Title: Development of Solar Energy Dryer for Fish and Meat Tested in Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola
Abstract: A domestic solar dryer for drying meat and fish has been designed, constructed and tested in Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola -Nigeria.The dryer is a passive indirect mode type using natural convection with the collector unit attached to the dryer.It is made up of plywood, glass, mild steel sheet, wire net and paint.The collector dimension was 70cm x 60cm x 30cm.The drying chamber was 60cm x 60cm x 70cm; it has two trays for drying purposes at 20cm spacing, which can hold 2 kg of fish and meat each.Fish and meat (0. 5 kilogram of each) were dried in the dryer.The temperatures of the different components of the dryer increases with time and reaches maximum value of 370C for average ambient temperature, 350C for the product temperature, 400C for the average collector temperature and 420C for the average drying chamber temperature at 2:00 PM local time.The weight of the samples reduced were 0.029 kg and 0.019 kg at an average drying rate of 0.032 kg/hr and 0.040 kg/hr for meat and fish respectively, at an average solar radiation of 521W/m2 and average relative humidity of 26.4%.The drying efficiency was obtained to be 27%.