AVALIAÇÃO DO DESEMPENHO DE UM SISTEMA DE SECAGEM PROJETADO PARA OS PEQUENOS PRODUTORES RURAIS Performance of a drying system for small farmers

This present work was carried out in FCA-Botucatu/UNESP - Sao Paulo State University, with the aim of evaluating coffee drying performance with near-ambient temperature air-drying system, designed for small farms. The variables measured include: moisture content, grain and air temperatures, relative humidity, drying airflow, drying time and grain quality (beverage). The performance of adopted drying system was compared to open space drying system. The results obtained allowed to conclude that the drying system tested showed very good energy efficiency, without affecting the quality of the beverage.