Influence of Surface Reflection (Albedo) in Simulating the Sun Drying of Paddy Rice

The sun drying of agricultural products is a complicated process involving heat transfer, mass transfer, and variable weather conditions. Surface reflection (albedo), a crop’s radiative property, plays an essential role in energy balance, and understanding its contribution can improve the thermal an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2020-08, Vol.10 (15), p.5092
Main Authors: Salvatierra-Rojas, Ana, Torres-Toledo, Victor, Müller, Joachim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Agricultural products
Albedo
Computer simulation
Drying
dynamic modeling
Energy balance
Field tests
Heat transfer
Laboratories
Mass balance
Ordinary differential equations
paddy rice
Polyvinyl chloride
Rice
Rice fields
Sensitivity analysis
Solar energy
Sun
sun drying
Temperature
Thermal analysis
Visual programming languages
Weather
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Summary:The sun drying of agricultural products is a complicated process involving heat transfer, mass transfer, and variable weather conditions. Surface reflection (albedo), a crop’s radiative property, plays an essential role in energy balance, and understanding its contribution can improve the thermal analysis. In this study, field experiments were conducted in the Philippines to explore the influence of surface albedo on the sun drying of paddy rice. First, we implemented energy and mass balance equations in a transient model with the surroundings using a graphical programming language in Matlab/Simulink®. Second, we identified the influence of albedo on the sun drying model by using a sensitivity analysis. Third, we investigated the relationship of paddy rice albedo and the solar zenith angle. Lastly, we integrated the albedo function into the sun drying model. The simulation outputs were validated with field experiments. A better estimation of the measured exit temperature and instantaneous mass were obtained when a variable albedo was applied. This study makes clear that introducing a variable albedo has a positive impact on model improvement. This information is important for application in solar drying technologies, so that the drying process can be better assessed.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app10155092