Design of an Efficient Drying System.pptVIP

Design of an Efficient Drying System Kyle Dollins Becca Hoey Michael Matousek BAE 4012 Problem Statement Develop a time and cost effective drying method to reduce the overhead associated with the increasing price of natural gas by improving the existing or proposing an alternative drying process. S S Farms Located in Hinton, Oklahoma 1200 acres of super hot chili peppers Used in the pharmaceutical industry Hand transplanted Mechanically harvested Problem Introduction Minimize fuel consumption Reduce moisture content, must be 5% Initial moisture content ranges between 30-60% Process 1.7 million pounds Averages 60,000 pounds per day Current Process Peanut wagons Peerless 103 dual 3-phase dryers Open sided barns open to the environment Natural gas burners Peppers remain in field as long as possible Milled into a powder Bagged and shipped Design Specifications Reduce fuel consumption of drying process Decrease dependence on manual labor Meet current production rates Simple operation Market Research Daika Peanut Dryer Model DDG 8000 Blueline Peanut Dryers Model 2712 Patents Search U.S. Patent No. 7,059,550 System and method for pulverizing and extracting moisture Venturi generates turbulent airflow Materials are turned into powder Cyclone separates powder from air Multiple stages increase drying Adding heat increases drying Literature Review Several articles using solar energy Impractical because drying occurs during the winter Solar panels used to reduce the amount of natural gas used Concept #1Peerless Dryer Modifications Uses majority of current equipment Modify Burner Modify Bed Depth Modify Burner Increase air temperature Increase burner efficiency Tests to Perform: Orifice size comparison Heating efficiency Modify Drying Bed Depth Originally designed to be ? full of peanuts Currently bins are full of peppers Increasing bed depth increases fuel efficiency Deeper beds also increase static pressure Static pressure affects fans efficiency Tests to perf