Trials on the newly arrived dome dryer were conducted in August and September 2020. The following are the observations and data collected from the trials.
Observations during the trials:
- The dome has several openings due to improper overlapping of the leaf of the dome due to which ambient air and water enters inside the dome,
- The dome, when closed doesn’t rest properly on the plywood due to which air enters the dryer from the base of the dome,
- The air tunnel consisting of tubes is not being used for heating air since the air is entering inside the dome from the openings/gaps mentioned above,
- The paint applied on the dome is supposed to absorb solar radiations and emit those radiations inside the dome. In this dryers case, the paint applied is glossy which doesn’t absorb as much radiation as an absorptive paint and also doesn’t emit the radiation inside the dome as it should since it is painted black from the inside as well.
Pictures of the above observations can be accessed by clicking the below link.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yS4DH17Q4kN1dflzSXshiG976iTVNXHf?usp=sharing
During one of the trials the dome got detached from the hinge and fell down causing a dent. The dome was later welded and fixed to the hinge.
Data of the trials:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EH22_vnJTOOUf47RF2tqBhwllcc55M-t/view?usp=sharing
Installation of temperature and humidity sensors:
Two humidity and temperature sensors, one at the base and the other at the top of the dome were installed to keep a log of temperature and humidity inside the dome.
The temperature and humidity data is given below,
