Diseño y construcción de una secadora automática para cacao a base de aire caliente tipo rotatorio para una capacidad de 500 kg.

Abstract

The time increased in the cacao drying process and the problematic winter season motivated the creation of an automatic cacao-drying machine that fulfills the optimum drying characteristics reducing the adequate humidity percentage at Mirador Lojano Community located in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province. The purpose of the project is to design and build a 500 Kg capacity automatic rotary type hot air cacao-drying machine. This implied collecting the necessary information to establish the design methodology, the study of the existing technological alternatives in the market and the selection of the most appropriate alternative, as well as the one that accomplishes the user’s requirements, quality parameters, and production. Then, it was necessary to carry out the energetic and mechanical design of the elements making up the machine; this was done through calculations for the thickness of the container plate by means of internal pressure vessels. For the analysis of removers, it was necessary to use ANSYS software; for the base structural analysis, the porch, and ladder software SAP 2000 was used; for conditioning the air during the heating process, ENGINEERING ECUATION SOLVER (EES) software was used. This facilitated the air thermodynamic properties; in combustion, for improving the energetic efficiency GLP fuel was used; finally drying tests were carried out by using brewed cacao. In conclusion the automatic cacao-drying machine achieves an adequate drying in a 9% of humidity in the grain, reaching a temperature from 43 to 44 centigrade grades within a period from 4 to 5 hours during the process, this improves the efficiency and production in the peasant sector as well as reducing the drying time and labor. The adequate operational management to carry out the process will avoid possible damages in the equipment.