Experimental and Economic Analysis of a Solar Matrix Collector for Drying Application

This paper explains the development of a solar air heater with wire mesh as absorber of nominal porosity for drying application. A comparative study between open sun-dried and solar-dried samples was done using bitter gourd as drying product. Solar drying showed a faster drying rate, reducing the moisture content from 93% to 6.17% in 3 h less than open sun-drying. Economic analysis shows a lifetime savings of roughly INR 2,746,707 for a period of 20 years, with a payback period of 0.62 years, i.e. 161 drying days.