Development of an autonomous mixing and transporting robot for solar

In many agricultural, communal and industrial processes moist biomass  such as sludge from biogas or waste water treatment plants or by-products of food processing is produced. Removing water from these residuals is necessary to reduce transport and storage costs, to increase calorific value, to improve biological stability or to concentrate nutrients when being used as fertilizer. Recently, solar dryers have proven to be a promising alternative and are currently opening up a new market. In this context, the University of Hohenheim was invited to develop a cost-efficient autonomous mixing and transporting robot.

To ascertain a systematic design procedure, the discursive design method according to VDI 2221 et sqq. was chosen. For the design of the robot innovative computer-aided tools were applied (FEM structure analysis, assembling simulation, simulation of kinematics and ergonomics). A prototype of the autonomous mixing and transporting device was engineered, manufactured and tested. Drying experiments showed that the design and the general functionality of the equipment meet the defined goals. The control algorithms allow mixing and turning
of the material during the drying process. In addition, the algorithms allow autonomously loading, distribution and unloading of the biomass within the dryer. Further objective of the R&D-project was to integrate computer-aided tools into the VDI design procedure and to investigate their suitability for the innovation driven market of biomass processing.

The project was sponsored by
Thermo-System Industrie- & Trocknungstechnik GmbH
ACAT Vienna
Budget: 250,000 Euro