This semester our group was tasked with creating an AutoCad design of the peanut processing plant to be used for construction this summer. Before starting, we contacted Hans, the plant manager, who provided us with updated information about equipment and dimensions of the plant. We started with the provided outer dimensions of the plant and then figured out the layout of the processing and packaging equipment in order to create safe HACCP areas to avoid contamination. Multiple paper drawings were created with different plant layout ideas before moving to an actual AutoCad design. We took our initial AutoCad design (shown below) and skyped with Hans in order to review our initial plans. From there we created a new with the suggested updates and revisions to our initial design. Bathrooms, office spaces, cleaning areas, and truck loading docks were also calculated into our new design.
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We have completed the first semester of our senior design project. In the first semester we spent a lot of time researching current technologies and brainstorming new ideas. A huge dilemma that we faced was that there isn't a current review of technology or an abundance of research readily available for the current processes used in Malawi. It took a lot of correspondence with Dr. Mallikarjunan's contacts to get only a fraction of the information we needed. We spent a day visiting the Wakefield and Tidewater Peanut facilities in Suffolk, Virginia to learn more about the current processes used in a smaller factory scale and an even smaller researching scale. Through this research, we were able to come up with multiple designs that could be implemented in a facility without electricity, like some of the smaller villages in Malawi. Our group plans to continue to improve our knowledge of peanut processing and finalize a design solution for a peanut processing plant in Malawi. We also plan to build a functional prototype that could be easily implemented in the plant in Malawi and aid in the sorting or roasting process of the peanuts.
Trip to Suffolk:
Trip to Suffolk:
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