Thermal performance analysis of solar clothes dryer

Solar clothes dryer system's thermal performance analysis is presented in this paper. The system primarily consists of a single pass flat plate solar collector and a drying cabinet. Solar collector measures 1.25 m(2) with 0.015 m as air gap and drying cabinet of 0.64 m(3) volume and is made of plywood having thermal insulation and with clear glass on one side. Instrumentation was done to collect the solar radiation, temperature, humidity, and air flow rate for analyzing the functional and thermal performance of the system. The experiment was conducted with three different loads of same fabric type (cotton). The drying system efficiency was found between 13.24 and 17.46% depending upon the load. The energy savings of approximately 97% can be achieved using this system, if used in place of conventional electric dryer. The experimental work was carried out in Hyderabad (India): 17 degrees 21'N78 degrees 28' E and at altitude of 576 m in the month of February and March. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.