Solar Thermal Energy Utilization in Food Processing Industry in India.

Food processing is an important industry in every economy, and India is no exception. In the Indian Food Processing Industry, sweetmeat production covers a wide area and sweetmeats are widely popular with consumers both in the country and abroad. This industry can be identified as a prospective area for the application of solar thermal energy systems because the relatively lower temperature at which the processes are carried out here can be achieved easily through solar heating. Again, since solar radiation is available in abundance in the country, this is a quite feasible solution. Considered from the point of view of cleanliness, which is a vital requirement in the food processing industry, the application of solar energy could be a big advantage for this industry. In this study, the possibility of application, importance, and advantages of using the solar thermal energy systems for heating purposes in the Indian sweetmeat industry has been explained. From many aspects, a solar thermal system that is tailor-made for the sweetmeat industry would prove to be quite beneficial to the industry. The thrust of the study is on the technical side in order to make the system functionally acceptable. The design modification for the purpose of cost reduction has also been taken care of. A brief thermal and economic analysis has also been presented here. The payback period, which is a crude one, along with the Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return, which is more of a financial indicator, has been calculated for a specific discount rate over a 10 year period of time for the system. In the thermal analysis part of this study, recorded temperatures have been plotted as against the radiation available for different months, rather than in a direct calculation of heat available at the heat exchanger against heat energy incident on the concentrator. (Keywords: food processing industry, solar parabolic concentrator, thermal system, heat exchanger, solar radiation, sweetmeat