MFRFP Build Update #3 -
December 21st 2006
At the end of the year and
only three weeks into the project, we have reached the point where
all hard parts are mounted.
All of the pulleys are
mounted except one that is being machined for installation after January
1. All of the preliminary measurements have been taken to order an
assortment of belts to test fit and mock up some tensioner pulleys and
brackets.
The radiator mount and
shroud has been installed, measurements have been taken for the hard
piping to route the coolant to the radiator and a cooling fan has been
ordered. A radiator is being used on the prototype due to space
constraints. The MFRFP's installed in the field are likely to be fitted
with big water tanks using a heat siphon system to move the coolant. In
this design, there are no moving parts, providing a very simple and
reliable cooling system.
Between now and the New
Year, the work will focus on getting some of the accessories ordered like
the pipe and hose fittings for the pump as well as getting the layout for
the electrical system drawn up.
Photo 10. December 21st
2006 -
Pulleys all
installed front view:
Photo 11. December 21st
2006 -
Pulleys all
installed rear view:
Photo 12. December 21st
2006 -
Water Purifier
hooked up:
Photo 13. December 21st
2006 -
Radiator
installed on framework:
Photo 14. December 21st
2006 -
Underside of
Radiator installed on framework:
MFRFP Build Update #2 -
December 16th 2006
As you can see from the
photos below, a great deal has happened since last week. As I look at the
progress to date it seems amazing that it has been only two weeks working
part time to get this far. Our accomplishments in the past week have
included getting the wall built for the water treatment system, mounting
the flour mill, sizing the pulleys and getting them installed, mounting
the water treatment system and ozone generator box. We also have mocked up
the fuel tank, exhaust and started to sort out the cooling system.
One of lessons this week has
come down to my math skills having some problems. Willem at Old Style
Lister's was kind enough to give me the formula to figure out gear ratio
between driven components on the platform. Where I ran into issues was
when Excel decided to get funky with my answers because I entered the data
in the wrong order. The result was ordering a two groove 20.25 inch drive
pulley that would have required a 30 inch pulley to drive the flour mill
the problem is it will not fit. So that was nearly a $275 mistake. As dumb
luck would have it to drive the seed press we happen to need a 20.25 inch
pulley. So we dodged a bullet.
The biggest issues have come
from some design constraints and the fact that this is not a “real world
model.” Don’t get me wrong it will function and do all the things it was
designed to do. However, all of the actual field models of other MFP's and
the sub-components we are using are laid out on a
much longer framework and this extra space availability creates far fewer problems in locating
components. For instance, the ozone system is normally given several
linear feet on a 7+ foot plus wall
to be set up in someone’s house. In our case it has about 80 inches of
wall space on a 6 foot wall. The wall is also the support frame for the
radiator as well.
In the coming week, we will
have all the piping and pump for
the water cleaning system in place, the conduit for the electrical system
run, the radiator mounted and plumbed and hopefully all of the belts
ordered. Some thought will have to be given to a tensioner system for the
drive belts and I think this will be one of the harder parts of the
design. All of the remaining plumbing pieces will be here no later than
12/19 and we need to sort out one
more pulley. I am going to spend a day on the phone this week as well to
see how hard it will be to get 500 pounds of seeds to crush for oil.
Photo 5. December 18th
2006 -
Engine and
Flower Mill Pulley alignment:
Photo 6. December 18th
2006 -
All Components:
Photo 7. December 18th
2006 -
Water Pump,
Engine and Generator pulley alignment:
Photo 8. December 18th
2006 -
Water Purifier
and Flower Mill:
Photo 9. December 18th
2006 -
Rear view
featuring seed crusher:
MFRFP Prototype Build Update
#1 - December 9th 2006
Layout and building of the
first MFRFP prototype started
in earnest on November 30th 2006. All components were uncrated, dimensions verified
and initial layout confirmed.
Photo 1. December 4th
2006 -
First
components mocked up in position:
The seed press will be on
an elevated platform of plate steel and angle iron so the discharge of oil
and seed cake will be manageable.
Identity of components:
4X4 I-beam frame, 3/8 inch decking except under motor where it is 1/2
inch, the components from right to left are: 2 ton seed press, 10kw
generator, 120gpm pump, Lister style diesel engine, and C. S. Bell flour
mill. The water purification system will be on the left end that is
partially outside the area of the photo.
Week one showed the
following progress as well as lessons learned:
The foundation was cut out
of 4 inch mild steel I-beam. The motor, due to weight and potential
vibration is mounted on ½ inch mild steel plate and the seed press and
generator are on 3/8 inch mild steel plate. All seams between mounting
plates are supported by further sections of 4 inch I-beam. The platform is
somewhat over built compared to working examples in the field. However,
none of the existing models we have encountered are designed to be moved
as a single unit. One future design improvement that is clear even now is
the need to build it on a single steel plate for the component mounting
surface. All measurements are being input into a CAD program so the
decking will be able to be reproduced on a plasma cutter with bolt holes
already cut. About the CAD program, we are inputting all measurements and
will be able to provide 3-D views of all items as well as routing paths of
all power supplies, drive belts and components. The design is being built
to allow all of the heaviest items to be located on one end. Six inch “C”
channel is attached on the bottom of the frame to allow the MFRFP to be
picked up by a fork lift and moved.
Once the foundation was
established, square and welded it was moved for mock up of all components.
At this early stage, getting the drive belt pathways was crucial so that
the components could be run more than one at a time. My research has also
shown that there are drive pulleys on current models in the field that are
not readily available from all suppliers. Of principal interest are
pulleys that tend to deal with flat, long belts and have been used in the
examples in Mali. This style of drive we feel is more applicable to older
industrial appliances that require older style of belts. Also, this belt
style tends to come in longer lengths that might better suit field example
we have seen photos of. Most field layouts seem to be in the area of 10 to
15 feet in length just considering the driven components and motor. Our
design from the out set was intended to fit in an appropriate, shippable
size if need be.
The Chinese manufactured
seed press has a capacity of 2 tons per day and due to space and oil and
seed waste discharge it is elevated approximately 36 inches off the
ground. The frame has been made out of 2 inch mild steel angle iron with a
½ steel deck. The press is mounted by bolts with some left to right
movement. This will allow preliminary adjustment as far as drive belt
length is concerned.
It was fortuitous that the
seed press needs to be elevated because once we located the 10kw generator
between the press and the motor, it was apparent that the water pump would
not be able to be mounted anywhere other than under the seed press
platform. The design has, from day one, considered space a concern.
Ideally, this design will be able to be reproduced and packed either 4 or
8 to a shipping container based on whether it is a 20 foot or 40 foot
Connex box. While we are aware most platforms are built and sourced with
local components, the ability to build and ship versions for use as
teaching models or for field deployment was always part of the design.
Research is ongoing into
constructing the cooling system. A small automotive radiator will need to
be mounted to keep the engine at operating temperature. In the field this
would be less of a concern as a convective cooling system can be used.
However, the convective systems are meant to have 100 to 150 gallons in
water capacity according to the engine supplier. Space will not allow this
on the prototype.
At the end of week one, the
MFRFP is moving steadily along. All major items are located and bolted
down. A local supplier has been contacted and we are going to have drive
pulleys for the water pump and grist mill by 12.13.06. Until we have the
drive pulleys we cannot specify the length of the drive belts themselves,
also final location of the grist mill will depend on belt alignment.
Progress in this coming week will come in aligning the water pump drive as
well as the grist mill. The wall for the water treatment components will
be laid out and hopefully mounted as well. A belt tensioner system will
also be mocked up using automotive tensioners.
Photo 2. December 11th
2006 -
Component Bed
assembly:
Photo 3. December 11th
2006 -
Seed Press:
Photo 4. December 11th
2006 -
Lister Engine
and Generator Head:
