KARAIKAL: National Institute of Technology- Puducherry (NITPy), Karaikal, has developed a solar-powered dryer that would help prepare dry fish (Karuvaadu) hygienically.
It will be donated to fisherfolk in Kottucherrymedu. “The double-slope solar dryer is capable of producing better quality dried fish compared to open sun drying in terms of drying rate and hygiene,” said NITPy Director Dr K Sankaranarayanasamy.
The dryer weighs about 1.5 tonnes and can dry 300 kg to 700 kg of fish. It is made of galvanised iron and coated with anodised paint to withstand the corrosive effects of salinity resulting from installation close to the sea.
“Our fish dryer would be a unique model, although other models have been introduced in the past. We are introducing a mechanism for forced convection within the dryer, which is used to remove excess heat inside the chamber. We would apply for a patent,” said N Sendhil Kumar, Head of the NTPy Mechanical Engineering Department.
“We were been struggling to prepare fish like kola. Now, we can dry them faster and without having to worry about health issues,” said AM Chandran, a fisher representative.