Impact Factor (2025): 6.9
DOI Prefix: 10.47001/IRJIET
Solar
powered grain drying machines (PGTM) have advantages over fossil energy, namely
they are cheap and simple. However, the main obstacle is the dependence on time
and weather. To overcome these weaknesses, it is necessary to create a combined
system, namely, a solar and PGTL electric drying system. This machine works
during the day and continues at night using electric power. This will speed up
the grain drying process without having to wait for the sun to rise. The method
of supplying electrical power in the drying room is carried out directly with
incandescent lamps installed on the drying racks. The amount of electrical
power provided to the lamp is equivalent to the average solar energy during the
day that enters the drying room, which is 400 Watts. The drying room used for
research has an area of 0.9 x 1 meter and a height of 1.7 meters and is
equipped with 5 shelves for placing the grain. The hot air flow in the drying
room is used by a blower at 2 speeds, namely 4, 7 and 10 m/sec. The walls of the
drying room are covered with aluminum foil to increase the efficiency of lamp
heat absorption that can be received by the grain. The performance of an
electric grain dryer (PGTL) is expressed in terms of drying efficiency or
reduction in water content in the grain (Mw) and machine efficiency,ηpgel.
The test was carried out at night for 5 hours with a total amount of grain of 8
kg divided into 4 shelves of 2 kg each. From the test results of the PGTL
machine, it was found that the reduction in water content in grain (Mw) at air
speeds of 4 m/s, 7 m/s and 10 m/s, respectively, was 7.45%, 7.9%, 9.45%, and
machine efficiency respectively 20.1, 21.1% and 25.45%.
Country : Indonesia
IRJIET, Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2024 pp. 180-184