Performance evaluation of a modified jaggery making plant: A comparative study.

Jaggery is the unrefined form of concentrated sugarcane juice obtained by its continuous heating in traditional plants (TPs). The lack of technological advancements in these plants causes high bagasse consumption and low thermal efficiency. In present research work, a modified plant (MP) having two pans is fabricated to overcome these drawbacks. The improved plant has modified boiling and gutter pans with fins at the bottom to enhance its heat transfer capacity. A TP has also been fabricated and tested for comparison purpose. The performance of these plants has been compared on the basis of performance parameters. The rates of heat utilization (31.23%), water evaporation (32.92%), jaggery production (44.83%), and thermal efficiency (35.32%) of MP are found higher, while the rates of bagasse consumption (4.41%), heat generation (3.38%), heat loss (20.66%), temperature of exhaust gases (8.92%), and draft generated (6.12%) are observed lower than that of TP. The improvement in performance parameters of MP has reduced the concentration time in boiling pan by 8% which makes the plant an economical and fuel self‐sustainable. The actual results obtained for the plants have also been compared with theoretical values and observed in good agreement. The experimental errors have also been evaluated. Practical applications: The traditional jaggery manufacturing plants are tiny in size and run by the farmers on their own level with small investments. These plants are designed by local artisans without any technological advancements and are placed in decentralized sectors of India. Any technological upgradation requiring large investment would not be affordable for the farmers. The innovations involving very less investment and modifications in existing plants are acceptable. Moreover, innovations must be universal that can be implemented in different types and capacity of the plants. In present research work, fins are fitted at the bottom of boiling and gutter pans of a two pan jaggery manufacturing plant that enhanced the heat transfer capacity of pans and consequently, improved the overall performance of the plant. The fitment of fins at the bottom of pans is universal that needs very less investment and constructional changes, thus affordable for small investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]