Feed Hopper Research Articles

Design of a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Reactor for Bio-oil Production from Sawdust

Due to the ever increase in energy demand, it becomes imperative to design appropriate reactor for the conversion of available raw materials to energy source such as bio oil. A fluidized bed reactor is one the most promising reactor for the conversion of biomass to bio-oil via pyrolysis. This work take into consideration the design of fluidized bed reactor and its subsidiaries (cyclone, filter, condenser and feed hopper) to be used for bio-oil production using sawdust as the feedstock. The operating conditions were temperature between 400-6000C, pressure 9.9atm and flow rate 1.86m/s. From the design calculations, it was found that the volume of the reactor, area, height, diameter and minimum fluidized velocity were 15.0796mm3, 5026mm2, 300mm, 80mm and 1.86m/s respectively. The material for construction for the reactor is stainless steel because of its high thermal conductivity and resistance to corrosion.

Разработка устройства для обеззараживания ИК-излучением почвосмеси в тонком слое на конвейере

Pest and disease control in the cultivation of greenery is an integral part of obtaining a high-quality and high yield. Heat treatment is one of the best ways to combat plant diseases and pests and allows you to quickly create the necessary sterile conditions without the use of chemicals. A device for disinfection of soil mixtures in a thin layer by IR radiation on a conveyor is being developed for heat treatment. The prepared soil mixture from the feed hopper enters the conveyor belt in a thin layer. An IR emitter with adjustable power is installed above the conveyor belt. The movement of the conveyor belt should ensure heating in the soil mixture layer up to 100 ± 5 ° C. This is controlled by a temperature sensor, which sends a signal via a programmable relay to the conveyor motor and regulates its movement. The disinfection process allows to achieve high energy efficiency due to software regulation, taking into account optimal modes and control of the processing temperature. Keywords: DISINFECTION, IR RADIATION, HEATING, SURFACE, SOIL MIXTURE, DISEASES, PESTS, CONVEYOR

Development of Power Operated Garlic Peeler

Garlic bulbs are highly valued for their flavor and hold significant commercial importance due to their extensive medicinal properties and applications in food and pharmaceutical preparations. One of the essential preliminary steps before any subsequent processing activity is garlic peeling. Traditional methods such as hand peeling, flame peeling, oven peeling, and chemical peeling are commonly used in processing industries, large restaurants, hotels, and kitchens. However, these methods are laborious, time-consuming, cost-intensive, and limit the speed of processing activities. Due to its unique shape, mechanical peeling of garlic has not yet been effectively addressed by process engineers. Additionally, this task requires special care and skill to minimize material damage. With this in mind, a study was conducted to develop a power-operated garlic peeler aimed at alleviating the issues associated with traditional peeling methods and enhancing the processing and export of garlic and its products. The developed garlic peeler features a feed hopper, rubber pad, concave mechanism, and power transmission system. Its performance was evaluated at various combinations of shaft speed, feed rate mechanism, and operating speed. Based on the results, optimal values for the study variables were recommended for the prototype garlic peeler, considering peeling efficiency and the yield of peeled and unpeeled garlic cloves. The performance of the prototype garlic peeler with the recommended specifications was then evaluated. The developed garlic peeler achieved an effective peeling efficiency of 71.93%, with a minimal percentage of damaged garlic at a speed of 850 rpm and an operating time of 80 seconds, with a capacity of 2.88 kg/hr at 850 rpm. Additionally, it was observed that the cost of operation for the developed garlic peeler was Rs. 1.89 per hour to peel 1 kg of garlic, which is lower than the cost associated with hand peeling.

Determination of Hopper Fullness of Smart Screw Press Using Machine Learning

Problem statement. This research addresses the challenge of accurately determining the fullness of the hopper within a screw press for optimal oil extraction efficiency and quality. Existing weight or volume-based measurement methods can often struggle with determining the feed hopper fullness due to variable oil weights during extraction stages, material heterogeneity, environmental influences and imprecise instrument calibration. Purpose. The study proposes a novel solution via the application of machine learning, specifically aiming to develop and validate a technique that uses acoustic signals to calculate screw press bowl load. Methodology. To implement this solution, the study uses quantitative research, data collection and data analysis, supervised learning. The method is based on the processing of audio data received from microphones located near the auger and the use of machine learning algorithms, such as sound classification. Model training process was facilitated by ML tool Arduino. Findings. The results of this study, facilitated by effective data analysis via ML tools, demonstrate that the evaluated filling level of the screw press hopper can effectively be determined by the sound signals produced and corresponding machine learning algorithms. Originality. The distinct advantage of this approach lies in its ability to automate the monitoring and operational control process of the oil press, thereby improving device efficiency and resource conservation. Practical value. The proposed approach allows to automate the process of determining the fullness of the bowl and monitor the condition of the auger by its sound characteristics. This solution can be utilized in the oil production industry to enhance the productivity of the screw presses. This research underscores the promise of machine learning applications and the potential for future research focusing on improving model adaptability and developing predictive maintenance systems. These future investigative scopes could essentially revolutionize monitoring and operational practices within the oil extraction industry.

МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ ПОДХОД К ИССЛЕДОВАНИЮ И ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЮ МЕХАНИЧЕСКИХ ДИСКОВЫХ БУНКЕРНЫХ ЗАГРУЗОЧНО-ОРИЕНТИРУЮЩИХ УСТРОЙСТВ

The article describes the main stages of research and design of mechanical disk hopper-orientating devices for asymmetric parts of rotating bodies, which make it possible to ensure the required productivity and high reliability of technological equipment based on the regularities of functioning of hopper-orientating devices. The tasks that should be solved at each stage of research and design are considered. A detailed example of the calculation, design, and investigation of an improved mechanical disk hopper feeding orientator with radial rectangular pockets, an annular orientator, and radial comb-shaped slots for a solid, frustoconical end piece is provided. The results obtained during the research and design of the improved design of the hopper feeding-orienting device made it possible to determine the ranges of operating values of the design parameters and the circumferential speed of the gripping organs, at which the device will reliably function and ensure its greatest feed rate.

Design, and Construction of Power-Operated Garlic (Allium Sativum L.) Bulbs Breaker for Ethiopian Garlic

Garlic bulb breaking is the unit operation through which cloves are separated to facilitate additional processing. This research work was carried out to design, and manufacture a prototype garlic bulb breaker for a Holeta local garlic variety grown in Ethiopia. The machine consisted of a feed hopper, a garlic separator (two rollers), a fan, outlets for cloves and trash (husk, root, and stem), the main frame, and a drive system. These components and machine assembling were designed using Solidworks software (Version S 2019). The economics of the constructed garlic bulb-breaker such as material and fabrication costs and cost of operation were evaluated with results of 9264.8 ETB and 76.89 ETB/hr, respectively. The cost saved by constructing a garlic bulb breaker over manual garlic bulb breaking by the labor force for planting and processing purposes was 83.42 and 86.63%, respectively. Therefore, the machine could be designed, and constructed for the best cost saved by constructing a garlic bulb breaker over manual garlic bulb breaking.

Design and Development of an Engine Driven Onion Grading Machine

Onion (Allium cepa, L.) is one of Ethiopia’s highly cultivated vegetable crops. Farmers across the country sell their onions without grading them, which results in post-harvest losses during packing and transporting. As a result, modern technologies like engine-operated grading systems are essential. So, the design and development of an onion grading machine was undertaken at Asella Agricultural Engineering Research Center (AAERC). The physical and mechanical properties of the selected onion bulb variety were considered during the design. The developed grader consists of the mainframe, feeding hopper, grading unit, outlets, power source, and power transmission system. The cost of the grader was estimated to be 20,880.99 ETB and believed that it is simple in design, easy in operation, and found to be suitable for small and medium-scale farmers.

Characterization of different solid fuels from waste for an advanced online fuel control system designed for large-scale incineration plants.

Despite many years of experience in the incineration of solid fuels from waste, the heterogeneity of solid fuels and their varying properties still pose a challenge for a stable and clean combustion in large-scale incineration plants. In modern facilities such as municipal waste incineration plants there still exists a lack of knowledge on the exact amount and calorific value of waste entering onto the grate. Based on the works of Warnecke et al. and Zwiellehner et al., in our project 'AdOnFuelControl', we determined the initial bulk density at the feed hopper by measuring the weight of the waste via the crane weigher and the volume via a high-performance 3D laser scanner. With the help of the determined bulk density, the lower heating value (LHV) and the compression in the feed hopper were calculated. All this information was integrated into the combustion control system, which provided a high potential for an optimized operation of the plant. In this article, six different fuels (fresh and aged municipal solid waste, refuse-derived fuel (fluff), refuse-derived fuel (fine grain), waste wood and dried, grained sewage sludge) were examined for the elemental composition, the LHV, fuel-specific parameters and the compression behaviour. In addition, initial tests with the 3D laser scanner as well as formulas for the calculation of the density in the feed hopper were presented. Based on the results of the experiments, the chosen approach seems very promising for optimized combustion control in large-scale incineration plants. As a next step, the gained knowledge and technology should be integrated in the municipal waste incineration plant.

Development and Performance Evaluation of Watermelon Pulper Based on Mechanical Action of Crushing and Shearing Force

Pulpers available in market have two concentric drums, one for sieving the crushed fruit pulp and other serve as housing. A motorized single drum brush type watermelon pulper was designed and fabricated unlike the available pulper in market. The pulper designed was simple, low cost, high capacity and easy to operate and required less cleaning effort and time. The pulper consist of the feed hopper, choppers, screw conveyor, cylindrical main housing with baffles, a perforated screen, juice outlet, waste outlet and a shaft with two beaters and nylon brushes. The auger conveyed the chopped fruit pieces while the beaters/brushes crushed, pressed and squeezed the fruits to extract the pulp. The motor, extraction unit shaft and chopper shaft had speed 1440, 360 and 90 respectively for effective pulp recovery. The developed pulper has an overall dimension of 890 mm × 300 mm × 300 mm and weighed 33.20 kg. The pulper has an average throughput of 1100 kg/h with an average extraction efficiency of 90.14 percent.

The segregation of cement clinker particles in a mill-feeding hopper: PIV experiment and FEM modelling

The feeding hopper is frequently used in grinding cement clinker to ensure a stable and homogeneous feed of particles. However, due to the large variances in size, the clinker particles can segregate significantly and cause undesirable fluctuations in the subsequent grinding process. This work investigates the flow and segregation of particles in mill-feeding hoppers using the experimental PIV technique and the FEM simulation. The results demonstrate the different zones of fine and coarse particles, corresponding to the flow patterns of the hopper, are affected by the material parameters. Particularly, it is found that the geometric design of the hopper also has a great influence on the flow and segregation. An optimized hopper design using FEM is shown to effectively alleviate the segregation problem in the mill feeding hopper.

SPH modeling of biomass granular flow: Theoretical implementation and experimental validation

The commercialization of biomass-derived energy is impeded by flowability challenges arising from the feeding and handling of granular biomass materials in full-scale biorefineries. To overcome these obstacles, a robust and accurate model to simulate the flow of granular biomass is indispensable. However, conventional mesh-based numerical codes are limited by inherent mesh distortion in simulating large deformation that commonly occurs in granular biomass handling. In this study, we propose a graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated meshless Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) code to model the flow of granular biomass materials. A modified void ratio-based mass conversation, a hybrid particle-to-particle/surface frictional boundary treatment, and a hypoplastic constitutive model are implemented. Four numerical examples, an elastic block sliding on inclined planes, sand column collapse, Angle of Repose, and axial compression tests for pine chips, were simulated using the developed SPH code. The results demonstrate good agreement between numerical predictions and analytical and experimental data for all four examples, validating the SPH code and increasing confidence that it can be applied to simulate more complex granular biomass handling processes, such as hopper feeding or auger conveyance.

Increasing the accuracy of the process of automated counting of thin long products

Vibrating hopper feeders with an electromagnetic drive for automating the process of counting parts have become widely used. This process is necessary when transferring them to another workshop for the next technological operation. Also, it is necessary to count artificial products on the lot when packing them for packaging. Vibrating feeders are used to feed miniature, small, or medium-sized parts to the counting position of counting or packing machines. In this case, the parts supplied to these positions should be arranged in one layer. In addition, they should have a certain gap between them for reliable operation of the counting device. Basically, counters for such machines are made on the basis of photoelectric or inductive sensors. The disadvantage of inductive sensors is that they can only be used for metal objects. Photoelectric sensors are more versatile, so they have gained the most distribution for counting or filling machines. The principle of operation of the automatic counting position is that when the object to be counted is applied to it, it crosses the working area of the counting position and the sensor sends an impulse to the counting device. When using photoelectric sensors, parts or products cross the beam of the sensor and it supplies a counting pulse to the electronic counter at each crossing of the working beam. Basically, when using vibrating hopper feeders, the counting position is located either directly at the exit part of the transporting tray, or at the exit from it of the transported objects. The speed of transporting parts or products increases when moving up, because the amplitude of the horizontal component of oscillations increases when the diameter of the transporting tray increases. This is because the hopper of the vibratory feeder has a conical shape. This allows the parts to be refined in one layer. In addition, before the counting position, the parts must be separated from each other to create the necessary gap between them. This is necessary for the reliable operation of the photoelectric sensor. This system works reliably when the dimensions of the parts to be counted are larger than the diameter of the working beam of the sensor. But, when automating the counting of thin, long parts or products whose thickness is close to the size of the working beam of the sensor, the latter may cross it several times when passing through the zone of the counting position. This sharply reduces the accuracy of the counting process. This happens because the parts on the conveyor tray move with a small bounce due to the vertical component of the hopper's vibrations. Therefore, it became necessary to develop a new counting position system in order to increase the accuracy of the counting device for counting long thin parts or products (pins for electrical connectors, needles, matches, etc). The work considers a set of elements that affect the productivity and efficiency of counting devices based on vibrating hopper feeders with electromagnetic drives, for counting long thin parts or products of this shape.

An investigation on non-flammability properties of polypropylene knitted fabrics

The research performed in recent years regarding synthetic filament yarns is improving the structures and properties of such yarns, and diversifying their usage areas. Most of the current studies being carried out in this field are in the form of bringing functionality to filament yarns. And one of these functional properties is the production of flame-retardant yarns from different types of polymers. In this study, polypropylene (PP) raw material was mixed with organophos- phonate based flame retardancy additive at rates in between 1% and 8% in the feed hopper of a laboratory-type melt spinning machine during PP filament yarn production and then knitted fabric structures were obtained from these yarns. Then the flame retardancy properties of these PP knitted fabrics were tried to be determined by vertical flammability tests and Limit Oxygen Index (LOI) tests. Test results indicated that after flame time and char length values had significantly decreased and values of LOI had increased in knitted fabrics by the increase in additive rate. In conclusion, it was observed that the increase in the rate of flame retardancy additive had significantly improved the non-flammability properties of the PP samples.

Design and Fabrication of Automatic Laddu Shaper Machine

Abstract: The laddu shaper machine is primarily utilised in cottage and small-scale industries. A feed hopper, screw conveyor, roller, motor, and collecting tray are some of its various parts. People frequently order a lot of sweets from the vendor and anticipate receiving them as soon as feasible. The vendor must add more staff in order to finish the order in the allotted time and also maintain the quality of the product. To cope up with demands to be fulfilled in a shorter time span, automation can come in handy. The effort to automate laddu production is discussed in the paper. By enhancing production rate and quality, the project seeks to decrease labour costs while boosting profits. Additionally, it adheres to safety standards for the materials required to build the machine, reducing material waste caused by manual handling. The material used is food grade material to keep the machine hygienic and corrosion-free. The purpose of this machine is to make proper and highly nutrients content laddu in proper round shape.

Development of a novel integrated hopper briquette machine for sustainable production of pellet fuels

Water hyacinth (WH) is a rapidly growing seaweed and a potential renewable energy source. WH biomass can be processed and compressed to briquettes for use in cooking and heating coal power plants. Biomass is typically processed and compressed using conventional briquette machines (CBM). The inability of the CBM to produce the desired amount of briquette fuel within the time frame provided has necessitated the development of an innovative and versatile hopper briquette machine (HBM). This machine is capable of producing billets from abundant biomass in the tropics. HBM as an adaptable machine is employed for the sustainable production of solid fuel. For the first time, this study targeted the development of HBM to address the problem associated with CBM. The HBM's central components include a base frame, feed hopper, barrel, thrust bearing, dies, heating element, and others. The efficiency of the novel machine and production capacity were computed to be 85% and 120 kg/h, respectively. At the second run, the HBM produced 30 billets in 20 minutes. The basic properties of the briquette fuel and billet comply with those in the literature. The billet generated can be utilized as solid fuels in local bakeries, restaurants, domestic and industrial settings.

Effect of the height of grain layer in the feed hopper on pressure created by hammers in the grinding chamber

Hammer crushers are used for grinding grain due to the simplicity of their designs and reliability. When crusher rotor rotates in the grinding chamber, air flows are created, which, due to the forces of air aerodynamic resistance, pick up particles of the crushed raw materials. The hammer crusher with an increased separating surface, where the working chamber is formed by two end sieves and one peripheral sieve, was developed in the laboratory of SBEI HE Nizhniy Novgorod State Engineering and Economic University. Hammers shaped as longitudinally bent steel plates straight hammers and a combination of straight hammers and angled blades installed between them were used as the working parts of the hammer crusher.

Design and Development of Sugarcane Leaf Stripper

Background: India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the world. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Bihar are Indian states have maximum production of sugarcane. During 2019, approximately 307 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was produced in India, which is nearly 11.8 per cent of the global sugarcane production. Sugarcane crop has very long leaves. Stripping of sugarcane leaves is a major problem, which requires labor-intensive effort. Therefore, to resolve this problem, a tractor operated sugarcane stripper machine was designed using the computer aided design (CAD) software. Methods: In main frame of CAD design, a power transmission system, transportation system, feed hopper conveyer, sugarcane de-topper and a stripper system were designed. This machine will reduce human drudgery. Currently, this sugarcane stripper machine is getting very good acceptance nationwide. Further research has been undertaken at Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. This machine was designed. Result: Use of this machine will also help in reducing the cost and time of operation. In future, this machine will help in improving quality of stripping as well as ensuring effective utilization of the resources. The Design and development of sugarcane leaf stripper machine will play a significant role.

UJI PEFORMA RANCANG BANGUN PORTABLE VACUUM GRAIN CONVEYOR TIPE CENTRIFUGAL FAN

Portable vacuum grain conveyor (PVGC) work as transporting grain materials such as grain, wheat, sorghum, corn and its kind using air media. The advantages of this machine are that it can move material quickly, the material does not fall in the transportation process, it can move from the bottom to the top or vice versa, it does not require a feed hopper, and the machine can move places. How the PVGC machine works by utilizing the suction and thrust of a vacuum blower. The seed material is sucked in by the input hose and then into the cyclone to separate the air and seed material. Air from the cyclone enters the vacuum blower through the input hole and is blown into the output line to push the material falling from the cyclone through the rotary airlock. Seed material out through the output hose is directed to the desired place. Performance testing of the PVGC engine includes noise, the air suction speed of the input hose and the thrust speed of the output hose, the engine capacity, and thermal testing. The highest noise test results in the electric vacuum blower motor was 95.5 dBA ±1, the air suction speed at the input hose was 38 m/s ±3, the air thrust speed at the output hose was 44 m/s ±2, the capacity of the PVGC machine could transport IR64 of grain type with weighing 88 kg/minute. The hottest component was in the vacuum blower with a temperature of 52.50C.

Study of the dynamic model of the oscillating system of vibratory feeders with an elliptical trajectory of the movement of the working body

Vibrating feed bins with electromagnetic drive are widely used in the automation of production processes in mechanical engineering and instrument engineering. They are used for feeding miniature, small, or medium-sized parts to automated production equipment. These parts must be located in a certain stable position, that is, oriented in space, when using these feeders to feed component parts to the assembly position in assembly machines. Different means of orientation may be applied, which are directly located in the bunkers of these devices, in this case. The parts must be transported without sensitive tossing on trays of vibratory feeders for reliable operation of such orientation devices. A vibratory feeders with an elliptical trajectory of vibrations of the working body should be used in this case. A vibrating feeder with independent oscillations can be used in such a case. Vertical and horizontal component oscillations are excited by separate drives in it. It is necessary to apply a device for shifting phases in the power supply system of vibration drives to obtain elliptical oscillations. However, existing designs of vibrobunker feeders with an independent oscillation system have a number of significant disadvantages. They require the presence of independent vibrators: an axial vibrator to excite vertical vibrations and two or more tangential vibrators to excite horizontal (angular) vibrations. In addition, it is necessary to have a device for shifting the phases between them. Therefore, there was a need to create a new design of a vibrating bunker feeder with a system of elliptical oscillations, which will not have the listed disadvantages. Such a vibrating hopper feeder was developed and an experimental sample of this design was made. However, for the successful implementation of such feeders, a preliminary calculation of the parameters of their oscillating system is required, the methodology of which differs from the existing one. In the presented work, a mathematical study of the dynamics of the oscillating system of such vibratory feeders was carried out and a calculation method for its calculation was developed.

Conceptual Design of Animal Feed Chopper with Medium Capacity

Agriculture is the backbone of Ethiopia economy directly or indirectly and most of its population is residing in rural areas. The majority of rural community is engaged in agricultural crop production, cattle farming and poultry production. To prepare feed for animals, the conventional feed cutting machines are intensively used which do not have friendly operation. Chopping of animal feed is considered as a labour intensive processing operation in animal production system. Traditionally, animal feed, especially crop residue are chopped manually by a sickle in the farms of Ethiopia. It is a labor intensive, less efficient and time consuming operation. Keeping in view, the drawbacks of the traditional chopping, this study has been carried out for the design animal feed chopper machine in order to reduce the above mentioned. Engine operated animal feed chopper has been designed for chopping of crop residue and hay. The machine was designed with the following main components: feeding hopper, feed roller, rotating blade, casing with fixed knives welded on it, a screen and stands. The machine was seated treatment based on the design concepts and designed up to capacity 300 kg /hr. This machine was design keeping in view its multifunctional operation like for the cutting of maize stacks, sorghum stack, agricultural crop biomass etc. The provision was provided to run this machine at variable speeds for different jobs/applications and to achieve variability in particle sizes. The economic production of designed animal feed chopper machine was simple and its cost 10,618.45ETBirr.