A Project Report On Design, Fabrication and Experimental Study of Grape Cabinet Dryer Using Forced Convection

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A Project Report on Design, Fabrication and Experimental Study of Grape

Cabinet Dryer Using Forced Convection
Experiment Findings · March 2014

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25222.63040
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A PROJECT REPORT ON
DESIGN, FABRICATION AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF

GRAPE CABINET DRYER USING FORCED CONVECTION
REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR

THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SUBMITTED BY
Hrishabh Singh (10070121426)
Gaurav Chaudary (1007121423)
Under the Guidance of
Prof. Amol Ubale
SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, PUNE

(A CONSTITUENT OF SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY)
Pune - 412115
2013 - 2014
Dept. of Mechanical, SIT Design, Fabrication and Experimental study of grape cabinet dryer
using forced convection
CERTIFICATE
The project entitled “Design, Fabrication and Experimental study of grape cabinet dryer
using forced convection” submitted to the Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune for the
award of B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering is based on our original work carried out under
the guidance of Prof. Amol Ubale. The report has not been submitted elsewhere for award of
any degree.
The material borrowed from other source and incorporated in the report has been duly
acknowledged and/or referenced.
We understand that we ourselves could be held responsible and accountable for plagiarism, if
any, detected later on.
Date: 23 March 2014
Hrishabh Singh (10070121426) Gaurav Chaudary(1007121423)
Countersigned by:
Asst. Prof. Shahid Tamboli Prof. Nitin Solke Dr. T.P. Singh
Asst. Professor, HOD, Director,
Department of Mechanical Department of Mechanical Symbiosis Institute of

Engineering Engineering Technology, Pune
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to all those who gave us the
responsibility to complete this report.
First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to Dr. T.P. Singh and Prof. Nitin
Solke for giving us this opportunity and being a constant source of motivation.
A special thanks to our final year project guide, Prof. Amol Ubale whose mentorship and
assistance was key in the successful completion of our project.
We would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of Mr. Digambar
Angre and Mr. Gaikwad - their instructions, active help and guidance made the fabrication
possible.
Signature of Candidates:
Gaurav Chaudary (423)
Hrishabh Singh (426)
3
ABSTRACT
Based on preliminary investigations under controlled condition of drying experiments, a

forced convection cabinet dryer to be used exclusively to dry grapes was constructed. This
report describes the development of dryer considerations followed by the results of the
experiments conducted over a 3-day testing period. The thermal performance of the dryer was
found to be satisfactory as the intention is to use solar energy for heating the air (we have
tested the dryer using a heater of 1000 W). The maximum air temperature in the dryer, under
this condition, was 64°C. The dryer was loaded with 8 kg of grapes with an average bunch
having an initial weight of 193.44 grams, and the final desired moisture content loss led to a
weight of 102.45 grams was achieved within 3 days while it was 8 days for open sun drying.
This prototype dryer was designed and constructed to have a total drying area of 0.8192 m2
spread over 2 trays. This cabinet dryer is intended to be used for drying purposes under
various loading conditions.
Keywords:
Forced convection Cabinet dryer; Grapes; Design and Fabrication
4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sr. No. Topic Page No.

1. List of Figures 6
2. List of Tables 7
3. Chapter 1: Introduction to the grape-drying process 8
Literature review of grape dryers and the drying process 9
The drying of solids and mechanism of drying 11
The forced convection drying process 12
The Cabinet Dryer 17
4. Chapter 2: Design of the experimental setup 19
Design of the drying chamber 21
Trays, duct and chimney 23
Fans 25
Drying chamber drafting 26
Fan drafting 27
5. Chapter 3: Fabrication 28
Cutting of Angle 28
Welding 29
Grinding 29
Drilling 30
Cutting GI and CRC sheets 31
Preparing the ply boards for coupling fans to connecting PVC pipes 32
Fitting the PVC pipe to the fans and the pipes to the dryer 33
Insulation 34
6. Chapter 4: Testing and study 35
Preparing the grapes batch for the drying process 36
Work Schedule and Operation conditions 38
Observations: Day 1 39
5
7. Chapter 5: Results and Conclusion 45

Conclusion and future scope 46
8. References 47
9. Appendix 48
10. Bill of Material 60
6
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Description Page No.
Figure 1: Psychrometric chart showing a drying process 14

A)Overview
B)Enlarged are of interest
Figure 2: Forced convection apparatus and demonstration 15
Figure 3: Moisture vs. Time 16
Figure 4: Drying Rate 17
Figure 5: Sulphuring Cabinet 18
Figure 6: Cabinet Setup 19
Figure 7: General layout of modern solar driers 20
Figure 8: Testing Setup (with chimney and fans shown) 21
Figure 9: Entire Setup 22
Figure 10 and 11: Drying Chamber 23
Figure 12: Duct and Chimney 24
Figure 13: Dryer + Duct + Chimney 25
Figure 14: Duct + Chimney 25
Figure 15: Fan Design 26
Figure 16: Dryer Drafting 27
Figure 17: Fan Drafting 28
Figure 18: Dryer Frame 29
Figure 19: Tack welding the locking bolts for the door mechanism 30
Figure 20: Angle grinder used 30
Figure 21: 4mm HSS Drill bit 31
Figure 22: Drilling for inserting heater coil 31
Figure 23: Drilling small GI sheet (supports) 31
7
Figure 24: Preparing attachments 32
Figure 25: Cutting ply 33
Figure 26: Drilling ply 33
Figure 27: Blower fan (of higher amperage than suction fan) 33
Figure 28: Final boards 33
Figure 29: Fitting operation 34
Figure 30: Insulation operation 35
Figure 31: Fevicol SR 998 35

Figure 32: Preparing the dipping oil solution 38
Figure 33: Weight, Humidity vs. Time (Day 1) 41
8
LIST OF TABLES
Table Name Page No.
Table 1: Consumption of grapes and its different products 11

Table 2: Maximum temperature allowable for drying and the initial 37
and final moisture contents of various products
Table 3: Work Schedule 40
Table 4: Observation Table 1 41
Table 7: Parameters and their values 47
9
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO GRAPE DRYING
The modern Indian farmer has a lot on his plate. In 2006, the state of Maharashtra, with 4,453
farmers’ suicides accounted for over a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060, according to the
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). 2006 was indeed a dark year with rampant crop
failure.
There is a variety of reasons for crop failure but the key factor at play is spoilage due to
insufficient post-harvest management. Raisins are produced commercially by drying harvested
grape berries. In order for a grape berry to dry, water inside the grape must be removed
completely from the interior of the cell onto the surface of the grape where the water droplets
can evaporate. However, this diffusion process is very difficult because the grape skin contains
wax in its cuticle, which prevents the water from passing through. In addition to this, the
physical and chemical mechanisms located on the outer layers of the grape are adapted to
prevent water loss. There are many solutions to this problem with the underlying concept of
coating the grape surface with various compounds so as to increase its permeability – this has
been discussed in detail later.
Fruits and vegetables constitute a major part of the food crops in developing countries. Drying
is one of the methods used to preserve fruits. Many varieties of fruits are seasonal and most of
them are consumed in their dried form to a large extent. This has been made possible by the
process of drying. Grape is one of the world’s largest fruit crops. The world production of
grapes is presently 65,486 million tonnes out of which India accounts for 1.2 million tonnes.
The grape fruit is quickly lost to fungal and microbial degradation due to the high humidity
levels associated with tropical environments (Dauthy, 1995; Enebe and Ezekoye, 2006).
Limited resources and a complete lack of electricity in many rural locations, leaves farmers
with few options to preserve their crops. There is a very good solution to this problem: drying
the crop either naturally or mechanically. There are two main reasons for drying food: to
prevent (or inhibit) the growth and activity of micro-organisms and hence preserve the food to
reduce the weight and bulk of food for cheaper transport and storage. When carried out
correctly, the nutritional quality, colour, flavour and texture of re-hydrated dried foods are only
slightly less than fresh food. However, if drying is carried out incorrectly there is a greater loss
of nutritional and eating qualities and, more seriously, a risk of microbial spoilage and possibly
even food poisoning.
Now open sun-drying is a traditional drying method but the disadvantages outweigh the
advantages of this method. With non-conducive or inclement weather and the restriction of
drying to day time being prime disadvantages, it is essentially a very gradual and delicate
process. Mechanical drying on the other hand is an ingenious and very effective method to dry
grapes. The feasibility of mechanical drying has been exhibited in the next section with clear
emphasis laid on forced convection as a very effective alternative.
10
LITERATURE REVIEW OF GRAPE DRYERS AND THE DRYING

PROCESS
In the conventional shade drying method it was found that the rate of drying depends upon
main two factors as air temperature and air velocity. Drying of grape either by conventional or
non-conventional methods produces raisins. The raisins becomes brownish as the length of the
drying goes on increasing (if it excides more than 15-18 days).
Consumption of grapes and its different products:
Particulars India (%) World (%)
Table grapes 75-80 10-15
Raisins 17-20 25-30
Wine 0.5 50-55
Juice,Jelly,canned foods 1.5 6-10
Table 1
The drying period in traditional dryers is around two weeks. Many times due to some or other
reasons like cloudy weather or unseasonal showers the effective days of drying get increase
that affects the quality of raisins. So it is necessary to reduce the time of the drying period.
Conventional drying of the crops takes the help of the ambient temperature, natural wind as a
source of energy and source of moisture removal which is disproportionate and unpredicted. In
the literature survey the main focus is kept on the practical adaptability of the research work
carried out by many researchers. Most of the times it is observed that the experiments carried
out are under known and controlled environment. But in practice those conditions get varied
with time hence it generates the errors while commercializing the research work.
The aspects that must be considered while selecting a drier are skill and the availability of the
raw material locally. Also the purchase and maintenance cost affects the production cost. This
requirement is dependent on the capacity of dryer. The designed dryer should be versatile
enough to use a variety of foods to dry in it and should be suitable to local conditions.
While, based on experimentation and literature it is found that during the day time the
temperature is more so moisture removal rate remains high. During the night hours the
surrounding temperature drops up to 190C -200C which is quite low to remove the moisture
from the grapes. Instead of removing the moisture from the grapes it redeposit it on the grapes.
This increases the load on the drying system. For small capacity dryers (up to 10 Kg) the
amount of moisture that accumulates in the dryer is less. But in the big drying shades where
around 1-5 tons capacity this moisture is considerable and it deposits on the grapes again.
11
Driers using natural convection or forced circulation have been investigated to overcome these
problems. For commercial applications, the ability of the drier to process continuously
throughout the day is very important to dry the products to its safe storage level and to maintain
the quality. The forced convection drier is an energy efficient option in the drying processes
(Pangavhane, D.R.; and Sawhney, R.L. (2002). Review of research and development work on
solar driers for grape drying: Energy conversion and management.
Basses Michael W.(in 1999) has reviewed critically solar drying relevant in Africa. He has
pointed out achievements and failures, and explained, why they may have occurred after
critically examination. In 2005 Blair Ryan has designed successfully a cost effective solar
powered fruit and vegetable dehydrator. In the developed dryer 2-2.5 kg of fruit or 2 kg of
vegetables can dried out in only 6-8 Hrs. He developed this dryer. Fadhel A. in 2005 has
Compared the Solar grape drying with open sun and green house drying and found Solar drying
is suitable and economical over other type of drying. Idlimam A, C.S. Ethmane Kane (2007)
have carried out Solar drying experiments in thin layer of grenade peel in forced convection
solar dryer consisting of a solar air collector, an auxiliary heater and a drying cabinet.
E Azad has studied , constructed, tested and described solar dryer which can be used for drying
various products in rural area under hygienic conditions during the year 2008. Tunde-
Akintunde T.Y., Afon A.A In their experiments they have investigated effects of pre-treatment
(soaking and boiling) on cassava chips, dried in a hot air drier at temperature of 60o C and
constant air velocity of 1.5 m/s. Mass transfer during air-drying of pre-treated cassava chips
was described using Fick’s diffusion model at the end of 2009. Enayet, M.M., El-Ghetany,
H.H. in 2009 used equilibrium moisture content to determine whether a product gains or loses
moisture under a given set of temperature and relative humidity conditions. A test rig has been
designed and constructed to obtain the available experimental data to use for fitting the
empirical equations.
Pangahvane Dilip, R.L. Sawhney in 2000 developed and tested the natural convection solar
grape dryer. Also they have described natural convection dryer in detail. The rate of draying
was reduced by 73% as that of shade drying. Pangahvane has demonstrated in 2002 that, natural
convection solar drying system can be used for drying various agricultural products like fruits
and vegetables. In his study, grapes were successfully dried in the developed solar dryer. The
qualitative analysis showed that the traditional drying, i.e. shade drying and open sun drying,
dried the grapes in 15 and 7 days respectively, while the solar dryer took only 4 days and
produced better quality raisins. Prasad Rushi has successfully compared in 2010, the results of
flat plate collector with and without tracking. He found that there is gain in collector efficiency
by 5-7% by using tracking mechanism.
Many experimental studies reported the various methods used for drying of agricultural
materials using solar drier for copra drying, onion drying, pineapple and grape drying. Use of
forced convection driers seems to be an advantage compared to traditional methods and use of
forced convection driers seems to be an advantage and improves the quality of the
product considerably.
12
THE DRYING OF SOLIDS AND MECHANISM OF DRYING

Drying is the removal by evaporation of volatile substances (e.g. moisture) from a wet
material in order to obtain a dry product.
When a wet solid is subjected to thermal drying, two process occur simultaneously, namely,
1) Transfer of heat to raise the temperature of the wet solid and to evaporate the moisture.
2) Transfer of mass in the form of internal moisture to the surface of the solid and its
subsequent evaporation.
The rate at which drying is accomplished is governed by the rate at which these two
processes proceed. Heat transfer in the drying operation will occur throw the flow of heat as a
result of convection, conduction and radiation.
Mass transfer in the drying of a wet solid will depend on two mechanisms
1) Evaporate of moisture from the surface
2) Migration of moisture from the interior of a particle to the surface
In a drying operation, either of these mechanisms may be a limiting factor on the rate of
drying, although they will both proceed simultaneously through out the drying cycle. With
some materials, at a certain stage of the drying operation, the rate of movement of the
moisture within the solid to the surface may be controlling factor. In the approach to a drying
problem and to obtain optimum drying conditions, it is important to bear this in mind and to
understand the processes. They are equally important from an energy efficiency point of
view.
QUALITY CHANGES DURING DRYING
The action of applying heat to material in order to dry does not merely remove the moisture
but can affect the quality of the dried product. These affect are varied from only those
phenomena commonly encountered will be describe herein.
BROWNING
Browning is the discolouration of the material during drying, which can be caused by either
the physical processes or chemical reactions. It is depend upon the combustion effect of time
and temperature on moisture content of the drying material.
CASE HARDENING
This is characterized by the material surface becoming drying and relatively impermeable to
further flow of moisture but with the interior remaining at somewhat higher moisture content.
But with drying of most vegetable and fruit, case hardening is not commonly observed.
13
THE FORCED CONVECTION DRYING PROCESS

Thermal drying, which is most commonly used for drying agricultural products, involves
vaporization of moisture within the product by heat and its subsequent evaporation from the
product. Thus, thermal drying involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer.
In sun drying, the crop is spread in a thin layer on the ground and exposed directly to solar
radiation and other ambient conditions. The rate of drying depends on various parameters such
as solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind velocity, relative humidity, initial moisture
content, type of crops, crop absorptivity and mass of product per unit exposed area. This form
of drying has many drawbacks such as degradation by wind-blown debris, rain, insect
infestation, human and animal interference that will result in contamination of the product.
Drying rate will reduce due to intermittent sunshine, interruption and wetting by rain.
At constant drying air temperature, the drying rate increases with the increase in drying air flow
rate and consequently the drying time decreases. Thus, a higher drying air flow rate produces
a higher drying rate and consequently the drying time decreased but the drying rate does not
vary much as a function of air flow rate. So it is necessary to keep this in mind while developing
a practically workable grape dryer. Very less information is available in the open literature for
the forced convection solar drying of the grapes. Hence this topic is selected as research work.
Drying involves removing water from the food product into the surrounding air.
For effective drying, air should be hot, dry and moving. These factors are inter-related and
it is important that each factor is correct:
1) Air must be dry, so it can absorb the moisture from the fruits and vegetables.
2) Heating the air around the product causes it to dry more quickly.
3) If the air is not moving across the food, it cannot get rid of the water vapour that it has
collected. A fan or air blower is needed to keep the air circulating. In summary –when
food is dried, hot dry air comes into contact with the food. The hot air absorbs water
from the food and is displaced away from the food. New dry air takes its place and the
process continues until the food has lost all its moisture.
Air that is not saturated with water (low RH air) has the capacity to pick up and hold more
water until it becomes saturated. The principle of drying is that dry air comes into contact with
food and absorbs some of the moisture from the food. This air then has to be blown away and
be replaced with dry air so that the process of extracting moisture from the food can continue
14
until the food is dry. If wet air (with a high RH) is used, i.e in tropical climates where it is fairly
humid, it quickly becomes saturated and cannot pick up further water vapour from the food.
The drying process in the humid tropics therefore takes longer than in the semi-arid tropics.
The temperature of the air affects the humidity - higher temperatures reduce the humidity and
allow the air to carry more water vapour. The temperature of the air measured by the
thermocouple is key in the calculation of the drying rate in our dryer.
When food is placed in a dryer, there is a short period during which time the surface heats up.
This is followed by two distinct phases, the constant rate and the falling rate.
Figure 1: Psychrometric chart showing a drying process A)Overview B)Enlarged are of interest
In the constant rate phase, water is removed from the surface of the food by evaporation. If the
condition of the air (the temperature and relative humidity) within the dryer is constant, the
water is evaporated at a constant rate. This is shown as the steep straight line on the graph. As
drying proceeds, water has to be removed from the inside of the food. This becomes more and
more difficult as the water has to travel further through the food from the center to the outside
from where it is evaporated. The drying rate slows down, which is known as the falling rate
period. On the graph this is seen as the shallower part of the curve. Eventually no more moisture
can be removed from the food and it is said to be in equilibrium with the drying air (the final
part of the curve where it flattens out). During the falling rate period, the rate of drying is
mainly controlled by the chemical composition and physical structure of the food. The
temperature of the drying air is also important during this phase as hot air helps the moisture
inside the food to move towards the surface.
15
Figure 2: Forced convection apparatus and demonstration
16
Figure 3: Moisture vs. Time
Measuring the drying rate

Drying rate is obtained by calculating the drying rate for each 10 minute period as follows:
Drying rate = initial weight - final weight

Time interval (e.g.10 min)
The moisture content of both the fresh food and the final dried food can be found by
weighing the food, heating at a fixed temperature in the dryer for a particular time period and
reweighing. The moisture content is found as follows:
Moisture content (%) = initial weight - final weight x 100

Initial weight
Other values of moisture content during the drying period can be found by relating these two
results to the weights of food recorded during the drying experiment and applying similar
factors to intermediate weights.
1) The actual drying rate during the constant rate period which shows how efficient the
dryer is.
2) The final moisture content of the dried food which shows whether it will be stable
during storage.
17
Figure 4 : Drying Rate
A typical drying rate for a solar dryer would be 0.25kg/hr. This depends on the design of the
dryer and the climate. Artificial dryers dry at a faster rate. Typical values are 10-15 kg/hr. If
the drying rate is lower than this, the air temperature or speed is too low and/or the RH is too
high. This can be checked by the temperature measurements made during the experiment and
by using the psychrometric chart. Normally the air in the dryer should be 10-15ºC above
room temperature in solar dryers and 60-70ºC in artificial dryers. The RH of air entering the
dryer will vary according to local conditions, but should ideally be below about 60% RH.
The importance of particle size:
The main factor that controls drying rate is the rate that moisture can move from the interior
of a piece of food to the surface. Therefore, the shorter the distance that moisture has to
travel, the faster the drying rate. For this reason, wherever possible, products should be cut
into small pieces prior to drying. Reducing the size also increase the surface area of the food
in relation to the volume of the pieces, which increases the rate at which water can be
evaporated from the food.
Stability and storage of dried foods:
To ensure safe storage the final moisture content of the food should be less than 20% for
fruits and meat, less than 10% for vegetables and 10-15% for grains. The stability of a dried
food during storage depends on its moisture content and the ease with which the food can
pick up moisture from the air. Clearly the risk of moisture pick up is greater in regions of
18
high humidity. However, different foods pick up moisture to different extents (compare for
example the effect of high humidity on salt or sugar with the effect on pepper powder -salt
and sugar pick up moisture, pepper doesn't). For foods that readily pick up moisture it is
necessary to package them in a moisture proof material.
CHANGES TO FOOD DURING DRYING
Case hardening is one of the changes that can take place while food is drying. Other changes
include the loss of colour, flavour and nutrient content. Experiments with air temperature and
speed can be used to select the best conditions for each food. The colour of many fruits can
be preserved by dipping in a solution of 0.2-0.5% sodium metabisulphite or by exposing to
sulphur dioxide in a sulphuring cabinet (Figure 5).
Vitamin losses are often greater during peeling/slicing etc than during drying. Loss of fat
soluble vitamins can be reduced by shade drying and loss of water soluble vitamins by
careful slicing using sharp knives. Blanching of vegetables is necessary before drying and
water soluble vitamins are also lost in this stage. It should be noted that drying does not
destroy micro-organisms, it only inhibits their growth. Therefore, heavily contaminated fresh
foods will become heavily contaminated dried and re- hydrated foods. It is essential to make
sure that foods are not contaminated with micro-organisms before drying. Blanching is one
method of reducing the levels of initial contamination. Thorough washing of fresh foods
should be done routinely before drying.
Figure 5 : Sulphuring Cabinet
19
THE CABINET DRYER
The design is similar to that of a solar drier but in this case the heat is supplied by burning
fuel or electricity. If electricity is available, a fan can be used to increase the speed of air
moving over the food and therefore increase the rate of drying. To be economical it is likely
that this type of dryer should be relatively large. These are successfully used for drying
herbs, tea, vegetables and all kinds of fruits.
Its small size makes it suitable for decentralised use in crop-growing areas.
The small unit is a semi-continuous drying cabinet with hot air supplied by an indirect heater
+ blower unit. Intended for round-the-clock operation, the semi-continuous tray dryer is
designed for maximum efficiency. It takes about four hours for the first (bottom) tray to dry:
after that, it can be removed, the remaining trays lowered, leaving a space at the top for a tray
of fresh material. Trays can then be removed at regular intervals.
Figure 6 : Cabinet Setup
20
CHAPTER 2
DESIGN OF THE EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
The design is somewhat based on the design of most forced convection solar driers
employed for drying grapes nowadays.
Figure 7 : General layout of modern solar driers

Our setup on the other hand, has the following configuration:
Exhaust Fan
↑
Chimney
↑
Drying Chamber
↑
Duct
↑
Pipe(with heater)
↑
Blower
21
Figure 8 : Testing Setup ( with chimney and fans shown)
22
Basic Construction:
It consists of a blower + air heater, PVC connecting pipes, drying chamber with chimney,
exhaust pipe and fan, and a supporting stand. The air duct beneath the drying chamber was
made from a CRC sheet (of 20 gauge) through which air was passed. At the upper end (air
outlet) of the collector, a PVC pipe and ply board was provided to connect the fan with the
dryer. The air duct was made leak-proof with sealing material (M Seal). The entire unit was
connected to the 0.64 x 0.64 m rectangular box made from galvanized iron sheet 0.9mm
thick. The gap between the bottom of the air duct and the box was filled with thermofoam –
polyethylene foam.
Figure 9: Entire Setup
DESIGN OF THE DRYING CHAMBER
Some general considerations that the design process is centered on in the designing of dryers
are:
• Can the drier be made from locally available materials & skills?
• What are the purchase & maintenance costs?
• What is the drying capacity?
• What range of foods can be dried?
• What is the drying time required?
• What is the quality of the dried product?
• Is the drier adaptable to local conditions?
23
With the proposed work the drying period can be reduced up to 4-5 day which could be the
cost effective alternative and retains high sugar content with greenish shade whose market
value is highest.
Figure 10
Figure 11
24
TRAYS
The trays, which are SS meshes are placed at equal distance (220mm) from the top and
bottom of the drying chamber.
DUCT & CHIMNEY
The chimney, which was designed to extend 60 cm above the cabinet, allows for a greater
pressure gradient to be established through the dryer as the warm air rises and exits through the
top of the system at a higher velocity.
The duct after the heater is employed for the same reason, only the pressure is higher at the end of
the duct with compromising kinetic head of the air.
Designing the air duct and chimney was the next requirement. Flow rate of hot air was to be
around 0.25 – 0.30 kg/hr, hence a duct of the following dimensions was designed:
Figure 12: Duct and Chimney
25
Figure 13: Dryer + Duct + Chimney
Figure 14: Duct + Chimney
26
FANS
Figure 15: Fan Design
Suitable fans were procured for the required air-flow rate. 12V fan with amperage of 1.85A
was to be used as blower and a 12 V 0.7A fan for the upper exhaust was selected, each with a
sweep of about 101mm (4”) each.
27
Figure 16: Dryer Drafting
28
Figure 17: Fan Drafting
29
CHAPTER 3
FABRICATION
Fabrication was the most important part of the project as effort was made to construct the
dryer with locally available raw material procured at an economical rate and fabrication work
was carried out with a semi-skilled approach, all of which was carried out in the college
workshop with all necessary tools used being tools that are available at any workshop.
Operations carried out:
Cutting of angle:
Cutting of the angle was done by accurately measuring the section lengths of 2.1 feet and 3.3
feet with 8 such sections of 2.1 feet and 4 sections of 3.3 feet. 2 other sections of 2 feet and 2
sections of 3 feet were cut to be used as the frame for the door. 3 separate sections of 2.1 feet
of the angle were cut to support the frame.
Figure 18 : Dryer Frame
4 separate sections of 2.1 feet of TMT bars were cut to further support the left and right side
of the dryer.
A 16" Benchtop Abrasive Cutoff Machine was used for cutting the steel angles and the
TMT bars.
30
Welding:
The angle sections of required length were then positioned as required and tack welded with
precision and after each joint was tack – welded, it was reinforced with the final welding.
Thus the separate frames for the drying chamber and for the door were ready using
electric arc machine at a little excess of 100A amperage.
Figure 19 : Tack welding the locking bolts for the door mechanism
The CRC sheets were cut by creating the development drawing according to dimensions of the
duct and chimney. Welding was much more difficult as these were not rectangular but of
trapezoidal shape. Welding was sealed using a green sealant available locally.
Grinding Operation:
Angle grinders were used for grinding and polishing and

often for removing excess metal at sections in the dryer
that were otherwise hard to reach or work on.
Figure 20: Angle grinder used
31
Drilling:
Drilling was performed on the steel angle on the radial drilling machine. Holes of 4 mm were
drilled with the intent of using 3mm x 12mm bolts and nuts. The operation was performed to
join the dryer frame with the GI sheets to enclose the box to make a perfect drying chamber.
4 mm High Speed Steel (HSS) drill bits were used for

the operation.
Figure 21: 4mm HSS Drill bit
Drilling was performed on the PVC pipes and ply boards so as to enable coupling of the pipes
to the fans.
Power drills were used to drill holes for placing thermocouple junctions, sheet metal
operations, drilling holes for inserting screws into the PVC pipes and so on:
Figure 22: Drilling for inserting heater coil
Figure 23: Drilling small GI sheets(supports)
32
Cutting GI and CRC sheets :

1) Cutting operation on GI sheets were performed to create the enclosures for covering
the box
2) Cutting CRC sheets was performed to fabricate duct and chimney.
Figure 24: Preparing attachments
33
Preparing the ply boards for coupling fans to connecting PVC pipes
Figure 25: Cutting ply Figure 26: Drilling ply
Figure 27: Blower fan (of higher amperage than suction

fan)
Figure 28: Final boards
34
Fitting the PVC pipe to the fans and the pipes to the dryer:
Figure 29: Fitting operation
35
Insulation Operation:
Fixing the thermofoam (polyethylene foam) to the corrugated iron sheets required a synthetic
rubber based adhesive – Fevicol SR 998. Application of the solution required a brush and on
application, one must wait for a minute before placing the insulating foam sheets (cut according
to size – 2.1 ft x 3.3 ft.) on the faces of the box.
The duct and chimney were separately insulated sealing crucial gaps formed due to imperfect
welding and M-seal was separately used for sealing these
sections where the GI sheet met the frame and the duct and
chimney met the drying chamber.
Figure 30: Insulation operation
Figure 31: Fevicol SR 998
36
CHAPTER 4
TESTING AND STUDY
Maximum temperature allowable for drying and the initial and final moisture contents
of various products:
Product Moisture Content (%) Maximum temperature

allowable for
Initial Final
the drying (oC )
Rice 24 11 50
Carrots 70 5 75
Green Beans 70 5 75
Onions 80 4 55
Potatoes 75 13 75
Chilies 80 5 65
Pineapple 80 10 65
Yams 80 10 65
Grapes 80 20 65
Table 2
Grapes Bunch Analysis:
Grapes are fruits with an optimal humidity of 80-85% for storage and freezing point of
-1.3°C.
• Type : Thompson seedless
• No of Bunches: 20
• Total weight : 8 kg
• Average weight of bunch : 0.3-0.4 Kg
37
• % of weight of berries in a bunch : 98-99%
• % of weight of bronchi in a bunch : 1-2%
• % of moisture in berries : 78-80%
Preparing the grapes batch for the drying process:
Our drying batch normally comprises 8 kg of grapes. All of the following steps refer to this
processing quantity:
Preparation: Unripe, dry, rotten, and damaged grapes were carefully removed, and pesticide
residues and dirt were washed off. Large clusters were divided in half by using the nails of
the thumb and index finger to make a slit in the end of the stem, which were then pulled apart
into two halves. Only flawless grapes were used for drying.
Pre-treatment: In order to remove the waxy outer coating of the grapes—thus increasing
water vapour diffusion or essentially the permeability of grapes and helping to control
microorganisms—they were treated with an alkaline solution. For this purpose, the grapes
were submerged for 3 minutes in an aqueous emulsion consisting of 7% potassium carbonate
(K2CO3) and 0.2% olive oil (10 litres of water were mixed with 150 g of K2CO3 and 10ml of
olive oil), with vigorous shaking (up and down motion) the whole time. In terms of weight,
the ratio of grapes to solution was maintained at about l : 3, in other words, if 30 kg of grapes
are to be treated at once, 90 litres of solution would be used. The entire batch can then be
treated in successive submersion operations. Because the olive oil tends to become rancid, the
solution was not used for any longer than 2 days. While treating a drying batch, the solution
was regularly freshened by adding small amounts of olive oil. After treating a drying batch, it
was then topped up to the original level with water, and an appropriate amount of K2CO3
added. Afterwards the treatment container was covered by a plastic sheet or lid air-tight until
it was time to treat the next batch.
Drying: The grapes were placed in the dryer and spread evenly on the grating/ SS mesh
(application density = 9.76 kg/m²). The dryer was then closed and placed in operation. In
order to avoid damaging the fruits, the temperature of the drying air was maintained within
65°C.
38
How to tell if the grapes have dried?
The way to tell whether the fruit is ready is to squeeze a grape between the thumb and index
finger. If no fruit flesh is squeezed out, then the final desired moisture content of about 20%
has been reached, and the dried grapes (approx. 2 kg) are ready to be taken out of the dryer.
In all, the drying process takes about five to six days on average.
Follow-up treatment: The raisins are rubbed between the palms of the hands to separate
them from the coarse stems. They are then placed in a sieve and shaken back and forth to get
rid of the fine stems. Any remaining stems are removed by hand.
Storage: The raisins, though insignificant to the testing process, are placed in cardboard
boxes lined with plastic sheet and stored in a cool, dark place.
Time requirements: Depending on the quality of the raw fruit, the worker-hours are
assigned to pre-treat one drying batch and simultaneously test the current batch. Separate
time should be allotted for loading and unloading the drier. The testing duration was 12 hours
while the setup was operational throughout the day for the entire duration of 6 days.
Figure 32: Preparing the dipping oil solution
39
WORK SCHEDULE:
5 a.m. to 5:15 a.m. Preparation

5:15 a.m. to 5:25 a.m. Break
5:25 a.m. to 5:50 a.m. Preparation and pretreatment
Day 1 Loading of the dryer
Day 6 Unloading of the dryer
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Testing
7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (6th day) Follow-up treatment
Table 3
OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS
During the drying process the humidity ratio changes from 0.0104 to 0.0140 i.e. about 0.0036
kg of vapour per kg of dry air is absorbed. Now by using the electric heater, the air is heated
to 45oC with a constant relative humidity and is passed over the grapes. During the drying
process, this air is cooled adiabatically along the 24oC wet bulb line, and then the final
humidity ratio becomes 0.0189, thus the moisture evaporated with the heated air was 0.0075
kg of vapour per kg of dry air.
The initial moisture content, the final moisture content and the maximum temperature at
which product should be dried are very important.
The system was loaded with 8 kg (9.76 kg/m²) of pretreated grapes and placed in operation at
7 a.m.; the air throughput rate was 5m/s. The initial moisture content of the grapes was about
80%. Following a total drying time of 140 hours, the desired final moisture content of 20%
was reached on the sixth day. 2 kg of raisins were then unloaded. After the fourth day, the fan
must be switched off at night to prevent the raisins from reabsorbing moisture.
40
OBSERVATIONS:
Day 1 - 8/5/2014 (time 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Table 4
Serial No. Time Weight ( in g) Humidity (in %)
1 7 am 193.44 63.02
2 8 am 192.5 62.44
3 9 am 189.76 60.21
4 10 am 187.34 58.23
5 11 am 184.23 55.32
6 12 pm 181.38 47.33
7 1 pm 178.23 40.45
8 2 pm 175.01 36.97
9 3pm 170.66 35.98
10 4 pm 167.02 45.78
11 5 pm 165.55 48.98
12 6 pm 164.22 55.76
13 7 pm 163.44 59.54
41
Figure 33
42
Day 2 – 9/5/2014 (time 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Table 5
1 7 am 164.01 63.11
2 8 am 162.5 62.63
3 9 am 159.01 60.11
4 10 am 156.84 57.2
5 11 am 154.2 52.32
6 12 pm 151.39 47.99
7 1 pm 148.99 39.25
8 2 pm 143.01 36.97
9 3pm 138.66 35.08
10 4 pm 136.02 45.78
11 5 pm 134.55 49.00
12 6 pm 134.01 55.98
13 7 pm 133.55 60.50
43
Figure 34
44
Day 3 – 10/5/2014 (time 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Table 6
1 7 am 133.88 64.02
2 8 am 132.51 61.67
3 9 am 128.76 57.21
4 10 am 126.34 58.23
5 11 am 124.99 55.32
6 12 pm 121.07 49.83
7 1 pm 118.20 42.97
8 2 pm 114.01 40.7
9 3pm 110.00 35.08
10 4 pm 107.02 49.08
11 5 pm 106.55 48.98
12 6 pm 104.22 58.76
13 7 pm 102.45 61.94
45
Figure 35
46
CHAPTER 5
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Parameters for drying grapes in the 240V mains and 12V DC battery powered forced-
convection setup are as follows:
Parameter Unit Value
Dryer surface area m² 0.8192
Batch weight when loaded kg 8
Duration of drying h 140 (5.8 days)
Extracted water Kg 6 Kg
Throughput Kg/day 0.34
Final quantity produced Kg 2 kg
Electric power requirements KW 1.031
Table 7
Calculations:
No. of trays = 2
Area of each tray = 0.64 x 0.64 m² = 0.4096 m²
Total dryer surface area = 0.8192 m²
Moisture extracted = Batch weight when loaded – Final batch weight
= 8 – 2 = 6 Kg
Throughput per day = Final batch weight (Quantity of raisins) / Time taken to dry
Duration of drying = 140 hours = 5.8 days
Thus, throughput = 2 Kg / 5.8 days = 0.34 Kg/day
Heater Wattage = 1000 W
Fans Power requirement:
Blower Fan = V x I = 12V x 0.7A = 8.4 W
Chimney Fan = V x I = 12V x 1.85A = 22.2 W
Total fan power = 30.6 W
Total Power = 1030.6 W
Operation Time = 140 hours
Thus electrical usage = 1.031 kW
47
CONCLUSION
The drying rate of the forced convection dryer is about 30g/day for a single bunch while that
of open air is 10 g/day for a similar bunch. This shows that the dryer performance is much
better than open sun drying. The moisture removed was substantial and significant showing
our design is promising.
It has been established that forced convection drying of grapes is technically feasible and
economically viable. Economically sound farmers capable of moderate investments can
choose dryers according to their individual requirements. In order to encourage small and
marginal farmers to use solar dryers, it is necessary to develop a more simple, effective and
economical forced convection solar dryer which gives rise to the possibility of better future
designs.
Future Scope:
The intention of integrating the current forced convection drying unit with a solar setup to
create a mixed–mode dryer is crucial as it entails further improvement in design with the
scope to be more economical and feasible for the modern Indian farmer.
48
REFERENCES
1) Mani A. Handbook of solar radiation data for India 1980. Madras: Allied publishers,
private limited publication, 1981.
2) Eissen W, Muhlbauer W, Kutzbach HD. Drying of grapes. Drying Technology

1985;3(1):63 – 74.
3) Garg HP, Mahajan RB, Sharma VK, Acharya HS. Design and development of a simple
solar dehydrator for crop drying. Energy Conversion Management 1984;24(3):229–35.
4) Garg HP, Sharma VK, Mahajan RB, Bhargave AK. Experimental study of an inexpensive
solar collector cum storage system for agricultural uses. Solar Energy 1985;35(4):321–31.
5) Sodha MS, Dang A, Bansal PK, Sharma SB. An analytical and experimental study of open
sun drying and a cabinet type dryer. Energy Conversion Management 1985;25(3):263–71.
6) Lawrence SA, Pole A, Tiwari GN. Performance of a solar crop dryer under PNG climatic
conditions. EnergyConversion Management 1990;30(4):333–42.
7) Pangavhane DR, Sawhney RL, Sarsawadia P. Effect of various dipping pretreatment on

drying kinetics of Thompson seedless grapes. Journal of Food Engineering 1999;39:211–6.
8) Sawhney RL, Pangavhane DR, Sarsawadia P. Drying kinetics of single layer Thompson
seedless grapes underheated ambient air condition. Drying Technology:An International
Journal 1999;17(1&2):215–36.
9) Duffie JA, Beckman WA. Solar engineering of thermal process. New York: Wiley
Interscience Publication, 1988.
10) Indrajit, Bansal NK, Garg HP. An experimental study on a finned type and non-porous
type solar air heater with a solar simulator. Energy Conversion Management 1985;
25(2):135-8.
11) Lawrence SA, Pole A, Tiwari GN. Performance of a solar crop dryer under PNG climatic
conditions. Energy Conversion Management 1990;30(4):333–42.
12) Pande PC, Thanvi KP. Design and development of a solar dryer cum water heater.
Energy Conversion Management 1991;31(5):419–24
49
APPENDIX
Calculations and designs were based on calculations performed on solar grape dryers:
Dryer performance evaluation
The mixed-mode solar dryer was tested during the months of March and April 2009 to
evaluate its performance. During the testing period, the air temperatures at collector inlet,
collector outlet, drying chamber, and ambient were measured by laboratory-type digital
thermometer (accuracy ± 0.01°C) at regular interval of 1 h between the hours of 0900 and
1600 local time. The solar intensity was measured by means of a portable pyranometer placed
horizontally and facing south. The dryer was loaded with grapes (1 kg in each tray) and the
weight was measured at the start and at one-hour intervals thereafter. The initial weight and
the final weight of grapes up to the stage when no further weight loss occurred were known.
The dryer performance was evaluated and comparison was made with the result obtained
with natural drying process and by forced convection with smooth and rough absorber plate.
Data reduction
Pressure drop calculation
Pressure drop was across the orifice plate measured by using the following relationship
ΔPo=Δh×9.81×ρm×1/5,
where ΔPo is the pressure difference, Δh is the difference of liquid head in manometer, and
ρm is the density of mercury, i.e., 13.6 × 103
Mass flow measurement
Mass flow rate of air has been determined from the pressure drop measurement across the
orifice plate by using the relation
m=Cd×Ao×[2ρΔPo/(1−β4)]0.5,
where m is the mass flow rate of air (kg/s), Cd is the coefficient of discharge of orifice 0.62,
Ao is the area of orifice plate (m2), ρ is the density of air 1.157 kg/m3, and β is the ratio of
diameter (Do/Dp) = 26.5/53 = 0.5.
50
Velocity measurement
The velocity of the air flow V was measured by using the relation
V=m/ρwh,
where m is the mass flow rate in kilograms per second, ρ is the density of air 1.157 kg/m3, h
is the height of duct in meters, and w is the width of duct in meters.
Reynolds number
Reynolds number is calculated as the ratio of viscous force to inertia force
Re=VD/v,
where V is the velocity of air (m/s), D is the hydraulic diameter (m), and ν is the kinematic
viscosity, 16.70 × 10−6 m2/s.
Heat gained by air
The heat transfer rate Qa is given by
Qa=mCp(To−Ti),
where m is the mass flow rate of air (kg/s), Cp is the specific heat of air (kJ/kg), To is the
outlet temperature (°C), and Ti is the inlet temperature (°C).
The heat transfer coefficient for the heated test section has been calculated from
h=Qa/Ap(tpav−Tfav).
where Tpav is the avearge temperature of plate and Tfav is the average temperature of fluid.
Thermal efficiency
The thermal efficiency is calculated by using the relation
η=Qa/IAp,
where Qa is heat gain by air (W); Ap is the area of plate of collector (m2); and I is the solar
insolation (W/m2).
51
Removal of moisture
The amount of moisture in kilogram to be removed from the product was calculated using the
following equation:
Mw=Mp (Mi−Mf) / (100−Mf),
where Mp is the initial mass of product to be dried (kg), Mi is the mass of sample before
drying, and Mf is the mass of sample after drying.
Moisture content
The moisture content (MC) is given as
(MC)%=(Mi−Mf)/td×100%,
where Mi is the mass of sample before drying, Mf is the mass of sample after drying, and td
is the drying time.
52
BASIC DRYING THEORY
Three States of Water
Pure water can exist in three states, solid, liquid and vapour. The state in which it is at any
time depends on the temperature and pressure conditions and it is possible to illustrate this on
a phase diagram, as in following Fig.
Phase diagram for water
If we choose any condition of temperature and pressure and find the corresponding point on
the diagram, this point will lie, in general, in one of the three labelled regions, solid, liquid, or
gas. This will give the state of the water under the chosen conditions.
Under certain conditions, two states may exist side by side, and such conditions are found
only along the lines of the diagram. Under one condition, all three states may exist together;
this condition arises at what is called the triple point, indicated by point O on the diagram.
For water it occurs at 0.0098°C and 0.64 kPa (4.8 mm of mercury) pressure.
53
If heat is applied to water in any state at constant pressure, the temperature rises and the
condition moves horizontally across the diagram, and as it crosses the boundaries a change of
state will occur. For example, starting from condition A on the diagram adding heat warms
the ice, then melts it, then warms the water and finally evaporates the water to condition A'.
Starting from condition B, situated below the triple point, when heat is added, the ice warms
and then sublimes without passing through any liquid state.
Liquid and vapour coexist in equilibrium only under the conditions along the line OP. This
line is called the vapour pressure/temperature line. The vapour pressure is the measure of the
tendency of molecules to escape as a gas from the liquid. The vapour pressure/temperature
curve for water is shown in following figure, which is just an enlargement for water of the
curve OP of previous figure.
Vapour pressure/temperature curve for water
Boiling occurs when the vapour pressure of the water is equal to the total pressure on the
water surface. The boiling point at atmospheric pressure is of course 100°C. At pressures
54
above or below atmospheric, water boils at the corresponding temperatures above or below
100°C, as shown in above Fig. for temperatures below 100°C.
Heat Requirements for Vaporization
The energy, which must be supplied to vaporize the water at any temperature, depends upon
this temperature. The quantity of energy required per kg of water is called the latent heat of
vaporization, if it is from a liquid, or latent heat of sublimation if it is from a solid. The
heat energy required to vaporize water under any given set of conditions can be calculated
from the latent heats given in the steam table as steam and water vapour are the same thing.
EXAMPLE 7.1. Heat energy in air drying

A food containing 80% water is to be dried at 100°C down to moisture content of 10%. If the
initial temperature of the food is 21°C, calculate the quantity of heat energy required per unit
weight of the original material, for drying under atmospheric pressure. The latent heat of
vaporization of water at 100°C and at standard atmospheric pressure is 2257 kJ kg-1. The
specific heat capacity of the food is 3.8 kJ kg-1 °C-1 and of water is 4.186 kJ kg-1 °C-1. Find
also the energy requirement/kg water removed.
Calculating for 1 kg food

Initial moisture = 80%
800 g moisture are associated with 200 g dry matter.
Final moisture = 10 %,
100 g moisture are associated with 900 g dry matter,
Therefore (100 x 200)/900 g = 22.2 g moisture are associated with 200 g dry matter.
1kg of original matter must lose (800 - 22) g moisture = 778 g = 0.778 kg moisture.
Heat energy required for 1kg original material

= heat energy to raise temperature to 100°C + latent heat to
remove water
= (100 - 21) x 3.8 + 0.778 x 2257
= 300.2 + 1755.9
= 2056 kJ.
55
Energy/kg water removed, as 2056 kJ are required to remove 0.778 kg of water,

= 2056/0.778
= 2643 kJ.
Steam is often used to supply heat to air or to surfaces used for drying. In condensing, steam
gives up its latent heat of vaporization; in drying, the substance being dried must take up
latent heat of vaporization to convert its liquid into vapour, so it might be reasoned that 1 kg
of steam condensing will produce 1 kg vapour. This is not exactly true, as the steam and the
food will in general be under different pressures with the food at the lower pressure. Latent
heats of vaporization are slightly higher at lower pressures, as shown in Table 7.1. In
practice, there are also heat losses and sensible heat changes which may require to be
considered.
56
TABLE 7.1
LATENT HEAT AND SATURATION TEMPERATURE OF WATER
Absolute pressure Latent heat of vaporization Saturation temperature
(kPa) (kJ kg-1) (°C)
1 2485 7
2 2460 18
5 2424 33
10 2393 46
20 2358 60
50 2305 81
100 2258 99.6
101.35 (1 atm) 2257 100
110 2251 102
120 2244 105
200 2202 120
500 2109 152
EXAMPLE 7.2. Heat energy in vacuum drying

Using the same material as in Example 7.1, if vacuum drying is to be carried out at 60°C
under the corresponding saturation pressure of 20 kPa abs. (or a vacuum of 81.4 kPa),
calculate the heat energy required to remove the moisture per unit weight of raw material.
Heat energy required per kg raw material

= heat energy to raise temperature to 60°C + latent heat of vaporization at 20 kPa abs.
= (60 - 21) x 3.8 + 0.778 x 2358
= 148.2 + 1834.5
= 1983 kJ.
In freeze drying the latent heat of sublimation must be supplied. Pressure has little effect on
the latent heat of sublimation, which can be taken as 2838 kJ kg-1.
57
EXAMPLE 7.3. Heat energy in freeze drying

If the foodstuff in the two previous examples were to be freeze dried at 0°C, how much
energy would be required per kg of raw material, starting from frozen food at 0°C?
Heat energy required per kilogram of raw material= latent heat of sublimation
= 0.778 x 2838
= 2208 kJ.
Heat Transfer in Drying
We have been discussing the heat energy requirements for the drying process. The rates of
drying are generally determined by the rates at which heat energy can be transferred to the
water or to the ice in order to provide the latent heats, though under some circumstances the
rate of mass transfer (removal of the water) can be limiting. All three of the mechanisms by
which heat is transferred - conduction, radiation and convection - may enter into drying. The
relative importance of the mechanisms varies from one drying process to another and very
often one mode of heat transfer predominates to such an extent that it governs the overall
process.
As an example, in air drying the rate of heat transfer is given by:
q = hsA(Ta - Ts) (7.1)
where q is the heat transfer rate in J s-1, hs is the surface heat-transfer coefficient J m-2 s-1 °C-1,
A is the area through which heat flow is taking place, m2, Ta is the air temperature and Ts is
the temperature of the surface which is drying, °C.
To take another example, in a roller dryer where moist material is spread over the surface of a
heated drum, heat transfer occurs by conduction from the drum to the foodstuff, so that the
equation is
q = UA(Ti– Ts )
58
where U is the overall heat-transfer coefficient, Ti is the drum temperature (usually very close
to that of the steam), Ts is the surface temperature of the food (boiling point of water or
slightly above) and A is the area of drying surface on the drum.
The value of U can be estimated from the conductivity of the drum material and of the layer
of foodstuff. Values of U have been quoted as high as 1800 J m-2 s-1 °C-1 under very good
conditions and down to about 60 J m-2 s-1 °C-1 under poor conditions.
In cases where substantial quantities of heat are transferred by radiation, it should be

remembered that the surface temperature of the food may be higher than the air temperature.
Estimates of surface temperature can be made using the relationships developed for radiant
heat transfer although the actual effect of combined radiation and evaporative cooling is
complex. Convection coefficients also can be estimated using the standard equations.
For freeze drying, energy must be transferred to the surface at which sublimation occurs.
However, it must be supplied at such a rate as not to increase the temperature at the drying
surface above the freezing point. In many applications of freeze drying, the heat transfer
occurs mainly by conduction.
As drying proceeds, the character of the heat transfer situation changes. Dry material begins
to occupy the surface layers and conduction must take place through these dry surface layers
which are poor heat conductors so that heat is transferred to the drying region progressively
more slowly.
Dryer Efficiencies
Energy efficiency in drying is of obvious importance as energy consumption is such a large

component of drying costs. Basically it is a simple ratio of the minimum energy needed to the
energy actually consumed. But because of the complex relationships of the food, the water,
and the drying medium which is often air, a number of efficiency measures can be worked
out, each appropriate to circumstances and therefore selectable to bring out special features
important in the particular process. Efficiency calculations are useful when assessing the
performance of a dryer, looking for improvements, and in making comparisons between the
various classes of dryers which may be alternatives for a particular drying operation.
59
Heat has to be supplied to separate the water from the food. The minimum quantity of heat
that will remove the required water is that needed to supply the latent heat of evaporation, so
one measure of efficiency is the ratio of that minimum to the energy actually provided for the
process. Sensible heat can also be added to the minimum, as this added heat in the food often
cannot be economically recovered.
Yet another useful measure for air drying such as in spray dryers, is to look at a heat balance
over the air, treating the dryer as adiabatic with no exchange of heat with the surroundings.
Then the useful heat transferred to the food for its drying corresponds to the drop in
temperature in the drying air, and the heat which has to be supplied corresponds to the rise of
temperature of the air in the air heater. So this adiabatic air-drying efficiency, h, can be
defined by:
h = (T1 - T2)/(T1 - Ta) (7.2)
where T1 is the inlet (high) air temperature into the dryer, T2 is the outlet air temperature from
the dryer, and Ta is the ambient air temperature. The numerator, the gap between T1 and T2, is
a major factor in the efficiency.
EXAMPLE 7.4. Efficiency of a potato dryer

A dryer reduces the moisture content of 100 kg of a potato product from 80% to 10%
moisture. 250 kg of steam at 70 kPa gauge is used to heat 49,800 m3 of air to 80°C, and the
air is cooled to 71°C in passing through the dryer. Calculate the efficiency of the dryer. The
specific heat of potato is 3.43 kJ kg-1 °C-1. Assume potato enters at 24°C, which is also the
ambient air temperature, and leaves at the same temperature as the exit air.
In 100 kg of raw material there is 80% moisture, that is 80 kg water and 20 kg dry material,
total weight of dry product = 20 x (10/9)
= 22.2 kg
weight of water = (22.2 - 20)
= 2.2 kg.
water removed = (80 - 2.2)
= 77.8 kg.
60
Heat supplied to potato product

= sensible heat to raise potato product temperature from 24°C to 71°C + latent heat of
vaporization.
Now, the latent heat of vaporization corresponding to a saturation temperature of 71°C is

2331 kJ kg-1
Heat (minimum) supplied/100 kg potato
= 100 x (71 - 24) x 3.43 + 77.8 x 2331
= 16 x 103 + 181 x 103
= 1.97 x 105 kJ.
Heat to evaporate water only = 77.8 x 2331
= 1.81 x 105 kJ
The specific heat of air is 1.0 J kg-1 °C-1 and the density of air is 1.06 kg m-3 (Appendix 3)
Heat given up by air/100 kg potato
= 1.0 x (80 - 71) x 49,800 x 1.06
= 4.75 x 105 kJ.
The latent heat of steam at 70 kPa gauge is 2283 kJ kg-1

Heat in steam = 250 x 2283
= 5.71 x 105 kJ.
Therefore (a) efficiency based on latent heat of vaporisation only:

= (1.81 x 105)/ (5.71 x 105)
= 32%
(b) efficiency assuming sensible heat remaining in food after drying is unavailable
= (1.97 x 105)/ (5.71 x 105)
= 36%
(c) efficiency based heat input and output, in drying air
= (80 – 71)/ (80 – 24)
= 16%
Whichever of these is chosen depends on the objective for considering efficiency. For
example in a spray dryer, the efficiency calculated on the air temperatures shows clearly and
emphatically the advantages gained by operating at the highest feasible air inlet temperature
and the lowest air outlet temperatures that can be employed in the dryer.
61
BILL OF MATERIAL
Materials/Description Description Unit Cost Quantity Total Cost
(Rs.) (Rs.)
Sheet Metal 4 x 8 sq. ft. standard - 1 No. (2200 – 500)

(Corrugated/G.I Iron gauge – 7 sq. ft. = Rs. 1700
sheets) unused
CRC Sheet 4 x 10 sq. ft. 20 - 1 No. 1450

Gauge
Plain Carbon steel L 1” x 1” x 2mm 18/ft. 48 ft. (cut 864

Angle bars from 2 sets of
24ft. angles)
TMT Bar - 40000/MT 1.5 kg 60
Stainless Steel Mesh For trays 30 4.41 sq. ft. 132
Bolts and Nuts 1) 3mm x 12mm 1.25 80 Nos. 100
2) 3mm x 25.4mm 2 15 30
(1”)
3) For locking - 2 8
cabinet door
Screws 3mm x 12mm round 1 2 2

head
Thermofoam Polyethylene foam 22/ m² 6 132

(insulation) (50 x 20 sq. in. sheet
& 0.25” gauge)
PVC pipe 4” O.D. 30/ft. 2 ft. 60
62
Connecting Copper 1 sq. mm 10/metre 30 metres 300

Wires
1.5 sq. mm (FR-PVC 15/metre 60 metres 900
insulated copper
industrial cable)
3 Pin Tops 240V AC 145 2 290
12V DC Car Battery 12V 2.0 Ah Sealed 1800 1 1800

Lead Acid Batteries
Exhaust Fans 12V DC Brushless 300 1 300

0.7 A (120mm
sweep)
12V DC Brushless 600 1 600

1.85A (120mm
sweep)
Heater Coil 240V 1000 W 45 1 45
Synthetic rubber- Fevicol SR 998 85 2 170

based adhesive
Red Oxide Paint Anti-corrosion 100 1 100

primer
Total Material Cost 9043
Material Cost = Rs. 9043
Labour Cost = Rs. 0
Sub Total = Rs. 9043
63
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A Project Report On Design, Fabrication and Experimental Study of Grape Cabinet Dryer Using Forced Convection

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A Project Report on Design, Fabrication and Experimental Study of Grape

Experiment Findings · March 2014

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DESIGN, FABRICATION AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF

REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR

Under the Guidance of

Prof. Amol Ubale

SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, PUNE

Date: 23 March 2014

Hrishabh Singh (10070121426) Gaurav Chaudary(1007121423)

Asst. Professor, HOD, Director,

Department of Mechanical Department of Mechanical Symbiosis Institute of

Gaurav Chaudary (423)

Hrishabh Singh (426)

Based on preliminary investigations under controlled condition of drying experiments, a

Forced convection Cabinet dryer; Grapes; Design and Fabrication

Sr. No. Topic Page No.

7. Chapter 5: Results and Conclusion 45

Figure 1: Psychrometric chart showing a drying process 14

Figure 9: Entire Setup 22

Figure 10 and 11: Drying Chamber 23

Figure 12: Duct and Chimney 24

Figure 13: Dryer + Duct + Chimney 25

Figure 14: Duct + Chimney 25

Figure 15: Fan Design 26

Figure 16: Dryer Drafting 27

Figure 17: Fan Drafting 28

Figure 18: Dryer Frame 29

Figure 20: Angle grinder used 30

Figure 21: 4mm HSS Drill bit 31

Figure 22: Drilling for inserting heater coil 31

Figure 23: Drilling small GI sheet (supports) 31

Figure 24: Preparing attachments 32

Figure 25: Cutting ply 33

Figure 26: Drilling ply 33

Figure 31: Fevicol SR 998 35

Table Name Page No.

Table 1: Consumption of grapes and its different products 11

INTRODUCTION TO GRAPE DRYING

LITERATURE REVIEW OF GRAPE DRYERS AND THE DRYING

Consumption of grapes and its different products:

Particulars India (%) World (%)

Table grapes 75-80 10-15

Raisins 17-20 25-30

Wine 0.5 50-55

Juice,Jelly,canned foods 1.5 6-10

THE DRYING OF SOLIDS AND MECHANISM OF DRYING

THE FORCED CONVECTION DRYING PROCESS

Figure 2: Forced convection apparatus and demonstration

Figure 3: Moisture vs. Time

Measuring the drying rate

Drying rate = initial weight - final weight

Moisture content (%) = initial weight - final weight x 100

Figure 4 : Drying Rate

The importance of particle size:

Stability and storage of dried foods:

CHANGES TO FOOD DURING DRYING

Figure 5 : Sulphuring Cabinet

THE CABINET DRYER

Figure 6 : Cabinet Setup

DESIGN OF THE EXPERIMENTAL SETUP