Experimental tests were developed to evaluate the operation
of the solar dryer, until a moisture content (wet basis) of 30% is reached. The instantaneous thermal
efficiency of the dryer varied from 9.7% to 29.5%. In the drying experiments, the drying efficiency ranged
from 5.2% to 7.2%. Thermal efficiencies presented suitable values for air heaters. Nevertheless, drying
efficiencies were low, but they can be improved if the load is increased.