Abstract:
The drying process of noodles made at a local industry in Matara, was
studied with the aim of making improvements to the machine used and the
process followed. Frequent oven opening to check the quality and
consistency of the drying product is an unnecessary intervention which leads
to waste of electric power. A comprehensive study of the noodles drying
process was undertaken to search for possible methods to increase the
efficiency of the production. It was found that a systematic monitoring of
temperature during the drying process and a measurement of time taken for
the completion of the process were required to make some improvements.
Thus, a digital electronic temperature monitoring system with an adjustable
timer was developed to increase the efficiency of the drying process. The
designed equipment included a keypad, a LM 35 temperature sensor and a
PIC16F877A microcontroller. The temperature sensed is converted to an
analog electrical signal and sent to the microcontroller. The analog signal is
converted to a digital signal and transmitted to the SSD (Seven Segment
Display) unit. The time left for the completion of the drying process and the
temperature inside the oven at any moment are displayed on SSD. When the
time exceeded a preset value, a buzzer was activated automatically to draw
the attention of the workers to remove the dried product. An attractive
display system was accomplished at a minimal cost.