Evaluation of performance, energy, and exergy analysis of a solar parabolic dish collector connected to a dryer with nanofluid and PCM

The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization of an indirect solar drying system coupled with a solar parabolic dish collector for drying the medicinal plant Teucrium polium. The system incorporated a Ushaped copper coil in the expansion tank, which contained a phase change material. The working fluid employed in the system was Al2O3 nanofluid. The system was subjected to the experiments at two different air flow rates, namely 0.025 and 0.04 kg/s. The experiments were conducted in both with and without the presence of phase change materials. The utilization of nanofluid within the solar drying system, along with the incorporation of phase change materials, enhances the thermal efficiency of the dryer and diminishes the duration required for drying medicinal plant samples. The research focused on analyzing the experimental results, conducting energy and exergy analysis, studying the drying kinetics of the samples, evaluating the energy and exergy efficiency, and assessing the quality of the dried samples. With an airflow rate of 0.04 kg/s, the thermal efficiency peaks at 62.65 %. The mode achieved the highest overall drying efficiency (0.025 kg/s, with PCM) with a value of 40.85 %. Hence, the integration of phase change material within this setup has enhanced both the drying and thermal efficiency of the solar parabolic dish collector, while also elevating the color quality of the samples. Using life cycle assessment and thermos-economical analysis is recommended to get the suitable information about the system.