Use of solar energy in the technology of fruit drying

Companies in the agri-food industry of Ukraine are trying to rationally manage all forms of energy (including solar energy) needed to implement the production process. The study investigated the process of drying plant material (fruit) based on the use of solar energy (and the intensification of this process). The present process uses a combination of an air collector and a drying chamber. The measurable effect of the performed tests is the development of diagnostic techniques for heat transfer with alternative diffusion and moisture transfer potentials (the experiment was performed at the temperature of 25-60 degrees C, drying time was 50-74 hours). The method is offered to calculate the diffusion and moisture transfer when drying the fruit in a solar dryer. The method enables the diagnosis of heat exchange processes and the analysis of the mathematical model of heat exchange processes [1]. The results of the research (analytical and experimental) indicate the possibility of intensifying the fruit drying process based on the solar dryer. The unit energy consumption during fruit drying in a solar dryer is reduced by 3-3.7 MJ/kg in relation to the currently used convection drying devices.