Arduino/Rasp Pi Expert required, help needed, for new Charcoal Retort design in Tang.

timfromtang

Greetings all,
I'm building a new retort in the yard for making charcoal,


I could do with a bit of a dig out concerning automation.
Suggestions for other forums to post this on welcome.

I'll need to read and log the data from 4 or more thermocouples and display temp/time graphs in real time on a display, ideally the real time data and log would be available over a local network, perhaps even sent to an android phone.



Is there a knowledgable individual who wishes to help, I imagine an arduino to read and log the data, and a raspberry pi to do the web server duties etc might suit and be reliable and inexpensive. I can offer compensation/payment I have forest products, posts boards poles firewood, charcoal etc to trade, or even euro's if that suits.


Hopefully the new retort will improve the economics of making charcoal from Irish woodlands. For this first retort I am aiming for 120kg daily output and a cycle time of below 8 hrs, build cost below 3K. A larger design that makes 270kg/cycle is potentially workable also and would cost in the region of 4.5K euro to build. This new design recycles all the waste heat into drying input material, greatly reducing the stock level required in the yard, furthermore clean burn technology in the firebox and recyling of gases from the wood chamber ensures minimal release of smoke etc.


For comparison the current Retort we are using is an Exeter Retort from the Carbon Compost co in the UK, this also has a 120 kg output, but the cycle time is considerably longer requiring at least 24 hours for a load, fire, cool, unload cycle and costs around 18K. No waste heat is recycled bar that from the burning wood gas which is used to maintain the reaction to completion at the end of the burn, the gas and steam from the wood chamber that is released during the drying phase and at the beginning of the pyrolysis stage (before it will burn with a stable flame) is smelly and toxic, its got nasties like pyroligneous acid, methane, tars etc in it, not as bad as a ring kiln but smoky and smelly nevertheless.


tim

blackbox

You are more likely to find someone to help you here:

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1492

Ubbquittious

Interesting project.
Where ar you based?

timfromtang

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Interesting project.
Where ar you based?

Tang is a real place!
in the middle of the island,
kinda a bit east of the pointy bit of lough ree (the inner lakes)
on the main road

about 19km north of Athlone on the N55


tim

pms7

Could try Fiverr

redbeaard

Hi Tim, interesting project you have here.

The Raspberry pi can read the temps and sent data over wifi to PC or phone. That would be pretty easy. The Pi would cost about €35 and maybe an extra €20 for wifi module and protective case.

A separate app to display data in a live graph, not too bad, I just looked there and there seem to be third-party libraries that could be used for that.

I reckon I could put all that together in 2 or 3 days.

Getting the time is the problem, I'm studying part-time, farming part-time, looking after the kids 3/4 days a week and should be starting forest-roads/major farmyard works sometime in the next few months which I need to do a lot of prep for.

If you're not in any rush or can't find someone else then I could hopefully get at it sometime around the end of June

gctest50

timfromtang wrote: »

................

I'll need to read and log the data from 4 or more thermocouples and display temp/time graphs in real time on a display, ideally the real time data and log would be available over a local network, perhaps even sent to an android phone.


.....

What temperatures ?

This might work :

A newer Raspberry Pi ( has wifi built-in so you don't need any extras)

Thermocouples

Thermocouple to 1-wire adaptors

( the 1-wire adaptors means you can put the Pi a distance away from the thermocouples and just use one three-core cable from the Pi to the kiln )




They each have a unique serial number and show up like this :

The 37000 in the red circle is the temperature




You'd be able to connect to it with your phone and view the data on a graph / gauge or whatever you want

timfromtang

Thank you for all the helpful posts. A man has agreed to help design the system for me.
I hope after we have collected enough data to automate the system such that it needs minimal operator supervision once pyrolysis begins and the firebox no longer requires feeding. This will require proportional control of 4 motorised valves to direct gas flows where they are needed, and a notification system for out of range conditions that require operator intervention.
This will allow me to spend time bagging finished charcoal, preparing input material etc and hopefully significantly increase the hourly rate for making charcoal, which currently is a bit low.


I will be documenting the build and will eventually post on you tube to share the design.




tim

timfromtang

gctest50 wrote: »

What temperatures ?

This might work :

A newer Raspberry Pi ( has wifi built-in so you don't need any extras)

Thermocouples

Thermocouple to 1-wire adaptors

( the 1-wire adaptors means you can put the Pi a distance away from the thermocouples and just use one three-core cable from the Pi to the kiln )




They each have a unique serial number and show up like this :

The 37000 in the red circle is the temperature




You'd be able to connect to it with your phone and view the data on a graph / gauge or whatever you want

Temperatures circa 700 deg C max at oven entry point, max 450-500 deg C within the retort chambers, oven gas exit temperatures from 10-450 deg C depending on the stage in the cycle and temperatures within the firebox core of up to 1100 deg C (these will not need to be measured or recorded).


tim