KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FINAL PROJECT REPORT ON

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF CARDAMOM DRYING MACHINE

Submitted by:
Aklesh Teli [32116]
Atul Raj Pandey [32106]
Avishek Poudel [32108]
Samrat Khanal [32103]

July 2019
 PROJECT EVALUATION

Design and Fabrication of Cardamom Drying Machine

By

Aklesh Teli [32116]

Atul Raj Pandey [32106]

Avishek Poudel [32108]

Samrat Khanal [32103]

This is to certify that I have examined the above Project and have found that it is complete
and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the thesis
Examination committee has been made.

_________________________________________

Project Supervisor
Krishna Prasad Shrestha PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Kathmandu University
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to express our thanks to Kathmandu University, School of Engineering that
provided us this platform to implement our ideas practically.

Doing the project on design and fabrication of cardamom drying machine has never been an easy
task without the help the project supervisor Krishna Prasad Shrestha PhD, Assistant Professor
who provided us his precious time for the accomplishment of the project. We would also like to
thank the staff members of Kathmandu University.

We are indebted to our Mechanical Engineering Department which provided us this excellent
opportunity to robust our knowledge even more.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to countless reader of this project report, who is the most important
critic and commentator. We welcome constructive comments and suggestions, which will help us
to do better one.

At last, we would like to thank those people who gave their helping hands directly or indirectly
for this project.
 Table of Contents
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................iv
List of Tables...............................................................................................................................v
1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................2
1.1 Background.......................................................................................................................2
1.2 Objectives..........................................................................................................................3
1.3 Significance/Scope............................................................................................................3
1.4 Limitations........................................................................................................................3
1.5 Literature Review..............................................................................................................4
2 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................................11
2.1 Problem Identification.....................................................................................................11
2.2 Theoretical Framework...................................................................................................12
2.3 Gantt chart.......................................................................................................................13
3 WORK ACCOMPLISHED....................................................................................................14
3.1 Design.............................................................................................................................14
3.2 Calculation......................................................................................................................16
4 BUDGET ESTIMATION......................................................................................................20
5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.....................................................................21
5.1 Recommendation............................................................................................................21
6 Bibliography...........................................................................................................................22
 List of Figures
Figure 1-Traditional Bhatty.............................................................................................................3
Figure 2-Thermostats.......................................................................................................................7
Figure 3-Methodology Process......................................................................................................11
Figure 4: Heating Chamber...........................................................................................................14
Figure 5: Drying Chamber.............................................................................................................14
Figure 6: Drying Chamber.............................................................................................................15
 List of Tables
Table 1 Gantt chart........................................................................................................................13
Table 2 Cost Estimation.................................................................................................................20

List of equation
 Abstract
Drying of cardamom is a process to reduce the moisture contained by supplying heated air
continuously. Cardamom can be dried by the help of blowing heated air easily rather than the
traditional method, which uses sun and firewood. This project aims to reduce the drying time to
10 -12 hrs. Initially the air is passed from the blower to heating chamber, where it gets heated by
the heat of nichrome wire. In the drying chamber, cardamom is dried by absorbing constant
heated air to ensure the safety of product quality. Various factors affect drying process which is
considered and machine is efficiently designed.
 1 INTRODUCTION
Cardamom also commonly known as Elaichi is a perennial herb grown in semitropical condition
around the world. Cardamoms immediately after harvesting are green and contain moisture of
about 85 percent. It must be dried before storage and selling. So drying is a critical process in the
production. The purpose of drying is to reduce the moisture content of the product from actively
growing in the field to a level that prevents deterioration of product and allows storage in a stable
condition.
Drying is generally a two-stage process: Firstly, the transfer of heat to the moist product to
vaporize the water in the product and secondly mass transfer of moisture from the interior to the
product surface where it evaporates. This drying machine helps us to reduce the moisture content
of the cardamom to about 10 percent, which is suitable for further processing. It is powered by
electricity, which blows a heated air at velocity to the cardamom, which is stored in the dryer.
The objective of dryer is to provide more heat than in ambient condition to increase the rate of
evaporation. The amount of heat also plays an important role in drying and must be within
limitations. This equipment consists of an air pump, heating unit and a drying unit whose
objective is to create suitable condition for quick and reliable drying of Cardamom.

1.1 Background

Drying is still a major problem in production of Cardamom in our country. The traditional drying
methods used by the people are not very reliable. They are dried directly in the sun, which
affects the quality of the product. Direct sunlight result in bleaching in color of the product and
the climate may not be favorable at every instance. Capsule may also be contaminated by dust
and dirt from the surrounding. Wood fire has also been found to be used as source of heat in
drying process. The demand of firewood is increased at the same time smoke from the firewood
may affect the flavor of the product. Modern drying machines using electricity are also found but
they are a bit expensive in the context of our country. So the goal of the project is to minimize
the expense without compromising the quality of the product dried.
 Figure 1-Traditional Bhatty

1.2 Objectives
Primary Objective
 To develop the working model of Cardamom drying machine.

1.3 Significance/Scope

 To increase the production of Cardamom

 To reduce the time consumed in the traditional drying process
 The efficient and easy drying of the product as to ensure the safety of the product’s
quality

1.4 Limitations

 The testing may be difficult as fresh cardamom is hard to find around the season
 The size of the machine is scaled down.
1.5 Literature Review
This electric dryer consists of three main elements:
1. Air Pump
2. Heating unit
3. Drying unit

 Air pump
There are different types of air pump available.

 Centrifugal pump: It consists of an impeller, which is a rotating blade to

generate suction, which then moves fluid through pipe. The rotating impeller
creates a force known as centrifugal force, giving this pump design its name. The
pump can be driven by an electric motor or engine. They are usually used for
fluids with low viscosity. It consists of three main parts:
 Impeller: An Impeller is a wheel (or rotor) with a series of backward curved
vanes (or blades). It is mounted on a shaft, which is usually coupled to an
electric motor. They are generally shrouded or closed Impeller, semi open
Impeller and open Impeller.
 Casing: The casing is an airtight chamber surrounding the pump Impeller. It
contains suction and discharge arrangements, supporting for bearing and
facilitates to house the rotor assembly.
 Delivery pipe: The pipe which is connected at its lower end to the outlet of the
pump and it delivers the fluid to the required height is known as delivery pipe.
A regulating valve is provided on the deliver pipe to regulate the supply of
water.

 Positive Displacement pump: This type of pump creates an expanding cavity on

the suction side of the pump and a contracting cavity on the discharge outlet. This
difference creates pressure which pulls and pushes a fluid simultaneously,
exerting enough force to create flow.[ CITATION Yun04 \l 1033 ]
 Air Heater
Air heaters are devices used to heat air. Forced air products moderate and control air
temperature by circulating air past the heat source with a fan or a blower. As the air
current flows through the heater, it absorbs thermal energy and then exits the heater at an
elevated temperature. Radiant heaters operate by radiating heat from a point source,
heating the objects near the point source. The temperature difference causes a free
flowing convection cycle to form, which in turn heats the surrounding air mass. Types of
air heater are:
 Duct heater
 Forced air heater
 Radiator
 Tubular heater
o Nichrome: Nichrome is a nickel-chromium alloy with non-magnetic properties. The alloy
also sometimes includes some parts of iron as its constituents. Nichrome is normally used
to make resistance wires. A well-known alloy combines 80% Nickel and 20% Chromium.
This alloy is known as Nichrome 80/20. There are however other alloy compositions
which combine nickel, chromium and iron in different other ratios. It is used in the
explosives, fireworks, and ceramic making industry, as a heating element. The alloy is
very useful in the process of ceramic making, as it can withstand the high temperatures
that are generated when a clay object is fired in a kiln. It is also used in motorcycle
silencers and in certain microbiological lab apparatus. The chromium present in the wire
oxidizes on being heated, and forms a protective layer of chromium oxide. The alloy is
expensive because of its high nickel content.

 Dryer
It is a compartment, which facilitates to dry the cardamom in the chamber. It is an
insulated box containing different compartments for storing the products. The air inlet
and outlet are present which regulate the flow of hot air. Normal drying measures are:
 o Air and contact drying under atmospheric pressure. In air and contact drying, heat is
transferred through the foodstuff either from heated air or from heated surfaces. The
water vapor is removed with the air.
o Vacuum drying. In vacuum drying, advantage is taken of the fact that evaporation of
water occurs more readily at lower pressures than at higher ones. Heat transfer in vacuum
drying is generally by conduction, sometimes by radiation.
o Freeze drying. In freeze drying, the water vapor is sublimed off frozen food. The food
structure is better maintained under these conditions. Suitable temperatures and pressures
must be established in the dryer to ensure that sublimation occurs.

Experimental study of the different drying method showed that they operate with poor thermal
efficiency and produced poor quality cardamom. Analysis of traditional and flue pipe drying
design indicate a need to develop new alternative design for drying cardamom. Detailed drying
experiments under controlled laboratory conditions indicate that critical moisture content values
for cardamom range from (70-85)% depending upon the operating condition and the drying time
varies greatly from 12-19 hours depending on the method used. This creates an important need to
design a machine fulfilling all the aspects.[ CITATION San \l 1033 ]
  Thermostat

A thermostat is a component, which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs
actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired set point.
Thermostats are used in any device or system that heats or cools to a set point temperature,
examples include building heating, central heating, air conditioners, HVAC system, water heater

Figure 2-Thermostats

as well as kitchen equipment including ovens and refrigerators and medical and scientific
incubators. In scientific literature, these devices are often broadly classified as thermostatically
controlled loads (TCLs).
A thermostat operates as a "closed loop" control device, as it seeks to reduce the error between
the desired and measured temperatures. Sometimes a thermostat combines both the sensing and
control action elements of a controlled system, such as in an automotive thermostat.

 CPVC
It is PVC (polyvinyl chloride) that has been chlorinated via a free radical chlorination reaction.
CPVC is produced by adding chlorine to PVC in a water slurry or fluidized bed chlorination
process. The chlorination reaction is initiated by ultraviolet light. The chlorinated PVC is
compounded with ingredients necessary for the desired properties for further processing. The
chlorine added to PVC gives CPVC higher temperature performance and improved fire and
corrosion resistance.
Overview: CPVC is a high-temperature plastic pressure piping system introduced for potable
plumbing in 1959. It has also been used extensively in fire sprinkler systems since 1985. This
material is also used for many industrial and process piping applications. CPVC pipe is available
in nominal sizes from 1/2" to 24" and is approved in all model plumbing and mechanical codes
across the world.
CPVC tubing comes in nominal sizes ranging from 1/2 to 2 in. copper tube size (CTS), and pipe
sizes ranging from 1/2 to 24 in. CPVC tubing has standard hydrostatic pressure ratings of 400 psi
at 73ºF (2,750 kPa at 23ºC) and 100 psi at 180ºF (690 kPa at 82ºC).[ CITATION 2016 \l 1033 ]

 The Drying mechanism

Products dry when the moisture is removed from their surface. Initially, the surface is wet and
additional moisture coming to the surface makes the rate at which the water is removed quite
high. The surface is considered to be saturated with moisture which is like having a ‘pool’ of
moisture ready to evaporate. Moisture evaporated at a constant rate. Eventually a point will be
reached when the surface is no longer wet since there is no visible moisture present. Moisture
will still be travelling from the centre to the surface and gets evaporated quickly. So the rate is
quite slow compared to the beginning.
We are limited by how fast the moisture travels to the surface. This phenomenon cannot be
rushed and we have to keep this in mind whenever drying anything. The are a few things we can
do to speed it up a little bit.
Factors affecting drying:
o Properties of product
o Shape of Material
o Size and thickness of material
o Composition, Structure and Porosity
o Surface Characteristics
 o Initial Moisture Content
o Dryer Properties
o Air Temperature
o Time Spent in Dryer
o Relative Humidity of Air going into the Dryer
o Volumetric airflow rate
o Linear Air Velocity
o Weather and Air Conditions

o Basic Design of a Forced-Air Dryer

Forced-air dryers are usually designed as a closed cabinet equipped with a fan inside to blow air
through the unit. There are many interesting designs and arrangements to suit various special
drying needs. Figure 6-1 shows a diagram of how a typical forced air dryer may look.

Air is brought into the dryer by the fan which then blows the air across heating coils or through
gas flames to warm it. Once the air is heated, it has the ability to hold more moisture than cooler
air. The increased water-holding capacity of the heated air is a key factor in drying.

The heated air then travels to the drying chamber of the unit where the material to be dried is
located. In most cases, moist food products are spread on wire mesh racks within the drying
chamber.

When the heated air passes over the moist surfaces, it picks up water through the process of
evaporation. The air then carries the water away from the food and eventually out of the dryer.
As the air picks up moisture, it cools and its moisture content increases. This reduces its ability
to pick up additional moisture as it continues its path through the rest of the dryer. Freshly heated
air is continuously blown into the dryer, while moisture-rich air is constantly forced out of the
dryer by the incoming air. With sufficient time, the moisture content of the food in the dryer will
have reached its desired target level.
It must be realized that just because the outside surface of the fruit looks and feels dry, there is
still a moisture gradient in the individual pieces of fruit. That is, the outer portion is actually
drier than the inner portion. In addition, because the air is flowing over its surface, the fruit near
the point where the air enters will be dryer than the fruit near the point where the air leaves the
dryer. This is because the temperature of the air decreases as it picks up moisture. As the air
passes through the dryer, it picks up more and more moisture, as well as cooling, and may
become saturated to the point where it can pick up no more moisture. Many processors move the
racks of fruit from the exit end of the dryer to the inlet end of the dryer part-way through the
drying
process to help reduce this uneven drying tendency.

It is possible to control the temperature of the air in a forced-air dryer by adjusting the heater’s
temperature controls. The speed (or velocity) at which the air moves through the dryer can be
controlled by adjusting the speed at which the fan is operating. The velocity of the air must be
sufficiently high to evaporate the moisture from the surface of the food in the dryer and sweep
this moisture-rich air out of the dryer. Airflows that are too low will not have the desired effect
and the efficiency of the dryer will be disappointing.

It is usually best to have the air flowing across the surface of the material rather than coming in
from the bottom of the dryer and travelling upwards through the material being dried. This
ensures better air distribution and better exposure of the food to the drying air. However, some
products may need to be dried using upwards or downwards air flows.[ CITATION Don14 \l
1033 ]
 2 METHODOLOGY

Identification of Problem
Yes

Literature Review

Yes
No
Concept Design

Yes

Design and development of actual

model
Yes
No
Fabrication

Yes
No
Testing of model

Figure 3-Methodology Process

2.1 Problem Identification

The modern drying machines available are expensive in context of our country. This design will
overcome the expense problem protecting the quality of cardamom. The thermal design must be
efficient enough not to exceed the temperature above 50 degree Centigrade. Increase in
temperature significantly will increase the percentage of yellow capsules, split capsules and heat
injury. The heating process of air is also very sensitive phase. It regulates the drying temperature
directly. So the heating element must be compatible with the air flow and velocity maintaining
the constant temperature of air. The quantity of air being pumped into the air heater must be
maintained at constant rate for quality drying.
2.2 Theoretical Framework

We have to come up with a concept of designing the dryer in such a way that it is convenient in
context of our country. The cost of machine should be minimal also without compromising with
the quality of the product and on top of that skilled labor are scarce so normal people or farmers
must be able to operate the machine. This machine consists of an air blower, which pumps the air
to heat in the adjacent chamber and drying takes place in another. The model is simple and easy
to operate and would be best for people in middle scale or home scale industries as in our
country. The maintenance cost is minimal in this design. The device is electrically powered and
uses a motor and heating element as electrical units. Air blower rated 2.5 m 3/min is used to blow
the air. It is then passed through the copper pipe enclosed in a chamber coated by insulating
material. Copper pipe is heated by means of three heater, each rated 125 watt. The heated air is
carried to the next compartment by means of CPVC pipe. 80° Celsius air goes through the
perforated base. And cardamom is dried in 10 to 12 hours of time.
2.3 Gantt chart
Table 1 Gantt chart

Task Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

Proposal
defense

Literature
Review

Discussion
with project
supervisors,
teachers,
seniors
Designing
and
Calculation
Fabrication

Final report
Submission

Work
Completed
 3 WORK ACCOMPLISHED

3.1 Design

Figure 4: Heating Chamber

Figure 5: Drying Chamber

Figure 6: Drying Chamber
3.2 Calculation
o Calculation of power required:

Flow rate for the project (l) = 250 l/min

= 0.0041 m3/s
Mass flow rate (m) = density of air (ƥair) × flow rate (l)
= 1.29 * 0.0041kg/s
=0.0052 kg/s
Change in temperature (T2-T1) = (92-25) °C
= 67 °C
Specific heat of air at constant pressure (cp) =1 kJ/kg.k
Now, power required to heat the air (P1) =m *cp*dT
=0.052*67*1000
=348.4watt
 o Power required to heat the metal casing (pmetal casing):
Specific heat of GI sheet at constant pressure (cp,GI ) = 400 J/kg.k
Thickness (t) = 0.55 mm =.5*10-3m
Area of metal casing (a)= 2*(L*B +L*H +B*H)
= 0.76m2
Volume (v) = a*t
=0.38 *10-3 m3
Density of GI sheet (ƥGI) = 7850 kg/m3
Mass (metal casing) = 2.983 kg
Now,
Heat required (q) = Mass (metal casing)* (cp,GI)*dT
=.785*400*67
=79945J
If time required to heat is 1000 sec
(pmetal casing)=q/1000
=80 watt
Therefore,
Total power required (P) = P1 + (pmetal casing)
= 465 watt
 o Calculation for the heating element:
Nichrome wire is taken as the heating element. Specifications of Nichrome wire is given below:

Size of wire 22
Diameter of wire 0.64 mm
Resistance per meter of the wire 3.46 ohm
Total resistance of the coil 24 ohm
Voltage Available 120 V

The total current available,

Voltage
I=
Resistance

=5A
Calculating the power:
P = I2*R
= 600 W
The power available is within range for our use.

Factor of Safety = 2.04

o Heat loss due to convective in heating flow due to bulk mass flow of air

Volume Flow rate (V) =0.0041m/s2

Diameter of CPVC Pipe=0.015m
Cross section area of CPVC (Ac) =1.76 ×10−4 m/s
Surface area ( A s ¿=.76 m 2
Velocity of air (v) = 3.88m/s
Ambient Temperature ( θ∝ )=25° C
Properties of air at 92 ° C ( θ1 )
Density of air( ρ ) .972 Kg/m 3
−6 2
Dynamic Viscosity( μm )=21.48 ×10 Ns /m
Kinematic viscosity( ϑ ) =22.1× 10−6 m 2 /s
Prandtl Number( Pr )=.69
Specific Heat capacity( C p )=1009 J /kgK
Thermal ConductivityK=0.03128W /mK
Checking Laminar and Turbulent Flow
v× L
ℜ= =8.7 ×10 4 TOC ¿ ¿ ¿ Equation No table of figures entries found .
ϑ
Flow is Laminar
Nusselt Number( Nu )=.664 × ℜ0.8 × Pr 0.33
¿ 173.2
The Heat Transfer Coefficient (h)
k × Nu W
h= =10 2 ℃
L m
Qconv =h × A s × ( θ1 −θ∝ )
¿ 174 W

o Heat loss due to convective in tube

Checking Laminar and Turbulent Flow

v× L
ℜ= =1.58× 104
ϑ
Flow is Turbulent
Friction factor for smooth tube( F )
F=0.184 × ℜ−0.2 =0.026
F
( 8)
× ℜ× Pr
μ .11
Nu=
F
1.07+12.7 × ( ) [ Pr
.5
.67
−1 ]
( )
× m
μw
8
¿ 39.58
The Heat Transfer Coefficient (h)
k × Nu W
h= =3.095 2 ℃
L m
Q conv =h × A s × ( θ1 −θ∝ )
¿ .36 W

4 BUDGET ESTIMATION

Table 2 Budget Estimation

S. Component Quantity/ Quality Total Price (Rs)

N
1 Air Blower 1 1500
2 Frame of the Machine 1 roll 2500
( GI sheet – 0.55mm)
3 Metal support TTC -
4 CPVC Pipes , L – Fitting, Gum and 5 ft - pipe 1000
other fittings
5 Heating Coil (Electrically Insulated) [2* 240 W 500
1* 120 W ]
6 Electrical Wire, Switches - -
7 Copper Tube 12mm diameter 1500
2m
8 Thermostat 1 piece 600
Range: 10° to 110° C
9 Iron net 1 sq. ft 80
10 Nut and Bolts 12 * 3mm diametre 200
11 Silicon sealant 1 piece 150
12 Silicon gun 1 piece 150
TOTAL Rs 8180
 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Drying machine with GI sheet casing, copper tube-heating system with an air blower can reach
required temperature for Cardamom drying. Thermostat controls and regulates the temperature of
the systems but this mechanism can be more efficient using a PID controller. In addition, this
machine can hold additional increase in airflow and speed, which will allow us to work on a
wide variety of other products.

5.1 Recommendation
o For Fabrication

a. Copper tube fitting is the best choice for heating. .

b. GI sheet coated with a layer of fiberglass gives greater efficiency.

o For testing

a. Constant flow to the dryer is necessity.

b. Temperature regulation control increases the efficiency.

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 6 Bibliography

[1] J. C. Yungus A. Cengel, Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, Dec-20 2004.
[2] A. K. V. K. Sanjay Mande, "A study of large-cardamom curing chambers in Sikkim".
[3] P.-P. Institute, PPI. [Online].
[4] D. G. Mercer, "Phd. P.Eng," An Introduction to Dehydration and Drying of Vegetables,
2014.
[5] [Online].