Team 17: Clean Coffee

Vortx Kleanair Systems sells an environmentally friendly cyclonic

separator for treating coffee roasting exhaust as an alternative to using

an afterburner. The cyclone uses centrifugal force and water spray to

cool the exhaust and separate out the smoke. Since Vortx did not have

an engineering analysis of the system, they provided Team 17 with the

task to analyze, scale, and optimize their separator for use with larger

sized coffee roasters. Vortx currently makes a system to handle 450 cfm

of exhaust but wishes to scale up to handle 800 cfm.

Team 17 from left to right: Erik Karlson (ME), Paul Bootsma (ME),

Kirk Brink (ME), and Christopher Greaves (ME).

Small scale testing was preformed on

a one kilogram fluid bed roaster and

small cyclone separator. The tests

help give a visual understanding of

the full scale behavior. These tests

also provided a basis of knowledge in

coffee roasting to help approach the

project.

To develop new upscaled dimensions for larger exhaust flow rates, it

was necessary to relate product geometry to separation behavior. This

was accomplished with an analytical model, developed using the

Muschelknautz method. This system of equations allowed for the rapid

evaluation of various possible geometries. By isolating key independent

variables, it was then possible to optimize for cost, pressure, and

separated particle size using numerical methods. These results were

then combined with practical concerns to create a final solution.

PROJECT INTRODUCTION

MODELING METHOD

TEAM 17

SMALL SCALE TESTING

FINAL DESIGN

SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSIS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Team 17 would like to thank Prof. Renard Tubergen (Faculty Advisor),

Ron Kleist (Client), Tyler Greenway (Coffee Roasting Expert), and Skyler

Rich (Team Photographer) for their help on this project.

An analysis of the potential environmental impact of the EcoFilter was

executed to develop a quantitative understanding of the system from a

sustainability perspective. By removing the need for an afterburner, the

system avoids combustion of additional natural gas, reducing overall

emissions. Through this study, the reduction in emissions was

determined to be one-third pound of CO2 for a ten pound batch of

coffee beans. This may not seem significant, but it is a way for specialty

roasters to show their commitment to the environment and reduce

operating costs at the same time.

The final design consists of increasing the outlet radius of the 450 cfm

model by 40%. This provides a similar separated particle size between

both models as well as a small increase in price. The pressure loss is

larger but still within reasonable allowances. By keeping most

dimensions the same, manufacturing will be highly efficient as most

parts will be interchangeable between models.

2018: TEAM 17

R 0

Rx 40%

S 0

H 0

Hc 0

Rd 0