SORPTRO (KLIMZUG Nordhessen) - Experimental investigation and demonstration of sorption plants for the solar-powered low-temperature drying
Short description
Almost every larger farm in the northern part of state of Hesse has a fossil-fuel driven drying unit for hay balls. However due to an increased demand of drying agricultural products caused by climate change and due to high costs for heating oil and gas at the same time, the production costs of some agricultural products increased drastically. Within the project SorpTro a test unit was developed for drying agricultural products in which the ambient air is dried with a solar-driven open absorption process. The dried air was then transported by a suitable method through the agricultural product. In the project different prototypes of the components (absorber and regenerator) was optimized beforehand in the laboratory and connected to each other. In addition the drying behavior of typical agricultural products of north Hesse was investigated. An experimental unit for field tests was developed, constructed, and tested. In the end a demonstration unit was build and operated on an ecological farm (Staatsdomäne Frankenhausen) close to Kassel. The drying process of the agricultural products as well as the demonstration unit itself was monitored with different measurement devices. The project was performed by the division of process heat, agricultural techniques and solar and system engineering. The techniques developed can possibly also be used in future for air conditioning applications in the building sector.
Duration
2008 bis 2013
Support
Supported by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung