Not a member yet?
Click here to register.

Forgotten your password?
Request a new one here.

Shoutbox

You must login to post a message.

allenb

04/19/2024 8:27 AM

eximwind

renatoa

04/18/2024 12:36 AM

bijurexim, greyberry2, N C,

renatoa

04/17/2024 9:27 AM

, branchu

renatoa

04/14/2024 5:56 AM

TheOtherJim and papajim,

allenb

04/11/2024 6:33 PM

Zemona

Shoutbox Archive

Forum Threads

Newest Threads

Rainfrog's Roastmast...
War on Farmers by Su...
Kaleido Roaster PID ...
Green coffee sellers
Wet beans - Estimati...

Hottest Threads

Skywalker roaster...	[292]
Skywalker, the AL...	[214]
Skywalker Roasts	[94]
Rainfrog's Roastm...	[54]
My first popcorn ...	[47]

In Memory Of Ginny

Donations

Latest Donations
dmccallum - 10.00
JackH - 25.00
snwcmpr - 10.00
Anonymous - 2.00
Anonymous - 5.00

Users Online

Guests Online: 1

Members Online: 0

Total Members: 8,212
Newest Member: eximwind

Oh no! Where's the JavaScript?
Your Web browser does not have JavaScript enabled or does not support JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript on your Web browser to properly view this Web site,
or upgrade to a Web browser that does support JavaScript; Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome or a version of Internet Explorer newer then version 6.

View Thread

Homeroasters - Home Roasting Coffee Community » BUILDING A ROASTER » Fluidbed Roaster

Who is here? 1 guest(s)

Loft power & heat
NewBean	#1 Posted on 08/03/2019 5:30 PM
1/4 Pounder Posts: 54 Joined: May 31, 2019	Hello all, at this point we have the main box build and wired and we found that using the galvanized 1" pipe with cam-locks is working nice to get the Roasting chamber to mount up to a pipe system to where we can attach our fan and heating element. Loft motor - Intex Quick-Fill AC Electric Air Pump, 110-120 Volt, Max. Air Flow 38.9CFM LINK- https://www.amazo...=8-2-fkmr0 Heating element - 110V 1600W Heat Element https://www.amazo...mp;sr=8-15 connections- the heating element fits nice and snug inside the 1" blackpipe and held it in place with a setscrew under the element so that it does not move. we found that a blender works nicely for the roasting chamber at this time, the cam-lock will allow us to change out to a new bigger RC when its build and or smaller version, thats the reason for the cam-lock and also allows us to remove it for dumping. Pictures - https://photos.ap...BW9dXESyu9 a few pictures here for the top side roasting chamber and to underneath to where the additional pipe will go with the heating element inside. PROBLEMS SO FAR - with using the loft motor linked up top and a batch of test beans in the chamber approx 200g we turned the motor on and it was more of a soft fart blowing up into the chamber, didnt move a thing. thinking that the restrictions going through the heating element section is killing it. so heating element removed and testing again, well with no restrictions it did move the beans a little but not how we need. so we pulled the loft motor off and hooked up a RIDIG shop vac in the blowing cycle and turned it on and LOL blew the test beans all over the shed. QUESTION - with using a ceramic heating element should it be snug fit in the tube ( cant see how enough air will pass thought it if that's the case) or is an airgap around the element a good idea. what is everyone else doing for the heating element section or are we just using the wrong heating element to begin with. thanks all in advance for any input you can offer


NewBean	#2 Posted on 08/05/2019 11:22 AM
1/4 Pounder Posts: 54 Joined: May 31, 2019	Hello all, we have build a Fluidbed roaster from top to bottom, TC4 / Raspberry pi / Zerocross etc, all within a custom build cabinet. our heating element is a 1500w ceramic 110v that is 1" Dia and sits inside a 1.250" Dia steel tube. our airflow is by using a RIDIG shop vac from the discharge side. our Airflow and controls from the TC4 are perfect around 30% to get the green to bounce just nice, we did a break-in test period with he heater to ensure things were working the way it was intended. we slammed the heat power to 100% and the best we could get is 212F and the BT was 272F where should we start to try and fix this issue as ive seen several people running heating elements to do this. this is the element were using for this test 1600w 110v https://www.amazo...&psc=1 Picture of graph https://photos.ap...3B9LMtoJB6 looking at this spec Heat Gun 1500W 122?F-1112?F(50?C-600?C) why cant i get ours to jump this high Edited by NewBean on 08/05/2019 12:05 PM


renatoa	#3 Posted on 08/05/2019 1:25 PM
Administrator Posts: 3005 Joined: September 30, 2016	The airflow needed for a FB is much higher than the airflow of hot gun tools.


NewBean	#4 Posted on 08/05/2019 2:25 PM
1/4 Pounder Posts: 54 Joined: May 31, 2019	Hi renaota, My airflow is more than good no issue there.. just can't get enough heat. NewBean attached the following image:


renatoa	#5 Posted on 08/05/2019 3:23 PM
Administrator Posts: 3005 Joined: September 30, 2016	Yes, your too good airflow is the factor that cools the wire to a level not appropriate for coffee roasting. The commercial hot gun airflow is not enough to make dancing even 50 grams of beans, but can easily reach 600 C degrees.


allenb	#6 Posted on 08/05/2019 6:21 PM
Administrator Posts: 3859 Joined: February 23, 2010	Did some BTU calculations to see what is possible using 1580 watts to see how honest published heat gun specs are. To raise 10 cfm airflow by 500 F requires 5400 BTUs which equates to 1582 watts. The heatgun manufacturers claim they can achieve a 1050 F delta T at a cfm of 14 but is theoretically impossible. From my experience, getting a 1500 watt element to heat a stream of air capable of lofting much over 100 grams at around 500 F requires a very carefully designed roast chamber that can loft the beans at the smallest possible cfm. All of the air stream must pass through the heating coils and there's absolutely no room for leaks. 1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana


NewBean	#7 Posted on 08/05/2019 6:37 PM
1/4 Pounder Posts: 54 Joined: May 31, 2019	AllenB, ok so me just wacking a few parts together and worrying more about the lofting side of things killed the heating side of it. LOL i orig had the 1" ceramic heating element stuffed in the 1" tube which was a snug fit but i had a hard time passing enough air thru it at all, which made me think about dropping it into the 1-1/4 pipe below and letting air go around it and thru it.. ** im putting a bunch of pictures in a folder ill link in a min on this post https://photos.ap...fvD8SgaSd7 is this heating element something i should look into https://www.ackla...MAPHAS043K Edited by NewBean on 08/05/2019 6:43 PM


allenb	#8 Posted on 08/05/2019 7:57 PM
Administrator Posts: 3859 Joined: February 23, 2010	That element should be fine and won't restrict airflow as the other one did. Those ceramic core style elements you have been using are very tough to work with with their micro sized openings. On the one you linked to, be careful to use a mica insulator "T" of some sort at the narrow end to prevent the windings from contacting the tube wall it's installed in. 1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana


NewBean	#9 Posted on 08/05/2019 8:04 PM
1/4 Pounder Posts: 54 Joined: May 31, 2019	thanks for that tip, ill be looking into what ill need to make this element work now. ill be pulling a dedicated line just for this element and the other line will run the rest of the cabinet. ill start to look online to see how other people are holding this style of an element in the tube.

Jump to Forum:

Similar Threads

Thread	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Heat gun flour sifter roaster	Heat Gun Roasting	1	01/06/2024 8:42 AM
Another heat gun bread machine roaster	Heat Gun Roasting	2	01/03/2024 4:10 AM
Larry Cotton's 'wobble disc' heat gun build	Heat Gun Roasting	63	11/19/2023 9:25 AM
Renatoa can you walk us through a roast based on Heat power control vs PID?	Roasting Coffee	32	08/21/2023 12:41 AM
2 series heat gun elements	Fluidbed Roaster	24	05/21/2023 2:06 AM