Executive Summary : | The North Easter Region (NER) of Inda has a subtropical climatic condition favourable to producing a variety of fruits and vegetables; most are underutilized, highly perishable, vitamin-rich, minerals, fiber and with vast medicinal benefits. Due to the lack of storage and processing units in the rural areas of the regions, the loss of fresh agro produces was nearly 35–45% of overall production. Drying agricultural products is one of the preservation techniques widely practised from ancient times. It limits post-harvest losses and increases the storage shelf life of the agro products. Drying is the technique to remove the moisture for agro-produces to evaporation through the phase change process by applying thermal heat. The heat generators for the dehydrating process are with electricity or fossil fuels, which are costly and non-environmentally friendly. The utilization of solar energy for drying agro-products is advantageous due to the sustainable nature of solar energy, eco-friendly and abandonment in the rural areas of NER India. The solar tunnel dryer (STC) is simple in design, reduces energy, is cost-effective, and has a vast drying quantity, hence best suited for rural areas. Solar tunnel dryers show massive fuel savings and are a great addition due to the improved quality of the dried product in terms of color, aroma and taste. The major drawback of the STC is drying in bad weather and off-sunshine hours leads to microbial growth in the drying sample after a short period, effects the self-life of the dried products. In the project, a photovoltaic/thermal hybrid solar tunnel dryer was designed with thermal storage, a dehumidifier and a drying capacity of 150-200 kg (depending on the initial moisture content of the sample). The model-based control (modified PID) system maintained the optimal temperature, and all the parameters were measured and logged. Analysis carried out using detailed design and off-design numerical models for better performance of the solar drying technology. Studies also investigated the economic aspect of solar energy base drying technology, primarily by estimating the total investment costs and simple payback periods. The proposed drying technology transferred and provided skills training to the marginal tribal framer of NER-India. Hypothesis 1. The design of a Photovoltaic/Temperature Hybrid Solar Tunnel Dryer (PV/T-HSTD) may enhance the financial status of rural farmers of NER India. 2. The reduction in the wastage and value addition of fruits and vegetables may be controlled using this green drying technology. 3. Introducing PV/T-HSTD will help in value-addition to the dried products compared to traditional and electrical methods. 4. The newly proposed dryer may reduce the processing time and cost of drying and will be helpful to the wide framer range of NER India (Trible region areas) |