Development of a concept for a standardizable solar air collector panel for efficient energy use
Abstract
Current Situation and Challenge: Waldland Naturstoffe GmbH (www.waldland.at) in the Waldviertel Region of Lower Austria,with ist 800 member farmers, locally grows and processes plant raw materials fort the pharmaceutical industriy. Over 30 different speciality crops, such as St. John´s wort, rye pollen, hemp leaves, chamomile flowers, red clover and many other herbs are processed and sold to the pharmaceutical industry. The processing of pharmaceutical raw materials starts with the drying of the harvested plant parts (e.g. St. John´s wort plant florescence) in large boxes. Drying is accomplished by hot air, heated in heat exchangers that are connected to natural gas-fueled boilers. The mass of fresh plant material to be dried in this way each year requires 2,061 MWh (2009) of natural gas – derived energy. At peak times, from July to October, between 250,00 to 340,000 kWh energy is consumed every month. The energy demand is covered by the 3,5 MW main boiler, which, at peak times, is supplemented by a 1,5 MW auxiliary boiler. This process results in the emission of about 391 tons of CO2 , a very considerable amount. Drying takes place in drying boxes, open at the top, venting the warm exhaust air into the ambient space without recovery of ist residual heat. Objective and Approach: With this project, the consumption of fossil fuel (natural gas) and thus the emission of CO2 is to be reduced significantly by heat recovery from the exhaust air off the top of the drying boxes and use of solar energy as an additional energy source for the drying air. A novel type of solar air collector, not yet available on the market, which will utilize the existing roof surfaces, is to accomplish both aims. By covering the roof with these collectors, made up from facing panels of trapezoid cross-section, these collectors are to provide a cost- effective solution for trapping the energy of the rising exhaust air from underneath the roof surface as well as the solar energy that radiates onto the top of the roof. To verify the functionality of the system, several operating parameters (humidity, temperature, etc.) are to be measured over a period of several months.
solar air collector drying medicinal plant solar energy heat recovery
Publikationen
Project staff
Andreas Gronauer
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Andreas Gronauer
andreas.gronauer@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93111
BOKU Project Leader
01.03.2013 - 31.03.2015
BOKU partners
External partners
Waldland Naturstoffe GmbH
none
coordinator