(2) Direct solar dryers: In these dryers, the material to be dried is placed in an enclosure, with transparent covers or side panels. Heat is generated by absorption of solar radiation on the product itself as well as the internal surfaces of the drying chamber.This heat evaporates the moisture from the drying product and promotes the natural circulation of drying air.
(3) Indirect solar dryers: In these dryers, air is first heated in a solar air heater and then ducted to the drying chamber.
(4) Mixed-type solar dryers: The combined action of the solar radiation incident directly on the material to be dried and the air pre-heated in the solar air heater furnishes the energy required for the drying process.
2. Previous work on solar dryers
2.1. Direct solar dryers
Drying of agricultural and marine products is one of the most attractive and cost-effective application of solar energy. Numerous types of solar dryers had been designed and developed in various parts of the world, yielding varying degrees of technical performance. The simplest of solar cabinet dryer was reported by Fudholi et al. [6], it was very simple, and consists essentially of a small wooden hot box. Dimensions of this dryer was 2 m x 1 m where the sides and bottom were constructed from wood and metal sheets. A transparent polyethylene sheet was used as cover at the upper surface. Air holes were located on the sides of the dryer for circulation. Evaluation performance studies of solar cabinet dryers were reported by many investigators [7-9]. Sharma et al. [9] found that the predicted plate temperature for no load reaches a maximum of 80-85°C during the noon hours, while with a load of 20 kg of wheat, the maximum temperature was 45-50°C. Gbaha et al. [10] designed and tested experimentally a direct type natural convection solar dryer for drying cassava, bananas and mango slices. This dryer is a simple design and can be manufactured by farmers from local materials. It has a relatively moderate cost and is easy to use.