PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF MANUFACTURED SMART HYBRID SOLAR DRYER FOR DRYING VARIOUS MEDICINAL HERBS
Article Sidebar
![The cover of issue [volume 30], [issue 1] of the Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Research, published in 2026](https://ijarmoa.gov.iq/public/journals/1/cover_issue_23_en.jpg)
Main Article Content
Abstract
A Smart Hybrid Solar Dryer (SHSD) and a Traditional Hybrid Solar Dryer (THSD) were designed and manufactured to control the drying process of selected medicinal herbs and achieve the recommended moisture content, thereby extending their storage life. The dryers were tested at the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Industrial Research and Development Authority, Renewable Energy Center.
The experiment investigated three primary factors: air discharge angle (40°, 70°, and 90°), medicinal herb type (Peppermint, Rosemary, and Sage), and dryer type (SHSD and THSD). A factorial experiment within a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications was implemented to evaluate the effects of these factors and their interactions on drying performance.
Results indicated that the volumetric airflow rate increased at a discharge angle of 90°, whereas the drying efficiency peaked at a discharge angle of 40° for both dryers. The SHSD significantly outperformed the THSD due to its integrated fan system, which enabled precise control of internal temperature and relative humidity at an optimal airflow velocity of 0.65 m.s-1 compared to 3 m.s-1 in the THSD.
Furthermore, thermal energy loss was substantially higher in the THSD (178.60 W) than in the SHSD (157.58 W), demonstrating the superior energy efficiency and drying performance of the SHSD.
Article Details
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright and Licensing Policy
Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Research (IJAR) adheres to the highest standards of transparency and integrity in academic publishing. The IJAR follows an Open Access policy to ensure the global exchange of knowledge:
- Ownership of Copyright:
Ø Authors retain full copyright of their work published in the IJAR without any restrictions.
Ø Authors grant the IJAR the "right of first publication" for their work.
- Licensing:
Ø All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution- 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Ø This license allows others to share, adapt, and build upon the work provided the original author and the IJAR are properly credited.
- Self-Archiving Policy:
Ø Authors are encouraged to deposit the version of record (Publisher's PDF) in their institutional repositories or personal websites immediately upon publication, provided that a link to the original DOI is included.
- Originality:
Ø By submitting a manuscript to the IJAR, authors certify that the work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by any other journal.
Ø The IJAR does not allow the violations of others’ intellectual property rights, and authors must comply with the requirement to cite all references.