Moringa Leaf Dryer. Matt Johannes Andrew Entriken Jorge Jimenez Abdullah Hajjyeah

Transcription

1 Moringa Leaf Dryer Matt Johannes Andrew Entriken Jorge Jimenez Abdullah Hajjyeah ENGR 493: Leadership Principles Spring 2015 March 16, 2015

2 1 1. Abstract The Moringa Leaf Drying team was given the task of designing two leaf drying prototypes: one that can be mounted on the back of a pickup truck, and another that can be used industrially in Zimbabwe for our client, Roberta. Following the research phase of the process, where important information about the designs was determined, three design concepts were generated, giving the team flexibility in their final design choice. The truck bed designs will then be built and tested and one of the other two designs will be sent to Roberta for industrial use.

3 2 Table of Contents 1. Abstract 1 2. Introduction Background Problem Statement Objectives Process Steps Establishing Direction i. Mission ii. Vision...3 iii. Values..4 iv. Strategies Concept Generation and Selection Future Work.6 5. References Appendix Appendix A: Gantt Chart Link....7

4 3 2. Introduction 2.1 Background Moringa Oleifera are a very nutritious type of food and is native to areas in Central America, the Caribbean, northern countries in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. It has a very high health value since the leaves alone can introduce Vitamins A, B, C, and K into diets, in addition to manganese, protein, and other essential nutrients. 2.2 Problem Statement There is currently no cost-effective and electricity independent machine to dry moringa leaves after they are stripped from their branches. Our client, Roberta Pippet, is in need of such a machine in order to allow her factory to efficiently produce dried moringa leaves in Zimbabwe. 2.3 Objectives The objective of the Moringa Leaf Drying Team is to design and construct a costeffective leaf dyer that is easily built and operated and is adaptable for use in various locations. The design must also be electricity independent and must have the ability to eventually be expanded upon so that it can be operated at night. 3. Process Steps 3.1 Establishing Direction Mission The mission of the moringa leaf drying team is to provide energy efficient and electric power independent leaf drying mechanisms that facilitate the harvesting process and increase the production rate of pure leaves Vision The vision of the moringa leaf drying team is that we will produce quality and easily manageable product that can be used to boost the economy in technologically starved areas.

5 Values The values of the moringa leaf drying team are as follows: 1. Respond positively to criticism 2. Remain open to new and untested ideas 3. adapt to the confinements of various limiting situations 4. be aware of existing values and practices Strategies In order to keep up with our Gantt Chart goals, the moringa leaf drying team is aiming to meet at least once a week in order to collaborate and update each other on the progress of our individual tasks. Each members is expected to spend 3-6 hours a week working on the project, which should be a sufficient amount of time to stay on schedule and complete the project in a timely manner. In addition, the team is going to maintain contact with Roberta to ensure that our goals and progress are aligned with her expectations, thus securing that the project is moving in the right direction. 3.2 Concept Generation and Selection Concept generation was focused on the leaf drying machine itself, rather than the other components of Roberta s factory. The process began with benchmarking current designs we found online to determine what would be the most efficient generic design structure. We then decided to design three prototypes: one that would fit in a truck bed, an individual machine for the factory, and a machine that takes up the entire room of the factory. Concept 1: Professor Erdman assigned this design as an auxiliary assignment to assist with the drying process during the transport of moringa leaves. This being said, the design was focused on constructing a portable moringa leaf dryer that was capable of fitting and functioning on a truck bed. Because of the rapid rate of mold growth often associated with moringa harvesting process, this dryer concept focuses primarily on portability. This dryer will allow the moringa harvesters to begin drying the branches instantly after being cut from the tree. The truck bed leaf dryer will ultimately reduce the time needed to dry the leaves at the factory, will allow for simplified leaf separation at the factory (because of the lack of moisture) and will

6 5 significantly reduce the mold growth on the leaves while still in the field. The portable truck bed leaf dryer includes two different modules: the leaf box and the heat panel. The dryer box itself is to be constructed of a combination of 1 x 1, 2 x 4 and standard plywood boards. It is designed to hold 8 total trays, each 17 x 22 in dimension. Four trays are to be inserted on each side of the truck in order to maintain structural stability (avoid issues related to top-heaviness). The drying trays are to be constructed with a wooden frame and a screen bottom; this will provide a durable tray that allows for ample air flow through the harvested branches. The second module that this design requires is the heating panel. Since the truck bed dryer is heated solely using natural convection, this panel is designed to both generate substantial amount of heat and direct it into the drying box. An average truck bed ranges from in width, and so this heating panel has been set at 50 inches to assure versatility. This box is to be constructed with a wooden frame, black corrugated roofing sheets, and a plexiglass sheeting. The plexiglass will magnify the sun rays directly onto the black sheeting placed within the box. This will head the air within, causing it to move upwards into the box while simultaneously drawing more air from the outside into the heating module. The top of the thin module is connected to a small vent in the bottom of the dryer box, and is angled downwards to the base of the truck bed. This will allow for air to naturally heat and flow upwards into the dryer box because of fundamental heat flow properties. After implementing this drying unit into the field, workers will be able to harvest more quickly and reduce mold growth, consequently providing a cleaner and more pure product for sale and distribution Concept 2: The second design was intended to function as individual units that Roberta can building and place in her factory rooms as she sees fit. It is made up of three main components: the air heating section, the furnace, and the ventilation tube. The air heating section is located outside the factory and consists of a glass cover with a black background that air flows into, at which point it is heated, causing the air to rise into the furnace chamber. The furnace chamber consists of dowel rods running perpendicular to the door that hold trays of moringa leaves and ones that run parallel to the door that control how far in the trays can go. The edge of the trays line up against the parallel dowel rods in a

7 6 slanted line pattern, allowing the hot air to flow around the trays as it rises and for the leaves to be heated evenly. The air then finally leaves the furnace chamber through the ventilation tube, which has the ability to control the temperature of the furnace chamber by controlling the diameter of the exit tube. The smaller the diameter, the hotter the chamber stays, allowing us to regulate the temperature and produce the best product possible. The dimensions of this design are flexible since that s the goal of this design: Roberta can fit it to any room she needs to. The only restriction is that it needs to be located near an exterior wall so that it is easy to heat the exterior air to dry the leaves. If there is a large distance between the outside air and the system, then more heat will be lost along the way and that will cost Roberta more money to insulate the pipes better. Concept 3: The third design is the complete room design intended to have the walls lined with trays holding the leaves, leaving a hallway to cross. This design though requires Roberta to change her design to have 8 x 10 designs instead of 4 x 10, in essence merging the 4 rooms into 2. We decided to make this design more accessible by making the rooms itself the dryer but the trays are in racks which are moveable to make exchanging the leaves easier. Each room will fit 4 racks measuring 2 x 4.5 to allow room space in the middle to access the trays. The vents would be placed in the same way concept 2 works but applied to the room itself instead of the specific dryer. 4. Future Work The Moringa Leaf Drying Team intends to build the truck bed machine within the next two weeks, allowing us to then test the design and make necessary improvements. This will allow us to provide better instructions for Roberta s designs as well, since those designs will be shipped to Zimbabwe for them to construct. 5. References Adelaja, A. O., and B. I. Babatope. "Analysis and Testing of a Natural Convection Solar Dryer for the Tropics." Journal of Energy 2013 (2013): 1-8. Web. 10 Feb "Solar Dryers." Never Ending Food. Never Ending Food, Web. 6 Feb

8 7 Weiss, Werner, and Josef Buchinger. "Solar Drying." AEE INTEC (n.d.): n. pag. AEE INTEC. Austrian Development Cooperation. Web. 4 Feb Appendix 6.1 Appendix A: Gantt Chart Link vhbmw/edit#gid=