Re: Wood fired dryer in Nicaragua

[Tom Miles <tmiles@trmiles.com>]

Photos of Larry's Wood fired dryer are now posted on the Stove Web page at

http://www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/

See the discussion at: http://www.crest.org/discussion/stoves/200203/

Also posted are photos Dean posted of a rocket stove designed for HELPS in 
Guatemala.

Thanks Dean

Regards,

Tom Miles


At 12:42 PM 3/4/2002 -0800, Dean Still wrote:
>Dr. Larry Winiarski has just returned from Nicaragua where he built a
>prototype wood fired dryer for cacao beans. Working with Winrock
>International, Larry spent about two weeks building and testing the first of
>four dryers. Six pictures of the dryer are posted here on CREST.
>
>The dryer is based on the Rocket style plancha (griddle) stove design.
>Sticks of wood are fed into a foot square opening, the horizontal feed
>magazine, that leads to the base of an equally sized three foot high
>vertical internal chimney made from ceiling tiles called baldosa. The feed
>magazine and internal chimney are in the shape of the letter "L". The
>combustion chamber and internal chimney are surrounded by light weight
>pumice rock that insulates around the small fire. The griddle is four feet
>wide by ten feet long and sits on top of a brick box containing the firebox
>and internal chimney. Pumice fills the entire box leaving only a one inch
>gap between the rock and the underside of the large griddle. The opening of
>the internal chimney is level with the pumice surface. Hot flue gases pass
>through this one inch gap exiting out of the back of the box into a 12 foot
>high chimney.
>
>A metal box, open at the bottom, elevated one inch above the griddle, holds
>the trays of beans. A clear plastic cover is supported above the trays of
>beans and this cover is held by air pressure against the sides of the
>supporting box. Air is sucked in through the one inch opening and is pulled
>through the trays. The moist air then travels through the tunnel created by
>the clear plastic and exits in a chimney that surrounds the inner chimney
>connected to the fire. The larger external chimney, 20 feet tall, is warmed
>by the heat passing through the inner chimney, which helps to create better
>draft. This increased draft helps to shorten drying periods.
>
>Drying only requires temperatures around 140F. In use, the 12" by 12" fuel
>magazine is about one third full of sticks when in operation. Of course,
>adding a small fan increases productivity. Since it frequently rains in this
>locale, nearly every day, solar drying is difficult which makes wood fired
>drying necessary.
>
>Check out the photos!
>
>Best,
>
>Dean
>

Thomas R Miles          tmiles@trmiles.com
T R Miles, TCI                  Tel 503-292-0107
1470 SW Woodward Way    Fax 503-292-2919
Portland, OR 97225 USA


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