A comparative assessment of distributive mode active solar dryers: Flat plate collector vs evacuated tube collector with thermal energy storage and perforated baffled trays

•The use of perforated baffles increased the turbulence in the flow and improved air velocities, mass, and heat transfer rate.•The addition of paraffin wax for thermal energy storage allowed the dryer to operate for 3.5 h without sunlight.•The finned tube heat exchanger provided higher efficiency, improved heat transfer, and consistent temperature control compared to the flat plate type dryer.•The airflow velocity increased by 13.75 times and the heat loss was decreased by 11 times. The drying time for 50 Kg of apricots is decreased by 5.28 times at a uniform temperature of 325.8 K in comparison to the first dryer. This study compares two distributive mode active solar dryers: one featuring a flat plate collector with non-uniform drying and the other incorporating an evacuated tube collector (ETC), thermal energy storage (TES), centrifugal blower, perforated baffled trays (PBT), phase change material (PCM), and a drying chamber with enhanced insulation. While the flat plate solar dryer exhibits non uniform non continuous drying, continuous solar dryer exhibits continuous and uniform drying. The evaluation of dryer performance involved mathematical modelling and simulations using ANSYS Fluent software, encompassing the analysis of flow and temperature distribution within the drying chamber. The simulation study also captured the transient behaviour of the PCM during the melting and solidification processes. Results demonstrated that incorporating the perforated baffles significantly enhanced turbulence, improving air velocities, mass transfer, and heat transfer rates. Furthermore, introducing paraffin wax for TES enabled the dryer to operate autonomously for 3.5 h without direct sunlight. The finned tube heat exchanger allowed the continuous solar dryer to achieve higher efficiency, enhanced heat transfer, and consistent temperature control compared to the flat plate dryer. This was evident in the substantial increase in airflow velocity by 13.75 times and a notable reduction in heat loss by a factor of 11. Consequently, the drying time for 50 kg of apricots was significantly reduced by 5.28 times, maintaining a uniform temperature of 325.8 K unlike the flat plate dryer.