Case Studies in Thermal Engineering 10 (2017) 302–314

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Case Studies in Thermal Engineering

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Experimental investigation of an indirect solar dryer integrated MARK

with phase change material for drying valeriana jatamansi
(medicinal herb)
⁎
A.K. Bhardwaj, Ranchan Chauhan, Raj Kumar , Muneesh Sethi, Adit Rana
Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Shoolini University, Solan, H.P, India

AR TI CLE I NF O AB S T R A CT

Keywords: In this study, an experimental investigation of an indirect solar dryer integrated with phase
Dehydration change material has been carried out for drying Valeriana Jatamansi. The experimentation has
Forced circulation mode been performed under the climatic conditions of Himalayan region, Solan (latitude − 30.91°N,
Medicinal herb longitude − 77.09°E), Himachal Pradesh (India) in the month of October-November 2016.
Moisture content
Paraffin RT-42 has been used as a phase change material in the dryer. Using this system, the
Thermal energy storage
moisture content of rhizomes reduced from 89% to 9% in 5 days as compared to heat pump
drying and shade drying, which took 8 days and 14 days, respectively. Results of present study
infer that the drying time using phase change material in this setup has reduced by 37.50% and
64.29% when compared to heat pump drying and shade drying, respectively. The dried rhizomes
obtained are of superior quality in terms of colour, texture, aroma and bio-medical constituents.
Analyses show that by using present setup, total valepotriates obtained were 3.47% as compared
to traditional shade drying which yield 3.31%.

1. Introduction

Drying is considered as the oldest technique to preserve agricultural based products and medicinal herbs. In this process, moisture
content is reduced to its saturation level. Heated air is utilized by natural or artificial means and moisture concentration gradient thus
created causes the movement of moisture from inside to outer surface of the product. Temperature more than the acceptable limit
causes both physical and chemical changes and ultimately deteriorates the quality of the dried product. Air supplied at controlled
temperature enhances their storage life, minimizes loss and saves transportation cost as most of the water contents are dehydrated
[1–3]. Dehydration of such products is necessary to avoid bacterial and fungal growth.
Belessiotis et al. [4] investigated solar drying of agricultural based products and analyzed that drying under controlled limits of
temperature allows the product to dry rapidly to safe moisture level and ensures the product of superior quality. Ekechukwu et al. [5]
studied the solar energy drying system and analyzed that the acceptable temperature of hot air for safe drying of product depends on
its composition. Pangavhane et al. [6] investigated the performance of a natural convection solar dryer and analyzed that the energy
requirement for drying products depends on the amount of moisture to be removed. High cost of coal and fossil fuels, ecological
impacts and gradual diminishing trends of their reserve have imposed serious constraints on their use and have emphasized the use of
some other form of energy which is renewable, abundant, eco-friendly and has less adverse impact on the environment. Purohit et al.
[7] compared the performance of solar drying methods with the traditional drying and evaluated the financial aspects.
Kant et al. [8] studied the contributions made in the field of solar drying system based on the thermal energy storage medium,

⁎
Corresponding author.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2017.07.009
Received 14 March 2017; Received in revised form 17 July 2017; Accepted 31 July 2017
Available online 02 August 2017
2214-157X/ © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/).
A.K. Bhardwaj et al. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering 10 (2017) 302–314

Nomenclature s Dry matter content, (%)

Ac Area of collector, (m2) Subscripts:

I Solar intensity, (W/ m2)
LHS Latent heat storage, (J) c collector
M Mass, (kg) a air
ma Mass flow rate of air, (kg/s) d dry
mw Moisture evaporated in time t, (kg/s) f final
Pf Energy consumption of blower, (kWh) i initial
PCM Phase change material o original (before drying)
PU Polyurethane r rehydrated
Qc Energy absorbed by the collector, (kWh) th thermal
RC Rehydration capacity w wet basis
SHS Sensible heat storage, (J)
SMER Specific moisture extraction rate, (kg/kWh) Greek
SR Shrinkage ratio
T Temperature, (°C) η efficiency, (%)
t Drying time, (sec)

capable of storing heat as sensible and latent heat. EI-Khadraoui et al. [9] designed and investigated the feasibility of solar air heater
with PCM to store solar energy during the day time, and release it at night. Esakkimuthu et al. [10] investigated the feasibility of
latent heat storage (LHS) unit with an HS 58 (inorganic salt based phase change material) to store the excess thermal solar energy and
release it overnight as well as during poor weather conditions. Shalaby et al. [11] studied the applications of paraffin wax as a
thermal storage medium and noticed that PCM reduces the heat loss and improves the efficiency of the system. Teng-yne et al. [12]
utilized lauric acid as a PCM and investigated the collector charging and discharging time of thermal storage device through different
air volume flow rates. Rabha et al. [13] studied the performance of drying of chilli in a forced convection solar dryer integrated with
paraffin wax as a latent heat storage medium and found improvement in drying efficiency. Agarwal et al. [14] investigated the
suitability of paraffin wax as a latent heat storage material for solar drying applications and evaluated on the basis of the results.
Sharma et al. [15] investigated phase change materials (PCMs) for low temperature solar thermal applications and observed im-
provement in quality of the product.
Soysal et al. [16] studied the effect of drying techniques on the medicinal herbs and found the dehydration process as a critical
threshold to preserve the product for a longer time. Khalid [17] et al. investigated the influence of drying temperature, humidity and
drying time on the medicinal herbs and observed that these parameters greatly affect the essential oil present in the product. Agah
et al. [18] studied the effect of drying temperature, humidity and drying time on the medicinal herbs and found that these parameters
significantly affect the essential oil present in the product. Fathi et al. [19] investigated the influence of drying techniques on
important ingredients of essential oil and observed that all active constituents are retained using drying techniques in the shade.
Rocha et al. [20] studied the influence of drying process on the medicinal plants and analyzed that volatile compounds are sensitive
to temperature difference. Choudhary et al. [21] experimented solar drying of horticulture products with PCM and found this
technology effective for preservation of medicinal plants. Jain et al. [22] developed an indirect solar crop dryer with phase change
material to maintain continuity of drying herbs for their colour and flavor vulnerability.
Some of the medicinal plants are considered as heat sensitive and require drying under controlled conditions; otherwise the
quality will deteriorate [23]. Literature review of solar drying of medicinal plants and herbs is presented in Table 1.
Medicine is an essential requirement of all human beings. Valeriana Jatamansi Jones is an aromatic as well as medicinal crop.
Miyasaka et al. [37] experimented valeriana in the treatment of nervous state and anxiety-induced sleep disturbances. Grunwald [38]
studied the use of valerian extracts as dietary supplements. These supplements are primarily composed of dried roots or its extracts,
formulated into tablets or soft gelatin capsules. Each dose contains approximately 50 mg of dried root or its extract. Spinella [39]
analyzed the treatment of epilepsy using valerian and recommended it for use. Muller et al. [40] observed that valerian tends to
sedate the agitated person, stimulates the fatigued person and brings about a balancing effect on the system. Mathela et al. [41]
studied its commercial importance and found it as a substitute for Valeriana officinalis in India, Nepal and in the Himalayan region.
Kaur et al. [42] investigated the composition of its fresh underground parts for medicinal use and analyzed that rhizome and root
yield essential oil, which is important in world trade. Woerdenbag et al. [43] examined the influence of post harvesting process on the
quantity and quality of important active ingredients in the dried product and observed that it greatly affects the production chain.
The herb is required to process locally due to its perishable nature, scattered plantation, means of preservation and difficulty in
transportation to nearby markets. Fennel et al. [44] investigated the influence of dehydration rate on the safe storage of herb and
found drying as an essential part which aims at decreasing moisture content, avoiding enzymatic and microbial activity, and as a
result preserving the product to extend shelf life. Calixto et al. [45] studied the positive consequences of drying process and observed
that effective dehydrating method contribute to a regular supply and facilitate the marketing of medicinal product by reducing the
weight and volume of the herb.
The unstable nature of valepotriates due to their sensitivity to light, heat and humid conditions affects their concentration. So,
collecting the raw material from the production areas and then processing the same at nearby sites helps in avoiding enzymatic and

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Table 1
Solar drying of medicinal plants and herbs.

Authors Product Moisture content (%) Max. allowable temp. Drying time (hours)
(°C)
Initial Final Reduction in moisture content Traditional drying Type of solar dryer (time) Saving (%)
(%)

Bala et al. [24] Adhatoda vasica nees 74 3 71 45 48 Hybrid solar 83.33

Dryer (8)
Srisitti et al. [25] Andographic paniculata 75 7 68 75 168 Solar tunnel 71.43
Dryer (48)
Muller et al. [26] Chamomilla recutita 60 12 48 50 48 Greenhouse type solar dryer (9) 81.25
Banout et al. [27] Jerky 72 30 42 50 96 Double-pass solar dryer (10) 89.58
EI-Sebali et al. [28] Mint 85 11 74 45 288 Indirect forced convection solar dryer (with thermal 75.00

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storage) (75)
Shalaby et al. [29] Nerium oleander 65 14 51 50 96 Indirect forced convection solar dryer (with thermal 85.41
storage) (14)
Slama et al. [30] Orange peels 76 13 63 50 96 Indirect forced convection solar dryer (24) 75.00
Janjai et al. [31] Rosella flower 90 18 72 45 120 Roof integrated solar dryer (72) 40.00
Baladin et al. [32] Rose petals 66 25 41 30 96 Solar wire basket dryer (16) 83.33
Baladin et al.[33] Thymus vulgaris 95 10 85 45 66 Indirect forced convection solar dryer (with thermal 48.48
storage) (34)
Hossain et al.[34] Valeriana officinalis 89 9 80 37 336 Heat pump solar 42.85
Dryer (192)
Aritesty et al.[35] Wild ginger 83 11 72 47 68 Rack type greenhouse solar dryer (27.5) 59.56
Baladin et al.[36] Zingiber officinale 80 10 70 40 300 Basket solar crop dryer (72 76.00
Case Studies in Thermal Engineering 10 (2017) 302–314
A.K. Bhardwaj et al. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering 10 (2017) 302–314

Table 2
Various stages of Valeriana rhizomes before drying.

References Process Processing stage Description

Mathela et al. [41] Valeriana • ItIt isis acommercially

medicinal crop.
plantation • used in the Himalayan region.

Kaur et al. [42] Plant uprooting • Highest level of essential oil is found in autumn
harvested crops.
• Best harvesting stage is October-November.
• Material is procured from department of Forest
Product, University of Horticulture and Forestry,
Nauni, Solan, India.

Woerdenbag et al.
[43]
Washing
rootstock
• Herb is required to process locally due to its
perishable nature, scattered plantation and
difficulty in transportation to nearby markets.
• Rootstock
particles.
is washed with water to remove the soil

Mathela et al. [41] Cleaning

rootstock
• Itsin bio-chemical
underground parts (rhizome and root) are rich
constituents and yield essential oil,
which is important in world trade.
• Rootstock is cleaned with muslin cloth.

Woerdenbag et al.
[43]
Segregating
rootstocks
• Fresh underground parts (rhizome and root) are
rich in biomedical constituents.
• Plant produces valepotriartes, mostly from
underground parts, having therapeutic importance.
• Rootstocks are segregated.

Calixto et al. [45] Segregating

rhizomes
• Most of the valepotriates are concentrated in
rhizome.
(continued on next page)

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Table 2 (continued)

References Process Processing stage Description

• Valepotriates in Valeriana Jatamansi are effective

against leprosy, insomnia, restlessness and tension.
• Rhizomes are collected on clean cloth for next
operation (drying).

microbial activity, and preserving the important constituents. For this purpose, adequate drying techniques are needed using con-
trolled temperature, velocity and humidity values. Hence, research on optimal combination of dryer design, operational method and
type of energy in use along with quality of the product is required.
Literature reveals that limited study has undergone on medicinal herb drying, using solar energy. Valeriana Jatamansi roots
contain high moisture content (about 89%). In order to prevent microorganism's growth and degradation in quality, the moisture
content of rhizomes is required to dehydrate immediately up to 9% [34]. Drying near the production sites also helps in reducing its
weight and volume and minimizing storage and transportation costs. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are:

(i) To investigate the performance of an indirect solar dryer integrated with phase change material (PCM) for drying Valeriana
Jatamansi rhizomes.
(ii) To improve the performance of dried product by improving drying rate and reducing drying time.
(iii) To retain the bio-medical constituents (valepotriates) in the dried product by providing isothermal heating under optimum
temperature.

The phase change material (PCM) has the ability to store large amount of excess thermal energy during its melting process and
benefit of it under constant temperature later, makes it excellent device to enhance thermal performance of the solar drying system.
In this work, for the first time, Valeriana rhizomes are dried at its prescribed drying temperature (40 °C) in an indirect solar dryer, in
which the PCM storage unit is located at the bottom of the drying compartment to provide isothermal heating.

2. Experimental study

The whole study is carried out in four stages as discussed below:

2.1. Post-harvest processing of material

Sequence of operations, preparing Valeriana rhizomes for drying is presented in Table 2.

2.2. Experimental set up

The setup consists of an indirect solar dryer in forced convection mode with a flat plate solar collector as shown in Fig. 1. A
mixture of gravel and iron scrap along with engine oil as a thermal storage medium in the collector and paraffin RT-42 as a phase
change (PCM) material in the dryer, are used. Heated air is passed between the absorber plate and the insulation. The solar collector
is placed on a supporting structure inclined at an angle of 30° with the horizontal and is oriented to south direction to maximize the
exposure of solar radiation. To one side of the collector, blower is connected by providing a PVC tube of diameter 0.035 m. The
drying cabinet is constructed from galvanized iron plate having size 1.00 m × 0.60 m × 0.60 m. Valeriana rhizomes are placed on
the trays inside the drying cabinet through an insulated door. Three trays each of size 0.85 m × 0.45 m are provided. Trays are made
of galvanized wire mesh of thickness 0.005 m and a perforated aluminum sheet. Vertical, top, bottom walls and door are insulated
using polyurethane (PU) foam of thickness 0.060 m. The distance of the bottom tray from the base of the drying cabinet is kept
0.18 m and a gap of 0.12 m is maintained between the each tray.

2.3. Experimental instrumentations

Experiments were conducted by using following instruments as shown in Table 3.

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Fig. 1. (a): Schematic diagram of experimental setup. (b): Experimental setup. (c): Schematic diagram of drying chamber.

Table 3
Instruments used during experimentations.

Parameter Equipment/Instrument Model Accuracy

2
Solar intensity Pyranometer Model CMP-3, Kipp and Zonen BV, Rontgenweg, Holland (10–1500 W/m ) ± 0.5 W/m2
Relative humidity Hygrometer (1–99%) ± 0.2%
Dryer air temperature Data logger Model 2700, Keithley Instruments, Cleveland, Ohio, USA ± 0.1 µV
Air mass flow rate Van type anemometer Model AV6, 100 mm Hg, Air Flow Instruments, England: Range: 0–30 m/s ± 0.01 m/s)
Weight Digital balance (0–500) g ± 0.01 g

2.4. Experimental procedure

Experiments were conducted during October-November 2016. Fresh Valeriana Jatamansi rhizomes were procured from depart-
ment of Forest Product, University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, India, for the purpose of experiments. Rhizomes of
about same size were segregated to ensure better drying effect. Three samples of rhizomes with initial weight were taken by an
electronic balance (accuracy: ± 0.01 g) and then kept in the hot air oven (accuracy: ± 0.5 °C) maintaining temperature of 135 °C till
it attained a constant weight. Initial moisture level was then calculated and found 89% (wet basis). Experiments were performed by
adopting four drying methods; traditional shade drying, forced convection without thermal storage system, forced convection with
sensible heat storage (SHS - mixture of gravel and iron scrap in the collector along with engine oil in the copper tube) only and forced
convection with sensible heat storage (SHS) system in the collector along with phase change material (PCM) in the drying chamber.

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Fresh Valeriana rhizomes were taken and then distributed 0.5 kg in each tray for every set of experiments. Experiment was continued
till the desired level of moisture achieved (9%). The samples of dried rhizomes were collected and sealed in the plastic bag for further
investigation of quality attributes.

3. Parameters of performance evaluation

3.1. Determination of moisture content

Drying rate is considered as an important feature and it helps in analyzing the performance of the system. Mathematically, it is
expressed as given by Eq. (1) [46].
Mwb = [(Mt − Md )/ Mt ] × 100 (1)

3.2. Determination of drying rate

Performance estimation of any solar drying system is analyzed by drying rate and is the most important characteristic.
Mathematically, drying rate is proportional to difference in moisture content between the material being dried and the equilibrium
moisture content at the drying air state and is expressed by Eq. (2) [47].
DR = dM/dt = − k (Mt – Me) (2)

dM/ (M –Me) = − k dt (3)

3.3. Determination of moisture ratio

On integrating the Eq. (3)

(Mt – Me)/ (Mo – Me) = c exp.(− kt) (4)

Moisture ratio is defined as:

MR = (Mt – Me)/ (Mo – Me) (5)

The moisture ratio (MR) is simplified, because the moisture content at any time Mt and initial moisture content Mo are com-
paratively higher than equilibrium moisture content Me and is considered significantly less than the moisture content Mo [48].
Therefore, Eq. (3) becomes
MR = (Mt / (Mo ) (6)

MR = c exp.( − kt) (7)

log(MR) = − kt + c (8)

The mass shrinkage ratio (SR) is defined as [49]

SR = mt / mo (9)

Ambient air temp.

Dryer air temp. (without storage)
Dryer air temp. (with storage system)
Solar intensity
70 1000
900
60
800
Solar intensity (W/m2)
Temperature (oC)

50 700
40 600
500
30 400
20 300
200
10
100
0 0
9.00 am 10.00 am11.00 am12.00 pm 1.00 pm 2.00 pm 3.00 pm 4.00 pm 5.00 pm
Time (hours)
Fig. 2. Variation of solar intensity, ambient temperature and dryer air temperature with and without thermal storage system v/s time.

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3.4. Determination of specific moisture extraction rate

The specific moisture extraction rate, which is the energy needed for removing one kg of water, is calculated by using Eq. (10)
SMER = md / Pd (10)

3.5. Determination of dryer thermal efficiency

The thermal efficiency of solar dryer is estimated using Eq. (11) [50]
ηd = mL/ Iav A (11)

4. Results and discussion

4.1. Analyses of ambient parameters

Fig. 2 shows variation of solar intensity, ambient temperature and dryer air temperature with and without thermal storage system
against time. It was observed that ambient temperature increased to reach 31.1 °C at 1.00 p.m., which was considered the maximum
ambient temperature during the day time, whereas the solar insolation reached to 886 W/m2. The temperature was
relatively low at the beginning and the end of the day. With the increase in solar intensity, the temperature of the ambient air
reached to maximum value in the afternoon and then started to decrease again. The relative humidity has a reverse trend to that of
temperature. For effective drying, higher temperature and lower relative humidity are the important parameters. It was also observed
that with the introduction of thermal storage system, average temperature of the drying air increased significantly as shown in Fig. 2.
It happened due to the fact that thermal storage material absorbed the excess heat of the day time and released the same during the
low sunshine hours or night hours.
The variations of solar intensity, ambient temperature and humidity during the month of October were analyzed critically and
minimum, maximum and average values of these parameters are presented in Table 4. During the experiments, the solar irradiance
ranged from 301 W/m2 to 886 W/m2. The temperature and relative humidity of ambient air ranged from 19.7 °C to 31.1 °C and
36.75–51.25%, respectively. It is found that with the increase in ambient temperature, the relative humidity of the air decreased to a
minimum value of 36.75% at 1.00 p.m.

4.2. Performance of solar collectors

Performance of solar collector was examined with and without thermal storage materials. To study the effectiveness of thermal
storage materials with the solar heater, five different combinations of sensible heat storage materials such as (1) sand, (2) gravel, (3)
sand with iron scrap, (4) gravel with iron scrap and (5) gravel with iron scrap and engine oil in the copper tube were investigated for
thermal performance. It was observed that using mixture of gravel and iron scrap along with engine oil carried in the copper tube
showed better thermal performance in comparison to the use of other combinations of storage materials. Using this combination as a
thermal storage material, average collector outlet air temperature enhancement was noticed as 26.18 °C above the ambient average
temperature which ensured higher moisture dehydration rate during the process. Temperature enhancement of hot air with thermal
storage material was analyzed as 43.11% more than without using such materials as presented in Table 5. It happened due to the fact
that gravel with iron scrap acted as a sensible heat storage medium and absorbed excess heat of the day time and released during the
off-sunshine hours. Further, engine oil carried in copper tube also helped in temperature enhancement due to the high conductivity of
copper and high specific heat of engine oil.

4.3. Performance of solar dryer

Hot air received from the collector outlet was passed from bottom of drying chamber to the trays kept inside the insulated
enclosure. Thermal performance of hot air inside the drying chamber was examined with and without loading the phase change
material. Temperature of the hot air experienced by drying chamber was slightly lower than the collector outlet air temperature when
phase change material was not loaded. Also, among the different trays, slightly fall in temperature was noticed from bottom to top. It

Table 4
Parametric values of ambient air.

Parameter Experimental observations

Minimum value Maximum value Average value

2
Solar intensity (W/m ) 301 886 564.22
Ambient temperature (°C) 19.7 31.1 25.04
Ambient air relative humidity (%) 36.75 51.25 42.31

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Table 5
Parametric values of collector air temperature.

Parameter Experimental observations Average percentage improvement in

collector outlet air temperature
Minimum value Maximum value Average value
(°C) (°C) (°C)

Ambient temperature 19.7 31.1 25.04

Collector outlet air temp. without thermal storage 21.2 46.3 35.79 –
Collector outlet air temp. with storage-1, (sand) 22.6 49.3 38.27 6.93↑
Collector outlet air temp. with storage-2, (gravel) 23.4 52.6 40.3 12.60↑
Collector outlet air temp. with storage-3, (sand 24.8 58.1 43.9 22.66↑
with iron scrap)
Collector outlet air temp. with storage-4, (gravel 26.1 60.7 47.1 31.60↑
with iron scrap)
Collector outlet air temp. with storage-5, (gravel 26.3 64.2 51.22 43.11↑
with iron scrap and engine oil in the copper
tube)

happened because some part of energy is utilized to carry the hot air from collector outlet to drying chamber inlet and subsequently
from bottom to top trays.
Experiments were conducted by adopting four drying methods; traditional shade drying, forced convection solar drying without
thermal storage system, forced convection with sensible heat storage (SHS) system in the collector and forced convection with
sensible heat storage (SHS) system in the collector along with phase change material (PCM) in the drying chamber.
However, by loading phase change material at the bottom of the drying cabinet, almost constant temperature was noticed inside
the enclosure. It was due to the fact that phase change material absorbed excess heat of the day and supplied it to the trays when there
was fall in drying air temperature, by changing its phase and helped in maintaining constant temperature.

4.4. Drying of Valeriana Jatamansi herb

For safe storage of Valeriana rhizome, its moisture content is required to reduce from 89% to 9% [43]. Using forced convection
solar dryer integrated with phase change material, it took 5 days to dry rhizomes whereas traditional shade drying needed 14 days.
The variation of moisture content with time by adopting different drying techniques are presented in Fig. 3. Using phase change
material, temperature of drying air inside the dryer chamber was sufficiently high as compared to the atmospheric temperature and
corresponding humidity was lower than the ambient air. So, drying rate of rhizomes in a forced convection mode using phase change
material (PCM) was faster than the other drying techniques applied. By adopting this technique, phase change material permitted hot
air at optimum temperature to rhizomes placed on the trays and did not allow fall in air temperature. Phase change material absorbed
excess heat above the optimum temperature (40 °C) and released the same when there was fall in drying air temperature.
Fig. 4 indicates that the rate of moisture loss decreased with the increase in drying time, until the rhizomes approach the
equilibrium moisture content. The drying mainly occurs in the falling rate period which indicates a diffusion-controlled type me-
chanism of drying. A similar trend has been reported by Midilli [49]. Initially, weight loss of rhizomes was faster because of the free
moisture content on the outer surface and then became slower and slower due to internal moisture migration from inner layers to
the surface, and finally gets saturated as illustrated in Fig. 4. Plot shows the influence of drying time on moisture ratio. The moisture

100
90 Traditional shade drying
80
70 Solar drying forced convection (without
storage)
Moisture content (%)

60
Solar drying forced convection with SHS
50 (collector) only
40 Solar drying forced convection with SHS
(collector) and PCM (drying chamber)
30
20
10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Drying time (hours)
Fig. 3. Influence of drying rate on moisture content using different drying techniques.

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1.2
Traditional shade drying
1
Solar drying forced convection (without
0.8 storage)
Moisture ratio Solar drying forced convection with SHS
0.6 (collector) only
Solar drying forced convection with SHS
0.4 (collector) and PCM (drying chamber)

0.2

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Drying time (hours)
Fig. 4. Variation of moisture ratio with time.

ratio decreased significantly with the progress of drying time.

Initially, the drying rate was observed faster in all cases as illustrated in Fig. 5. Analyses show that drying rate was highest using
phase change material in the drying unit. Drying time has reduced by 28.57%, 37.50% and 64.28% as compared to indirect solar
drying with sensible storage system (SHS) only, without thermal storage system in forced convection mode and shade drying, re-
spectively as presented in Figs. 5 and 6. It happened because using phase change material (PCM), drying process gets elongated by
6–7 h per day after sunshine hours as the drying air remained 8–10 °C higher than the ambient temperature up to mid night. It helped
in utilizing the stored energy during the night hours effectively and helped in increasing the drying rate.
Whereas using sensible heat storage medium only, drying of material during off sunshine hours was noticed for 2–3 h per day.
Without using sensible heat storage medium and phase change material (without thermal storage), drying after the sunshine hours
was not found possible and therefore, required more drying hours. Shade drying was observed as the slowest process. This was
because dehydration was carried under the shade and product was not exposed to hot air. Ambient temperature (average 25.04 °C)
was very much below the optimum required temperature (40 °C) and hence, slowed down the dehydration process.

4.5. Quality of dried Valeriana rhizomes

Drying affected the physical properties of the rhizomes and resulted change in size, shape, colour, and texture. Many chemical and
enzymatic conversions also took places which were very important from the health point of view. So, comparison of quality para-
meters of dried product by using different drying techniques became necessary as it depends on drying air temperature, humidity,
dryer design, drying time, dehydration rate and other parameters. During this study, dried rhizomes were assessed for quality
attributes by considering sensory, rehydration and bio-medical parameters.

2.5

Traditional shade drying

2
Solar drying forced convection (without
storage)
Drying rate

1.5 Solar drying forced convection with SHS

(collector) only
Solar drying forced convection with SHS
1 (collector) and PCM (drying chamber)

0.5

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Drying time (days)
Fig. 5. Variation of drying rate with time.

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4.5
Traditional shade drying

(%age of moisture removed per hour)

4
3.5
Solar drying (forced convection
3 without storage)
Drying rate Solar drying forced convection
2.5
with SHS only
2
Solar drying forced convection
1.5 with SHS and PCM

1
0.5
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Moisture ratio (%)
Fig. 6. Variation of drying rate with moisture ratio.

4.5.1. Sensory evaluation

Valeriana rhizomes dried without thermal storage system in the solar dryer was found significantly of poor colour value. Adopting
this technique, dryer provided hot air at a temperature higher than the optimum value and resulted in light brown colour. Moreover,
longer drying period using traditional shade drying contributed in producing dull colour. The dried product obtained using solar
dryer with phase change material (PCM) was noticed brown, which was reasonably well in terms of colour. It happened due to the
controlled drying, which took place below the optimum temperature and retained the important ingredients.
Texture of dehydrated rhizomes using phase change material was found better. Loss of texture was observed in dried product
when dehydrating without thermal storage system. It was due to the development of rupture of cells at undesirable (higher) drying air
temperature. Herb is heat sensitive and retaining its original value of valepotriates was really a challenge during drying. Using phase
change material moisture dehydrated continuously, faster and uniformly at about 37 °C which is below the optimum temperature
(40 °C) and retained important ingredients without volatile losses and hence, resulted in better texture.

4.5.2. Rehydration evaluation

It is the ability of dehydrated product to recover its appearance, texture and aroma when soaked in water. The closure the product
goes to its original value or the initial moisture levels, the better will be its characteristics and rehydration capacity. Tissues damaged
during drying affect the rehydration capacity and assess the rupture of cells. Using phase change material, rehydration capacity of
rhizomes was 61.10% which was appreciably high. In comparison to this, rehydration capacity of rhizomes was 52.80%, 43.20% and
55.30% when drying was carried with SHS only, without thermal storage and under the shade, respectively. This was because
dehydration took place continuously, uniformly and isothermally when drying was carried with solar dryer integrated phase change
material and did not disturb the internal geometry much. But, by adopting drying without thermal storage and shade drying,
moisture was removed discontinuously (variation in day and night temperature) and non-uniformly, and caused rupture of cells.

4.5.3. Bio-medical evaluation

Valepotriates of Valeriana Jatamansi rhizome are heat and moisture sensitive and are affected by the dehydration process. Volatile
constituents are destroyed by heat, humidity and longer drying duration. From the medicinal point of view, valepotriates were
considered for analyses. Analyses showed that results of the solar dryer integrating with phase change material was better in
comparison to other three drying techniques adopted as shown in the Table 6. It happened because using this method, drying was
carried faster at controlled and isothermal temperature. Otherwise, temperature higher than the optimum value, higher humidity and
longer drying duration helped in degrading quality level along with decomposition of volatile substances. Table 6 presents the

Table 6
Qualitative analyses of Valeriana rhizomes dried by adopting different drying methods.

Drying techniques Traditional shade Indirect solar drying forced Indirect solar drying forced Indirect solar drying forced
→ drying convection (without thermal convection (with SHS in the convection (with SHS in the collector
storage) collector) and PCM in the drying chamber)
↓Valepotriates (%)

Valtrate (%) 2.34 1.39 1.48 2.39

Didro-valtrate (%) 0.25 0.13 0.19 0.29
Ace-valtrate (%) 0.37 0.22 0.26 0.41
IVHD valtrate (%) 0.35 0.17 0.23 0.38
Total valepotriates 3.31 1.91 2.16 3.47
(%)

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comparison of essential bio-medical constituents. The future perspectives of the present investigation aim to identify the optimized
process parameters using multi-criteria decision making methods such as VIKOR [51,52], GRA [53], TOPSIS [54], PSI [55,56].

5. Conclusions

During the present study, effect of drying air temperature, relative humidity, solar intensity and use of thermal storage materials
on the drying characteristics of Valeriana Jatamansi rhizomes has been investigated. The performance of an indirect solar dryer in
forced convection mode, integrated with phase change material has been found indispensable. The present set up enabled to maintain
consistent air temperature inside the dryer. The rhizomes were dried from initial moisture content of 89% to saturated level of 9%.
Following observations are made:

• Using present set up, average collector outlet air temperature was observed 51.22 °C which remained 26.18 °C above the average
ambient temperature. So, collector supplied hot air to drying chamber at a sufficiently higher temperature and ensured higher
moisture dehydration rate.
• Inclusion of phase material helped in supplying hot air till midnight, maintaining temperature 8–10 °C above the ambient tem-
perature and elongated the drying time after sunset by about 7 h (5.00 p.m.–11.30 p.m.) per day.
• Use of phase change material (paraffin RT-42) in the drying chamber helped in supplying hot air continuously to the rhizomes,
below the optimum temperature of Valeriana (40 °C). Indirect and isothermal drying below optimum temperature helped in
retaining volatile substances without any loss.
• Analyses shows that using phase change material, drying time reduced by 37.50%, and 64.29% as compared to heat pump drying
and traditional shade drying, respectively.
• Using phase change material higher drying rate, continuous heating and controlled temperature resulted in dried rhizomes of
superior quality in terms of colour, texture, aroma and biomedical constituents. Best results of valepotriates were obtained with
minimum drying hours. Total valepotriates achieved were 3.47%, whereas the same were 3.31% and 1.91% by adopting shade
drying and solar drying without thermal storage, respectively.
• Rehydration capacity of rhizomes using phase change material was 61.10% in comparison to drying carried with SHS only,
without thermal storage and under the shade, which were 52.80%, 43.20% and 55.30%, respectively.

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