Effectiveness of Natural Dehumidifier Placement in Multi-Rack Turmeric Drying Cabinet: Energy Performance

Abstract:

The strategic integration of natural dehumidifiers in agricultural drying systems offers significant potential for enhancing energy efficiency while maintaining product quality. This study comprehensively evaluated the energy performance of natural dehumidifier placement in a multi-rack turmeric drying cabinet by comparing three configurations: without dehumidifier (baseline), dehumidifier positioned at the top, and dehumidifier positioned at the bottom of the drying chamber. The experimental setup utilized a multi-rack cabinet dryer with six trays, processing 350 grams of fresh turmeric per tray (2.1 kg total batch) over 300 minutes operation time. Energy performance parameters were calculated based on actual initial and final weights of turmeric samples, providing accurate moisture removal quantification for each configuration. Energy performance was assessed through multiple metrics including Specific Moisture Extraction Rate (SMER), Specific Energy Consumption (SEC), weight reduction percentage, final moisture content, and actual energy consumption measurements. Results demonstrated that the top-positioned dehumidifier configuration achieved superior energy performance with SMER of 0.519 kg/kWh, representing a 22.7% improvement over baseline (0.423 kg/kWh), while energy consumption decreased by 15.9% (from 3.78 to 3.18 kWh). The SEC showed remarkable improvement, reducing from 2.37 to 1.93 kWh/kg H₂O (18.5% reduction). Total moisture removal increased by 3.3% (from 1.598 to 1.650 kg), achieving 78.6% weight reduction compared to 76.1% baseline. Most significantly, the top configuration achieved a final moisture content of 6.6% wet basis, meeting commercial standards (<10%), while baseline and bottom configurations resulted in 16.3% and 13.0% respectively, both failing to meet commercial requirements. In contrast, the bottom-positioned dehumidifier showed moderate performance with SMER of 0.474 kg/kWh (12.2% improvement over baseline) and energy consumption of 3.41 kWh (9.8% reduction), achieving SEC of 2.11 kWh/kg H₂O (10.8% improvement) and 77.0% weight reduction. These findings demonstrate that natural dehumidifier placement significantly influences both energy performance and final product quality, with top positioning being the only configuration capable of achieving commercial moisture standards while delivering optimal energy efficiency in small to medium-scale turmeric drying operations.

• Periodical: Engineering Headway (Volume 38)
• Pages: 191-199
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-W6f5Vc
• Online since: June 2026
• Authors: Putu Wijaya Sunu*, Daud Simon Anakottapary, Si Putu Gede Gunawan Tista, Wiwik Purwadi, I. Dewa Gede Agus Tri Putra
• Keywords: Energy Performance, Multi-Rack Cabinet, Natural Dehumidifier, Turmeric Drying

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