Ceramic IR Raisin Drying

RaySuns logo with a shining sun behind a grape vine trellis
The team's objective was to find an alternative to drying raisins with natural gas ovens. Our proof of concept was successful, and there is a possibility of industrializing the process one day.

Raysun Team

The RaySuns team is excited to present our 2019-2020 interdisciplinary senior project. The team worked hard to develop a functioning prototype that will one day change the raisin drying process by making it more sustainable and efficient.

Picture of Saraith Aispuro

Saraith aispuro

Manufacturing Engineer

As the manufacturing engineer on the team, I enjoyed improving the raisin process and testing something that has never been done before. My interest are the food industry and sustainable business practices.

Saraith’s LinkedIn Profile

Picture of Lucas Kensinger

Lucas Kensinger

Mechanical Engineer

I was the teams Mechanical Engineer, so I led the charge on thermal and mechanical analysis of our prototype. My interests are in energy, metal casting, and environmental remediation.

Lucas’s LinkedIn Profile

Picture of Joe Vanacore

Joe Vanacore

Electrical Engineer

I was the electrical engineer for the RaySuns Senior Project team. My interests are analog devices and signal chain and my technical electives have been catered to these interests.

Joe’s LinkedIn Profile

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank River Ranch Raisins for its continuous assistance and guidance throughout this project. We would also like to thank our Senior Project advisors Karla Carichner, Lily Laiho, Vladimir Prodanov, and Jim Widmann for providing the engineering experience and expertise that facilitated the completion of our project. All of this could not have been done without the interdisciplinary senior project program and the close Cal Poly community. Thank all of you for providing a valuable project experience where we interact with other majors and learn how to become better engineers with a brighter future in mind.

Our Project Videos

Raysuns Project's Digital Poster

Data slideshow

Graph of Controller Output Voltage as a Function of Knob Position
Graph of IR Source Temperature as a Function of Knob Position
Graph of Crispiness vs Drying Time 
Graph of Crispiness vs Source Temperature
Graph of Crispiness vs Distance
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