Performance investigation of the drying of parsley in a tray dryer system

The performance of a tray dryer system for the parsley drying process was assessed using energy and exergy analysis methods in this study. The drying temperature ranged from 40°C to 60°C, while the drying air velocity varied from 0.5 m/s to 1.5 m/s. The higher temperature and lower velocity led to higher exergy and energy efficiencies. The exergy efficiency value for the overall system on a product/fuel basis was found to be 3.62%. The values for Specific Moisture Extraction Rate (SMER) and Specific Moisture Exergetic index (SMExR) were obtained to be 0.08 and 2.47 kg/kWh, respectively. Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.