Capstone: Quartz Tube Furnace
Capstone: Quartz Tube Furnace
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This device emulates controlled fire or wildfire emissions by smoldering biomass to study the effects of increased particulate matter from wildfires on indoor air quality
This device emulates controlled fire or wildfire emissions by smoldering biomass to study the effects of increased particulate matter from wildfires on indoor air quality
(top left) shows a SolidWorks model of the assembly. (bottom left) depicts the function of the Quartz Tube Furnace.
(right) is a block diagram separating the project into key components
The goal of this project was to design and implement a quartz tube heater capable of producing controlled, sustained smoke emissions of biomass fuels for the purpose of studying the impact of wildfires on indoor air quality. The intent of this device was to replace the previous method of producing smoke using a Breville cold smoker which only allowed for short and inconsistent bursts of smoke. This project is an improvement on the current method for producing emissions through precise control of the speed, duration, and temperature at which a cylindrical ceramic heater travels along the quartz tube containing the biomass. The device needed to be a cost-effective design with the ability to connect to existing experimentation systems used to analyze air quality.
The goal of this project was to design and implement a quartz tube heater capable of producing controlled, sustained smoke emissions of biomass fuels for the purpose of studying the impact of wildfires on indoor air quality. The intent of this device was to replace the previous method of producing smoke using a Breville cold smoker which only allowed for short and inconsistent bursts of smoke. This project is an improvement on the current method for producing emissions through precise control of the speed, duration, and temperature at which a cylindrical ceramic heater travels along the quartz tube containing the biomass. The device needed to be a cost-effective design with the ability to connect to existing experimentation systems used to analyze air quality.
This is a very specialized device and no current market solutions exist. The design is based on an apparatus described in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal article ‘Mutagenicity and Lung Toxicity of Smoldering vs. Flaming Emissions from Various Biomass Fuels: Implications for Health Effects from Wildland Fires’. While the basic design of our system resembles the one outlined, we have customized it and made several improvements to better suit the customer's specific requirements.
This is a very specialized device and no current market solutions exist. The design is based on an apparatus described in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal article ‘Mutagenicity and Lung Toxicity of Smoldering vs. Flaming Emissions from Various Biomass Fuels: Implications for Health Effects from Wildland Fires’. While the basic design of our system resembles the one outlined, we have customized it and made several improvements to better suit the customer's specific requirements.
Our device is broken down into four subsystems, each of which contributes to the overall success of the system. The subsystems are the quartz tube, which provides the envelope to contain the smoke generation process, the cylindrical ceramic heater, which provides the energy to initiate and sustain the smolder reaction, the linear actuator, which moves the ceramic heater at a rate slow enough to provide constant smoke over the length of the experiment, and the control system, which ties everything together.
Our device is broken down into four subsystems, each of which contributes to the overall success of the system. The subsystems are the quartz tube, which provides the envelope to contain the smoke generation process, the cylindrical ceramic heater, which provides the energy to initiate and sustain the smolder reaction, the linear actuator, which moves the ceramic heater at a rate slow enough to provide constant smoke over the length of the experiment, and the control system, which ties everything together.
(top left) shows a cardboard model of the assembly. (bottom left) is the 80/20 assembly of the Quartz Tube Furnace.
(top right) depicts my colleague and I drilling and tapping 80/20 (bottom right) deflection simulation of the furnace raft in SolidWorks
I provided project management to a 5-member team, technical direction of a $600 ring furnace mount, & design-build leadership on a $1,000 linear actuator within a 9-month time frame. I hired & oversaw several engineering distributors for 4+ custom designs to successfully emulate controlled wildfire emission with a quartz tube. I worked directly with the customer, guiding them through the technology selection process to develop a $3,000 electro-mechanical product.
I provided project management to a 5-member team, technical direction of a $600 ring furnace mount, & design-build leadership on a $1,000 linear actuator within a 9-month time frame. I hired & oversaw several engineering distributors for 4+ custom designs to successfully emulate controlled wildfire emission with a quartz tube. I worked directly with the customer, guiding them through the technology selection process to develop a $3,000 electro-mechanical product.
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