Browsing by Author "Ssenyimba, Shaffic"

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    Arduino based control of the Food and Water Conveyance Systems of a Refractance Window Dryer
    (International Journal of Scientific Advances, 2021) Mutumba, Raymonds; Kigozi, Julia; Tumutegyereize, Peter; Ssenyimba, Shaffic; Muyonga, John
    A refractance window dryer with a 14.5kg/hr throughput capacity was developed to effectively dry food product of 3mm on the conveyor belt. For efficient dryer performance an automated system for the conveyor belt movement and water conveyance system was designed. The automated system comprised of an ARDUINO centered control system, an arrangement of sensors, water pump and the conveyor motor. A computer program was written in Arduino environment, successfully compiled and uploaded on to the controller board to process all commands. The system was fi rst simulated successfully in ISIS Proteus environment and connected onto a bread board for testing before attaching the motor onto the main circuit board. Performance tests done at 85°C revealed that there was no movement of the belt as temperature built steadily from 31.19°C until it reached a temperature of 92.0°C in the boiler. The maximum recorded water temperature was 98.06°C and the system had an operating range of 95±3°C. Achieving this led to an automated food conveyance system that was reliable and ensured high product quality. The Arduino based system worked well and is recommended for the refractance window dryer and can be up scaled to a bigger similar machine.
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    Designing a solar and wind hybrid system for small-scale irrigation: a case study for Kalangala district in Uganda
    (Energy, Sustainability and Society, 2020) Ssenyimba, Shaffic; Kiggundu, Nicholas; Banadda, Noble
    Dynamics in rainfall patterns are posing a threat to crop production in Uganda. Irrigation can be used to ensure constant production; however, the motorized powered irrigation methods are quite costly to run in addition to being environmentally unsustainable. There is thus need for alternative irrigation methods. Renewable energy sources which are readily available can be used to power irrigation systems. This study hence sought to design an appropriate wind-solar hybrid system for irrigating 1 acre of banana plantation in Kalangala district, Uganda. Methods: Using metrological data, mean wind speed and monthly solar irradiance of global radiation horizontal for the district were analysed. A wind-solar hybrid system was optimally designed for a standalone drip irrigation system of 450 banana plants on 1-acre land with water requirement of 33.73m3 d−1. The wind turbine was simulated to analyse for static pressure, cut plane flow behaviour, turbulence intensity and stress distribution exposed at 20ms−1 wind speed. A cost analysis was done to estimate the total project investment, maintenance and operational cost, annual project gross income, net income stream and the annual net real rate of returns. Results and conclusions: The simulation results showed that the system could effectively operate at speeds of 20m s−1 without deformation. The net present value of income stream for the first 5 years at r = 5% was 12,935,468 UGX with a net real rate of return of 3.5% per year. The study will, therefore, be a useful guideline in making investment decisions in hybrids irrigation systems.
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    Performance Analysis of An Arduino Based Calibration and Temperature Control System for A Refractance Window Dryer
    (African Journal of Biotechnology, 2011) Mutumba, Raymonds; Kigozi, Julia; Tumutegyereize, Peter; Ssenyimba, Shaffic; Muyonga, John
    Automated control of temperature in fruit dryers is important for product quality and retention of nutrient content. In this study, the continuous refractance window dryer (RWD) was calibrated for drying temperature to enable the dryer to be set to dry a wide range of products. The drying operation in a RWD is carried out over a bed of hot water. The calibration system comprised of a computer program, calibrated knob, arrangement of sensors and output components. A computer program was successfully written in Arduino environment and a circuit board connected. A DS18B20 sensor was used to read the hot water temperature and a 5V potentiometer employed to vary the voltage as it corresponds to the desired water temperature. The system calibration focused on drying temperatures for mango, tomato and pineapple, but it can be applied to any other food products since the optimum drying temperature for most food products falls within the considered range. A calibration equation relating potentiometer voltage and temperature was formulated with the potentiometer maximum angular sweep found to be 295°. This angular sweep corresponded with 94.9996°C as the maximum calibration temperature. The system was found to be 97.6% accurate at attaining the desired temperature. A calibrated label was developed and marked accordingly. The developed system was simple to operate and robust throughout the testing hence it can be recommended for similar machines.