Biochar Heat Recovery System

Problem Definition Design Review

Courtney Smith · Kent Derbyshire · Kyle Bossung

Phung Tran · Zak Gustavesen

Overview

Team Introductions

Project Background

Problem Statement & Goals

Use Scenario

Customer and Engineering Requirements

Risks

Project Plan

Introduction & Roles

Background: Biochar

Porous, high carbon content, low density

Biochar-soil amendment, filtration, building materials,

animal feed additive

Made from: cherry pits, wood, or other organic

materials

Background: Kon-Tiki

Incan Sun God

Creates biochar

Burns dry, woody materials

Carbon sequestration, low emissions

Cone shape with heat shield

Burns at 650-750C

Problem Statement

➢Current State

○ Kon-Tiki is used in over 24 countries

○ Generally used for agricultural biochar

○ Various heat recovery systems in use

➢Desired State

○ Heat recovery system to utilize excess heat

○ Usable for multiple geographic demographics.

Stakeholders

➢Ithaka Institute

○ Non-profit based in Sweden

○ International Biochar and farming techniques

➢Finger Lakes Biochar

○ Local affiliation with Ithaka Institute

➢Kon-Tiki Operators

○ Developing nations (Nepal)

○ Commercial operators (Serbia)

Project Goals ➢Deliverables

○ Working prototype

○ Sterilizes usable quantities of water

➢Constraints

○ Compatible with current Kon-Tiki

○ Source materials from developing world

○ Cost less than $250

Benchmarking: Purification ➢Filtration

➢Solar Thermal

➢UV Radiation

➢Activated Charcoal

➢Chemical (iodine)

➢Distillation

➢Pasteurization

Benchmarking ● Convection (pictured bottom)

○ Low efficiency

○ Good for drying

● Conduction (pictured top)

○ Un-tested

○ Nepal’s current idea

Use Scenarios

Customer Requirements CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

Category Customer Reqt. # Importance Description

Ease of Use C1 9 Easy to use by people with no technical background

C2 1 Light enough to install

C3 3 Easy to install

Safety C4 9 Doesn't compromise heat shield

C5 9 Dangers clearly apparent to operator

Quality of Kiln C6 9 Doesn't compromise existing biocharing process

C7 3 Cannot affect airflow for kiln

C8 3 Biochar used for soil amendment

Quality of HRS C9 9 Harness heat for useful application

C10 3 Made with local materials

C11 9 Cost less than $250

HRS Output C12 9 Produce desirable yield w/in Kiln operating timeframe

C13 1 Recovery product useful to multiple demographics

Versatility C14 1 System needs to be scalable

C15 3 Must be used in all weather conditions/seasons

C16 9 Compatible with existing kiln

Customer Requirements CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

Category Customer Reqt. # Importance Description

Ease of Use C1 9 Easy to use by people with no technical background

C2 1 Light enough to install

C3 3 Easy to install

Safety C4 9 Doesn't compromise heat shield

C5 9 Dangers clearly apparent to operator

Quality of Kiln C6 9 Doesn't compromise existing biocharing process

C7 3 Cannot affect airflow for kiln

C8 3 Biochar used for soil amendment

Quality of HRS C9 9 Harness heat for useful application

C10 3 Made with local materials

C11 9 Cost less than $250

HRS Output C12 9 Produce desirable yield w/in Kiln operating timeframe

C13 1 Recovery product useful to multiple demographics

Versatility C14 1 System needs to be scalable

C15 3 Must be used in all weather conditions/seasons

C16 9 Compatible with existing kiln

Customer Requirements

➢Harness heat for useful application

○ Excess ~200°C heat generated

○ 3rd world countries need clean water

➢ Easy for people to use with no technical background

○ Should be able to assemble without guidance

○ Target users are farmers

➢Must not compromise heat shield

○ Kiln burns up to 750°C

○ Difficult to load kiln without shield

Engineering Requirements

Engineering Requirements

Engineering Requirements ➢Fits within heat shield envelope

○ Maximize efficiency and performance

○ Safety

➢ Temperature of heat recovered

○ Water pasteurization requires T>65°C

○ Test method: thermocouples

➢Cost of materials

○ Affordable for target user <$250

○ Test method: BOM

House of Quality

➢Fits within heat shield envelope

○ Compatible with existing kiln

○ Doesn’t affect airflow of kiln

➢ Temperature of heat recovered

○ Harness heat for useful application

○ Dangers clearly apparent to operator

➢Quality of pasteurization (time)

○ Harness heat for useful application

○ Produce desired yield within kiln operating time

● Campus: There is a burn ban from March 16 - May 31

● Environmental: Primary kiln use becomes water purification

● Safety: User injures him/herself using HRS

● Resource: Lose contact with international contact

● Social: Need the clean water faster than can be produced

● Technical: Can’t take away too much heat from kiln

Risks

Phase II

➢Customer Interaction

○ Data collection

○ Brainstorming from experience

○ Iterations

➢Deliverables

○ Functional Decomposition

○ Concept Generation

○ Feasibility/Engineering Analysis

○ Concept Selection

MSD I

➢Project Definition

➢Concept Generation and Selection

➢System/Subsystem Design

➢Detailed Design

➢Customer and Guide communication & iterations

➢Pass Gate Reviews to continue to MSD II

Goals of Gate Review

➢Customer Confirmation

➢Identifying operation/design risks not already considered

➢Open ended questions from audience

Questions?