Temperature Characteristic on Model of Greenhouse Effect-based Grain Dryer

Abstract

Generally, most Indonesian farmers using a conventional method in the grain drying process, that is open sun drying. This conventional method is considered less effective because it takes a long time and a large place. Therefore, it is needed a solution to overcome such problems. Among other things, by utilizing the greenhouse effect. The objectives of this research are to design a model of greenhouse effect-based grain dryer and to evaluate the temperature characteristic of this model experimentally. It measured some parameters that were solar radiation intensity, ambient temperature, air velocity, and temperature.  The grain dryer has several components including a heat collector containing a pebble bed, a cylindrical drying chamber, and a blower that serves to flow the remaining drying air and to remove it from the drying chamber via a chimney. The temperature of the pebbles ranged between 29oC to 68oC which always had a higher temperature than the components. Heat collector temperature ranged between 29.3oC to 53.2oC. Drying chamber temperature ranged between 28.2oC to 49.8oC.