Theoretical and Experimental Quantification of Solar Radiation through a Tracking System

This work deals with the estimation of solar radiation through a solar tracker aimed at evaluating the effect of solar tracking on the solar deposit in Burkina Faso. Using a two-axis solar tracking system, we experimentally measured solar radiation at our Joseph KI-ZERBO University site and compared it with that obtained by a numerical simulation run using Fortran programming software based on a mathematical model by Brichambaut. The results obtained from the mathematical and experimental studies show that, with a solar tracker, on a clear-sky day, solar irradiation is between 800 W·m−2 and 1000 W·m−2 between about 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., i.e. a duration of 8 hours of insolation. Analysis of the numerical and experimental results shows very good quantitative and qualitative agreement, with an average relative error of 18%.

Physical Transformations on Organic Product during Its Convective Drying: Case of Sweet Potato

This study highlighted the physical transformation that agri-food products undergo during their drying. This transformation enormously affects the customer’s choice and the profit margin of the dried product promoter. The example of the experimental study of the potato reveals that the product continually changes its dimensions during its drying. The more the product loses its water, the more the dimensions decrease. The results initially showed that the water parameters such as mass or water content decrease according to the drying principle. The dimensions length L., width l and thickness e. decrease following a linear trend whose mathematical equations which describe them are determined using the office tool, excel. This trend has repercussions on the surface and volume parameters which in turn decreases almost linearly with the product’s water content. Note that the coefficient R2 is not always acceptable, confirming the complex nature of the behavior of organic products.