Earlier in the year, I used the parabolic solar reflector to steam soil and weed clippings for the garden. (Less weed seeds, fewer pathogens, and faster plant growth). From water boiling tests, I calculated that it was about 650 Watts. Now I have made a big "solar oven" for it and I have started dehydrating apples, plums, and tomatoes. The solar oven stays stationary, only the reflector moves. In theory, I should eventually be able to dehydrate as quickly as a very good home dehydrator because that is quite the amount of heat! The "Window" and the metal around it is uninsulated, and it lets heat and light into the solar oven. I have the door at the back a little bit open to let steamy air out. The solar oven contains about 125 liters of air and the idea is to shine the light in, and bring the temperature up from about 25C (ambient) to 55C which is good for drying. I don't have good drying trays set up yet, (maybe tomorrow) and so far it gets too hot, and apples often went too crispy. I need a fan with a long shaft so I can have the motor outside the oven, and the fan circulating air inside it. I don't know where to buy one or the components to make my own version. Anyway, 125 liters of air is approximately 153 grams. If 600 watts act just on that air, I calculated that it would take 11 seconds to go from 25 C to 55 C. Sounds like way too fast, and an error? I also calculated that 600 Watts would heat 14 grams by 30 C in about a second, and that means that I should be blowing air through the solar oven at a speed of about 11 to 12 liters per second. That sounds way too fast too! Of course, dehydration would be taking place and the evaporation of water will absorb a whole lot of energy, so maybe I can get away with blowing the air through at 5 or 6 liters per second? But even that sound like way too much. Can anyone give me some pointers? The size inside is a bit more than 50 cm by 50 cm by 50 cm and the door is at the back. I haven't insulated the door yet. bottom and sides are insulated with fiberglass batts. I haven't put on the outer shell yet, because I don't know where to put fans and holes for thermometer probes.

I put in the sides to hold the trays today, but I haven't made the trays yet. They will be stainless steel wire in wooden frames. Hopefully, I will get them done tomorrow. 
What are your thoughts on replacing the fireplace glass in the front with aluminum mosquito screen? Just let the air in through the screen and out the back through the slightly opened oven door? That might generate a decent passive air flow? So far, I have dehydrated plenty of apples, mint, runner beans, figs and plums, but I haven't got it right yet. (mostly too hot). I have video but not many photos. I hope this isn't too incoherent. The other thing I am thinking of doing is to get some aluminum oven fake pans, paint the black and cut them up to make a square grid (like a beehive but square and open at the bottom of the cells too. That would go where the glass is now, and the idea is to have it as an air intake and also a kind of heat absorber. I think the cells would be about a cm wide, and 2 to 5 cm deep. It would be a pain to make them, but they might be good to make passive warm airflow into the solar oven. This is a tracking dehydrator, it gets pretty much the same amount of heat all day from the first rays hitting it to the last rays in the evening. I see many designs with a big glass collector over black material with the air then going to the fruit in cabinet behind. Some cabinets are higher than the collector and some lower. I get why cabinets are higher, but why lower? (Water Vapor is substantially lighter than air, so air with vapor in it will rise, not fall, when it evaporates. (Even if the air cools when it evaporates, I still think it will be lighter. Any thoughts? If I put up video it will probably end up in this playlist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC54r_g2fCk&list=PLkzXlmAwZTZdyYP35Jj9Vg5bz-n2-_QnW
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