A Study on the Effect of the Weather Conditions on the Performance of the Solar Assisted Heat Pump Drying System for Red Chili

In this paper, we present the research results of the effect of the weather conditions on the performance of the solar assisted heat pump drying system for red chili. This system was designed and installed in Vinh Long University of Technology and Education for drying of red chili to evaluate the effect of the weather conditions of Mekong River Delta of Vietnam on the performance of the solar assisted heat pump drying system for red chili. The results of the experiment showed that the average values of the specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) of the solar assisted heat pump drying system for red chili in three days of the fair day, intermittent cloud sky day and overcast sky day are 0.37 kg/kWh, 0.33 kg/kWh and 0.26 kg/kWh, respectively, and the contribution of the useful heat gain of solar collectors in three cases are 14.5 kWh, 8.91 kWh, and 0 kWh, respectively, while the corresponding amount of energy consumption of this system are 18.2 kWh, 20.4 kWh and 24.3 kWh, respectively.