Energy conservation in fruit dehydrators utilizing recirculation of exhaust air and heat recovery heat exchangers. Final report

Abstract

Dehydration of fruit in the United States is often done by means of a tunnel dehydrator utilizing large quantities of fossil fuel. Existing dehydrators have been designed to operate with maximum product through-put and with little regard for energy efficiency. Incorporating controlled recirculating air dampers and thermal energy recovery equipment on the exhaust air, calculations and preliminary tests show that the energy required in dehydration may be cut by up to 4 0%. During this work, one tunnel was modified and upgraded in a commercial 24-tunnel facility to demonstrate the potential savings. A primary element of this program, the heat recovery heat exchanger, operated below specifications. The manufacturer, Hughes Aircraft Company, has determined that the heat exchanger design was based on faulty data, and is constructing a second exchanger which can be installed and tested during a subsequent program. n