SIMULATION OF THE OKRA DRYING PROCESS IN A SOLAR TOWER DRYER

This work presents the simulation of the drying air flow in a solar tower dryer as well as the okra drying process with FORTRAN software. The explicit Euler method was used for solving the heat transfer and mass transfer equations. The heat transfer equations reflect the flow of hot air from the manifold and directed into the drying chamber, while the mass transfer equations reflect the removal of moisture from the fresh product through the exchange of heat. This simulation gives an idea of ​​the heat input received by the air after it enters the dryer manifold and then its action on the product to be dried. This is how we were able to determine the different variations in air temperature within the dryer, the variations in temperature and humidity of the product as well as the drying time of the product.