Design and performance of a dehumidifier dryer and a solar-assisted dehumidifier dryer for flower drying

K.S. Ong and H.S. Ooi

Abstract

Work on the development of a dehumidifier dryer and a solar-assisted dehumidifier dryer were carried out to increase the efficiency of the hang-and-dry method of drying as well as improve the quality of dried flowers produced. Tests were carried out on the two experimental batch dryers that were designed to evaluate their performance and assess their suitability for commercial production of dried flowers. Results showed that the experimental dehumidifier dryer system equipped with a 81.5 kg/24 hours capacity dehumidifier unit was able to dry 4.8 kg of wet foliage from 76% wet basis to 28% in 8 hours. The solar dehumidifier  dryer system, equipped with a 18.5 kg/24 hours capacity dehumidifier unit, managed to dry 3.8 kg of wet foliage from 79% to 34% in 30 hours over a period of 4 days with total daily solar radiation from 2,500 to 4,300 Wh/m2. Both the dehumidifier dryer and the solar-assisted dehumidifier dryer are thus technically suitable for use in dried flower production.

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