Thermal evaluation of indirect type solar dryer using flat plate collector

Direct sun-drying has a slow drying rate and improper heating. Smallholders rely heavily on the sun because it is cheap and easy to dry post-harvest crops. This study aimed to evaluate thermally the dryer using a flat plate collector for use on a small scale. The test results show an increase in environmental temperature of 32.42%. This increased temperature is the temperature in the no-load drying chamber. The average ambient temperature is 32.26 (29.38-33.88 ℃) with a solar intensity of 700.06 W/m2 (422.2-833.4 W/m2) increasing to 47.74 ℃(38.25- 54.74 ℃) in the drying chamber. By utilizing local materials for the design of indirect solar dryers, it is hoped that small farmers will be easy to operate and maintain. The dryer is designed in an efficient manner and adapted to the needs of small farmers in the post-harvest drying of foodstuffs.