ABSTRACT

India is an agricultural nation. Though there is a tremendous development in

the industrial sector, but it is not the same in case of agricultural sector. Most of
the post-harvesting processes follow conventional methods. Though these
processes play a vital role to bring the quality grain in the market, they take a
huge toll of human effort.
The most conventional and ancient process of removing these husk and twigs
is by showing the unclean grain mixture to the natural wind. Further
improvement in the process is by the use of battery operated fan. A step forward
is seen in the form of using power operated fans (viz. Electrical, fuel).
Post harvesting processes demand time, effort and high cost (power
operated), reducing the system efficiency. Our paper deals with designing and
integrating the system with a battery and Self proclaiming energy, for the purpose
of winnowing. The aim of the project is to design and fabricate self-proclaiming
winnowing machine which synthesizes energy by itself or increases the efficiency
of the battery. It would be thereby possible to obtain portability. Finally it will
help in reducing time and cost with an efficient
1.1 Introduction
Half of the world's population lives in the rural areas of the developing
countries. Majority of them are generally involved in field of agriculture and
related activities. These include Soil preparation (tilling), harvesting, irrigation and
post harvesting processes. Moreover they are engaged in animal husbandry,
poultry farming, sugar refineries, etc. Almost the entire energy requirements of
these people are met by locally available traditional bio-fuels like firewood, agro-
wastes and dung. Barring kerosene to a limited extent, commercial energy
sources like coal, petroleum and natural gas are not readily accessible to the rural
masses even today. The increase in unit costs of such energy sources has given a
spurt to energy conservation measures. The increasing awareness of the adverse
impacts of environmental pollution and its abatement has also gained momentum
parallel. One of the inherent reasons for comparatively higher energy
consumption in the rural sector and their cost is the use of traditional devices.
While great advances have been made in the basic research of non-conventional
energy systems, not much have really resulted in practical terms.
We know that almost 72% of population of India lives in villages and their
main occupation is agriculture. More than 40% of these areas do not get regular
electricity supply. So using energy for agricultural processes incurs various losses
in terms of finance. Also the traditionally used processes have become outdated
causing wastage of yield and hence require serious upgrade. It is estimated that
about 10% of food grains produced in India, are lost due to various reasons. Of
which it has been reported that about 9% of food grains is lost due to use of old
and outdated methods of post harvesting processes like drying, winnowing,
milling, transportation and handling, improper and unscientific methods of
storage. It has been estimated that total post-harvest losses of food grains at
producer’s level was about 2.71% of total production.
Wind winnowing is an agricultural method developed by ancient cultures
for separating grain from chaff. It is also used to remove other pests from stored
grain. Threshing, the loosening of grain or seeds from the husks and straw is the
step in the chaff-removal process that comes before winnowing. In its simplest
form it involves throwing the mixture into the air so that the wind blows away the
lighter chaff, while the
heavier grains fall back down for recovery. Techniques included using a
winnowing fan (shaped basket shaken to raise the chaff) or using a tool (a
winnowing fork or shovel) on a pile of harvested grain. Winnowing can also
describe the natural removal of fine material from a coarser sediment by wind or
flowing water, analogous to the agricultural separation of wheat from chaff.
Self-proclaiming energy or self generating energy is a mode of reclaiming
and storing the kinetic energy in a reusable manner. Through this method the
energy loss in the system can be reduced completely by building generator of
suitable design. In this project, we aim to design and fabricate a solar powered
winnowing machine, which would require solar power supply to operate and
further reuses the same energy.

1.2 Overview of the project

I was motivated to do this project because I have seen the traditional
method of winnowing from rural areas which I grew in. I proposed the title,
scope, objective and description of this project to Mechanical Engineering
department and the department accepted it. Then after I started it to develop
and design.
So the project deals on development and design of solar powered
winnowing machine. This machine boasts a reasonable design, excellent
manufacturing and easy operation method and low energy requirement. The
operation method is by use of solar Pannel.
It is a low cost machine used for efficient winnowing of grain (removal of
grains from the chaff) with reduced labour input and grain loss in crop residue.
The winnowing machine is operated by battery. It completely separates grains
from the straw. This capacity of the machine is measured when it is compared
with the traditional method of winnowing.
The feature of this grain winnowing machine is small in size, light in weight,
high efficiency, easy for operation and maintenance. It is widely used in
mountainous areas, hilly and inaccessible areas for harvesters and that has lack of
electricity. Users can use it at yard or move it in fields if it is needed. It has been a
great favorite with farmers.
1.3 Background of the Study
Cleaning of grains or winnowing is one of the most important techniques of
improving the quality of primary grades as this will booster the appearance of the
grades thus fetching good money during auctioning. It involves the removal of
chaff, fluff and other debris from the grain. There are quite a number of factors
that affect the performance in terms of cleaning of tea during the operation. Such
factors include air velocity, feed rate of grain, plenum angle, grade.
A good cleaning machine should remove all chaff and debris with very little
grain loss. The long hours associated with the traditional method results in
fatigue, loss of concentration and consequently, reduction in separation quality.
So often the natural wind condition may not be favourable for the operation and
the result is increased time of operation and drudgery. A winnowing machine
which is the major aspect of this study, is made up of some important
components used in achieving the winnowing process, they are alternator, fan,
vibrator (Optional), hopper, electric motor, solar panel, etc.

1.4 History of Winnowing Machine

Winnowing can also describe the natural removal of fine material from a
coarser sediment by wind or flowing water, analogous to the agricultural
separation of wheat from chaff.

Figure 1: Winnowing machine in china

 The technique developed by the chinese was not adopted in Europe until the 18 th
century, when winnowing machines used sail fan . The rotary winnowing fan was
exported to Europe, brought there by Dutch sailors between 1700 and 1720.
Apparently they had obtained them from the Dutch settlement of Batavia in Java,
Dutch East Indies. The Swedes imported some from south China at about the
same time and Jesuits had taken several to France from China by 1720. Until the
beginning of the 18th century, no rotary winnowing fans existed in the West.

Figure 2: Wind winnowing by hand

In 1737 Andrew Rodger, a farmer on the estate of Cavers in Roxburghshire,

developed a winnowing machine for corn, called a Fanner;. These were successful
and the family sold them throughout Scotland for many years. Some Scottish
Presbyterian ministers saw the fanners as sins against God, for wind was a thing
specially made by him and an artificial wind was a daring and impious attempt to
usurp what belonged to God alone. The development of the winnowing barn
allowed rice plantations in South Carolina to increase their yields dramatically.
Winnowing can also describe the natural removal of fine material from a
coarser sediment by wind or flowing water, analogous to the agricultural
separation of wheat from chaff. Once a sediment has been deposited, subsequent
changes in the speed or direction of wind or water flowing over it can agitate the
grains in the sediment and allow the preferential removal of the finer grains. This
action can improve the sorting and increase the mean grain size of a sediment
after it has been deposited. In the Old Testament the word winnow is used in
several verses in different books in the New International Version while other
versions of the bible translate the action as fan, throw or the separating tool as
pitchfork, shovel, winnowing fan, or winnowing instrument.

1.5 Post Harvest Treatment for Storage

 Harvesting :- There is an optimum time for harvesting cereals, depending

on the maturity of the crop and the climatic conditions. This has a
significant effect on the quality of the grain during storage. Harvesting
often begins before the grain is ripe and continues until mould and insect
damage are prevalent. Grain not fully ripened contains a higher proportion
of moisture and will deteriorate more quickly than mature grains because
the enzyme systems are still active. If the grain remains in the field after
maturing, it may spoil through wetting caused by morning dew and rain
showers. There is also an increased risk of insect damage. Cereals are
traditionally harvested manually. Some of it is more efficient and cost
effective than others. Harvested crops are left in the field for a few days to
dry before further processing.

Figure 3: Post Harvest Treatment for Storage

  Threshing:- Threshing is the removal of grains from the rest of the plant. It
involves three different operations: separating the grain from the panicle;
sorting the grain from the straw; winnowing the chaff from the grain.
Separation of the grain from the panicle is the most energy-demanding of
the three processes. It is the first process to have been mechanized Sorting
the grain from the straw is relatively easy, but is difficult to mechanise.
Winnowing is relatively easy, both by hand and by machine. Most manual
threshing methods use an implement to separate the grain from the ears
and straw. The simplest method is a stick or hinged flail that is used to beat
the crop while it is spread on the floor.

 Winnowing:- Winnowing is the separation of the grains from the chaff or

straw. It is traditionally carried out by lifting and tossing the threshed
material so that the lighter chaff and straw get blown to one side while the
heavier seeds fall down vertically. Hand-held winnowing baskets are used
to shake the seeds to separate out the dirt and chaff. They are very
effective, but slow. There is a range of winnowing machines that use a fan
to create artificial wind. This speeds up the winnowing process. Some of
these contains sieves and screens that grade the grains as well.

 Drying:- Prior to storage or further processing, cereal grains need to be

dried. The most cost-effective method is to spread out in the sun to dry. In
humid climates it may be necessary to use an artificial dryer. Simple grain
dryers can be made from a large rectangular box or tray with a perforated
base. The grain is spread over the base of the box and hot air is blown up
through a lower chamber by a fan. The fan can be powered by diesel or
electricity and the heat supplied by kerosene, electricity, gas or burning
biomass. Cereal grains should be dried to 10-15% moisture before storage.

 Storage:- Dried grains are stored in bulk until required for processing. The
grains should be inspected regularly for signs of spoilage and the moisture
content tested. If the grain has picked up moisture it should be re-dried.
Grains are often protected with insecticides and must be stored in rodent-
.
1.6 Problem Identification
The cost of production of rice increasing due to several factors. Small and
effective machines are to be developed by which manual labour can be replaced
effectively. Also the time required for processing reduces. Production cost can be
controlled and reduced by use of machines. Since only 2 persons can work at time
which makes slow work progress. 100% effective output result cannot be
obtained. Continuous electricity supply is needed.
2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

Taiwo et al.(2000),[1]
The potential economic returns from the oil palm are high if processed with
efficient technologies. This study was undertaken to evaluate the technologies in
use for the production of palm oil from a gender perspective. A survey was
conducted in Osun and Ondo States of Nigeria using a structured questionnaire
and the participatory learning approach. A total of 28 palm fruit processing
centres were surveyed. The various technologies available in the field for each
unit operation were evaluated using certain criteria.

Bao and Sun (2002),[2]

In an effort to identify genes related to the cell line chemosensitivity and to
evaluate the functional relationships between genes and anticancer drugs acting
by the same mechanism, a supervised machine learning approach called support
vector machine was used to label genes into any of the five predefined anticancer
drug mechanistic categories. Among dozens of unequivocally categorized genes,
many were known to be causally related to the drug mechanisms. For example, a
few genes were found to be involved in the biological process triggered by the
drugs (e.g. DNA polymerase epsilon was the direct target for the drugs from DNA
antimetabolites category). DNA repair-related genes were found to be enriched
for about eight-fold in the resulting gene set relative to the entire gene set. Some
uncharacterized transcripts might be of interest in future studies. This method of
correlating the drugs and genes provides a strategy for finding novel biologically
significant relationships for molecular pharmacology.

Edward W Constant II (2002),[3]

Evolution, like history, is ordinarily thought to be about change in time. Yet a
surprising variety of “evolutionary” models across multiple domains are at least as
much about stability, or at least secular stasis, as they are about change. Our
narrative forms, as well as our likely evolutionarily produced disposition to attend
to difference rather than to stasis, reflexively bias our perception of evolution
itself. A sample technological narrative, and a constructed anti-narrative, together
with an examination of the structure of engineering design processes (derived
from Walter Vincenti), and some insights from actor-network theory, point to the
complex causal interconnections between stable and innovative elements in
technological change.

John Durkin (2002),[4]

Over the last two decades, the knowledge engineer's toolbox has continued to
develop and today, it constitutes a powerful set of tools for building expert
systems to manage real-world problems across a wide range of application areas.
Each tool offers unique features that make it well suited for certain types of
problems. This chapter explores and reviews the most popular expert system
development tools. It provides the history of the development of each tool. This is
important because, it demonstrates how the artificial intelligence (AI) community
responded to problems beyond the reach of existing methods. This chapter also
deals with the working of these tools to provide a general sense of its operation.
It considers the relevance of the tool by considering its strengths and weaknesses,
and by looking at applications where it is typically employed. It provides valuable
references that allow further probing of the tool's theory and applications to
design a successful expert system.

Liu et al.(2003),[5]
Low dimensional representations of images impose equivalence relations in the
image space; the induced equivalence class of an image is named as its intrinsic
generalization. The intrinsic generalization of a representation provides a novel
way to measure its generalization and leads to more fundamental insights than
the commonly used recognition performance, which is heavily influenced by the
choice of training and test data. We demonstrate the limitations of linear
subspace representations by sampling their intrinsic generalization, and propose a
nonlinear representation that overcomes these limitations. The proposed
representation projects images nonlinearly into the marginal densities of their
filter responses, followed by linear projections of the marginals. We use
experiments on large datasets to show that the representations that have better
intrinsic generalization also lead to better recognition performance.

Guzella and Caminhas (2009),[6]

In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of recent developments in the
application of machine learning algorithms to Spam filtering, focusing on both
textual- and image-based approaches. Instead of considering Spam filtering as a
standard classification problem, we highlight the importance of considering
specific characteristics of the problem, especially concept drift, in designing new
filters. Two particularly important aspects not widely recognized in the literature
are discussed: the difficulties in updating a classifier based on the bag-of-words
representation and a major difference between two early naive Bayes models.
Overall, we conclude that while important advancements have been made in the
last years, several aspects remain to be explored, especially under more realistic
evaluation settings.

T. Elliott et al.(2017),[7]
Aflatoxin, a human liver carcinogen, frequently contaminates groundnuts, maize,
rice, and other grains, especially in Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the effectiveness of an educational intervention that involved training rural
Gambian women on how to identify and remove moldy groundnuts to reduce
aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. In total, 25 women, recruited from the West
Kiang region of The Gambia, were trained on how to recognize and remove moldy
groundnuts. Market-purchased groundnuts were hand sorted by the women.
Groundnuts were sampled at baseline (n =5), after hand sorting (“clean,” n =25
and “moldy,” n =25), and after roasting (n =5). All samples were analyzed for AFB1
by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A reduction of 42.9% was achieved
based on the median AFB1 levels at baseline and after hand sorting (clean
groundnuts), whereas an alternative estimate, based on the total AFB1 in moldy
and clean groundnuts, indicated a reduction of 96.7%, with a loss of only 2% of
the groundnuts. By roasting the already clean sorted groundnuts, the AFB1
reduction achieved (based on median levels) was 39.3%. This educational
intervention on how to identify and remove moldy groundnuts was simple and
effective in reducing AFB1 contamination.

Azouma et al.(2017),[8]
Threshing is an integral part of postharvest activities for cereal and legume crops.
In many developing countries, threshing is carried out manually by farmers that
lead to low quality of paddy rice and grain loss. When the rice production
increases, consequently the manual threshing becomes arduous. In order to
mechanize this process, a throw-in type thresher JEP based on a prototype of a
thresher made by IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) was designed and
tested. The wind board was modified after testing to enhance threshing quality.
Also, in place of welding the whole machine is joined by bolts, nuts and rivets for
easy assembling and disassembling. Output capacity from the performance test
on the machine was 316 kg/hr at a moisture content of 21%wb (wet base) for
IR28 rice variety. This could attain 350-400 kg/hr when both, the speed and the
feeding speed increase. The overall results are impressive and it will help improve
drudgery and threshing challenges with small scale farmers. The results of the
research work are impressive. In order to achieve the extension of the thresher
JEP in West Africa, a participatory research project is undertaken.

Gerald K. Ahorbo (2017),[9]

To help make threshers available to majority of smallholder rice farmers, this
research aimed at designing an appropriate mechanically-powered rice thresher
that could be manufactured locally by artisans for small-holder rice farmers. Even
though there are several of such small mechanically-powered threshers on the
Ghanaian market, those found are the small engine operated types with designs
based on mechanisms that have a rotating drum fitted with either peg-teeth or
rasp bars or wire loops for threshing. Common amongst them are threshers with
the peg-teeth threshing mechanism which are found with most designs including
designs of the popular International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI’s) axial flow
threshers. These threshers have peg-teeth cylinder and concave arrangements
that generate mostly impact effects to thresh although some stripping effects are
associated. Usually, the separation of rice grains from the panicle occurs as a
result of rubbing, impact and stripping action. A compact motorized throw-in axial
flow rice thresher that uses combined peg and screw threshing mechanism was
designed and successfully constructed. The prototype threshed up to 1,282mm
length of whole harvested rice crops of 19.6% moisture content grain and 64%
moisture content straw at threshing drum speed of 650rpm and feed rates from
198 to 402kg/hr inclusive with maximum threshing power of 1.4PS (1.03kW) and
also threshed 812mm length of crop with maximum threshing power for feed
rates from 205 to 429kg/hr. The evaluated power requirement of the thresher
validated the Japan national standard which states that the average power
requirement should be less than 3.5PS (2.6kW) for 1.2kg bundle of feeds.

Rangasamy et al.(2018),[10]
The low cost paddy thresher was developed in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
and its performance was evaluated in the farmer’s field for the research purpose.
The portable paddy thresher was tested for its performance in terms of threshing
efficiency, grain damage and output capacity at different levels of factors.
Comparing the total loss occurred at the best combination of crop and operation
parameters for maximum threshing efficiency, minimum grain damage and
maximum output capacity was obtained at a combination of 20 mm concave
clearance, 16.5 m s-1 cylinder speed, 13.5 per cent moisture content and at a feed
rate of 600 kg h-1 . The threshing efficiency occurred at this combination was
99.95 per cent for cast iron rasp bar threshing cylinder. The grain damage and
output capacity occurred at this combination was 2.76 per cent and 240 kg h-1
respectively. The cost of threshing with portable paddy thresher was Rs.13.15 per
100 kilogram of grains. The saving in cost and time were 86.5 per cent and 95 per
cent respectively as compared to conventional method of manual threshing.

OLADIGBOLU and OKUSANYA (2018),[11]

This research endeavor is undertaken by designing and fabricating a motorized
rice thresher for small and mediumscale holder of rice farm to improve on the
activities of rice processing in the industry. Threshing is the first and the most
important post-harvest operation of rice crop processing. It involves the
detachment of hulled grains from the harvested straw. Materials are fed into the
threshing chamber made of peg teeth cylindrical drum through an axial-flow feed
in mechanism to separate hulled rice from its stalk through impact force. The
machine uses cyclone vacuum principle for cleaning operation. To this effect, the
machine designed and constructed has design capacity of 350kg/hr. and
efficiencies of threshed rice at single and double passes to be 85% and 97%
respectively. Moreover, it is expected that the global need for food will increase
substantially in the coming decades. Rice industry will in no doubt play a crucial
role in delivering high-quality diets and products to the market. A motorized
thresher was designed and constructed in this technical report for the purpose of
rice threshing. Evaluation work was carried out on the machine to determine its
performance in terms of throughput capacity and efficiency at certain processing
conditions. In carrying out the evaluation work, harvested rice with the straw was
introduced into the thresher through the feed tray to the threshing drum. Impact,
stripping and rubbing effects on the rice straw against the threshing drum brings
about removal and separation of the grains from the straw. The spiral nature of
the spikes and the peg tooth wraps the whole paddy on the drum and moves
along the length of the threshing drum in the forward direction until the
unwanted straws and shrubs reach the draw chute and then expelled by the
straw thrower at the peripheral of the machine. Rice is collected at the sprout
provided after it has been separated from the straw and debris through suction
cyclone positioned around the grain sprout.

Tesfaye and Dibaba (2019),[12]

The development of rice threshing machines are the major effort made to
increase the production of rice and encourage the government policy. Hence, to
do this the appropriate rice threshing machines should be needed. The selected
rice threshing machine is increases the income of farmers by reducing the labor
costs and the losses caused during threshing. During selection of the rice
threshing machine, the three machines namely Assela multicrop thresher (AMT),
Jimma made thresher (JMT) and Votex are tested to evaluate their performance
by changing the speed of engine that is at low, medium and high. Finally, by using
the parameters like threshing capacity, cleaning efficiency, percentage of
breakage and losses the selection was done. Therefore according to the results
obtained Assela made multicrop thresher was better than other especially in
minimizing breakage of grains. The feeding rate of the Jimma made multicrop
thresher was higher than others (760.56kg/hr, 947.37kg/hr at medium and high
engine speed respectively) except at low engine speed. Asella multicrop thresher
had higher feeding rate (482.14kg/hr) than other at low engine speed. But the
threshing capacity of Jimma multicrop thresher was higher than others at all
engine speeds. The percentage of breaking of Jimma made multicrop thresher
was high which was not good as compared to standard (0.2%) as set by Ethiopian
commodity exchange. But in cleaning efficiency, the votex was better than others
as we saw from the following tables in all engine speeds. But the percentage of
breaking of votex was higher than other in all engine speeds. The Asella Multicrop
thresher was good in all parameters especially in percentage of breakage at low
and medium engine speed as saw in tables below. Therefore, the Assela WB
thresher is better for rice threshing from Jimma multicrop and Votex thresher due
to it had low percentage of breakage.

Fatmawat et al.(2019),[13]
Thresher is a rice seed threshing tool. Threshing is an integral part of the process
in rice post-harvest management, in which the rice that has been harvested is
threshed to separate the grains from the rice straw. One of the main problems
faced by the farmers, especially during the post-harvest time is the difficulty to
carry the thresher to the harvest site since it is inaccessible for four-wheeled
vehicles to reach the sites, and thus the further transport is conducted by
manpower of at least six people using bamboos to bear the rice. Data gathering
method is conducted by separating the parts of the thresher in four categories
namely the frames, the feeding parts, the thresher, and the cover, and then data
of each production by 30 observations, and the result of farmers productivity
using the thresher 21, 84 minutes/100 kg or daily working hour is able to produce
1.900 kg. Rice thresher using break down system consists of 4 main parts namely
frame, thresher, cylinder, and cover. Thus carrying the thresher will be easier and
only needs 3 people and the time needed is quicker. b) Farmer productivity result
using the thresher with the break down system is 21.84 minutes/100kg or a daily
working hour can reach 1900 kg.

VasuRamBagath.M et al.(2019),[14]
The small rice combine harvester is mainly used for harvesting rice grain and
wheat grain. It is special suit for areas where general combined harvesters cannot
enter in, very convenience for the farming. The name derives from its combining
three separate operations comprising harvesting reaping, threshing, and
winnowing into a single process. among the crops harvested with a combine are
wheat, oats, rice, barely, corn, soybeans and flax .The waste straw left behind on
the field is the remaining dried stems and leaves of the crop with limited nutrients
which is either chopped and spread on the field or baled for feed and bedding for
livestock. Harvesters are one of the most economically important labour saving
inventions, enabling a small fraction of the population to be engaged in
agriculture. Thus project is to design and develop small scale low cost compact
harvester which reduce the overall cost of grain harvesting in the form of labour
cost and harvesting cost.

Salunkhe Prashant (2020),[15]

They have developed and tested Multilevel Vibration Screening Machine, this
machine separate the grits of different types as well as size in less time and at
cheaper cost. Machine uses a single vibrator is for all sizes of powders produced;
which saves the machine cost considerably. The level of vibrations is changed in
the machine which enables to vibrate the grits placed at different level one by
one or at the same time. The amplitude of vibration or the frequency i.e. the
number of stroke of vibration per minute can be varied which helps to apply
desired vibration to the given grit; this improves the quality of powder produced
as well as the rate of production. Machine is compact hence occupies less space
as compared to the conventional machines.
Nagesh C Kamath (2020),[16]
They have designed and fabricated pepper thresher. A motor provided in the
model is used to actuate the whole model. Pulley is attached to the rear side of
the rotating drum. This pulley is connected with the drive by means of belt as
shown in the diagram. The motor is rotated with the help of belt arrangement.
The drum is rotated with the constant speed of 75 rpm. Bottom having tray is
used to collect the pepper. This tray is oscillated with the help of cam mechanism.
This cam mechanism also operates with the help of same A.C motor.

Zoerb and Hall (2020),[17]

They studied the physical and rheological properties of grain in order to predict
the reaction of seed to actual handling circumstances. They reported that
moisture content had greatest influence on the mechanical properties of grain. All
strength properties decreased in magnitude as moisture increased. At high
moisture content more energy was required to rupture grain kernels by impact-
shear than static-shear. Elastic properties were present at low and plastic
properties at high moisture contents.

Waziri and Mittal (2020),[18]

They studied the physical properties of agricultural materials and pointed out
their practical utility in machine and structural design and in process and control
engineering. They established methods for determining physical properties such
as shape, size, weight, density, porosity, surface area, angle of repose and angle
of internal friction for tropical agricultural products.

Kachru et al.(2021),[19]
The various physical properties such as moisture content, length, width,
thickness, size, sphericity, terminal velocity, bulk density, specific gravity, and
angle of repose, coefficient of static friction, hardness and thermal conductivity
for small, medium and large size seeds of food crops. They have reported the
range of the various physical properties related to different varieties of maize.

Burrough and Herbage (2022),[20]

They reported that the percentage of kernels damaged by the shelling unit was
almost directly proportional to the moisture content of the kernel.
3.1 Design Methodology
The farmer winnowing machine needs are vital in identifying the
performance of the winnowing machines currently available in the market.
Majority of the farmers in the site under study lamented on the high costs
charged by local business men and women who offer winnowing machine services
normally for hire. Such winnowers are usually powered by tractor and require
more than eight people for its effective operation.
The farmers are therefore forced to dig deep into their pockets to facilitate
payment of such casual workers alongside the payment of machine service.
Considering the low harvest capacity of individual farmers from the sizes of their
farms as stated earlier in this paper, such a move would cost them a lot and cut a
great deal on their returns. On the other hand the farmers termed such
techniques as those of winnowing by hand and use of natural wind to perform
winnowing so as to winnow as stone age techniques that are a waste of time and
energy and which would only be adopted as a fall back plan if all means to
winnow their produce fail.
The use of small rotary winnower such as the antique winnower presented
a further challenge since they had to set up a working bench on which they could
mount the machine. Additionally, the farmers also complained of the slow rate at
which such equipment remove kernels from the cobs and most of them were
reluctant to use them frequently.
They suggested that if a cheaper solution would be availed to them to solve
their grain winnowing problem, with minimal breakage of the grain then such a
technique would be warmly welcome and embraced by individual farmers or a
group of such rural farmers. On the field determination of farmer winnowing
capacity is vital.

3.2 Design Considerations

There are many different facts that must be considered in the design process, as
shown below:-
 The winnowing system should fulfil the basic task of cleaning the grains and
removing husk, twigs, chaff etc.

 It should be economical and the running cost should be at its minimum

level.

 The grain and unwanted material should be distinguishingly separated i.e.

there should not be a requirement to repeat the process.

 The device should be portable and robust such that it can be transported to
the field easily.

 The attachment should employ low-cost materials and manufacturing

methods, standard spare parts like sprockets, gears, pulleys, chains, belts,
should be used for easy and local availability.

 The weight of the system should be minimal to reduce the human effort in
transport.

 The system may employ other attachments to integrate the post harvesting
and related activities.

 The fabrication of system should be suitable for local capabilities i.e. use of
simple tools in machine shop such as hack saw, files, medium duty welder,
drill press, lathe and milling machine.
3.3 Taxonomy of the Design Considerations

Fig:- Taxonomy of Design Considerations

3.3.1 Ethical Consideration

Design norms are helpful guidelines that assist in design selection. For this
project, cultural appropriateness, caring, and stewardship are chosen as the most
important design norms.
 Caring
Food is a necessity of life, yet there are many places around the world
that lack this resource. Designing a machine that improves the quality
of tea grades at a low cost demonstrates caring for the company. As a
method of caring for the men and women operating the machine,
safety will be taken into consideration when choosing a final design.

 Stewardship
Stewardship is another applicable design norm. This project will
provide an excellent opportunity to use a few resources available to
produce a vital product for the company.

3.3.2 Physical Considerations

 An additional set of design considerations are the materials to be used, the
power sources, ease of use, and reparability.

3.3.3 Materials to be used

Among the physical considerations for the design is choosing the materials
from which the machine will be constructed. The most important material
consideration is the availability of the materials in villages. The machine will be
designed so that most of the parts can be manufactured from local workshop,
thus using materials that are cheap &readily available is an important
consideration. The durability of the machine is another important physical design
consideration. The operating environment this is to say, the sorting and packing
sections in the factory have the potential to be harsh, with extreme heat and
humidity. These conditions necessitate choosing materials that are corrosion
resistant. Additionally, the machine will be used for many years by many different
operators, so the materials of machine must withstand prolonged heavy use. The
weight of the final product is another design consideration directly influenced by
the chosen materials.

 Ease of Use
Ease of use is another essential physical consideration. The machine
will be designed so as to be used easily by various types of operators
that include men and women.

 Repairability
The design will enable an easy repair and maintenance of the machine.
This issue is closely linked with the cultural appropriateness
consideration addressed in the ethics section.
3. 4 Machine Description
The machine will consist of a number of parts that include: the main frame
which will support the rest of machine components, the bearings that will support
the fan shaft at both ends, the hopper that will guide the grain to pass near the
fan, the stainless sieve that will separate chaff and dust from grain, electric motor
which rotates the fan, fan for blowing chaff and dust, alternator which generates
the current and recharges the battery. Portable winnowing machine consist of a
hopper with a provision of adjustable flow rate. Vibrator is placed below the sieve
to vibrate it. Solar panel is used to charge the battery.

3.5 Working Principle

Figure:- Illustration of the working principle

 The fan separates the grain and the chaff by taking advantage of the
mass and drag differences of the grain and chaff. The grain and chaff fall down a
sloped path while a fan produces a constant stream of air flowing up the path.
The larger mass of the grain allows it to continue its descent to the bottom of the
slope, while the chaff and dust is picked up by the stream of air and blown away
by the machine.
Solar panel is used to absorb the sun rays coming from the
sun and to recharge the battery. The battery is used to run the electric
motor. Fan is coupled on the shaft of electric motor. As the electric motor
rotates, the fan also rotates at high speed. Due to the stream of air, chaff
and dust is blown away and then clean grain is collected. The generator is
run by electric motors, which is coupled by belt drives. The generator
produces electric current which charges the battery and then battery runs
the motors and this process repeats.

3.6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Powered Winnowing

Machine
 Advantages:-

 Ease of installation
 Easy to mount
 Prevents grain from scattering
 Simple to maintain
 Saves time
 Easy to transport machine and inexpensive to transport
 High technology is not necessary
 Low running cost
 Electricity can be produced at a lower cost after installation.

 Disadvantages

 If the heavy stones are of same size that of grain then becomes
difficult to separate.
  If grain are lighter then it may be blown away along with chaff.

 It cannot be used for mass production.

 In cloudy day, sun ray won’t be received by solar panel, so it will be

difficult to charge the battery.

3.7 Power Transmission Flowchart

At first, battery is charged by the use of solar energy and generator. Then
the charged battery is used to run the electric motor. As the electric motor runs
then the shaft starts rotating, the fan is coupled on the same shaft of motor. So,
the fan rotates at high speed and high velocity stream of air is produced. The
stream of air blows away the chaff and dust from grain and the clean grain is
collected in the sack. The generator is run by the motor, which is coupled with the
use of belt drives. As the generator rotates then electric current is produced
which is used to charge the battery. The vibrator is used to vibrate the sieve
containing perforated holes. The vibrator is run by battery.

Figure:- Power Transmission Flowchart

4. COMPONENTS OF WINNOWING MACHINE
4.1 The Main Frame
The main frame will support the entire weight of the machine. The total
weights that will be carried by the main frame include: weight of the hopper, the
fan, belt, Sieve, vibrator, electric motor, generator, battery. The two design
factors that will be considered in determining the material required for the frame
are weight and strength. Assuming the weight of bolts and nuts to be negligible.
The first major dimension that needed to be ascertained was the grain
drop height between the bottom of the fan’s air stream and the sieve system. This
distance has to be large enough to allow for sufficient exposure between the
paddy mixture and the lighter debris that are separated out by the blowing air
from the fan. If the drop height is not large enough for the lighter debris to clear
the sieve system, then re-contamination of the paddy with this debris will occur
when they contact the sieve. While a significant drop height would need to be
incorporated into the design for this reason, this must be balanced with the goal
of trying to keep this machine as compact as possible.

4.2 The Hopper

 Figure:- Hooping of winnowing machine
The hopper will be designed to be fed in a vertical position only and to
accommodate the allowable volume of grains to be cleaned. The hopper will have
the shape of a frustum of a pyramid truncated at the top. Its base will be a square
funnel slighting at an obtained angle of repose to discharge the grains in the
draught chamber by gravity. The material that will be used for the construction is
1mm thick tin which is readily available in the market and relatively affordable.

4.3 Design of the fan

The fan will provide a wind stream to clean the grains.

Figure:- Fan of winnowing machine or Optimal Fan Wind Speed

 Optimal Fan Wind Speed and Corresponding required rpm
The first order of business will be to figure out what the optimal wind speed
would be for the fan to blow at. The sought after wind speed should be
strong enough to blow away the lighter, less dense debris out of the grain,
while not indiscriminately blowing the clean grain away as well. In order to
achieve this wind velocity, a specific rotational speed would be required of
the shaft of the centrifugal fan. This will be calculated using the fan
affinity law:

N1 = N2
Q1 Q2

Where∶ Q 1 = first air flow rate (m 3 ⁄min)

n 1 = rotational speed corresponding to Q 1 (rpm)
Q 2 = second air flow rate (m 3 ⁄min)
n 2 = rotational speed corresponding to Q 2 (rpm)

 Fan Power Requirement

To find the power requirements of the fan, total pressure of the airflow in
the fan and the cubic flow rate of the air leaving the fan will be required.

P=pt*Q
µb^ µfµm

Where∶ Q = Air flow rate (m 3 ⁄min)

p t = total pressure (Pa)
µb = Belt efficiency
µf = fan efficiency
µm = Motor efficiency.
4.4 Solar Panel
Solar panel refers to a panel designed to absorb the sun's rays as a
source of energy for generating electricity or heating. A photovoltaic (in short PV)
module is a packaged, connected assembly of typically 6×10 solar cells . Solar
Photovoltaic panels constitute the solar array of a photovoltaic system that
generates and supplies solar electricity in commercial and residential applications.
Each module is rated by its DC output power under standard test conditions, and
typically ranges from 100 to 365 watts. The efficiency of a module determines the
area of a module given the same rated output – an 8% efficient 230 watt module
will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 watt module. There are a few solar
panels available that are exceeding 19% efficiency. A single solar module can
produce only a limited amount of power; most installations contain multiple
modules. A photovoltaic system typically includes a panel or an array of solar
modules, a solar inverter, and sometimes a battery and/or solar tracker and
interconnection wiring. The price of solar power, together with batteries for
storage, has continued to fall so that in many countries it is cheaper than ordinary
fossil fuel electricity from the grid.
 Figure:- Solar Panel and Solar Cell

Solar modules use light energy (photons) from the sun to generate
electricity through the photovoltaic effect. The majority of modules use wafer -
based crystalline silicon cells or thin-film cells based on cadmium telluride or
silicon. The structural (load carrying) member of a module can either be the top
layer or the back layer. Cells must also be protected from mechanical damage and
moisture. Most solar modules are rigid, but semi- flexible ones are available,
based on thin-film cells. Electrical connections are made in series to achieve a
desired output voltage and/or in parallel to provide a desired current capability.
The conducting wires that take the current off the modules may contain silver,
copper or other non-magnetic conductive [transition metals]. The cells must be
connected electrically to one another and to the rest of the system. Externally,
popular terrestrial usage photovoltaic modules use MC3 (older) or MC4
connectors to facilitate easy weatherproof connections to the rest of the system.
Bypass diodes may be incorporated or used externally, in case of partial
module shading, to maximize the output of module sections still illuminated.
Some recent solar module designs include concentrators in which light is focused
by lenses or mirrors onto an array of smaller cells. This enables the use of cells
with a high cost per unit area (such as gallium arsenide) in a cost-effective way.

4.5 Sieve system

Figure:- Sieve with perforated holes

This sieve has larger perforations and is intended to filter the debris that is larger
than the rice paddy and too heavy to be blown away by the wind stream. The
lower sieve has perforations that are too small for the grains to fall through. This
sieve is intended to catch the rice paddy and redirect it toward a catchment
vessel, while the impurities that are smaller than the rice paddy, but too heavy to
be blown away in the wind stream, fall through the sieve into their respective
collection vessel. The sieves are connected on at two points along their length by
arms of flat bar.

4.6 The Prime Movers

The source of power that will be used to drive the machine will be DC
motor. NR-DC-ECO is high quality low cost DC motor. It contains Brass gears and
steel pinions to ensure longer life and better wear and tear properties. The gears
are fixed on hardened steel spindles polished to a mirror finish. These spindles
rotate between bronze plates which ensures silent running. The output shaft
rotates in a sintered bushing. The whole assembly is covered with a plastic ring.
All the bearings are permanently lubricated and therefore require no
maintenance. The motor is screwed to the gear box from inside.

Figure:- DC Brushless Motor Figure:- 12v 1200 rpm DC Motor

The reverse of this would be the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical
energy and is done by an electric generator. In normal motoring mode, most
electric motors operate through the interaction between an electric motor's
magnetic field and winding currents to generate force within the motor. In certain
applications, such as in the transportation industry with traction motors, electric
motors can operate in both motoring and generating or braking modes to also
produce electrical energy from mechanical energy. Found in applications as
diverse as industrial fans, blowers and pumps, machine tools, household
appliances, power tools, and disk drives, electric motors can be powered by direct
current (DC) sources, such as from batteries, motor vehicles or rectifiers, or by
alternating current (AC) sources, such as from the power grid, inverters or
generators. Small motors may be found in electric watches. General-purpose
motors with highly standardized dimensions and characteristics provide
convenient mechanical power for industrial use. The largest of electric motors are
used for ship propulsion, pipeline compression and pumped-storage applications
with ratings reaching 100 megawatts. Electric motors may be classified by electric
power source type, internal construction, application, type of motion output, and
so on. Electric motors are used to produce linear or rotary force (torque), and
should be distinguished from devices such as magnetic solenoids and
loudspeakers that convert electricity into motion but do not generate usable
mechanical powers, which are respectively referred to as actuators and
transducers.

4.7 Vibrator
A vibrator is a mechanical device to generate vibrations. The vibration is
often generated by an electric motor with an unbalanced mass on its driveshaft.
There are many different types of vibrator. Some are components of larger
products such as components and as individual pieces of equipment. Vibratory
feeders and vibrating hoppers are used extensively in the food, pharmaceutical,
and chemical industries to move and position bulk material or small component
parts. The application of vibration working with the force of gravity can often
move materials through a process more effectively than other methods. Vibration
is often used to position small components so that they can be gripped
mechanically by automated equipment as required for assembly etc.
 Figure:- Vibrator used in winnowing machine

Vibrating screens are used to separate bulk materials in a mixture of

different sized particles. For example sand, gravel, river rock and crushed rock,
and other aggregates are often separated by size using vibrating screens.
Vibrating compactors are used for soil compaction especially in foundations for
roads, railways, and buildings. Concrete vibrators consolidate freshly poured
concrete so that trapped air and excess water are released and the concrete
settles firmly in place in the formwork. Improper consolidation of concrete can
cause product defects, compromise the concrete strength, and produce surface
blemishes such as bug holes and honeycombing. An internal concrete vibrator is a
steel cylinder about the size of the handle of a baseball bat, with a hose or
electrical cord attached to one end. The vibrator head is immersed in the wet
concrete.
External concrete vibrators attach, via a bracket or clamp system, to the
concrete forms. There are a wide variety of external concrete vibrators available
and some vibrator manufacturers have bracket or clamp systems designed to fit
the major brands of concrete forms. External concrete vibrators are available in
hydraulic, pneumatic or electric power.
Vibrating tables or shake tables are sometimes used to test products to
determine or demonstrate their ability to withstand vibration. Testing of this type
is commonly done in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. These
machines are capable of producing three different types of vibration profile sine
sweep, random vibration, and synthesized shock. In all three of these
applications, the part under test will typically be instrumented with one or more
accelerometers to measure component response to the vibration input. A sine
sweep vibration profile typically starts vibrating at low frequency and increases in
frequency at a set rate (measured in hertz per second or hertz per minute). The
vibratory amplitude as measured in gs may increase or decrease as well. A sine
sweep will find resonant frequencies in the part. A random vibration profile will
excite different frequencies along a spectrum at different times. Significant
calculation goes into making sure that all frequencies get excited to within an
acceptable tolerance band. A random vibration test suite may range anywhere
from 30 seconds up to several hours. It is intended to synthesize the effect of, for
example, a car driving over rough terrain or a rocket taking off. A synthesized
shock pulse is a short duration high level vibration calculated as a sum of many
half-sine waves covering a range of frequencies. It is intended to simulate the
effects of an impact or explosion. A shock pulse test typically lasts less than a
second. Vibrating tables can also be used in the packaging process in material
handling industries to shake or settle a container so it can hold more products.

4.8 DC Generator
It is a generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the
form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators
use a rotating magnetic field with a stationary armature. Occasionally, a linear
alternator or a rotating armature with a stationary magnetic field is used. In
principle, any AC electrical generator can be called an alternator, but usually the
term refers to small rotating machines driven by automotive and other internal
combustion engines. An alternator that uses a permanent magnet for its magnetic
field is called a magneto. Alternators in power stations driven by steam turbines
are called turbo- alternators. Large 50 or 60 Hz three phase alternators in power
plants generate most of the world’s; electric power, which is distributed by
electric power grids.
A conductor moving relative to a magnetic field develops an electromotive
force (EMF) in it. This emf reverses its polarity when it moves under magnetic
poles of opposite polarity. Typically, a rotating magnet, called the rotor turns
within a stationary set of conductors wound in coils on an iron core, called the
stator. The field cuts across the conductors, generating an induced EMF, as the
mechanical input causes the rotor to turn.

Figure:- Generator

The rotating magnetic field induces an AC voltage in the stator windings.

Since
the currents in the stator windings vary in step with the position of the rotor, an
alternator is a synchronous generator. The rotor's magnetic field may be
produced by permanent magnets, or by a field coil electromagnet. Automotive
alternators use a rotor winding which allows control of the alternator's
generated voltage by varying the current in the rotor field winding. Permanent
magnet machines avoid the loss due to magnetizing current in the rotor, but are
restricted in size, due to the cost of the magnet material. Since the permanent
magnet field is constant, the terminal voltage varies directly with the speed of the
generator. Brushless AC generators are usually larger than those used in
automotive applications. An automatic voltage control device controls the field
current to keep output voltage constant. If the output voltage from the stationary
armature coils drops due to an increase in demand, more current is fed into the
rotating field coils through the voltage regulator (VR). This increases the magnetic
field around the field coils which induces a greater voltage in the armature coils.
Thus, the output voltage is brought back up to its original value. Alternators used
in central power stations also control the field current to regulate reactive power
and to help stabilize the power system against the effects of momentary faults.
Often there are three sets of stator windings, physically offset so that the rotating
magnetic field produces a three phase current, displaced by one- third of a period
with respect to each other.

4.9 Storage Devices: Battery

A storage rechargeable battery is a type of electrical battery which can
be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, while a non-
rechargeable or primary battery is supplied fully charged, and discarded once
discharged. It is composed of one or more electrochemical cells. The term
accumulator is used as it accumulates and stores energy through a reversible
electrochemical reaction. Rechargeable batteries are produced in many different
shapes and sizes, ranging from button cells to megawatt system connected to
stabilize an electrical distribution network.
Several different combinations of electrode materials and electrolytes are
used, including lead–acid , nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH),
lithium ion (Li-ion), and lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer). Rechargeable
batteries initially cost more than disposable batteries , but have a much lower
total cost of ownership and environmental impact , as they can be recharged
inexpensively many times before they need replacing. Some rechargeable battery
types are available in the same sizes and voltages as disposable types, and can be
used interchangeably with them.
Performance of any LM317 system depends largely on performance of
batteries connected to it. As such selection of right type and rating of battery for
your LM317 is very critical. Regular maintenance of installed batteries also should
be given due importance.
 Battery Specifications and Charging
Batteries are accumulators of electrical energy. Battery stores electrical
energy in chemical form. Battery specification consists of their voltage and
 ampere-hour (AH) capacity. Thus 12v – 100AH battery means one can draw
10 Amperes for about 10 hours. This relationship is actually non-liner. In
other words you cannot draw 100 amperes from 100 AH battery for one hour.
Typically battery manufacturers give discharge curves as per their design
specification for each rating. A 12V battery typically consists of 6 cells of 2 volts
each connected in series and mounted in hard rubber or PP container. Charging
methods for these batteries are also specified by manufacturers and one has to
follow them strictly to get maximum life out of these batteries. LM317 systems
provide sophisticated electronic battery charger to ensure proper charging of
batteries. Charging current restrictions decide recharging time for batteries. (This
specification becomes critical when you have regular long load shading periods
during the day).
One has to understand that battery is a consumable item and has definite
life, which is much less than life of the LM317. A normal life span for well-
designed lead acid battery is about 2-3 years and depends upon selection of
proper ampere-hour (AH) capacity for given discharge current. Long life (5 to 6
years) batteries are available but at extra cost. In developing countries, longer
backup period is required for LM317 systems. As such, the investment in batteries
is at times almost equal to (or even more than) the LM317.

 Types of Batteries
Three basic types of batteries are available in the market:

1. Automotive Lead acid batteries (Wet):-

A typical wet battery is made of positive and negative plates, made of lead
and lead oxide. These plates are arranged in hard rubber or PVC container.
These plates are immersed in dilute sulphuric acid serving as liquid
electrolyte. The performance of these batteries greatly depends on purity
of lead used in battery plates and quality of sulphuric acid used. Hence, we
find that branded batteries in this category perform much better than local
makes. Automotive batteries are mainly produced by manufacturers for
use in automobiles, where the main function of the battery is to start the
engine. This requires battery to deliver very high current to starter motor
for short duration, while starting the automobile. In running condition these
batteries are floated on alternator rectifier connected to engine, which charges
the battery. As such it does not undergo high current discharge for longer time.
Manufacturers use battery plates with less cross sectional area to serve this
purpose and reduce the cost. The electrolyte evaporates during charging and
discharging changing its specific gravity. We have to add distilled water at regular
intervals to ensure proper performance of these batteries. Generally these
batteries are not recommended for serious LM317 installations. However if the
cost constraints are stringent one can use these batteries with LM317 of lower
ratings. The capacity should be so selected that that the discharge current is not
more than 1/100 of battery rating.
2. Stationary Tubular Lead acid batteries (Wet):-
Tubular batteries are similar to automotive batteries but with some
significant differences in their construction. These batteries have larger cross
sectional area for plates and larger volume to accommodate more electrolytes. In
case of LM317 large current discharge is required for longer durations to support
the loads. This naturally demands more cross sectional area for battery plates to
give longer battery life. Tubular batteries provide this type of construction and
thus are better suited for LM317 applications. Provision of more electrolyte
avoids frequent topping up. These batteries are available in 2V or 12V models
with ampere-hour capacities ranging from 40AH -200 AH. As the volumes getting
sold are increasing, local reliable sources from unorganized sector are developing
in many areas for these type of batteries. A variant called “Thick plate” or “Pasted
Plate” battery is also available in the market. Quality and cost wise it falls
between automotive and tubular batteries. User can choose the battery after
ensuring the reputation and track record of the manufacturer.
3.Sealed Maintenance free (SMF) batteries (Dry–Valve Regulated Lead Acid
Batteries):-
These batteries use plates similar to wet batteries, but the electrolyte
used is generally in gel form. The battery is sealed and does not require any
electrolyte filling throughout its lifespan. These batteries have predicted life of
fixed number of discharge cycles, typically 300 discharge cycles at 250c ambient.
One discharge cycle is typically discharging battery up to 60% and charging it
again at recommended charging current. In tropical countries like India, this
temperature restriction cannot be achieved unless batteries are used in air-
conditioned atmosphere. As such we get average life of about 200 discharge
cycles. Any repairs during the life span are not possible in SMF batteries. Thus
within the life span but after the guarantee period, if any battery is found faulty
then it needs total replacement. These batteries are available in the capacities
ranging from 7 AH to 100 AH. Few manufacturers provide factory assembled, 2
Volt stacks of these batteries (at almost double the cost) with special
constructional difference to give 5 – 7 years life. With the constraints as explained
above these batteries are recommended for backup requirements of about 20-30
minutes. Sophisticated electronic chargers are must for these batteries to avoid
bursting or bulging due to overcharging. These batteries should not be kept in
discharged condition for longer duration. Various manufacturers for different
ratings of LM317 keeping this trend in mind, user should always specify LM317
rating and backup time requirement and leave the selection of DC voltage to the
LM317 manufacturer. One can further compare costs and ratings of batteries
quoted by various vendors for same backup.

 Few Do’s and Don’ts for LM317 batteries :-

 Batteries should be kept as near to LM317 as possible.

 It is always recommended that required number of batteries should
be connected in series. As far as possible series parallel combination
should be avoided (Series parallel combination may not ensure
proper charging and equal discharging, thus could reduce life of the
batteries.)
 As far as possible do not mix old batteries with new batteries or
batteries of unequal rating, while connecting in series to avoid
unequal charging.
 For easy maintenance and from the point of view of safety batteries
should be kept in steel or wooden racks duly designed to suite the
 site. Such racks should be kept away from heat and any other
chemical fumes or chemical storage.
 DC voltages higher than 24V may prove to be fatal for unauthorized
handling. As such the battery racks should have safety covers with
lock.
 Battery rooms should be accessible to authorized persons only. These
rooms should be well ventilated with provision for dry type fire
extinguisher. Periodic visual checking for bulging, fuming, loose
connections is recommended.
 Batteries should be connected to LM317 through a manual isolating
switch so that in case of emergency battery bank can be quickly
disconnected from LM317.
 In case of wet batteries the racks should be designed to provide
enough height above batteries to facilitate regular gravity checking
and filling of distilled water.
 A periodic record in the following form if maintained helps in
assessing battery performance.

4.10 Belt Drives

Round belts are a circular cross section belt designed to run in a pulley
with a 60 degree V-groove. Round grooves are only suitable for idler pulleys that
guide the belt, or when (soft) O-ring type belts are used. The V-groove transmits
torque through a wedging action, thus increasing friction. Nevertheless, round
belts are for use in relatively low torque situations only and may be purchased in
various lengths or cut to length and joined, either by a staple, a metallic
connector (in the case of hollow plastic), gluing or welding (in the case of
polyurethane).
 Figure:- Round Belt Drive
Early sewing machines utilized a leather belt, joined either by a metal staple or
glued, to great effect. Round belt transmission advantages include:
 Less expensive than roller chain drives.
 Easy maintenance, with no lubrication required.
 Protects from overload.
 Quiet operation with vibration dampening.
 Invulnerable to oils/petroleum.
 Can be easily disengaged; can serve as a clutch.
 Very little wear on pulleys.
Disadvantages do exist. Drive belts easily stretch and slip, so idler pulleys or a new
belt must be implemented. Also, pulley drives are the weakest form of power
transmission; in any configuration where the belt does not wrap 180° around the
pulley significant power loss occurs. Belt drives are limited to moderate speeds
(35 m/s) and by power transmission (500 hp maximum). Finally, operating
temperatures are often restricted to - 31°F to 185°F.

4.11 Voltage Regulator Circuit LM317 Adjustable Regulator

The LM117 series of adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage regulators is
capable of supplying in excess of 1.5A over a 1.2V to 37V output range. They are
exceptionally easy to use and require only two external resistors to set the output
voltage. Further, both line and load regulations are better than standard fixed
regulators. Also, the LM317 is packaged in standard transistor packages which are
easily mounted and handled.
In addition to higher performance than fixed regulators, the LM317 series
offers full overload protection available only in IC's. Included on the chip are
current limit, thermal overload protection and safe area protection. All overload
protection circuitry remains fully functional even if the adjustment terminal is
disconnected.
Normally, no capacitors are needed unless the device is situated more than
6 inches from the input filter capacitors in which case an input bypass is needed.
An optional output capacitor can be added to improve transient response.
Besides replacing fixed regulators, the LM317 is useful in a wide variety of other
applications. Since the regulator is ``floating'' and sees only the input-
to-output differential voltage, supplies of several hundred volts can be regulated
as long as the maximum input to output differential is not exceeded, i.e., avoid
short-circuiting the output.

Figure:- Adjustable Regulator

4.12 Boost Converter

 The dc-dc boost converters are used to convert the unregulated dc input
to a controlled dc output at a desired voltage level. They generally perform the
conversion by applying a dc voltage across an inductor or transformer for a period
of time (usually in the 20 kHz to 5 MHz range) which causes current to flow
through it and store energy magnetically, then switching this voltage off and
causing the stored energy to be transferred to the voltage output in a controlled
manner. The output voltage is regulated by adjusting the ratio of on/off time. This
is achieved using switched-mode, or chopper, circuits whose elements dissipate
negligible power. Pulse-width modulation (PWM) allows control and regulation of
the total output voltage. It is considered as the heart of the power supply, thus it
will affect the overall performance of the power supply system. The ideal
converter exhibits 100% efficiency; in practice, efficiencies of 70% to 95% are
typically obtained.

Figure:- Schematic of Boost Converter

Renewable energy sources play an important role in electricity generation. People

are finding the benefits of having their own renewable energy system more
attractive than they ever had before. Specially, energy from the sun is the best
option for electricity generation as it is available everywhere and is free to
harness. The merits of solar PV system are cleanness, relative lack of noise or
movement, as well as their ease of installation and integration when compared to
others. On an average the sunshine hour in India is about 6hrs annually also the
sun shine shines in India for about 9 months in a year. Electricity from the sun can
be generated through the solar photovoltaic modules (SPV). The SPV comes in
various power output to meet the load. However, the output power of a PV panel
is largely determined by the solar irradiation and the temperature of the panel. To
maximize the power output of the PV system, a high efficiency, low-cost DC/DC
converter with a voltage feedback signal is commonly employed to control the
terminal voltage of the PV system at optimal values in various solar radiation
conditions.
5. MODELING AND FABRICATION OF WINNOWING MACHINE
5.1 The Winnowing Machine Frame
The main frame supports the entire weight of the machine. The total weights
carried by the main frame are:
 Weight of the hopper and sieve;
 Weight of the electric motor, Alternator and fan.

Figure:- CAD Model of Winnowing Machine Frame and Fabricated Frame

Specification: Total Height: 4ft, Length: 4ft, Width=1ft

Material: Mild Steel
Dimension of hollow square rod frame: 2cm × 2cm × 1mm
The two design factors considered for determining the material required for the
frame were weight and strength.
5.2 Hopper

Figure:- CAD Model of Hopper and Fabricated Hopper

Specification: Top Rectangle dimension = 12inch × 9 inch

Bottom rectangle Dimension = 12inch × 6inch
Base Rectangle Dimension = 15inch × 12 inch
Thickness= 1mm
Material: Tin

The hopper is designed to be fed in a vertical position only. The material to be

used for the construction is tin, which is readily available in the market at
affordable costs. The hopper will have the shape of a frustum of a pyramid
truncated at the top. The material that will be used for the construction is 1mm
thick tin which is readily available in the market and relatively affordable.
5.3 Fan