The DesiGators geared up for Prototype Inspection Day (PID) by getting one chamber fully operational with some dried mango and celery samples. The team rolled the entire table with the chamber and monitor attached over to Florida Gym from the FSHN pilot plant. The overall event was a resounding success for the DesiGators who were able to get some important feedback on their presentation for the Final Design Review and potential concerns regarding the heating element of their system.
During testing of the sensors for PID, the team noticed an irregularity with the data being received from the relative humidity and temperature sensors. The sensors were picking up an oscillatory frequency in the data which Dr. MacIntosh originally believed was due to sensor error. However, after closer analysis, the team discovered the precision of the sensors had picked up on a failure within the pilot plant’s compressed air line – one of the pumps was actually not operational. In addition to this, during the investigation the team realized that the pilot plant’s moisture removal system was also not functioning properly. Thanks to the precision of our setup and the diligence of the team, both faults were detected and will be fixed accordingly.
Alex and Stanley ended the week by taking a trip down to Tampa to pick up the remaining acrylic drying chambers. Brad from Tampa Bay Acrylics did an exceptional job and the team is very thankful for his help throughout the project. The team is planning on spending the next few weeks on integrating the drying chambers fully into the system and getting the dryer fully operational.
One last update for our loyal readers – the DesiGators have one more road trip in the works. The team was the only IPPD team accepted into the Capstone Design Conference held at the University of Tennessee in June! The team will be taking a road trip there during the summer to present their IPPD project and share their experiences as part of the program. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and pictures/videos of the fully operational dehydrator!