Development of solar based hybrid fish drying system | |
| Author | Dulanjana, Hewa Yaddehige Pathum |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ET-21-04 |
| Subject(s) | Dried fishery products Solar dryers |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Energy |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Drying is known as the oldest and the cheapest preservation method for marine products since many years ago. Drying helps to decrease the amount of fish spoilage which was as large as 35% of total capture. In large scale industries, it is the common practice to dry fish like Anchovy under open sun on ground or on elevated racks. However, open sun drying is involved with many drawbacks such as exposing to insects and animals, contamination of dust particles and irregular drying from unfavourable weather conditions. Further, common industrial practice on physical quality evaluation of dried Anchovy is based on organoleptic measurements and highly biased. Therefore, there is a confusion in industry when identifying the different grades of dried Anchovy as there is no standard followed. Above 2 specific issues were taken into the consideration for the fish drying industry in Rayong Province, Thailand. Therefore, objectives were decided to develop a methodology to evaluate the physical quality attributes of dried Anchovy in quantifiable manner, and to develop a solar based dryer that has the ability to dry large quantity of Anchovy within a day. For the development of methodology, 5 physical quality attributes were taken into account namely Colour, Texture, Rehydration Capacity, Porosity and Proximate Analysis. For design of solar based fish dryer, customer’s requirements and fish harvest patterns are taken into consideration. Suggested methodology for the quality evaluation was tested using dried fish collected from Rayong province and it was found that mainly 2 gradings exist of Dried Anchovies. These 2 gradings fish samples were undertaken for defined tests and found significant differences in values for average and the range as well. Both fish were not at the required level of moisture content where FAO was recommended. For the design of a solar based fish drying system, 10 small greenhouses with 1 ton capacity installed were found as the most suitable option. The Payback period of Greenhouse was also calculated. The payback and thermal analysis were considered for 3 scenarios. 10 small Greenhouses Only, 10 small Greenhouses with Auxiliary heating system integrated, and Large greenhouse with 10 small drying with auxiliary heater units installed respectively. Payback for 3 scenarios were 2.55, 2.37, and 2.28 years respectively. Considering all aspects, It was found that, 10 small greenhouse with auxiliary heater units installed is more beneficial to integrate with only 2.37 Years of payback. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salam, P. Abdul |
| Examination Committee(s) | Singh, Jai Govind;Loc Thai Nguyen |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | BHAGYA Enterprises Co., Ltd Scholarship;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |