Analysis of Factors Affecting the Grinding Performance of a Solar-Powered Charcoal Grinder
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Abstract
This research aimed to evaluate the performance and determine the optimal operating conditions of a solar-powered charcoal grinder. The grinder used in this study was a hammer mill powered by a 750-W DC motor operating at a rotational speed of 1,000 rpm and equipped with a sieve having an aperture size of less than 450 µm. The experimental factors consisted of two charcoal feed quantities (1 and 2 kg) and three grinding times (5, 6, and 10 min). Each treatment combination was replicated four times. The performance of the grinder was evaluated based on the percentage yield of charcoal powder, whereas the optimal operating condition was determined by the lowest operating cost. The results showed that the grinder produced a higher charcoal powder yield when processing 1 kg of charcoal per batch than when processing 2 kg per batch at all grinding times. Statistical analysis indicated that both charcoal feed quantity and grinding time significantly affected the charcoal powder yield at the 0.05 significance level. The highest grinding efficiency reached 99.53%. Economic analysis revealed that the optimal operating condition was a feed quantity of 2 kg and a grinding time of 6 min per batch. Under this condition, the production cost was reduced to 17.81 THB/kg of charcoal powder.
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