Norbu, Pema creator Exell, R.H.B. Chairperson Bhattacharya, Sribas C. Examination Committee Supachart C. Examination Committee Government of Austria Scholars h"ip Donor text th Bangkok Asian Institute of Technology 1992 continuing eng 55 leaves : ill. A solar drier for the purpose of seasoning timber was designed, constructed md tested at the AIT Energy Technology Park. The solar dri er was designed for a capacity of 2.35 m3 of timber, incorporating a two- pass collector with an effective absorber area of 10.8 m2 . Forced air circulation within the d1ier was maintained by direct coupling of four 12 V DC automobile radiator cooling fans to two 48 WP photovolt aic panels. The use of power regulation and storage was eliminated in order to reduce cost. In effect the design was to suit timber seasoning operations in areas where grid electrical power is not available. The drier wa,c; test ed in two phases. The first phase was determination of the collector performance which was undertaken under no-load conditions. The all- day efficiency detennined from t est data averaged over several consecutive clear days wac; 26 %. In the second phase, the drier wa,c; rw1 under a pre- d.iied timber load of 0.75 m3 which constituted of battens of size 2" width by l " t hickness. The timber in the solar kiln dried from an initial moisture content of about J 5 % dry basis to about 8 % in 8 days. Energy and mass balances on the kiln revealed that 31 % of the energy was lost through the kiln struct ure and about 7 % through leakages. The energy Jost through tJ1e vents as exhaust and energy utilized in bringing the inlet air upto operating temperature accounted for about 42 %. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Engineering Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology Solar dryers Kilns Asian Institute of Technology. http://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B16284 http://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B16284 290998 20260818090143.0