TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-MANUFACTURING: DESIGN OF AN AUTOMATIC TEA DRYING CONTROL SYSTEM

Authors

  • Never Mabvuu National University of Science and Technology
  • Lungile Nyanga University of Stellenbosch
  • Andre F Van der Merwe University of Stellenbosch
  • Stephen Matope University of Stellenbosch
  • Samson Mhlanga University of Johannesburg,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/25-3-772

Keywords:

E-Manufacturing, Guggeiheim-Anderson-De Boer, Tea

Abstract

Many of the production costs for producing tea are attributable to the process of drying the tea. E-manufacturing can assist companies to reduce these production costs by making crucial information available to decision-makers so that they can make informed decisions. This paper presents an application of e-manufacturing to the design of an automatic tea drying control system. This control system will ensure that the multiple drying parameters such as temperature, dryer-exit tea moisture content, and fuel consumption are maintained at optimal states during the course of the drying of tea. The additional aim of this system is to balance the cost of production and the quality of the final product. Using the Guggenheim-Anderson-De Boer (GAB) model, the optimum drying temperature was found to be 100-110°C, while maintaining a dryer-exit tea moisture content of 3 to 3.12 per cent, at a drying rate of 3 per cent per minute. A Barix control application to control the system’s activities, using the web user interface (WUI), was also developed. 

Author Biographies

Never Mabvuu, National University of Science and Technology

B Eng Student

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Lungile Nyanga, University of Stellenbosch

PhD Student,

Department of Industrial Engineering.

Andre F Van der Merwe, University of Stellenbosch

Professor

Department of Industrial Engineering

Stephen Matope, University of Stellenbosch

Doctor

University of Stellenbosch

Samson Mhlanga, University of Johannesburg,

PhD Student

Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences

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Published

2014-11-10

How to Cite

Mabvuu, N., Nyanga, L., Van der Merwe, A. F., Matope, S., & Mhlanga, S. (2014). TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-MANUFACTURING: DESIGN OF AN AUTOMATIC TEA DRYING CONTROL SYSTEM. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 25(3), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.7166/25-3-772

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 3 (2014)

Section

Case Studies

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