Analysis Energy of Freeze Vacuum Drying System with Thermal Energy Storage and Reverse Valve of 4kg Capacity

Abstrak

This research evaluates the energy efficiency of the Aloe vera drying process using a Freeze Vacuum Drying (FVD) system, focusing on the thermal performance and the role of a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) unit with paraffin wax as the storage medium. Experiments were conducted with Aloe vera samples of 2 kg, 3 kg, and 4 kg to assess their effects on energy usage, Coefficient of Performance (COP), and moisture removal efficiency. The highest Specific Moisture Extraction Rate (SMER) was 0.132 kg.water/kWh for the 4 kg sample, with a Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) of 7.223 kWh/kg.water and a COP of 5.4. The energy efficiency peaked at 10.80%, achieved by incorporating TES. The results demonstrate that TES improves COP and reduces the specific energy demand, leading to a more energy-efficient drying process.