Improvement Through Optimized Natural Dehumidifier Placement in Turmeric Cabinet Dryer: Relative Humidity and Energy Analysis

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-926-1_3How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Energy Efficiency; Moisture Uniformity; Natural Dehumidifier; SMER; Turmeric Drying

Abstract

The implementation of natural dehumidifiers in agricultural drying systems presents a promising approach to enhance energy efficiency and product quality. This study investigates the effectiveness of natural dehumidifier placement in a multi-rack turmeric drying cabinet, comparing three configurations: without dehumidifier, dehumidifier placed at the top, and dehumidifier placed at the bottom of the drying chamber. A comprehensive analysis was conducted over 300 minutes of operation using a multi-rack cabinet dryer with six drying trays, processing 350 grams of fresh turmeric per tray (2.1 kg total batch). Energy performance was evaluated through Specific Moisture Extraction Rate (SMER). Results demonstrated that top-positioned dehumidifier configuration achieved the highest energy efficiency with SMER of 0.0178 kg/kWh, representing a 132.6% improvement compared to the control (0.0077 kg/kWh), and consumed the lowest energy (3.18 kWh) with superior moisture extraction capability (0.0567 kg total moisture removed). However, this configuration exhibited poor drying uniformity with coefficient of variation of 7.65% and significant moisture removal variation (32%) across trays. Conversely, bottom-positioned dehumidifier demonstrated optimal balance between energy efficiency (SMER 0.0096 kg/kWh, 25.3% improvement over control), achieving consistent relative humidity distribution (67-76% final RH) with minimal inter-tray variation (22.7%). The bottom configuration consumed 3.41 kWh while extracting 0.0328 kg moisture, providing reliable performance characteristics essential for batch-to-batch consistency. These findings demonstrate that strategic placement of natural dehumidifiers significantly influences both energy performance and product quality uniformity. This research offer sustainable solution for small to medium-scale spice drying industries prioritizing consistent product quality over maximum energy efficiency.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Putu Wijaya Sunu
AU  - I Made Suarta
AU  - I Dewa Gede Agus Tri Putra
AU  - Anak Agung Mulawarman
AU  - Dewa Ayu Indah Cahya Dewi
AU  - C. Bambang Dwi Kuncoro
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Improvement Through Optimized Natural Dehumidifier Placement in Turmeric Cabinet Dryer: Relative Humidity and Energy Analysis
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Applied Science and Technology on Engineering Science 2025 (iCAST-ES 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 14
EP  - 21
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-926-1_3
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-926-1_3
ID  - Sunu2025
ER  -