Design and fabrication of a draught control mechanism for the chorkor smoker

Abstract

Attempts being made by the Ghana/Netherlands Artisanal Fish Processing and Applied Research Project at the Food Research Institute to enhance the removal of moisture from fish smoked with the Chorkor Smoking Oven have resulted in the development of a device called the Draught Control Mechanism (DCM). The design is based on an idea suggested by J. Bon of the Regional Training Project on Artisanal Fish Processing of the Netherlands. The design employs a wooden frame with flat steel bars welded in such a way as to carry nine lower stationery and nine upper movable specially designed ceramic slabs. With the DCM it was envisaged that even though smoking time and fuel product would be so low that re-smoking and its attendant high cost would be eliminated, thus making processing with the DCM more economical. The results obtained from test runs however showed a decrease in moisture content of less than 2%. This is far less than the expected; thus making the DCM unsuitable for the improvement of draught in the system