Design, Construction and Performance Evaluation of Cassava Chips Dryer Using Fuel Wood
J.T Liberty1, A.U Dzivama2
1J.T Liberty, Department of Agricultural & Environmental Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
2A.U Dzivama, Department of Agricultural & Environmental Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria.
Manuscript received on March 12, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on April 10, 2013. | Manuscript published on April 30, 2013. | PP: 187-191 | Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2013. | Retrieval Number: D1359042413/2013©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: The design, construction and performance evaluation of a cassava chips dryer using fuel wood as source of heat was undertaken with a view to help small scale farmers’ process cassava chips. The dryer consists of a frame, drying chamber, a tray, fuel wood housing, perforated air space and a chimney. The dryer was evaluated in terms of final moisture content, drying capacity, time taken to dry the chips and the quality of the chips. Results showed that the moisture content of 65.03% (wb) was reduced to 13.11%, the drying capacity was 6kg per loading and the drying time which was supposed to be 3 hrs was increased to 4hrs due to difficulty in regulating the heat produced by the fuel wood. Compared to other types of dryers (solar dryer, platform dryer, flat – bed dryer, continuous dryer, the batch type dryer is preferred due to its ability to be used during rainy season and in the absence of electricity. The quality of the chips was found to be good. The dryer has an efficiency of 80%. The evaluation of the dryer shows that it can be used for small scale drying of cassava. chips.
Keywords: Batch type dryer, Cassava chips, fuel wood, Performance evaluation.