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A STUDY ON DRYING OF AMLA USING A HYBRID SOLAR DRYER

Sajith K. G. C. Muraleedharan

In this work, Indian gooseberry or amla fruit which is the richest source of vitamin C among fruits were dried using a hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) dryer. An experimental hybrid solar dryer associated with a photovoltaic (PV) system was developed for the purpose. The experimental hybrid system consisting of a double pass arrangement produces both electric and thermal energy simultaneously. Drying process of amla samples using the hybrid system has been compared with open sun drying. The developed hybrid PV/T drying system produces better quality products in shorter time by the efficient use of solar energy.