The New Dryer Prototype

I have now been able to put together the flat packed dryer and test its performance, obtaining temperature profiles when heated by the biomass stove. It seems like it has taken a long time to get to this stage, however every small problem normally requires a journey into the town to buy another component and this takes time.

The costs of the project have been about twice as high as expected, but switching certain components for cheaper ones and bulk producing it will significantly reduce the costs. Previous SELCO dryer designs have caused food to spoil by allowing smoke to enter the drying compartment this design does not. Dryers are certainly required in this area of very high rainfall. It has taken from Monday evening to today to get my clothes laundered – it takes a long time to dry clothes!

The project is well on track, and in a couple weeks the dryer will be ready to be tested by local community groups.

Mangalore and Pananbar Beach

On Sunday myself, Joice and Jitendra (other interns at SELCO) took the 2 hour bus ride to Mangalore. Having not eaten breakfast, we had a massive lunch, which was by far the most expensive meal so far. We visited one of the shopping malls, before taking a local bus 15 minutes along the coast. We got off the bus where the conductor said... which appeared to be in the middle of no-where. After a 15 minute walk past a huge cement factory, we got to the beach.

It was a beach unlike any I have ever seen, mainly due to a lack of any women in bikini’s, and everyone sitting, not lying on the sand. We headed back after the sun set, and took a very sweaty, bumpy bus journey back to Ujire. A fantastic day out.

After visiting the carpenter who will make the solar dryer, I found out that the material costs for the dryer are still too high for it to be economic for small scale producers to purchase. More design adaptations are required!

SELCO, Ujire (oojeray), and Solar Dryers

I have spent the last few day settling into Ujire and catching up with the progress of the Solar Dryer project from the other interns in the SELCO lab. Most of my time has been spent reading the reports from other interns and the experiments they have completed. As well as this I have been reading about different dryer designs and efficient ways to dry food.

Previous interns have already managed to get the solar collector working reasonably well. What is not working so well is the biomass part of the dryer. A stove heats the drying compartment, taking moisture from the food with it, however the stove only burns for a short period of time. One of my tasks is to retain the heat in the dryer for longer, so the biomass burner does not have to be lit as often.

Yesterday was particularly exciting as I travelled to a local aluminium workshop in the next town with another SELCO intern to collect a heat exchanger (yes – a HEAT EXCHANGER) for the dryer. Getting this complex shape was not an easy task for the craftsmen in the workshop.

Over the next few days, I'm going to be coming up with some new ideas & designs for the dryer and hopefully conduct a few experiments to test it.

The food has been fantastic (even if I would occasionally like something non-spicy for breakfast) and so far I have not become ill!

The SELCO Interns

Busses, Auto's and Ujire

The last 2 days have been such an experience.

On Saturday lunchtime, I visited the SELCO Head office and saw their examples of the solar lighting systems which they install in areas all over Karnataka State. Some of the financing mechanisms which help people gain access to solar lighting was also explained to me.

On Sunday morning after a very good nights sleep, I took an auto-rickshaw to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens before navigating my way through Cubbon Park and to the MG Road area. I have found Bangalore is very difficult to navigate through, but the backup is to jump on board one of the many auto's which hurtle up and down the cities streets.

I was conned by one of the rickshaw drivers who initially said he would show me to some of the tourist sights and then drive back to my hotel. After taking me to a few sites he insisted on taking me to a number of shops and once you've entered a shop it is expected that you buy something.

Bangalore's 'Majestic' bus stand was huge. It took some time to find the right platform as it was not signed. I travelled in a Rajahamsa Executive overnight bus (sounds more comfortable than it was.) Once again, I had no real idea where to get off but knew it would be about 5.45am when I should have arrived in Ujire.

This morning, I got off the bus in the dark and in the rain after I had seen the engineering college from the road. Kiran, another intern at SELCO picked me up on his moped taking me to the lodge.

I have now settled in to where I will be working for the next few months, and am trying to learn everything I can about Solar Drying from the previous interns I have a lot of reading to do over the next week.