Punjab Agricultural University signs pact for solar dryer technology

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has signed a pact with Raftaar Professional Engineering Company, Ludhiana, for the licensing of evacuated tube collector solar dryer technology. The technology has been jointly developed by VS Hans, head, Department of Renewable Energy Engineering (DREE), PAU, and experts RS Gill and Manpreet Singh from the department. The approximate cost of this technology is Rs 45,000.

About the dryer

• The dryer has an aperture area of 1.4 sqm and is made of highly efficient evacuated tubes that are open at both ends. It has a fan powered with solar photovoltaic panel. It needs shadow-free area of 2 m by2.5 m. Drying product is loaded in six perforated stainless steel trays, each of size 66.5 cm by 51 cm by 7 cm. In comparison to drying clothes in the sun, drying in solar dryer results in better quality and reduces drying time by 72 per cent.

Navtej Singh Bains, director of research, PAU, and Japinder Wadhawan, proprietor, Raftaar Professional Engineering Company signed the memorandum of agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Sukhmeet Singh, senior research engineer-cum-head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, PAU, said the evacuated tube collector solar dryer technology was a medium capacity solar dryer capable of drying up to 40 kg of fresh product in about two to five sunny days.

The dryer has an aperture area of 1.4 sq-m and is made of highly efficient evacuated tubes that are open at both the ends. It has a fan powered with solar photovoltaic panel. It needs shadow-free area of 2 m by 2.5 m. Drying product is loaded in six perforated stainless steel trays, each of size 66.5 cm by 51 cm by 7 cm. In comparison to drying clothes in the sun, drying in solar dryer results in better quality and reduces drying time by 72 per cent. This dryer has a payback period of about 360 drying days.

SS Chahal, adjunct professor, Technology Marketing and IPR Cell, said the university had signed 219 MoAs and commercialised 52 technologies, including forced circulation solar dryer; advanced domestic solar dryer; and low alcoholic naturally carbonated beverage.

Source: The Tribune