Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Solar Drying Chamber Used for Apple Slices

The manuscript discusses the design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of a solar drying chamber specifically for drying golden apple slices, highlighting the importance of solar energy in agricultural product preservation. The objectives of the study were to design, fabricate, and evaluate the thermal performance and drying efficiency of solar drying systems and to identify the best thin-layer model for describing the drying kinetics of golden apple slices. The study revealed significant temperature variations in the trays during the drying process, with bottom trays experiencing higher moisture loss compared to other trays. The drying process of golden apples slices occurs entirely in the falling rate, and the Midilli and Kucuk model was found the best model to describe the drying kinetics, accurately capturing the drying behaviour and predicting of golden apple slice.