Performance Evaluation Of Small Scale Force Convention Of Cocoa Bean Solar Dryer

ABSTRACT

Drying of cocoa bean using forced convention of solar dryer was studied with the objectives to evaluate the performance of the small scale solar dryer, moisture content and total drying time. Cocoa was brought from Akwa-lbom and was cracked. The seed was licked and then was weighed, before taking it inside the solar dryer in order to carried out the evaluation and performance of the dryer. The average temperature obtained for inlet and outlet temperature of the drying chamber were 36.9 and 34.0°C. The average solar radiation collector were obtained 153.9W/M2in the collector area and average humidity of the drying chamber was 64%. It took 5 days sunshine hour to dry the cocoa bean seed. The dryer was constructed with air inlet and outlet regulator automatically controlled by sensitive sensors primed by solar cell. The cocoa bean seed samples dried with the dryer are found to be of highly quality in appearance and acceptable for human consumption as well free contaminations then the open sun drying.