Week 4

Accomplishments from Previous Week

• • Acquired ideal circular burner with hosing and connectors to propane tank (>4' hosing length)

  • Completed first small version of prototype with circular burner

  • Successful Charcoal Production of mocked down prototype

Goals for Next Week (list names after each item). Use specific and measurable objectives.

• • Produce Charcoal on 55 gal prototype

  • Analyze Heat Distribution via thermocouples & DAQ

Sponsor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments

• • Excited about prototype designs and current schedule

  • Learned a little more detail about Uganda Locality

    • Eucalyptus trees, clay soils from swamp regions, and banana peels for agricultural waste

Instructor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments

• • Challenges of generating high reactor efficiency

    • Install thermocouples vertically and radially to analyze heat distribution/loss

    • Air flow control testing to verify hottest flames, fastest production time, least gas usage

    • Observed exhaust characteristics during charcoal production

      • Visibly see change in density, color, and moisture of exhaust!

        • Relate to stages in PYROLYSIS and CARBONIZATION

Risks and Areas of Concern

• • Thermal Insulation

  • Even Heat Distribution

  • Quality of Charcoal

Resources or Information Required but not Available

• • Very primitive list of resources available in Uganda field region!

Schedule

• • In the middle of schedule of Prototype Phase I

    • Completed small scale prototype and currently fabricating full scale version

    • On Track

Budget (list amount spent and amount remaining)

• • Spent: $361.75    Remaining: $1,138.25

Progress on Report and Webpage

• • Updating webpage with pictures and results of 1st prototype successful test