Magnús Kári Ingvarssson gives a lecture on his project for a master's degree in mechanical engineering. The project is called Airflow and energy analysis in geothermally heated conveyor drying of fishbone.
When does this event start: October 2, 2014 - 3:30 p.m.
Event location: Box
Further location: N-129
Magnús Kári Ingvarssson gives a lecture on his project for a master's degree in mechanical engineering. The project is called Airflow and energy analysis in geothermally heated conveyor drying of fishbone.
The project examines the drying of fish ridges in a conveyor belt dryer. The prototype of the dryer was built in 1981, designed by Sigurjón Arason, but the dryer uses geothermal energy to heat the air used for drying. Since the construction of the prototype, little changes have been made to the design, other than that the size of the dryer has been scaled up to increase capacity.
The purpose of the project is to use measurements and methods of mass and energy accounting to increase understanding and knowledge of the function of the dryer, so that both manufacturers and users of the device can improve their products. Measurements are made on the air flow properties of the dryer (flow, pressure, temperature and humidity) and the water content of the product. The results of the measurements are used to calculate the main characteristics of the dryer and it has been found that the superheated efficiency of the dryer is 50.5%, the relative air circulation is 64% and the energy requirement to evaporate each kilogram of water is 5500 kJ. The total energy consumption is estimated at 919 kW for a production capacity equivalent to 800 kilograms of raw material per hour. The results indicate that the efficiency of the air flow is deficient in terms of pressure drop and water uptake. Measurements of the water content of the product indicate that the drying process is not properly controlled, procedures are deficient and there is an opportunity to double the efficiency.
Supervisors:
Sigurjón Arason, Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, Halldór Pálsson, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Computer Science.
Examiner:
Sveinn Víkingur Árnason, Managing Director of ÁTVR.