Numerical model of solar drying of apples from Nuevo Colón-Boyacá

Abstract

The drying of fruits such as apples is a process in wich the amount of moisture is decreased. Furtheremore this process looks for to prolong the time wich the fruits preserve organolectic, physical and chemical properties for human consumption, this process also aims to reduce waste and generate a profitable economy in agricultural companies producing dehydrated foods. According to national standards, 58 % of fruits and vegetables are lost and wasted in Colombia, while in the world the average is 45 % [1]. In Colombia, the region with the highest level of participation 

in the national loss is the Central Eastern (Cundinamarca, Santander, Norte de Santander and Boyacá) with one million tons. This project seeks to simulate the heat transfer process in a solar apple dryer. In the fruit drying process, various physical variables are involved, such as temperature, air velocity, fruit moisture, drying time [12]. In order to guarantee an optimal quality in the fruit, these variables must be controlled, the heat transfer phenomena to be used are: the convection of heat produced in the air with the solids, the radiation of the sun, and the conduction between the solids of the structure of a dryer equipment. There are several software that facilitate the elaboration of this simulation as: Matlab or Python. Finally the results of the simulations are presented. With these results you can continue with the dryer design process.