Numerical Calculations of Heat Engineering Parameters of a Solar Greenhouse Dryer

摘要

The results of numerical simulation to determine the optimum volume of a thermal storage water heater in a solar greenhouse dryer are presented. A CAD (computer-aided design) model is created for the given installation by simulating the heat transfer processes with the aid of the Solid Works Flow Simulation software. The given CAD model consists of a concrete foundation and a steel frame in which translucent coatings made from two-layer polycarbonate sheets 6 mm in thickness with an air gap between the two layers are attached. The north wall is made of bricks with size and thickness of 2 × 4 m~2 and 0.4 m, respectively. The front surface has an angle of inclination 39.53° with respect to the horizontal surface for the maximum incidence of solar radiation to its surface. All the geometrical dimensions of the solar greenhouse dryer were selected on the basis of the allocated platform for the solar drying installation 3 × 4 m~2 in size. It is shown that the optimum volume of the heat storage tank for the present installation is 500 L.