College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Date
6-2019
Primary Advisor
Eileen Rossman
Abstract/Summary
This report is the final design review (FDR) report for our team completing the Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC) Immersion Heater mechanical engineering senior project. The goal of this project is to standardize and perform analysis on a preexisting, inexpensive solar-powered immersion heater for cooking use in developing countries, reducing the adverse effects presented by traditional biomass cooking fires. We also designed a manufacturing process to improve repeatability and to reduce labor investment of heater production. The ISEC research team from the California Polytechnic State University Physics Department have been working on the development of this immersion heater and have produced working prototypes. Our task was to improve upon this design with a focus on conductive filler material and proper diode chain manufacturing, and to develop a manufacturing process that will allow these heaters to be made more efficiently and with fewer people in order to reduce manufacturing costs. As a result, we created specifications for the heater that that impacted the design and use of our manufacturing jig, which was created to aid the manufacture of the heater. Our preliminary analysis suggests that in order to extend heater lifetime and promote more effective heating of food, the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the heater should be below 100℃. We were not able to produce heaters to meet this specification, but were able to make recommendations for how to proceed based on our findings. More detailed design specifications are included in this report, as well as background research and details regarding the manufacturing process for the immersion heater. With our manufacturing jig, our team was able to reduce the heater manufacturing time to approximately a quarter of the time taken previously. Additionally, our manufacturing jig allows for one person to perform the most cumbersome steps of the process alone. Also included are the final design, manufacturing plan, and cost analysis for a manufacturing jig to aid in heater manufacturing.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/mesp/497