2 reduced chi-square
drying red peppers and sultana grapes was investigated by
ELkhadraoui at al [24]. Using this system, the drying time of red
peppers and grapes was shortened by 7 and 17 h respectively. The
criterion of payback period was used as an economic evaluation,
where the payback period was found to be short, that is 1.6 years. A
v-corrugated double pass plate solar air heater with a blower is
used to force the heated air to the drying chamber. Blanco-Cano
et al. [25] analyzed experimentally the kinetics of the thin-layer
drying process of Granny Smith apples. The Drying tests were
performed under different drying temperatures and a novel model
was proposed to predict the evolution of the moisture ratio during
the drying process.
In Algeria, solar drying use is not widespread, it is not yet used in
the industrial and in the agricultural sectors although the country
possesses one of the highest potential of solar thermal energy in the
world. As highlighted by Haddad et al. [26], solar energy can play a
key role to ensure social welfare. Algeria receives on average
2500 KWhm
2 per year of solar energy ranking the country among
the first countries and the one with the highest solar potential in the
Mediterranean basin with an estimated yearly potential of 168 TWh
[27]. Experimental studies can lead to the integration of solar drying
to the Algerian economy and thus bring new social benefits.
This paper presents an experimental and theoretical analysis of
solar drying of potatoes using new mixed and indirect solar dryers
under Algerian coastal climate conditions. The results were used to
determine the drying characteristics curves and the rate of drying.
Furthermore, an analysis of the effects of temperature in the two
solar dryers and their performances were compared. Experimental
data were fitted using seven models: Five from the literature and
two proposed models from this study to describe the drying ki-
netics of potatoes. The Two proposed empirical models are
dimensionless and in accordance with the boundary conditions.
These two models were compared to other models in the literature
using experimental data from this work and from the literature to
assess their technical viability for different products, operating
conditions and solar drying equipments. The aim is to encourage
the use of solar dryers in the Algerian industrial and agricultural
sectors by offering full analysis of solar drying technology to apply
to various agricultural products.
2. Materials and methods
This study was carried out using two solar dryers, indirect and
mixed. The indirect and mixed dryers were designed and fabricated
at UDES facility as part of a reasearch project using local materiels.
1496 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506

Door Outlet

Tray
Fan
Duct
PV

Glass

Intlet

Fig. 1. The indirect solar dryer with forced convection.

2.1. Indirect solar dryer polycarbonate walls. Furthermore, additional heating is provided
by a solar collector connected to two fans.
The indirect solar dryer is composed of two main parts; a solar Four fans permit air circulation inside the greenhouse. The hot
collector and a drying chamber as shown in Fig. 1. The dimensional air passes through carts and trays and dries the product. The
characteristics of the equipment are shown in Table 1. Air gets released moisture is evacuated using a fan on the top of the right
heated up in the solar collector then forced into the drying chamber wall as illustrated in the figure below.
through 0.15 m diameter ducts using two electric fans powered by a
photovoltaic panel. The hot air dries the product by discharging the 2.3. Data collection
released product moisture to the outside via the exhaust outlet.
The duration of the drying process depends on the type of
product to be dried. The operation is deemed complete when no
2.2. Mixed solar dryer
more weight loss is detected. A RADWAG Balance is used to weigh
the product, accuracy ±0.0005 kg is used to monitor the drying
Two main parts compose the mixed solar dryer, a greenhouse
process by recording water weight loss in the product as a function
and a solar collector (Figs. 2 and 3). The geometric configuration of time until complete dehydration; namely, the balance indicating
and dimensions of the dryer are summarized in Table 1. The
constant weight.
greenhouse receives solar radiation through the transparent Global radiation received on the collector plane is measured
during the day of the experiment. The hourly or daily tilted radia-
Table 1 tion is measured using Kipp&Zonen pyranometer. The air velocity
Solar dryer's characteristics. was measured using Thermo-anemometer C.A 1224.
Temperature is measured with K-type thermocouples with a
Solar dryer Solar dryers components Number Specification
type diameter of d ¼ 0.001 m and an accuracy of 0.5  C. All the ther-
mocouples were connected to a data logger (Keysight 34972A LXI
ISD Dry chamber volume 1 0.46 m3
Tray surface 1 0.57 m2 Data acquisition/Switch unit) which sends the data to the data
Duct 2 Diameter: acquisition computer.
0.08 m
Length: 0.8 m
2.4. Product preparation
Collector surface 1 1.73 m2
Tmax ¼ 69  C
Fan (flow rate) 2 0.01 m3/s Table 2 gives the product details before drying. The sliced po-
MSD Greenhouse volume 1 30.6m3 tatoes were set on wire trays in the indirect solar dryer and the
Carts dimensions 9 Length:1.1 m
Width: 0.65 m
High: 1.5 m
Trays surface 45 Surface:
0.65 m2
Collector surface 1 1.82 m2
Tmax ¼ 77  C
Equipped with
fins
Fans (flow rate) 2 0.0225 m3s-1
(used for collector)
circulation and moisture extractor Fans 5 0.19 m3s-1
(flow rate)
Fig. 2. Mixed solar dryer from inside and outside.
 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506 1497

Carts

Outlet

Fans

Polycarponate

Inlet of the
greenhouse

Duct

Air collector

Tray

Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of the new mixed solar dryer.

Table 2 where mf is calculated using the equation below:

Product data.

Location of the drying operation Bou-ismail, Algeria mf ¼ mfb
mb (2)

Weight purchased 2 kg Two types of curves allow describing the evolution of the
Weight of sliced potato used in each tray 0.825 kg product during the drying:
The potato variety Spunta
Price of 1 kg 0.38 Dollar
- The drying rate V

mixed solar dryer respectively. They were spread on the drying tray V ¼ dM/dt (3)
in a way that allows for air passage. In order to monitor the drying
process, the products were carefully weighed during the drying Where the moisture content M is defined as:
operation.
WM
DM
M¼ (4)
2.5. Drying kinetics DM

Because of the wide diversity of foodstuffs, analysis of the drying

kinetics is the best way to describe the behavior of a food product
during the drying process. In general, the experimental results of a
kinetics analysis are presented as curves that express the evolution
of the rate of the drying process as a function of time. These curves
are generally obtained for different experimental conditions, such
as temperature, hygrometry, and air velocity.
In the case of potatoes, their moisture content was calculated on
the basis of their dry weight. To measure dry matter, 20 g samples
of potato slices were taken from the products that were dried
separately in the two solar dryers. Then they were put in beakers
and dried in the oven at 105  C for 24 h. After that, they were placed
in a desiccator. The beakers were then weighed and the dry mass
(DM) was calculated using equation (2):
- The dry matter DM is defined as:
md  mf
DM ¼
mi
- The moisture ratio (MR)
M
Meq M
MR ¼ z (5)
M0
Meq M0
Meq is very small and negligible compared to M and M0.
Where MR is the moisture ratio; Meq is the equilibrium content;
M0 is the initial moisture content.
2.6. Theoretical models of drying
Several models were used to depict the kinetics of the drying
process and to predict the moisture ratio MR as a function of drying
time. Experimental results of potato drying were used to validate
the theoretical models with the aim of identifying the one that best
fits the data. To that end, five models were selected from the
(1) literature for their good agreement with the experimental data. The
Midilli model was found to be adequate for predicting the drying
behavior of tomatoes per Boughali et al. [22] and thyme per
1498 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506

Lahnine et al. [28]. As for the case of the Two Term model, Yaldiz PN  2
et al. [29] and Lahsasni et al. [30] have concluded that the model is MRexp;i
MRpre;i
the one that fits best the experimental data of the drying process of
c2 ¼ i¼1
(12)
N
z
Sultana grapes and Prickly pears. The Page model fitted remarkably
well with the drying curves of thymus [23], raw mango slices [31],
and chili peppers [32]. The logarithmic model satisfactorily - Mean Absolute Error MAE:
described the drying characteristics of pumpkin slices [33], long
green peppers [34] and apricots [35]. Koua et al. [2] found that 1 XN  
MRexp;i
MRpre;i 
MAE ¼ (13)
banana, mango and cassava drying curves are well fitted with the N i¼1
Henderson and Pabis model.
Unlike the literature models, the new proposed dimensionless
models are universal, independent of units of measurement, and - Root Mean Squared Error RMSE:
verifying the boundary conditions per equations (7) and(8) as vffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u
follows: u1 X N  2
RMSE ¼ t MRexp;i
MRpre;i (14)
N i¼1


M∞
M t∞
t
¼f (6) Where MRexp,i and MRpre,i are experimental and predicted
M∞
M0 t∞
t0
moisture ratios; Z is the number of constants in model; N is the
number of observation.
M∞ ¼ lim M (7)
t/t∞
2.7. Determination of effective moisture diffusivity using fourier
series
M0 ¼ lim M (8)
t/t0
Diffusivity is an important transport parameter for the calcula-
After simplifications: tion of water transfer inside the product. This coefficient largely
determines the activity of surface water.
MR ¼ f(t) (9) In general, the diffusion coefficient is estimated from drying
kinetics, by solving Fick diffusion equation, eq (15). It has been
M∞
M
Where: MR ¼ M∞
M0 widely used to describe the drying process for most organic
products [42].
t
t¼ (10) v2 M 1 vM
t∞
¼0 (15)
vx2 Deff vt
Table 3 is a recapitulation of the five mathematical models
selected from the literature and the proposed new dimensionless Fourier series were used to solve Crank's equation, equation
models. (15). Assuming that the initial moisture distribution is uniform, the
So, to select the mathematical model that fits best the experi- external resistances are negligible and the process is isothermal,
mental data of potato drying, seven models were evaluated using the initial and boundary conditions are as follows:
statistical parameters [41].
vM e
The experimental data were fit to the models using Origin Mðt ¼ 0; xÞ ¼ M0 ; ðt; x ¼ 0Þ ¼ 0 and Mðt; x ¼ H Þ ¼ Ms
software. The constants of the models, correlation coefficients and
vx 2
the reduced chi-square were computed by the software. The (16)
models are empirical and their constants have no physical meaning. In addition, for long periods of drying, all terms in the series are
Model constants depend on the distribution of measurement negligible compared to the first therefore the solution for equation
points MR as a function of time. The constraints are the initial (15) can be simplified as follows:
values input into the software to fit the model with the experi- !
mental data. 8 p2 Deff
Time values, t, were used in the five models from literature to MR ¼ exp
t (17)
p 2 e2
predict moisture ratio using Excel software. As for the two new
models, t values were calculated using equation (10), which then Thus, taking the natural logarithm in both sides of equation (8)
were used to predict moisture ratio. Equations (13) and(14) were gives the following relationship.
then used to calculate mean absolute error and root mean squared
error. 8 p2 Deff
lnðMRÞ ¼ ln
t (18)
The model that works best was selected according to the p 2 e2
following criteria:
A plot of ln(Xr) as a function of (t) yields a straight line with a
2 slope b:
- Correlation coefficient r :
p2 Deff be2
PN  2 b¼ thusDeff ¼ ; (19)
MRpre;i
MRpre;i e2 p2
r 2 ¼ P i¼1 2 (11)
N
i¼1 MRexp;i
MRexp;i The higher the value of (Deff) the more effective is the drying
process.
Where (Deff) is the effective diffusivity, (e) is the thickness of the
- The reduced chi-square c2: potato slices, (t) the drying time.
 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506 1499

Table 3
Mathematical models that describe solar drying kinetics.

Model name Model expression References

New model1 1 þ Atn expð
k1 tn Þ Present work

MR ðtÞ ¼
½1 þ Atm expð
k2 tm p
New model2 1 þ Atn lnð1 þ k1 tn Þ Present work
MR ðtÞ ¼
½1 þ Atm lnð1 þ k2 tm p
Page MR(t) ¼ exp(-ktn) [36]
Logarithmic MR (t) ¼ A1exp(-kt)þA2 [37]
Midilli-Kucuk MR (t) ¼ A1exp(-ktn)þA2t [38]
Henderson and Pabis MR (t) ¼ A1exp(-kt) [39]
Two term MR (t) ¼ A1exp(-k1 t)þA2exp(-k2t) [40]

2.8. Determination of effective moisture diffusivity using laplace 800

transforms

It consists of finding the analytical solution for eq (15) by using

Solar radiation (w/m2)

600
Laplace transforms [43]. Expression of the solution is given by:
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi8 0 19
> >
Mt Deff t < 1 X∞
n B nl C
=
400
¼2 pffiffiffi þ 2 ð
1Þ ierfc@q ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiA (20)
M∞ l >
2
: p n¼1 D t > ; eff

Xt
Where: MR ¼ 1
X∞
200

sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi8 0 19
> >
Mt Deff t < 1 X∞
n B nl C
=
MR¼1
¼1
2 p ffiffiffi þ 2 ð
1Þ ierfc@q ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiA 0
M∞ l2 > : p n¼1 Deff t > ; 0 4 8 12 16 20 24
(21) Time 00:00 to 24:00h (30/07/2017)

Fig. 4. Example of a recording of solar radiation as a function of time of the day.

where ierfc is the integral of erfc function:

1 
ierfcðzÞ ¼ pffiffiffi exp
z2
ðzÞerfcðzÞ (22) reached at midday, and then decreased for the rest of the day. The
p scatter of the data is due to cloudiness which also the solar radia-
For n ¼ 1: tion to reach its peak value.

sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 0 1
!
Deff t Deff t l2 B l C 3.2. Temperature measurement
MR ¼ 1
2 þ4 exp

4erfc@qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiA
pl2 pl2 Deff t Deff t
For the indirect solar dryer, four points were chosen for tem-
(23) perature measurements. The first thermocouple was placed in the
duct, outlet of the air solar heat collector, the second on the tray
The complementary error function is defined as: holding the potato slices, the third at 1 m above the tray, and the
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 ffi fourth is for ambient temperature outside the dryer. For the MSD,
erfcðzÞ ¼ 1
erf ðzÞ ¼ 1
1
exp
z2 (24) three thermocouples were used; one, at the entrance of the
greenhouse to measure the temperature of the hot air coming from
which yields to the following equation: the air solar heat collector, the second on the potato tray and the
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi third is above the tray. The recorded temperatures are reported in
!
Deff t Deff t l2 Figs. 5e7.
MR ¼
3
2 þ4 exp
Figs. 5 and 6 indicate that temperature in the ISD is slightly
pl 2 pl2 Deff t
vffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi lower than that in the MSD. Fig. 6 illustrates that temperature in the
u ! drying chamber is lower than that in the duct at the outlet of the air
u 4l2
þ 4t1
exp
(25) collector which was around 8  C. The temperature of the air
pDeff t entering the drying chamber in the case of the ISD dryer is higher
than that of the air entering the greenhouse in the MSD due to the
Where: l ¼ e/2.
lengths of the ducts used for each dryer. Heat loss increases with
the length of the ducts. Duct length is 2 m for the MSD compared to
3. Results and interpretations 0.8 m for the indirect solar dryer. As shown in Fig. 5 by the blue line,
the temperature of the air coming out of the collector and going
3.1. Solar radiation into the greenhouse increases gradually as the sun moves from a
low elevation in the morning to its highest point at noon at which
Global horizontal radiation was measured during 24 h. An time the temperature reaches its maximum level. Similar trends
example of solar radiation variation as a function of time is shown apply to the red and green curves which correspond to the tem-
in Fig. 4. In this particular case, the maximum value, 747 W/m2, was peratures at the tray level and above the trays. At noon time, the
1500 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506

Fig. 5. The temperature evolution as a function of time for different measurement points, MSD.

70

65

60 T(°C) at the tray level

(potatoes slices)
T(°C)

55 T(°C) above the tray

50
T (°C) at the duct
45

40
0 1 2 3 4
Time 09:00 to 12:40h (30/07/2017)

Fig. 6. The temperature evolution as a function of time for different measurement points, ISD.

60

T(°C) of the potatoes

50 slices in the mixed solar
dryer
T(°C)

40 T(°C) of the potatoes

slices in the indirect solar
dryer
30
T(°C) of the ambient air

20
0 1 2 3 4
Time 09:00 to 12:40h (30/07/2017)

Fig. 7. The temperature evolution as a function of time for different measurement points.

temperature measurement above the trays shows higher values
than inside the trays because of the higher elevation of the ther-
mocouple location which is at least 1 m above the trays.
The air collector used in the mixed solar dryer is equipped with
fins and gives an average temperature of 50  C at the entrance of
the greenhouse using the two fans, which is satisfactory for the
needs of this work and enhances the thermal efficiency of the dryer.
The collector was used to ensure low temperature differences be-
tween bottom and top trays on the carts, and enhance the thermal
efficiency.
The ambient temperature on average was 26.5  C. Average
temperature was 53.8  C in the greenhouse and 52.6  C in the
drying chamber. The temperature gain is 26.1 and 27.3 for MSD and
ISD respectively. Despite the fact that the temperature in the ISD at
the tray level was a little bit lower than that in the MSD, the drying
rate was slowest for the MSD. This was due to the insufficient air
circulation inside the greenhouse, where the air velocity average is
0.15 m/s at tray level and 0.45 m/s in the drying chamber as sum-
marized in Table 4 and Fig. 7. At the start of the drying process the
air velocity acts positively in the drying kinetics. However, for
products whose drying kinetics is controlled by the internal
migration of water, the influence of air velocity becomes insignifi-
cant. Despite the long drying time of MSD, 23% higher than ISD, it
has a superior loading capacity weight 32 times higher than ISD. As
 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506 1501

Table 4
Comparison between the performance of MSD and ISD.

Indirect solar dryer Mixed solar dryer

Tmin/Tmax ( C) 45.5/55 45.5/57.4

Average Temperature ( C) 52.6 53.8
Hot air velocity at tray level (m/s) 0.45 0.15
Drying time 3 h 40 min 4 h 45 min
Color of dried potatoes slices No change in color The color of about 35% of the total number of slices turn Little bit grayish
Shape of dried potatoes slices shrinked More shrinked
Loading capacity weight 4 kg 130 kg

Moisture ratio Drying rate a drying time difference of more than 1 h. One phase was observed
1 2.5 which was labeled as phase number 2, corresponding to the de-
MR V(dM/dt) creases of both the drying rate and the product moisture content to
0.8 2 the equilibrium limit.
Bonazzi and Bimbenet [44] have argued that the theoretical
0.6 1.5 drying curves, obtained for non hygroscopic and non-deformable
products such as cellulose, wood, clay or plaster, are character-
0.4 1
ized by the presence of three phases. However, the progress of the
drying process is not the same and the three phases are not always
0.2 0.5
observable as it has been shown by experimental studies. A clas-
0 0
sification of products according to their behavior during drying is
0 1 2 3 4 5 presented by Van Brakel [45].
Time (h) The absence of the product warm-up and the constant drying
phases, most likely due to the structure of agricultural products and
Fig. 8. Evolution of moisture and the drying rate of the potato slices as a function of
the fact that cell walls disrupt rapid migration of moisture to the
time, MSD.
outer surface as noted by Boughali et al. [46]. In general it is due
also to the fact that agro alimentary products are not saturated with
Moisture ratio Drying rate water, ie: they do not contain free water [47]. Transfer of moisture
1 2.5 from the inside of these products to the surface occurs via several
MR V(dM/dt) complicated mechanisms such as liquid diffusion, vapor diffusion
0.8 2 or capillarity [48]. the drying kinetics as it is shown by experi-
mental studies with several products, such as maize, potatoes,
0.6 1.5 plums, apples [47], potato slices [49,50], carrots [51], avocado [52],
dates [53] and apples [54].
0.4 1 Table 5 gives a comparison of drying potatoes between the
present studies with other investigations. The two dryers used to
0.2 0.5 dry potatoes in the present study have a better performance than
the mixed-mode solar dryer used by Tripathy and Kumar [55], in
0 0 New Delhi, India when considering drying time. Chouicha et al. [56]
0 1 2 3 4
used the hybrid indirect solar dryer in their study and concluded
Time (h)
that it has the best drying time and temperature but note that the
Fig. 9. Evolution of moisture and the drying rate of potato slices as a function of time, study was conducted in the Sahara desert with dry environment
ISD. while the present study was conducted in Bou-Ismail with humid
coastal climate.

shown in Table 1, the configurations of MSD and ISD are different in

term of volume, tray number, etc. The volume of the MSD is 60
times larger than that of the ISD. The collector in MSD has slightly
larger surface and is more efficient because fins where used in it.
Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate the variation of the moisture ratio of the
potato slices in the two dryers versus time (MR ¼ f (t)) and drying
rate (V ¼ f (t)). For both dryers, moisture ratio decreases with time
until it reaches the equilibrium moisture content. Product moisture
ratio decreased faster when using the ISD than the MSD resulting in
3.3. Drying curves
The resulting values of the parameters of the models with mean
absolute error, root mean square error, correlation coefficient, and
reduced chi-square for MSD and ISD are summarized in Table 6 for
comparison. The values of the parameters fall within the ranges of
0.9451e0.99993 for the correlation coefficient r2, 8.79∙10
6 to
7.42∙10
3 for reduced chi-square c2, 1.92∙10
3 to 7.15∙10
2 for

Table 5
Comparison of the present study with other investigations.

Research Product Type of dryer Drying time Tmin-Tmax Location of the dryer

C

[55] Potatoes Mixed-mode solar dryer 5h 30min 30.4e50.4 New Delhi, India
[56] Potatoes Hybrid indirect solar dryer 2h 45 min 41.6e61.1
ria
Ouargla, Alge
Present work Potatoes indirect solar dryer 3h 40 min 45.5e55
ria
Bou-Ismail, Alge
Present work Potatoes Mixed solar dryer 4h 45 min 45.5e57.4
ria
Bou-Ismail, Alge
1502 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506

Table 6
Results obtained from models for potatoes.

Model Solar dryer Coefficient r2 c2 MAE (%) RMSE (%)

New Model1 Mixed A ¼ 0.0102, n ¼ 0.5603, k1 ¼
7.2166, m ¼ 0.6000, k2 ¼
2.9703, p ¼ 42.022 0.9999 2 E
5 0.232 0.331
Indirect A ¼ 0.0384, n ¼ 0.6638, k1 ¼
5.9941, m ¼ 0.6288, k2 ¼
3.2482, p ¼ 10.368 0.99993 1 E
5 0.205 0.274
New Model2 Mixed A ¼ 49.2082, n ¼ 0.3782, k1 ¼
0.0197, m ¼ 0.9235, k2 ¼ 0.00001, p ¼ 2965.1 0.99972 4 E
5 0.986 1.140
Indirect A ¼ 4773.52, n ¼ 0.405, k1 ¼
0.00019, m ¼ 1.0157, k2 ¼ 8.61E-8, p ¼ 4434.7 0.99985 2 E
5 0.623 0.735
Page Mixed k ¼ 0.4226, n ¼ 1.3373 0.99408 4.3 E
4 1. 766 2.086
Indirect k ¼ 0.4803, n ¼ 1.4592 0.99629 4.3 E
4 1.726 1.958
Logarithmic Mixed A1 ¼ 1.2931, k ¼ 0.3452, A2 ¼
0.2819 0.99765 1.8 E
4 1.400 2.022
Indirect A1 ¼ 1.4605, k ¼ 0.3371, A2 ¼
0.4431 0.99639 4.5 E
4 1.722 1.931
MidillieKucuk Mixed A1 ¼ 0.9866, k ¼ 0.3914, n ¼ 1.1750, 0.99921 6 E
5 1.009 2.037
A2 ¼
0.0226
Indirect A1 ¼ 0.9882, k ¼ 0.4256, n ¼ 1.2405, 0.99901 1.3 E
4 0.885 1.010
A2 ¼
0.0348
Henderson and Pabis Mixed A1 ¼ 1.0691, k ¼ 0.5826 0.98082 1.38 E
3 4.353 5.976
Indirect A1 ¼ 1.0869, k ¼ 0.6882 0.97291 3.17 E
3 4.807 5.291
Two term Mixed A1 ¼ 11.361, k1 ¼ 0.2167, 0.95837 3.4 E
3 7.155 7.633
A2 ¼
10.352, k2 ¼ 0.1957
Indirect A1 ¼ 1, k1 ¼ 1, A2 ¼ 0.1929, k2 ¼ 0.3156 0.94511 7.42 E
3 6.567 7.532

mean absolute error MAE and 2.52∙10
3 to 7.63∙10
2 root mean
square error RMSE for the MSD and ISD.
The experimental data is in good agreement with the two sug-
gested models, based on the high values of the correlation coeffi-
cient r2 which is equal to 0.9999 and 0.99972 in the case of MSD. For
the case of the ISD, new models 1 and 2 gave correlation
coefficients r2 of 0.99993 and 0.99985 respectively. The low values
of the mean absolute error MAE, mean square error MSE and
reduced chi-square c2 were obtained using new model2 for the two
dryers.
Fig. 10 illustrates the evolution of the moisture ratio for the MSD
and ISD, as measured experimentally in comparison to predictions

Experimental (MSD) Experimental (ISD)

New model1 New model1
New model2 New model2
1 1

0.8 0.8

0.6
0.6
MR 0.4 MR
0.4

0.2
0.2

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

(a) (b)
Experimental (MSD) Experimental (ISD)
Midilli-Kucuk model Midilli-Kucuk model
1 1

0.8 0.8

0.6 0.6
MR
MR
0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4
Time (h) Time (h)
(c) (d)
Fig. 10. Moisture ratio versus (t, time), comparing experimental curve with the predicted one based on: (a, b) Suggested Models; (c, d) Midilli-Kucuk Model.
 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506 1503

Midilli-Kucuk model Midilli-Kucuk model

New model1 New model1
New model2 New model2
1 1

0.8 0.8
MR Theory

MR Theory
0.6 0.6

0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2

0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
MR Experimental MR Experimental
(a) MSD (b) ISD
Fig. 11. Variation of moisture ratio of the two models with the experimental moisture ratio.

by means of the new models 1 and 2 and the Midilli-kucuk model.
The New models showed a good fit with the experimental data of
the MSD and ISD.
Calculated values of moisture ratio MR using the theoretical
models are plotted against the experimentally measured MR
values, see Fig. 11, to gauge the accuracy of the models. A good
agreement between experimental and predicted moisture ratio
values has been noted for the two suggested models. All data from
the two suggested models are closer to the straight line indicating
the best fit. In the case of the MSD, the data generated from the
Midilli-Kucuk model deviated slightly from straight line.
3.4. Validation of the new models with experimental data in the
litterature
The experimental data were used to test the robustness of the
suggested models according to various operating conditions (air
velocity, temperature), different designs and different kinds of
products. Table 7 presents various dryer designs and operating
conditions from the present work and from the literature.

Table 7
Different dryer designs and operating conditions used in the present work and in the literature.

Dryer design Tm ( C) Air velocity (ms
1) Product Product form

Present work Indirect solar dryer 52.6 0.45 Potatoes slices

Mixed solar dryer 53.8 0.15 Potatoes slices
[29] Indirect solar dryer 60 0.5 Sultana grapes spherical
[32] Solar cabinet dryer 38.9 2 Chilli pepper conical
[2] Direct solar dryer with chimney 52 0 plantain Banana slices
Cassava slices
Mango slices

Experimental data Experimental data

New model1 New model1
New model2 New model2
1 1

0.8 0.8
MR
0.6 0.6
MR
0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2

0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

(a) Chilli pepper (b) Sultana grapes

Fig. 12. Variation of moisture ratio of the two models with the experimental moisture ratio from litterature.
1504 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506

1 New model1 A comparison between the suggested models and the best
New model2 models found in literature for Sulatana grapes, bananas, mangoes,
Henderson and Pabis cassava and chilli peppers, using the correlation coefficient,
0.9995 reduced chi-square and root mean square error is presented in
Table 8. The new models have high values of r2 and low values of c2
and RMSE compared to those from the so-called Two term model,
0.999 page & Henderson and Pabis models.
The data confirmed that the two new models are universal and
can characterize perfectly the drying curves of different agricultural
0.9985
products under different operating conditions using any type of
designs.
0.998
3.5. Calculation of effective diffusion coefficient

0.9975
3.5.1. Determination Deff using fourier series
plantain banana cassava mango
The diffusion coefficient was calculated using fick's law. The
Fig. 13. Evaluation of correlation coefficients for the three products used in Koua et al. equation of diffusion was resolved using Fourier series.
[2] study.

3.5.1.1. Calculation with linear fit. Fig. 14 shows the variation of ln

The new suggested models were evaluated using experimental
data selected from the literature for a variety of food product;
namely, Sulatana grapes, bananas, mangoes, cassava and chilli
peppers. The selected products have, naturally, different structures
and porosity in comparison to potato slices.
As shown in Fig. 12, the proposed models proved to be in good
agreement with the experimental data.
Correlation coefficients for the proposed models are compared
to those obtained from the study of Koua et al. [2] for plantain
bananas, mangoes and cassava as depicted in Fig. 13.
(MR) versus time for the two dryers. The slope of the line, b, for the
MSD and ISD are 2.33 E
4 and 3.01 E
4 respectively. The effective
diffusion coefficient Deff was calculated using eq (14) and presented
in Table 9.
3.5.1.2. Calculation using slopes from 2 points. Deff obtained from
the slope of the line joining every two points and the average Deff
were calculated and presented in Table 9. The average value of the
effective diffusion coefficient obtained by 2 points slope method is
slightly higher than that obtained via the linear fit.

Table 8
Results obtained from suggested models for products from literature.

Reference Product Model Coefficient r2 c2 RMSE (%)

[29] Sultana grapes New Model1 A ¼ 37.308, n ¼ 1.8024, k1 ¼ 5.3469, m ¼ 1.7035, k2 ¼ 1.3649, p ¼ 1.3307 0.999999 1.34E-7 0.02
New Model2 A ¼ 0.2868, n ¼ 6.6147, k1 ¼ 10.136, m ¼ 0.5381, k2 ¼ 0.0009, p ¼ 14024 0.99999 3.23E-6 0.11
Two term A1 ¼ 0.1943, k1 ¼ 6.3513, A2 ¼ 0.8057, k2 ¼ 0.0339 0.95837 3.4 E
3 /
[32] Chilli pepper New Model1 A ¼ 0.4512, n ¼ 1.57E7, k1 ¼ 3.05E6, m ¼ 0.9896, k2 ¼
1.2479, p ¼ 7.0576 0.99953 7 E
5 0.73
New Model2 A ¼ 11.102, n ¼ 0.3765, k1 ¼
0.0870, m ¼ 0.6966, k2 ¼ 0.0005, p ¼ 814.65 0.99953 7 E
5 0.74
Page k ¼ 1.1894, n ¼ 1.3373 0.9991 1.2E-4 1.14
[2] plantain Banana New Model1 A ¼ 0.2712, n ¼ 0.7744, k1 ¼ 5.7142, m ¼ 0.5743, k2 ¼
1.6343, p ¼ 2.5100 0.999999 3.77E-7 0.05
New Model2 A ¼ 5.3709, n ¼ 0.2658, k1 ¼
0.0861, m ¼ 0.6130, k2 ¼ 0.0307, p ¼ 10.145 0.999999 3.92E-7 0.05
Henderson and Pabis A1 ¼ 0.1206, k ¼ 0.9856 0.9997 4.20E-5 0.61
Cassava New Model1 A ¼ 0.3686, n ¼ 2.7026, k1 ¼ 6.6703, m ¼ 1.0176, k2 ¼
0.1655, p ¼ 5.5143 0.99996 4.08E-6 0.16
New Model2 A ¼ 1.3772, n ¼ 0.8813, k1 ¼
0.1026, m ¼ 0.4931, k2 ¼ 0.0104, p ¼ 130.17 0.99995 5.23E-6 0.18
Henderson and Pabis A1 ¼ 0.1250, k ¼ 1.0137 0.9999 1.52E-5 0.37
Mango New Model1 A ¼ 0.47778, n ¼ 1.4934, k1 ¼ 6.5357, m ¼ 0.6653, k2 ¼
1.8269, p ¼ 2.4153 0.99916 8 E
5 0.77
New Model2 A ¼ 30131, n ¼ 0.2684, k1 ¼
0.00003, m ¼ 0.9831, k2 ¼ 0.0002, p ¼ 0.8224 0.99917 7 E
5 0.7
Henderson and Pabis A1 ¼ 0.1119, k ¼ 1.0489 0.9979 4.89E-5 2.14

ln(MR) Linear ln(MR) ln(MR) Linear ln(MR)

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 0 3000 6000 9000 12000 15000
0 0
Time (s) Time (s)
-1 -1

-2 -2
ln(MR)

ln(MR)

-3 -3
y = -2.33E-04x + 4.47E-01 y = -3.01E-04x + 4.82E-01
-4 -4

-5 -5

MSD ISD

Fig. 14. Variation of the ln (MR) over time.

 A. Djebli et al. / Renewable Energy 145 (2020) 1494e1506
Table 9
The effective diffusion coefficient using Fourier series.
Type of dryer The effective diffusion coefficient Deff
MSD 5,90E-10
ISD 7,62E-10
Table 10
The effective diffusion coefficient using Laplace transforms.
Type of dryer The effective diffusion coefficient Deff
MSD 3.25E-10
ISD 4.01E-10
3.5.2. Determination deff using laplace transformation
The equation of diffusion was solved using Laplace transforms.
The experimental data were fit using Origin software with equation
(21) to obtain the effective diffusion coefficient. Table 10 shows the
values of Deff using Laplace transforms.
The effective diffusion coefficient for the ISD was higher than
that of the MSD.
4. Conclusion
An experimental and theorical study was carried out on solar
drying of potatoes, using an indirect solar dryer and a new mixed
solar dryer in Algerian coastal climate. To caracterize drying
kenetics and moisture, different theoretical models were tested to
gauge their accuracy.
The drying rate of potato slices in the MSD was lower than in the
ISD. The results showed a good color retention of potato slices in
the ISD, whilst in the MSD, 35% of the total number of slices turned
a Little grayish. The MSD has a better thermal effiency in compar-
ison to the ISD. in terms of drying time the ISD performs better than
the MSD due to advantageous air velocity 0.45 m/s for the ISD
compared to 0.15/s for the MSD.
The porous texture of potatoes facilitates heat transfer, which
favors evaporation of the water. As a result the rate of drying is high.
The effective diffusion coefficient was calculated using tow
methods, Fourier series and Laplace transforms.The values of the
effective diffusion coefficient obtained by Fourier series for the two
dryers is higer than the values obtained using Laplace transforms.
Seven models were used to fit the experimental data and their
comparison shows that the suggested dimensionless models are
the most appropriate models for describing the drying behavior of
potatoes for the two considered dryers.
The new proposed models were validated with experimental
data from the literature and compared to models that best describe
the drying process of Sultana grapes and chilli peppers the results
indicate that they adequately describe the solar drying behavior of
Sultana grapes, chilli peppers, bananas, mangoes and cassava. The
two new proposed models are independent of units of measure-
ment, design, operating conditions, and take into account the
boundary conditions which is a significant advantage over existing
literature models.
This study was conducted in the north of algeria where air hu-
midity is high. It is expected that the dryers would perform more
efficiently in arid or semi-arid regions like in the Sahara desert or
the highlands where the air is dry. Because of the ready availability
and low cost of natural gas locally, using it as a backup source of
energy for the drying process is an attractive alternative to solar
energy for extended periods of cloudy weather.
1505
The average effective diffusion coefficient Dmeff
6,07E-10
7,82E-10
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by EPST CDER/UDES e Algeria. We
gratefully thank our colleagues Miss A. Chalal and Dr. A. Diaf from
EPST CDER/UDES for their support and help.
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