DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SOLAR DRYER USING PHASE CHANGING MATERIAL

Using phase change material (PCM) as an energy storage medium is one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy. The latent heat storage provides much higher storage density than sensible heat storage, with a smaller temperature difference between storing and releasing heat. In addition, phase change materials provide constant and moderate temperature which is needed for drying most agriculture crops sufficiently. This paper reviews the previous work on solar drying systems which implemented the phase change material as an energy storage medium. It is concluded that the solar dryer with a PCM reduces the heat losses and improves the efficiency of the system