Evaluation of The Thermal Performance of An Indirect Solar Dryer With a Glazed Collector Equipped with Three Parabolic Trough Reflectors for Drying Agri-Food Products

In a context of growing development of indirect solar drying technologies using flat-plate collectors, this study focuses on an innovative solar dryer operating by natural convection. The device, designed in Ouagadougou for drying agri-food products and tested with plantain bananas, integrates parabolic trough reflectors into the collector, topped with a drying chamber and a mobile support. Two types of banana cutting were tested. During the tests, changes in sunlight, temperatures and humidity of the drying air, product moisture content, and drying speed were monitored throughout the drying time. Experimental results indicate an average efficiency of 73% for the thermal collector and an overall efficiency of 23.4% for the dryer, thus demonstrating the benefits of integrating reflectors to improve solar drying performance.