Design and simulation of a solar supplemented briquette dryer utilizing waste energy from carbonization process

Abstract

This project involved the design and simulation of a solar supplemented briquette dryer utilizing waste energy from carbonization process. It involved activities like data collection, literature review, identification of design requirements, design and simulation of the dryer. The designed and simulated briquette dryer showed that the final standard moisture content of 10% can be achieved with the drying temperature of 600C maintained within the dying chamber. The flow of flue gases from the combustion chamber involved forced convection by use of a blower to speed up the rate of flow of the gases. The drying chamber was designed in such a way that the top is tilted at some angle to ensure maximum collection of solar energy to supplement the drying of briquettes during the day time. The designed briquette drying chamber had a loading capacity of 1,000kgs of briquettes which were uniformly distributed on the 12 drying trays. The design and simulation of the dryer was done using solid works application. The boundary conditions of simulation were 800C for the entry of the flue gases and atmospheric pressure at the chimneys since they are always exposed to the atmosphere.