Dry Chamber Research Articles

Conditioning in the promotion and uniformization of Umbu seed germination

Abstract Seed dormancy may decrease during storage and some environmental conditions may accelerate this process. The aim of this work was to determine efficient techniques to condition umbu seeds in order to promote and standardize their germination. Seeds were stored for 180 days in paper bags kept in five ambient conditions: laboratory (25 ºC and 55% RH); warm oven (40 °C and 53% RH); hot oven (50 °C and 49% RH); dry chamber (18 °C and 65% RH) and cold chamber (10 °C and 65% RH). Seed quality was evaluated every 60 days by means of the following tests and determinations: water content; germination test (25 °C and 55% RH, weekly evaluated up to 91 days after sowing); first count test (14 days); germination rate index; mean germination time and electrical conductivity. The conditioning of umbu seeds in laboratory, or in warm oven (40 ºC) used efficient techniques to promote and standardize germination; under these conditions, after six months of storage, germination increased from 31% to 84 and 74%, respectively.

Modeling of thermal mode of drying special purposes ceramic products in batch action chamber dryers

The article is devoted to the modeling of batch action chamber dryers in the processing line for producing shaped ceramic products. At the drying stage, for various reasons, most of these products are warped and cracked due to the occurrence of irregular shrinkage deformations due to the action of capillary forces. The primary cause is an untruly organized drying mode due to imperfection of chamber dryers design specifically because of the heat-transfer agent supply method and the possibility of creating a uniform temperature field in the whole volume of the chamber.

Germination and vigor of stored Jatropha (Jatropha curcars L.) seeds

Abstract: Jatropha seeds are classified as orthodox. However, since it is an oil seed species, adequate storage conditions are required to ensure their longevity. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physiological quality of jatropha seeds stored in different environments and packaging, for periods of 3, 9 and 15 months. Three types of seed packaging bags (high density plastic bag, aluminized envelope and multiwall paper bag) were used, and the storage environments were cold and dry chamber (20 °C and 15% RH, constant), refrigerator (7 ± 3 °C, 48 ± 8% RH) and laboratory conditions (25 ± 3 °C, 51 ± 7% RH). The initial moisture content and seed germination were 7.1% and 89%, respectively. During storage, the physiological quality (germination and vigor) and moisture content of the seeds were evaluated. Seed water content ranged from 3.3 to 7.7%, depending on the permeability of the packaging and the storage environment. The highest longevity (15 months) without loss of viability was observed for jatropha seeds with initial moisture of 7.1%, packed in semipermeable plastic. Seed vigor was maintained, regardless of the environment and the type of packaging used, for up to nine months of storage.

Development of autonomous food dehydration system based on building integrated photovoltaic thermal technology

This study aims to share experience in designing, building, and testing of a portable and energetically autonomous food dehydration system based on the air type building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPVT) roof and to perform simulations of drying system performance under different climates. The drying system is based on air-type BIPVT collectors as main heat and electricity sources. BIPVT collectors are metal sheet integrated photovoltaic (PV) modules with the air gap organized under PV modules. The total power of PV panels is 1 kW. In addition, the system comprises a piping system, a fan, batteries, dampers, heat recovery unit, a drying chamber, and an electrical heater for auxiliary heating. The system can work in three operational modes depending on weather conditions. During indoor experiments, the irradiance to heat conversion ratio was obtained, which is the ratio of irradiance power solar on top of the roof to heating power produced by the system. It was about 0.4 kW/kW in mode 1 and 0.5 kW/kW in mode 2. However, the results of the simulations showed that it is possible to achieve the irradiance to heat conversion ratio between 0.3 and 1.2 kW/kW depending on the air flow rate and the operational mode. The results of the simulations during the period June – September showed that the total heat energy produced by the system is 3223 and 3479 kWh in Tallinn and Provence, respectively. However, for autonomous operation for 24/7, the system requires additional electricities of 355 and 142 kWh in Tallinn and Provence, respectively. When the irradiance level is higher than 300 W/m2 in Provence and 400 W/m2 in Tallinn, the system is fully autonomous.

Microwave- and ultrasound-assisted convective drying of raspberries: Drying kinetics and microstructural changes

ABSTRACTThe drying kinetics, microstructural alteration, and rehydration properties of raspberry samples were studied experimentally in this work. Five different drying programs with the application of microwaves (MW) and ultrasound (US) were used, including convective drying (CV) as a reference test. The drying experiments were performed using a hybrid chamber dryer equipped with airborne ultrasound and microwave generators. The modified Page model was successfully used to describe the drying kinetics of raspberry fruits. Next, microstructural properties (porosity and total pore volume) of the dried samples were determined from the postprocessing of the images which were acquired using a lab-scale X-ray microtomograph. The results show a significantly shorter drying time by 54–64% for CVUS, 69% for CVMW, and 79% for CVMWUS; and a lower energy consumption resulting in energy saving of 14–23% for CVUS, 54% for CVMW, and 59% for CVMWUS as compared to CV. It is also shown that the average drying rate of raspberry samples increases by maximum fourfold with the application of both ultrasound and microwave radiations in CV. In addition, a higher porosity, total pore volume, and a better rehydration property were found for the raspberry samples dried with US than with MW assistance.

Experimental investigation on a solar dryer integrated with condenser unit of split air conditioner (A/C) for enhancing drying rate

Abstract In an indirect forced circulation solar dyer, solar thermal energy is primarily used for drying the commodities while electrical energy is used for operating the blower/fan to force air through the collector and drying chamber. In few applications, electrical energy is also being used in auxiliary heater to speed the drying process and assist drying during non sun shine hours. The aim of this research work is to eliminate the use of electricity in the indirect solar dryers by utilizing split A/C condenser unit that is placed outdoors. This idea will eliminate the electrical energy requirement for blower/fan to force air in the drying chamber and enable to use thermal energy dissipated from split A/C system as auxiliary heating source. For this purpose, an integrated solar dryer that uses hot air from split A/C condenser was fabricated in house and the drying behavior of sultana grapes was investigated in the present work. Drying experiments were carried out in the locality of Tiruchirappalli (78.6°E & 10.8°N), Tamil Nadu, India during summer months of April and May 2016. The use of split A/C condenser outlet cooling air reduced the drying time of grapes by 16.7% compared with open sun drying method. A possibility of 13% increase in solar dryer efficiency was demonstrated due to the integration of solar dryer with A/C condenser unit compared to the conventional indirect solar dryer. From the experimental results, it was found that the exponential model is capable of describing the drying characteristics of seedless grapes. Predicted values of moisture ratio were in good agreement with experimental values. The exergy analysis indicated increased heat availability inside the dryer chamber.

Integrated hybrid solar drying system and its drying kinetics of chamomile

Abstract An integrated solar system was examined and worked for drying chamomile during the summer season 2013 in Germany. The system consisted of collector, heat exchanger, reflector, main drying chamber below collector, additional drying chamber and supplementary electric heaters immersed in water tank. It could also storage of solar energy into water during the time of sun-shine and reuse this energy at cloudy weather or off sunshine time to raise the temperature of drying air inside the system. The capacity of main drying chamber ranged 32–35 kg of fresh chamomile and 10–12 kg for the other separate drying chamber. Air temperature inside the dryer could be maintained as desired range for drying chamomile using a temperature controller. The integrated dryer was operated about 30–33 h to reduce the moisture contents of chamomile from 72-75%–6% (wb) compared to 60 h to reduce it to 9–10% (wb) using open sun drying method. Nine mathematical models for drying kinetics of chamomile were tested to determine the parameters of the best suitable models for those plants. It is found Midili model was the best model to define drying kinetics of chamomile for the main and additional drying chambers in solar system.

Chia Seeds Storage in Different Environmental Conditions and Packages

In general, seeds are not used immediately after harvesting. For this reason, they have to be stored for future use, which requires the maintenance of their viability during the storage time by applying the appropriate conservation technology for each species. This study aimed to evaluate whether package and environmental conditions interfere with the physiological quality of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) stored for 12 months. The experiment consisted of a completely randomized design in a 3 × 3 × 4 factorial scheme, with four replications, using three packages, three storage environments, and four storage times. After each storage time, seeds were subject to germination and vigor tests (emergence and electrical conductivity). Chia seeds can be stored in a cold or dry chamber, in plastic, glass, or paper containers, for 12 months, without hindering seeds physiological quality.

DRYING OF THOMPSON SEEDLESS GRAPES IN THIN-LAYER USING A BIOGAS DRYER

A biogas dryer was developed to study experimentally drying behavior of Thompson seedless grapes under Alexandria Governorate, Egypt conditions. Drying experiments are carried out in the month of August 2016. During the experimentation, temperatures of air at various places in the dryer, ambient relative humidity and humidity variation in drying chamber and mass of the dried grape are measured on hourly basis. four kg of Thompson seedless grapes are dried in forced convection heat transfer mode from initial moisture content of 79% (wb) to final moisture content 14% (wb) in 44 hours. The drying was carried out under uncontrolled condition. The average drying chamber temperature was around 51.98 °C. The biogas burner efficiency was 62.06 %. The effect of heating source on color change of the dried grapes was investigated. Color data were obtained using a high-resolution digital camera and lighting box and the images were analyzed quantitatively using Photoshop to get the L, a and b in the Histogram Window. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant effect of heating source on color data of the dried grapes. Regardless of the heating source, all raisins had varying degrees of brown coloring. The dried grapes by the biogas dryer had lower browning index (BI) of 43.52 indicating good quality. It could be concluded that the farmers can use biogas energy to enhance its utilization to produce good quality raisins.

Design and Development of Solar/LPG powered Areca-nut leaf Plate Press Machine and Areca Leaf Sheath-Solar dryer

The whole idea is to produce eco-friendly plates from the sheaths of the Areca palm tree leaves. The technology developed for and employed in the project has negated the issues of production challenges that occurred due to humid weather conditions, high cost machines and low quality and fungus prone products. We have ergonomically designed the press machine. The dried sheaths are placed inside the machine using the required die size to manufacture plates and bowls of different sizes. The upper die plate made of aluminium is heated using electricity. Then the sheath is placed on the lower die and will be pressed against the upper die to create plate. In order to remove moisture content, we have designed an indirect forced convection Solar dryer. With integrated cutters in die, a separate cutter mechanism is avoided to prevent reduction of sheath waste. The most distinguished achievement of the project lies in its ability to develop entrepreneurial spirit among the rural unemployed youth, by providing them a dignified livelihood generation activity. Further the current technology will ensure to produce plates at a cost of 1 rupee which is way less than banana leaf. Most of the existing machines are costly in nature and they range from 1.5 lakhs to 3 lakh rupees. Further most of these machines lack a drying chamber. The initiative boosts the growth of palm trees ensuring year round employment and women empowerment leading towards creation of a self-sustained rural economic model.

PHYSIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL AND CONSERVATION OF MURUCI (Byrsonima crassifolia) SEEDS

ABSTRACT The goal of the present study is to assess the physiological potential of Byrsonima crassifoliaseeds and analyze the procedures of the germination and tetrazolium tests, as well as the conservation of such seeds by testing different combinations of packaging and environment. The experiment used pyrenes of the clone Açu, collected from mother plants in the germplasm collection of muruci plants of Embrapa Amazonia Oriental, in Belém, Brazil. Different temperatures were tested in the germination test (25, 30, 35 and 20 - 30 ºC). The best methodology and assessment dates were determined for the test, and the seedlings of the species were characterized. Viability was assessed with the tetrazolium test, with combinations of hydration methods (by immersion and between paper towels), staining periods (3 and 4 h) and concentrations of tetrazolium solution (0.5, 0.7 and 1.0%). Storage of muruci pyrenes was evaluated at three, six and twelve months, in polyethylene and Kraft paper bags, under dry chamber and refrigerator conditions. The study used a randomized block design with four replicates. The data underwent analysis of variance. In conclusion, the physiological potential of seeds of B. crassifoliacan be assessed by the germination test conducted in sand, with alternating temperatures of 20-30 ºC, or with the use of the tetrazolium test (with staining for three hours in the tetrazolium solution at 1.0%) as a rapid assessment of viability. Muruci pyrenes can be kept in polythene or paper Kraft bags for up to 12 months, in a dry chamber at 16 ºC and with relative air humidity of 50 to 60%.

Production of dried shrimp mixed with turmeric and salt by Spouted Bed technique enter the rectangular chamber.

Today, dried shrimp in the market were refused food colour and drying until shrimp are colourful and tasty. Meanwhile, Community groups, women’s health trying to produce food products come from herbs. As an alternative to consumers. The production process is also a traditional way to dry. In order to extend the shelf life longer. Sometimes, potential risks, both in quality and quantity of products. As a result, consumers are enormous. Thus, this research aims to study the possibility to produce shrimp dried mixed with turmeric and salt. Then dried shrimp mixed with turmeric and salt to keep up the quality criteria of the Food and Drug Administration-FDA It can reduce the risk of the consumer and can keep up in a kitchen Thailand. When buying shrimp from the fisherman’s boat Will be made clear, clean impurities and shaking the sand to dry. Prepare a mixture of turmeric and salt. The shrimp were dipped into a beef with stirrer for 3 minutes. And scoop up centrifugal shrimp with dried. Measurement of initial moisture content averaging 78%wb. Then drying technique Spouted enter the rectangular chamber a continuous manner. Until average moisture content to 17%wb. The air temperature in the drying chamber at 180 °C and hot air speed 4.5 m/s, a state heat transfer Mass and moisture within the shrimp. In chamber when drying, the shrimp have moved freely behaviour can spit water out faster does not burn. Shaving legs of shrimp shell fragments lightweight is sorting out the top of drying chamber. Private shrimp were dried out to the front of the quad drying chamber. Power consumption 27.5 MJ/kg, divided into electrical energy 12.3 MJ/kg and thermal energy is 15.2 MJ/kg. The hot air comes from burning LPG gas burner with dual automatic. And can adjustable to room temperature drying characteristics modulation setting.

Electrodeposition of Al from Dimethyl Sulfone-Aluminum Chloride Baths Under Dry Air

Electrodeposition of Al requires the use of a non-aqueous bath, and it is usually carried out under an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen and argon using a glove box to protect the bath from absorbing moisture. However, the operation of the electrodeposition process under such conditions reduces the producibility and increases the cost, hindering its industrialization. If Al electrodeposition can be carried out in dry air, it would facilitate the operation and drastically lower the process cost. In this study, we examine the feasibility of the electrodeposition of Al under dry air using an organic bath, dimethylsulfone (DMSO2)-AlCl3 system (1-6). The electrodeposition of Al was carried out at 110°C under dry air with a dew point of ~−60°C in a dry chamber. The electrodeposition was also carried out under Ar atmosphere using a glove box, and the deposits obtained under the two atmospheres were compared. Cyclic voltammetry and XRD analysis of the deposits confirmed that the Al metal can be electrodeposited from the DMSO2-AlCl3 bath even in dry air. However, the Al film obtained in dry air tended to have black spots and a rough surface with scratch-like non-deposited portions. In contrast, a uniform, flat, silver-white Al film covering entirely the surface of the substrate is electrodeposited in Ar atmosphere under the same conditions, except for the atmosphere. This poor appearance of the Al film electrodeposited in dry air could be resolved by adding an additive to the bath. The current efficiency for the Al electrodeposition was slightly lower in dry air than that in Ar atmosphere, but it was still higher than 90%.

Procedure for setting up the drying regime that is consistent with the nature and properties of the clay raw material

ABSTRACTOver the past three decades, traditional ceramic facilities, such as chamber and tunnel dryers, are improved. Better thermotechnical equipment, operational strategies, and reliable scale-up methodologies have lead to higher quality of the dried clay roofing tiles. Although there has been a progress, up to this study, there is no universally or even widely applicable criterion, which could be used to precisely define the change of drying air parameters (humidity, temperature, and velocity) during the drying process. The objective of this study was to specify the variable air parameters that should be used during the drying process to approach as much as possible to the theoretically defined optimal drying process.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stitch welds of DH36 steel in local dry conditions

Friction stitch welding is a promising underwater solid-phase joining technology, and research on the process is important in both theory and engineering. Friction stitch welded joints obtained in underwater environments have high hardness, but poor mechanical properties. An underwater local dry chamber system was designed to avoid the disadvantage of fast cooling in wet conditions, which would assist in decreasing the hardness, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stitch welds of DH36 steel in local dry conditions were investigated. The results showed that, when using LF2 steel as plug material and the welding parameters of 7000-rpm plug rotating speed, 35-kN axial force, 40-kN forging force, 14-mm burn-off distance of the plug, 8-s forging time, and a 25° tapered bore with a 19° tapered plug, excellent mechanical properties were obtained in the weld produced in a local dry chamber in an underwater environment. The microstructure presented metallurgical bonding at the sidewalls and joint bottoms. The maximum hardness of the weld was 381 HV10, and the average was 300 HV10, which were lower than those obtained in wet conditions. The maximum tensile strength of the weld was 500 MPa. Tensile fracture occurred at the base metal under the average impact energy of 45 J at 0 °C on the bonding interface.

Fungicide Efficacy Against Botrytis cinerea at Different Positions on Grape Shoots

Fungicide efficacy at different positions on grape shoots was determined on vinelets inoculated with Botrytis cinerea. To ensure proper fungicide coverage, vinelets (table grape cultivar Dauphine, wine grape cultivar Merlot noir), prepared from cuttings, were sprayed in a spray chamber at the recommended dosages with iprodione, pyrimethanil, cyprodinil/fludioxonil and fenhexamid. Vinelets for the control treatment were left unsprayed. After 24 h the vinelets were dusted with dry, airborne conidia in a settling ower to reduce the sporadic occurrence of the pathogen on shoots and incubated for 24 h at high relative humidity (±93 % ) to promote infection. Fungicide efficacy was determined by observing intact vinelets for symptom expression at nodes, internodes, leaf blades, petioles and inflorescences, and by determining surface colonisation (shoots left unsterile) and penetration (surfacedisinfested shoots) by isolation studies. Symptoms of B. cinerea decay did not develop on sprayed and unsprayed vinelets that were kept in dry chambers during the 2-week observation period. The pathogen, however, developed from the isolated parts. On the unsprayed vinelets for both cultivars B. cinerea incidences recorded on two media and the two sterility regimes were significantly higher on leaf blades than on the petioles, shoot pieces and inflorescences. The isolation studies showed that the different fungicides were highly and nearly equally efficient in reducing superficial B. cinerea and latent infection at the various positions. In the case of leaf blades B. cinerea incidence was significantly reduced by each fungicide on both cultivars. This was not the case for the other parts, which yielded B. cinerea at low incidences under the two sterility regimes. The study showed that the fungicides used in this study, if applied properly to shoots at the pre-bloom stage, should effectively reduce the amount of B. cinerea in leaves and completely prevent the infection of nodes, internodes and inflorescences.

Modeling and simulated design: A novel model and software of a solar-biomass hybrid dryer

Solar-biomass hybrid dryers are widely used as environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel dryers for the preservation of agricultural food products. However, the design and optimization of hybrid dryers often involve construction of expensive prototype systems and time-consuming studies. This study presents a novel hybrid dryer model and a dryer design and simulation software, which can be used to improve hybrid dryer design efficiency. The methodologies adopted are those of functional analysis, mathematical modeling and virtual prototyping, with SolidWorks employed for CAD modeling, and Matlab for numerical simulations and implementation of mathematical models into a user interface. The software package has as main functions (a) dimensioning the hybrid dryer, which comprises a solar collector, combustion reactor and tunnel drying chamber, (b) cost analysis and financial appraisal, and (c) temperature dynamic simulation in the system. The novel software has been successfully employed to dimension a hybrid dryer for drying of green pepper.

Diving under the influence: issues in researching personality and inert gas narcosis.

This paper considers the relationship between measures of personality and mood states, and susceptibility to inert gas narcosis. It briefly reviews the topics of inert gas narcosis affecting personality, and personality affecting the susceptibility to inert gas narcosis. There appears to be is a theoretical argument for a possible relationship between measures of personality, mood states, and susceptibility to narcosis. Practically, such a relationship may speak to issues in selection, training and preparation, risk assessments, and even accident investigation in the diving and/or hyperbaric environment. Twenty one divers completed measures of personality and mood states, and were then compressed to 709 kPa (equivalent to 60 msw) in a dry compression chamber, where they completed a task measuring speed of information processing, and a scale measuring subjective narcosis. The main finding was the absence of any significant correlations between measures of personality traits and mood, and susceptibility to inert gas narcosis. Although the study found no evidence of any major relationship, it is presented as a case study to highlight some of the issues and pitfalls involved in such research. The lessons learned - including the careful defining and describing of concepts, and choosing of samples and measurements - are used to discuss some of the methodological and conceptual issues and future directions for researchers to consider.

Development of an Automated System for Modeling and Prediction of Physical Processes in Wood Drying Chambers

Proper understanding of the nature of the process of forecasting, modeling and research methods of wood drying is necessary to enable saving time and material resources in developing real industrial projects in order to be implemented on the domestic and foreign markets. The object of our investigation is the aerodynamic processes in wood drying chambers that wiil be used for calculating the parameters of agent timber (ASD) using SolidWorks Flow Simulation software application. To perform the tasks we used software for automatic calculation and design of components for the wood drying chamber using the application-programming interface, which is called SolidWorks API. The primary objective in this work is to determine the correct choice points, which will be used to form the arrays of input for the training samples. To perform this task, we decided to divide the wood drying chamber into five planes, each of which is defined by twenty points. Firstly, we have created a radial-basis artificial neural network to get the value of any parameter for drying agent. The function of the neural network of radial basis has three layers. As a result of using the ‘Mynetwork' function, we have got the desired value parameter of drying agent in wood drying chamber at a given point and in a given time. Then, we proceed with the graphical representation of the results. To perform this task it was decided to create a graph, where you can track the temperature change of agent timber in space and time. Our space is presented by previously mentioned points that are placed along the perimeter of the drying wood chamber according to the coordinates, at the total number of 100 points. Therefore, to construct the graph of the appearance, we must specify two axes. To conclude, as the result of the work using SolidWorks Flow Simulation experiments, values of drying agent parameters, which include relative humidity, air velocity and its temperature were found. With the average value, graphs for parameter changes of drying agent by time were constructed. Another equally important task that was done was the creation of radial-basis neuron network, which would allow us to get values for parameters of drying agent anywhere in the chamber drying wood and at any time. Lastly, we have created the graphs for drying agent parameter. This task was also performed in the Matlab environment.

Evaluation of the pressing process during oil extraction from grape seeds

This study evaluated the physical properties and oil extraction from grape seeds from three white (Welschriesling, Green Veltliner, Hibernal) and two red (Zweigelt and Saint Laurent) must varieties of grapevine by cold screw pressing as the appropriate extraction process. Pressing was carried out by a screw press UNO FM 3F by Farmet Company, Czech Republic. The pressing device consists of a matrix, 220 mm screw, head, heating mantle, nozzle holder, and a nozzle of 10 mm in diameter. The minimal and maximal screw rotation speeds were chosen within the press characteristics in order to achieve a correct expression and to avoid press overload. For successful pressing of the seeds and their storage, their initial moisture content was lowered from 40 to 45% to about 5 to 8% in a chamber dryer. The temperature in the chamber dryer did not exceeded 40 °C. Seeds of all varieties were pressed at the same speeds of 20, 40, 60, and 80 rpm. The characteristics of the grape seeds are as follows: The density ranges from 602.7 to 606.3 kg.m-3, thousand seeds weigh is between 21.9 - 26.6 g, humidity between 5.6 - 7.1% of dry matter and seed oil content, determined by extraction and depending on the variety, ranges from 15.3 to 17.5% in dry basis. The results have confirmed that when the screw rotation speed is changed from 20 to 80 rpm, the press capacity increases on average from 0.84 kg.h-1 to 1.75 kg.h-1, but simultaneously the oil yield reduces from 9.85 to 6.75%. This means that one kilogram of seed may produce 67.5 to 98.5 g of oil. The quantity of the pressed oil ranges from 67.5 to 98.5 g.kg-1 and thus depends on the variety. The measured results can be used in commercial practice for optimizing the pressing process for pressing of oil from grape seeds.