Performance studies on PVT assisted solar drying of municipal solid waste for enhancement of heat generation during combustion

Incineration technologies for municipal solid waste have undergone many developments in terms of control equipment for efficient emissions and advanced combustion technologies such as fluidized bed combustion systems. Excessive moisture in the waste of organic materials has resulted in storage problems, pest and bacterial infections, odor, and difficulties in pre-processing before combustion. Size reduction of waste components is important for efficient combustion; however, moisture is a detriment to this process. The importance of drying the organic materials within waste was discovered and led to the creation of several drying methods, both using conventional and non-conventional energy sources. In this study, a totally grid independent photovoltaic thermal dryer with unity solar fraction was installed for municipal solid waste drying and the performance of functional components, namely, the photovoltaic system, the solar heater, and the drying chamber, were evaluated for arid desert climatic conditions for year-round performance. The photovoltaic system was used to energize the fan for the dryer air supply and panel cooling. The effect of air cooling on the photovoltaic panel power was evaluated. The solar air heater parameters, namely the heat removal factor and the overall loss coefficient were experimentally determined. Waste samples collected in the cities of Riyadh and Dammam under two climate conditions were tested to determine the drying rates and optimum drying bed thicknesses. The actual drying rates and its impact on the energy produced during waste combustion were determined. The results and economic analysis indicate that the overall gains achieved after implementing this drying method increase the economic performance of waste to energy systems.