Copra(Coconut) Dryer

Coconut’s major product is copra which is used for extraction of oil. Major coconuts are produced in Indonesia, Philippines, India. Moisture content of coconut is 50-55%. Coconut’s moisture level is reduced by drying it in open sun known as traditional drying. Drying is the phenomenon of transfer of mass and heat, which results in moisture reduction by evaporation under controlled condition. This system of drying has a defect of poor quality copra and it takes more days for drying (about 7 days). To reduce the drying time and to solve the problem of hygiene, induction heating is used to dry the coconut. It is the more efficient method for reducing the moisture content to 8.1% in 2 days and also for obtaining good quality copra. The drying air temperature is 60oC. The temperature and moisture is continuously monitored and the process is automatically controlled by arduino. The moisture and temperature level is indicated by lcd display. This method is used in rainy season and coconut will not be affected by fungi, dust etc.