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==Discussion and Next Steps==
==Discussion and Next Steps==
The total amount of hours that team BALM spent on making the dehydrator came out to be 366.5. Team BALM has some recommendations in building this dehydrator that will be of use in replication of the design. We recommend using plywood that is straight and does not have any warpage in the wood; this makes lining up components such as the door and the solar heat collector a lot easier. We also recommend having your tray sizes set up before construction; in doing so it will make the construction smoother. Lastly, we making a full diagram before starting construction would have made the process smoother. By doing so if a size change, or anything of that nature occurs, you can easily keep your dimensions and recalculate sizes.
The total amount of hours that team BALM spent on making the dehydrator came out to be 366.5. Team BALM has some recommendations in building this dehydrator that will be of use in replication of the design. We recommend using plywood that is straight and does not have any warpage in the wood; this makes lining up components such as the door and the solar heat collector a lot easier. We also recommend having your tray sizes set up before construction; in doing so it will make the construction smoother. Lastly, we making a full diagram before starting construction would have made the process smoother. By doing so if a size change, or anything of that nature occurs, you can easily keep your dimensions and recalculate sizes.<br>
The solar dehydrator trays and painting is a future step that will be done by The Sanctuary.
{{copyedit| fix grammar, use formal tone and complete sentences}}
{{copyedit| fix grammar, use formal tone and complete sentences}}



Revision as of 20:24, 8 December 2016

Template:ENGR215inprogress

This image shows the dehydrator box as well as the heat collector

Abstract

We built a non electric solar food dehydrator to replace the current energy guzzling one at the Sanctuary. The Solar Food Dehydrator that we have built will utilize the power of the sun to remove the water out of various fruits and vegetables. Air will enter through the bottom of the solar heat collector where it will be heated and flow into the food drying compartment at the top of the unit. Water vapor will then exit through the vent holes cut into the back door of the food drying box. Ahead you will see the materials used in making the solar dehydrator, as well as its various aspects Below is also a list of the criterion that team BALM as well as the Sanctuary have weighted for the final design of the dehydrator.

Background

Team BALM is made up of four Engineering 215 students: Lynn Brown, Brayden Leach, Andrew Rushing, and Marissa Woolsey. We were tasked with building a solar food dehydrator for the sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a non profit organization located in Arcata CA; they provide a workspace for individuals to utilize as well as provide abundant food to locals. The reason the solar dehydrator was needed, was because of abundant food brought in from local farms. Dehydrating food is a great way to preserve left over food instead of wasting it or letting it go bad.

Problem Statement and Criteria

Problem Statement

The Sanctuary is in need of an alternative solution for dehydrating food. The current food dehydrator uses too much energy. The space in the Sanctuary workshops are dynamic as well as limited, the two dehydrators onsite both use a significant amount of this space.

Objective

Our objective was to find and create a food dehydration system that reflects upon the Sanctuary’s mission on waste-diversion and recycling. The food dehydration must use solar energy, and be portable. The system should be low cost, low maintenance, and energy efficient. The weighted criteria shown below helped determine the final design outcome. It was very important to use recycled materials that created a durable and safe design; including food safety and handling.

Criteria and Constraints

Criteria Weight Constraint
Safety 10 The unit needs to be able to be operated without causing harm to users. It should have weight distributed in such a way that makes it difficult to knock over. The resulting food must be safe to eat after dehydration.
Durability 10 Must withstand environment for two years with semiannual maintenance
Recycled Materials 9 In order to save on costs and uphold standards of Client, using recycled parts is a must. It must be constructed from appropriate materials
Insect Proofing 9 Must deter insects from entering the food compartment.
Effectiveness 9 The unit must function as designed and dehydrate food in a reasonable amount of time
Adaptability 8 The dehydrator must be able to change whether it packing it up and taking it to a new location or storing it easily in the off season when dehydration cannot occur.
Portability 8 The design must be conducive to movement about the Sanctuary's given outdoor space.
Ease of Use 7 Must be able to be operated with less than a fifteen-minute training for an adult
Aesthetics 7 Exceed the look of Bayside Food Dehydrator, must look like it belongs to the Sanctuary
Cost 7 Must use the least amount of money possible.
Replicability 6 People need to be able to look at our design and be able to make it for themselves if desired.

Description of Final Project

TeamBALM_Document
This document outlines the team's work towards our final product. It also includes research that has been put into the construction of the solar dehydrator and the decision making process.

Description Video


Labeled Diagram

Left


AutoCAD Diagram

Left

How to Use

  • Step 1:Cut desired fruits and vegetables into half inch pieces
  • Step 2: Get the unit set up so that you are maximizing the sunlight that hits the collector
  • Step 3: Open rear door and pull out a tray
  • Step 4: Place fruit and vegetables on the tray
  • Step 5: Close Door and check every 2 hours until items are dehydrated

Costs

Quantity Material Source Cost ($) Total ($)
2 4'x8' -Pine Plywood The Hardware Store 22.00 44.00
1 Corrugated Polycarbonate Plastic - 4' x 4', Transparent The Hardware Store 33.47 33.47
150 Screws (Various Sizes) The Hardware Store 16.00 16.00
1 Black Spray Paint The Paint Store 8.50 8.50
1 Double Pane The Hardware Store 54.00 54.00
1 Silicone Tube The Hardware Store 8.00 8.00
1 Roll of Mesh Screen The Hardware Store 21.00 21.00
1 Roll of Weatherproof .25”x17’ The Hardware Store 5.00 5.00
Total Cost $189.97

Labor

Left

Testing Results

As of 12/5/16 there hasn't been any testing on the food dehydrator. We have constructed a food dehydrating box and heat collector that is stable and safe. What we still have left to do is paint the dehydrator box and create trays. We plan on testing the unit 12/7/16. We have implemented a thermometer in the dehydrator box that will allow users to monitor the temperature within. The solar food dehydrator will be used during the spring and summer seasons. The results will be added once testing is done.

How to Build

Food Drying Box

  • Step 1- Buy necessary materials from your local hardware store
  • Step 2- Cut Sides out of 3/4" plywood. Dimensions being 22"x25"x22"x6" (general shape shown in diagrams)
  • Step 3- Cut top piece, bottom piece, and door in order to match the side panels. Make sure the door is 22" in width and 25" long. Cut all these out of 1/2" plywood
  • Step 4- Cut 1"x1" pieces of wood and attach the to frame the side panels
  • Step 5- Screw all the pieces together using the sides as the main guide
  • Step 6- Attach door using hinges
  • Step 7- Build frame for polycarbonate out of 1"x1"s, place polycarbonate in frame, and attach frame to front of the unit
  • Step 8- Cut 1"x1"s and attach them to the inside of the unit 1 inch apart of each other to act as the rails for the trays
  • Step 9- Cut holes in the door 2 inches in diameter for exit air
  • Step 10- Attach third hinge on opposite side of the door hinges to act as a tight door lock. Make sure hinge has a removable pin

Heat Collector

  • Step 1-Buy necessary materials
  • Step 2- Cut 1/2 inch plywood to 22"x30"
  • Step 3- Paint the plywood black using food safe paint
  • Step 4- Cut corrugated plastic to the same dimensions
  • Step 5- Cut 2 2x4s to 30 inches
  • Step 6- Attach 2x4s to the long sides of the plywood using wood screws
  • Step 7- Attach corrugated plastic to 2x4s using wood screws and silicone
  • Step 8- Fold metal screening and slide it under the corrugated plastic

Stand

  • Step 1- Simply use a stool that is somewhere between 1.5' and 3'

Maintenance

This is a basic Maintenance guide for the solar food dehydrator. The maintenance schedule is broken down into daily, weekly, and yearly tasks.

Schedule

This is when to maintain what.

Daily
  • Make sure unit is being hit by sun while dehydration is attempted
Weekly
  • Clean Trays
  • Clean inside bottom of unit
Yearly
  • Inspect tray integrity
  • Check seals to insure their integrity
  • Check locks and latches functionality

Instructions

Task Instruction Estimated Time
Make sure the unit is being hit by the sun When checking the foods progress every two hours, also make sure the sun is still hitting the unit. Rotate and move unit as necessary 5 minutes
Cleaning the trays Pull out each tray fully and use a wet towel to clean any leftover food on the tray. 30 minutes
Cleaning the inside bottom of the unit Pull out the bottom 4 trays of the unit so the bottom of the unit is more accessible. Use a wet Towel and wipe out any leftover food scraps that may have fallen to the bottom of the unit. Then replace the trays that were removed. 15 minutes
Inspecting tray integrity Pull out all the trays and inspect each one individually. Ask yourself these questions: Is the inner tray maintaining its structure? Is the outer tray also maintaining its structure? Are there any holes in the tray? 1 hour
Checking seals on unit Open door and make sure the weatherstripping is still intact. Check the silicon that frames the front polycarbonate frame. Check the various holes that were filled with silicon and make sure its intact. Check the heat collector and make sure the polycarbonate is still tight to the 2x4s. 30 minutes
Check lock and latch functionality Make sure the three hinges on the door are all functioning properly. Make sure that the latches that attach the heat collector to the food drying box are still easy to operate and are holding the weight of the unit. 20 minutes

Troubleshooting

Problem Suggestion
Heat Collector won't latch to Food Drying Box Make sure the Heat Collector is fully pushed into the Food Drying Box. If the problem persists, trying latching one side and then latching the other.
The unit isn't maintaining heat or getting to the desired temperature Make sure the door is shut tightly and the Heat Collector is fully attached to the Food Storage Box.
Bugs are getting to the food Check and make sure all the bug safe screening is in good shape and doesn't have any holes or broken spots. There is screening on the exit holes on the door, on the air intake at the base of the Heat Collector, and in the space above the Heat Collector and below the Food Drying Box.

Poster

Dehydrator FinalPoster-2.jpg

Discussion and Next Steps

The total amount of hours that team BALM spent on making the dehydrator came out to be 366.5. Team BALM has some recommendations in building this dehydrator that will be of use in replication of the design. We recommend using plywood that is straight and does not have any warpage in the wood; this makes lining up components such as the door and the solar heat collector a lot easier. We also recommend having your tray sizes set up before construction; in doing so it will make the construction smoother. Lastly, we making a full diagram before starting construction would have made the process smoother. By doing so if a size change, or anything of that nature occurs, you can easily keep your dimensions and recalculate sizes.
The solar dehydrator trays and painting is a future step that will be done by The Sanctuary.

References

The Creative Sanctuary Arcata Home Page [1] Template:Reflist

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