Design of mamdani type fuzzy controller for a hybrid solar-electric dryer: case study of clay drying

Indirect hybrid solar-electric dryers employ solar energy incorporated with electricity for operation. They are usually used to dry agricultural products, medicinal plants and craft products such as leather, pottery, etc.. Drying temperature is the main parameter that affects the quality of dried product. In this paper, a case study of clay drying is considered. The main goal is to maintain the temperature of the dryer at 80°C. A mamdani fuzzy controller (MFC) is designed to control the temperature inside the drying chamber. The designed MFC is compared to the conventional PI controller. The latter is tuned using two methods. Simulations were carried out at different operating cases of the dryer. It was concluded that the MFC show a good ability for controlling the temperature with a small steady state error that remains under 0.35°C. The fuzzy controller was most simple and easy to design.