THE OPTIMAL CONDITION OF SWEET POTATO BLOW DYER MACHINE IN THAP NAM COMMUNITY PHRA NAKHON SI AYUTTHAYA BY DESIGN OF EXPERIMENT

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the effects of factors affecting the setting of sweet potato blow dryer machine, and to determine the optimal conditions for the operation of sweet potato blow dryer machine in order to be implemented in the work with agriculturists in Thap Nam district Bang Prahan District of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. Factorial experimental design and determination of optimal conditions was the statistical method used to analyze machine factors to ensure that the machines could perform and match the requirements of agriculturists. Researchers applied factorial experimental designs to analyze the impact of two factors: heater temperature and conveyer speed. The research response revealed that the number of sweet potatoes met agriculturists’ standards The results showed that the main effects of both factors affecting the response of the research, and the interaction effects did not affect the response of the research. The data from the experiment was then taken to the optimal conditions. This research had resulted in agriculturists reducing time of desiccation of sweet potatoes. When comparing traditional production with production by machine, it was evident that producing 10 tons of sweet potatoes using traditional methods required 3 to 5 days to dry the sweet potatoes, while using a machine took 11.1 hours.