Energy Analysis of Pid Controlled Heat Pump Dryer

In this experimental study, a heat pump dryer was designed and manufactured, in which drying air temperature was controlled PID. Manufactured heat pump dryer was tested in drying kiwi, avocado and banana from among tropical fruits and energy and exergy analyses were made. Drying air temperature changed between 40 oC - 40.2 oC while drying the tropical fruits. Before the drying process in heat pump dryer, initial moisture contents were determined as 4.31 g water / g dry matter for kiwi, 1.51 g water / g dry matter for avocado and 4.71 g water / g dry matter for banana. Then tropical fruits were dried separately in heat pump dryer. Drying air temperature was kept unchanged with the error of +0.2 oC. Drying air velocity changed between 0.3 and 0.4 m/s in a period of 310 min. COPws of the heat pump dryer was calculated as 2.49 for kiwi, 2.47 for banana and 2.41 for avocado during the experiments. EUR changed between 13 % and 28 % for kiwi, 18% and 33% for avocado and 13% and 42% for banana in heat pump dryer.