Performance studies on PVT assisted solar drying of municipal solid waste for enhancement of heat generation during combustion

مقال فى مجلة

Incineration technologies for municipal solid waste have undergone many developments in
terms of control equipment for efficient emissions and advanced combustion technologies such as
fluidized bed combustion systems. Excessive moisture in the waste of organic materials has resulted
in storage problems, pest and bacterial infections, odor, and difficulties in pre-processing before
combustion. Size reduction of waste components is important for efficient combustion; however,
moisture is a detriment to this process. The importance of drying the organic materials within waste
was discovered and led to the creation of several drying methods, both using conventional and
non-conventional energy sources. In this study, a totally grid independent photovoltaic thermal dryer
with unity solar fraction was installed for municipal solid waste drying and the performance of
functional components, namely, the photovoltaic system, the solar heater, and the drying chamber,
were evaluated for arid desert climatic conditions for year-round performance. The photovoltaic
system was used to energize the fan for the dryer air supply and panel cooling. The effect of air cooling
on the photovoltaic panel power was evaluated. The solar air heater parameters, namely the heat
removal factor and the overall loss coefficient were experimentally determined. Waste samples
collected in the cities of Riyadh and Dammam under two climate conditions were tested to determine
the drying rates and optimum drying bed thicknesses. The actual drying rates and its impact on the
energy produced during waste combustion were determined. The results and economic analysis
indicate that the overall gains achieved after implementing this drying method increase the economic
performance of waste to energy systems.