Journal of Basic and Applied Research

International
20(4): 244-256, 2017
ISSN: 2395-3438 (P), ISSN: 2395-3446 (O)
International Knowledge Press
www.ikpress.org

DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT LOW COST

EMERGENCY TOBACCO CURING BARN FOR SMALL
SCALE TOBACCO GROWERS IN ZIMBABWE

NGONI C. CHIRINDO1*, DANIEL JAMBWA1, PETER RWAKATIWANA1,

ZVIREVO CHISADZA2 AND COURAGE BANGIRA3
1
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Chinhoyi University of Technology, P. Bag 7724, Chinhoyi,
Zimbabwe.
2
Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (Including Climate Change) [PAUWES], Cite
Universitaire, Rocade 4, Tlemcen, Algeria.
3
Department of Irrigation Engineering, Chinhoyi University of Technology, P. Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.

AUTHORS CONTRIBUTIONS
This work was carried out in collaboration among the authors. Authors NCC, DJ and PR designed the study,
wrote the protocol, gathered the initial data, performed preliminary data analysis and interpreted the data.
Author NCC managed the literature searches, produced the initial draft, involved in parameter specification and
developed the design drawings up to the implementation of the efficient low cost emergency barn. Authors ZC
and CB provided guidance in the flow and implementation of the project. All authors read and approved the
final manuscript.

Received: 30th September 2016

Accepted: 3rd November 2016
Published: 10th March 2017 Original Research Article
__________________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT

Zimbabwe is the largest producer of flue-cured tobacco in Africa and fifth in the world. Of the 106 127
registered tobacco growers in 2014 in Zimbabwe, 84% of the farmers belonged to the smallholder category that
relies heavily on inefficient and expensive wood powered curing facilities. These farmers are losing thousands
of dollars as a result of decaying of over ripened tobacco leaf in the field due to barn space shortage. The cause
being the high cost involved in permanent barn construction and the long turnaround time by inefficient
traditional barns to complete a curing cycle. The main objectives were to develop a barn of low cost, efficient,
easy to construct and that can be constructed in the shortest possible time. Material selection was done based on
cost, durability and ease of installation. A 250 m gauge black polythene plastic was chosen as a covering
material due to its thermal properties and resistance to moisture and suns ultra violet rays. The barn was
designed to use buoyancy principle of natural draft for its air circulation and natural fanning of the furnace. It
was designed to trap air in between the plastic right round the barn which will be used as heat insulator. Design
calculations were done and drawings were made with AUTOCAD software. The barn was fabricated at
Chinhoyi University Research Section at a total cost of USD 592.70 in 5 days. With this low cost and less
construction time, farmers can be able to construct the efficient emergency structure and maximize on tobacco
quality. Heat transfer measurements were done after fire was set and the temperature was raised to 70C which
is the required maximum temperature for curing tobacco. From the results, it was seen that the barn is efficient
as the heat transferred for curing was sufficient enough to cure tobacco with 62.6% wood fuel saving. Land
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Corresponding author: Email: ncchirindo@gmail.com;


degradation due to tobacco curing barn constructions is also reduced. After the estimated 3 year life span of the
emergency structure, it can be developed into a permanent rocket barn.
Keywords: Efficient; low cost; emergency; barn; heat transfer; natural draft.
1. INTRODUCTION
Tobacco (Nicoiana tabacum) curing is an energy
dependent process which requires an energy source. It
involves heating of harvested tobacco leaves within a
curing barn with firewood and coal being the main
fuels used in curing [1]. Although, the demand for
tobacco is expected to decrease with time due to its
health risks, it is still a major earner of foreign
currency for the countries of East and Southern Africa
from Kenya to Zimbabwe. In these countries, most of
the total tobacco output is produced by small holders
or communal farmers [2].
Currently, Zimbabwe is the largest producer of flue-
cured tobacco in Africa and the worlds fifth largest
producer coming after China, Brazil, India and United
States of America [3]. Tobacco cropped area in
Zimbabwe increased from the recorded 109 000 ha in
2013 to more than 115 553 ha in 2014 [4] and the
number of growers has increased from 90 879 in 2013
to 106 127 with 84% of the registered farmers
belonging to the smallholder category that relies
heavily on the use of inefficient, expensive and low
capacity wood powered curing facilities [5].
Typically, the smallholder utilizes between 0.5 and 5
hectares of land for growing this tobacco crop [6].
Such farms are usually remotely located and have no
access to electricity [7]. Farmers have to rely entirely
on burning fuel wood for curing the tobacco in
traditional rural inefficient barns.
Successful tobacco production involves an energy
intensive curing process, which determines the final
quality of the tobacco leaf and ultimately the selling
price of the leaf [8]. In Zimbabwe, the majority of
farmers use traditional barns [9]. The barns are
expensive to construct for the small scale farmers,
they require more construction time and uses a high
amount of energy due to heat losses that are incurred
through various structural elements such as walls,
floors, roofs, exhaust chimney and the fireplace
[10,11].
Smallholder farmers use approximately 43 m3 of fuel
wood (approximately 15 000 kg) per year to produce
an average of 1 400 kg of cured tobacco [12]. This
translates to a Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) of
10.7 kg of wood / kg of cured tobacco. From 2011 up
to 2014, it is estimated that more than 300,000
hectares of indigenous forests were destroyed
annually mostly by new small-scale tobacco farmers
[4].
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Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017
About 4.9 million cubic metres of firewood were
burnt to cure 160 million kilogrammes of tobacco
delivered to the auction floors in 2014 tobacco curing
season by the small holder farmers [13,5]. In 2015
season, the Figures are most likely to increase as the
numbers of farmers growing tobacco are increasing.
Tobacco curing is now accounting for 12% of
Africas total deforestation and in Southern Africa
alone an estimated 200 500 hectares of woodlands are
cut annually to support tobacco farming [2]. This
accounts for 26.1% of deforestation in the region [14].
The tobacco based deforestation in Zimbabwe
accounts for 15.9% of the total deforestation
[2,14,15].
Many approaches have been taken to curb tobacco
related deforestation, including afforestation, use of
solar power and promotion of better energy efficient
barns like the rocket barn. The rocket barn, which is
an energy efficient curing barn, has shown promise
[16]. However, the rocket barn still uses firewood and
there are still high heat losses, although it is claimed
that the rocket barn is 50% efficient in fuel wood
consumption compared to conventional barns. The
standard improved conventional barn in Zimbabwe
has the maximum curing capacity of 0.5 ha [17]. The
barn is also expensive to construct, require expertise
in construction, a minimum construction time of 21
days is required and use only wood as a source of fuel
which is also posing a threat to the forests. The barn is
also constructed from earth bricks which increase the
rate of land degradation due to brick molding [17].
The inefficiencies of the traditional barns are resulting
in long curing time (9 - 12 days) which causes high
fuel consumption and shortage of curing space as a
result of continuous ripening of tobacco leaves in the
fields [18]. Farmers are facing massive tobacco leaf
losses due to decaying of ripened tobacco in the fields
due to shortage of curing space [18].
Reducing the cost of production is on every tobacco
grower's mind today [19]. Small scale tobacco farmers
in Furtherstone and Chivhu have resorted to the use of
emergency plastic conventional barns to cure tobacco
to cut down the costs and to increase on the curing
space. The emergency barn was made without
following proper barn design procedures and material
selection hence there are many heat leakages, poor
airflow and poor insulation resulting in poor tobacco
quality and a long turnaround time of 10 days [20].
The barn successfully addressed the issue of costs but
sacrificed on the quality of tobacco. High fuel

consumptions of 9 kg to produce a kilogram of
cured tobacco have been recorded [20].
Due to the high inefficiencies cited above, it is clear
that there is need to reduce energy consumption, heat
losses and improve on airflow through the
identification of opportunities of energy-improving
technologies and easy ways to cure tobacco such as
the development an efficient low cost emergency
tobacco curing barn.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The design was conducted at Chinhoyi University of
Technology (CUT) located about 1 km North East of
the Chinhoyi town between a longitude of 30.2,
latitude of 17.35 and altitude of 1480 m above sea
level. Chinhoyi University of Technology is in
Mashonaland West with an average maximum
temperature of 23 to 31C and average minimum
temperature of 8-17C, with an average relative
humidity in the range of 45 to 83% and eastern wind
speeds of 3.2 to 25.5 km/ hr depending on the season
of the year [21]. The chosen site has the following
attributes: available utilities supplies, road network
for access in all weather conditions, suitable
topography for ease drainage, on the downwind site of
prevailing wind to allow for smoke to be blown off
without affecting the other people in the area.
The models of the structural designs were drawn
using AutoCAD 2007 and displayed using 2-D and 3-
D views. Selection of appropriate construction
materials and alternative energy sources was done.
Three alternative designs were produced from which
the best alternative was selected. The scoring method
was used to select the best alternative. A proto-type
barn was then constructed and evaluated at Chinhoyi
University of Technology farm site. After fabrication,
fire was set and the temperature was raised to the
required maximum curing temperature of 70C. Heat
transfer measurements were taken and calculations
were done to see the effective heat that can be used
for tobacco curing in the barn after subtracting the
heat lost around the barn structure.
The barns dimensions were determined from the
capacity of the barn in terms of hectarage which is
also determined by the length and number of tiers in
the barn. The chimney height was determined by the
height of the barn. The flue gas exit point should be at
least 500 mm above the highest point of the barn to
make sure that flue gases do not enter the barn
through the air outlet vents during curing to reduce
nitrosamine levels in the cured leaf [8]. Nitrosamine is
caused by the direct contact of the flue gases by the
tobacco leaf. Maintaining that 500 mm distance
above the roof was also said to help in increasing the
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Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017
chimneys draft by 60%. After obtaining the barns
height, 500 mm was added to give the height of the
chimney.
The flue pipe of diameter (d) 0.300 m (12 in.) was
selected mainly because the standard galvanised iron
(GI) sheets available in the market when rolled form a
pipe of this size. For fabrication purposes, the
circumference of the pipe was determined using
Equation 1 below:
C = d (1)
Where C is the circle circumference, d is the circle
diameter and is a constant.
The inlet and outlet ventilation positions on the barn
were identified using the Buoyancy-driven ventilation
principle [22].
2.1 Heat Transfer Calculations
Tobacco curing mainly depends on the three heat
transfer formulas of conduction, radiation and
convection. All heat transfer measurements were
recorded using infra-red temperature sensor and
thermo couples that were inserted inside of the heat
exchanger.
2.1.1 Conductive heat losses
Conductive heat losses from the walls of the barn, Q
(Wm-2), were calculated using Equation 2 below:
Fourier's Law: Q = k (A/ b) (T1- T2) (2)
Where k is the thermal conductivity of the plastic wall
(Wm-1C-1), T1 and T2 are respectively, the internal
temperature of the wall and the external ambient
temperature (C), and b is the thickness of the wall
(m). A is the area normal to the direction of heat flow
(m2) [23].
The thermal conductivity of the plastic was obtained
from literature and is equal to 0.4 W/m C-1 [24]. T1
and T2 (C) was obtained from measuring the inner
and outer side temperatures of the plastic respectively
and b was obtained from the distance from the inner
to the outer plastic (m).
2.1.2 Radiative heat transfer
The heat transfer by radiation from the heat exchanger
to the curing air, Q (Wm-2), was calculated from
Equation 3 below:
Stefan-Boltzmanns law: Q = A T4 (3)

Where T = absolute temperature of the surface of the
body in C, A is the surface area (m2) and the
Stefan-Boltzmann constant ( = 5.669 x 108 W/ m2
C4) [13].
The temperature was measured from different points
on the surface of the heat exchanger when the barn
temperature had reached the required 70C to obtain
the optimum radiative heat transferred into the barn.
The measurements were taken from the furnace to the
chimney inlet point at 1 m intervals. The average
absolute temperature was obtained by adding all the
temperature values recorded and divided by the total
number of points from which the temperatures were
taken from. The surface area of the heat exchanger
was calculated by multiplying its length and width.
The values obtained from the measurements and
calculations were fed into Equation 3 to obtain the
radiative heat transferred into the barn.
2.1.3 Convective heat transfer
The convective heat transfer from the heat exchanger
to the curing air, QV (Wm-2), was then calculated
using the overall heat transfer coefficient from
Equation 4 below:
Qv = hv A (Tb-Ta)
Where A is the surface area (m2) of the heat
exchanger, h is the convection heat transfer
coefficient (Wm-2) obtained from literature [25]. Tb
and Ta are respectively, the mean bulk temperature of
the flue gas measured from the chimney outlet and the
temperature of the curing air measured from inside the
barn (C) [13,26].
2.2 Fuel Use Efficiency Calculations
After the curing process, fuel used to cure a
kilogramme of tobacco was calculated using Equation
5 below:
=
[26]
2.3 Design Calculations
The design calculations were done using the below
standards:
2.3.1 Barn dimensions
The dimensions of the barn are determined by the
capacity of the barn. The barn prototype design is
required to have a capacity of 0.5 ha which translate
to 15 000 18 000 leaves.
a. Width of barn calculation (determined by the
length of tier to hold tobacco in the barn)
Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017
Spacing between one clip to another = 23 mm
Number of clips per tier = 17 clips/ tier
Length of tier = 17 x 230 mm = 3 910 mm
Wall thickness x 2 = 100 mm x 2 = 200 mm
Thickness of the pole columns to hold the tiers x
2 = 100 mm x 2 = 200 mm
Total width of the barn = 3 910 mm + 200 mm +
200 mm = 4 310 mm
4 500 mm to allow for space of the walls and
the pole columns to hold the tier on either sides.
b. Barn length calculations (determined by the
spacing between tier to tier up full length to
accommodate the total number of tiers to contain
the required tobacco)
Required lateral distance from tier to tier = 1 100
mm [8].
After using trial and error method, 4 bays were
(4) found to cover the length of the barn that can
carry more than 15 000 (0.5 ha) leaves of
tobacco.
4 bays x 1 100 mm = 4 400 mm
Required distance from the walls to tier of 200
mm was used [8].
200 mm x 2 = 400 mm
400mm + 200 mm (width of 2 walls) = 600 mm
Total length of the barn = 4 400mm + 600mm = 5
000 mm
(5) c. Barn height calculations (determined by the
distance from the floor to the first tier, the upward
distance from tier to tier, the distance from the
last tier to the ceiling, thickness of the ceiling and
the distance from the ceiling to the roof)
For a down draft barn, the required distance from
the floor to the first tier = 1 700 mm
The required upward distance from tier to tier
= 900 mm
Required distance from the last tier to the thatch
ceiling = 400 mm
Assuming that the thatch ceiling layer = 60 mm
247

Assuming that the diameter of the tiers 100 mm
The total height of the barn = (1 700 + 900 (2
spaces) + 400 + 60 +100 (3 tiers)) mm = 4 260
mm 4 500 mm
2.3.2 Chimney design
As stated in the methodology, the chimney height is
determined from the barn height and it should be 0.5
m above the barn height.
From barn height calculations, the height of the barn
was found to be 4 500 mm.
Chimney height = 4 500 mm + 500 mm = 5 000 mm
From Equation 1, the circumference was obtained as
942.48mm.
From a galvanized iron sheet with a length of 5 000
mm (5 m) and a width of 942.48 mm, a chimney with
a 300 mm diameter was fabricated.
2.3.3 Tobacco curing barn ventilation design
Buoyancy-driven ventilation principle was used
where the air rise due to differences in density of
interior and exterior air, which in large part arises
from differences in temperature as illustrated in Fig.
1.
The pressure distribution in (a) will result in an
airflow like in (b). The inlet vents are located near the
bottom of the barn and the air outlet vents are located
near the thatch ceiling to allow for the buoyancy
driven ventilation to take effect. The inlet and outlet
vents were placed on opposite ends to allow for
incoming air to pick the heat and do the curing before
(a)
Fig. 1. Pressure distribution showing Buoyancy driven ventilation [22]
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Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017
escaping through the outlet vent as shown in
Appendix 1.
The inlet and outlet vents were designed with the air
inlet side having a wider opening than the outlet side
to increase the air flow rate into and out of the barn
respectively. The inlet and outlet vent designs of the
barn are shown in Fig. 2.
The air from outside of the barn will increase pressure
and velocity as it will be forced through at an opening
with a reduced area. The same applies for the air that
will be coming from inside the barn.
2.3.4 Some example applications
The principle of continuity to pipes with cross
sections which change along their length was applied.
A liquid/ gas is flowing from left to right and the pipe
is narrowing in the same direction. By the continuity
principle, the mass flow rate must be the same at each
section - the mass going into the pipe is equal to the
mass going out of the pipe as illustrated in Fig. 3.
With the sub-scripts 1 and 2 indicating the values at
the two sections, the volume flow rate is constant or
that: Discharge at Section 1 (Q1) = Discharge at
Section 2 (Q2).
A111 = A222 (6)
Where A1 and A2 are Section 1 and Section 2 cross
sectional Areas respectively, 1 and 2 are Section 1
and Section 2 air velocities respectively and 1 and 2
are Section 1 and Section 2 air volumes which are
constant respectively [27].
Application of the formulas and principle on tobacco
curing ventilation design are illustrated in Fig. 4.
(b)
 Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017

Fig. 2. Inlet and outlet vents designs to allow for increased air flow rate

Fig. 3. Pipe with a contraction [27]

a) b)

Fig. 4. a) Front view of the vents, b) Cross section of the vents

249

Fig. 5. Developed efficient low cost emergency plastic barn in 2D view
The final dimensions used for all the four
vents was 500 mm x 500 mm and 400 mm x
400 mm for the Area1 (A1) and Area 2 (A2)
respectively as shown in Fig. 4a where A1
and A2 was representing the sides with an
upstream and downstream velocity as shown
in Fig. 4b. The area was calculated using Equation 7
below:
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A= L x W (7)
The downstream and upstream velocities for the inlet
vents was calculated from:
From Equation 7, A1 = 0.25 m2 and A 2 = 0.16 m 2
and the upstream mean velocity, 1 was obtained
from the eastern wind speeds of 3.2 to 14.5 km/ hr for

Chinhoyi obtained from literature for the month of
November [21]. Using the maximum wind speed for
the month, the upstream velocity ( 1) per second was
calculated
1 was obtained using the simple proportion below:
3600 seconds-------------- 14500 m
1 second ------------------- Less
(1/3600) x 14 500 m = 4.027777778 m/sec
1 4.03 m/sec
Having 1, the downstream mean velocity (2) was
calculated using Equation 6:
2 =A12/A2
= (0.25 m2 x 4.03 m/s)/ 0.16 m 2
= 6.296875 m / s
6.3 m/ s
From the example clearly shown above, the
designer assumed that the same principle of a pipe can
apply to the designing of vents for tobacco curing
facilities making use of the difference in opening
sizes. Section 2 opening has a velocity that is 3 times
that at Section 1 opening hence the designer is
justified.
2.4 Plans and Elevation of the Curing Barn in
2D and 3D
The purpose of the plans and elevations was for
translating the design calculations into a visible thing
Fig. 6. Developed low cost plastic barn components in 3D solid view
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Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017
that will make understanding and implementation
easier.
Fig. 5 shows the main plan and views of the
developed efficient low cost emergency plastic barn
in 2D view.
The diagram above clearly shows the orientation of
the heat exchanger, furnace, chimney, vents, door and
furnace details.
Fig. 6 shows the components in 3D Solid Views of
the developed efficient low cost emergency plastic
barn.
The 3 D view clearly shows the heat exchanger, vent
positions and tier arrangement in the barn in detail.
Fig. 7 shows the assembled drawing in 3D solid view
of the developed efficient low cost emergency plastic
barn.
The diagram is showing the out ward appearance of
the barn with all components installed as in Appendix
2.
3. PROJECT COSTING
The project costing was done based on the material
and labour cost.
3.1 Quantities and Costs of Materials Used
The below Table 1 shows the various material
descriptions, their units, quantities, unit cost and total
costs of the materials that were used in the
construction emergency low cost curing barn.
 Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017

Fig. 7. Developed low cost plastic barn assembled drawing in 3D solid view

Table 1. Bill of costing (BOC) for the materials used

Description Unit QTY Unit price Total price

(USD) (USD)
100 m x 3 m black polythene plastic rolls 1 110.00 110.00
Farm bricks (230 mm x115 mm x75 mm) each 1500 0.04 52.50
30 cm or 12" diameter chimney (5 m long) each 1 35.00 35.00
Standard Poles (6 m long x 100 - 150 mm diameter) or each 9 6.00 54.00
gum poles if available
Standard Poles (6 m long x 70 mm diameter) or gum each 5 4.00 20.00
poles if available
Brandarings (6 m x 38 mm x 38 mm) each 30 3.00 90.00
4 inch nails kg 1 5.00 5.00
2 inch nails kg 1 5.00 5.00
thatch grass (0.5 m diameter) bundles 3 1.00 3.00
angle iron bars (1 m long) each 5 2.00 10.00
PC cement 50 kg 2 14.00 28.00
Galvanized metal sheets (1.2 m x 2.4 m x 0.6 mm) each 2 30.00 60.00
tying wire m 50 0.12 6.00
Pit sand m3 2 - -
Total costs 478.50
478.51

The material quantifications and costing in the above
Table was based on the upper limit to prevent any
shortages during the course of the construction.
3.2 Construction Costs
Construction work was being carried out from 8 am to
4 pm = 8 working hours per day. Table 2 below shows
the distribution of daily activities for labour costing to
be easy.
Total working days = 40 hours/ 8 hours/day
= 5 days
5 days
Hence the issue of urgency is clearly satisfied.
From a survey that was carried out by the Tobacco
Research Board in 2011 when evaluating existing
curing facilities in Zimbabwe, it was noted that
construction of the rocket barn requires a minimum
time of 21 days.
Number of days saved = 21 days 5 days
= 16 days
According to the results in Table 2, In 21 days, 4
emergency structures can be constructed.

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Table 2. Construction operations

Section of the structure Operation or (Job task) Operation Labour cost

time/Labour (USD)
time (hours)
Ground work Siting location 5 5
Land clearing
Setting out
Trench and hole digging
Building of the heat Preparing and carrying mortar 14 20
exchanger,
furnace area and side Carrying bricks to the area
wall to 1.6 m high Laying of bricks
Frame construction Cutting wood beams and columns 5 10
Erection of frames
Bracing of columns
Plastic installation Measuring, Cutting and Fitting to the frames 5 12
Roof Construction of truss 8 10
Covering the roof with plastic
Installing thatch
Final touches on roof
Ventilation, door Vents frames 3 3
fabrication and Sitting and opening cutting
fitting Fitting
Total working hours and costs 40 hours USD60.00

3.3 Overall Costs of Constructing the The barn is expected to last for a minimum of
Emergency Barn three years, therefore, curing a minimum of 39
bales before it starts to deteriorate.
The results from Tables 1 and 2 were computed in
Table 3 below in order to get the grand total: Estimated average tobacco selling price per
kilogram is USD3.20/ kg of cured leaf (USD3.20
Table 3. Grand cost for the low cost emergency was used because it has been the average tobacco
barn selling price since 2011) [5].

Estimated inputs cost to produce 13 bales

Cost type Cost = USD1 500.00 [17].
(USD)
Material costs 478.50 Cost of constructing the emergency barn
= USD592.70
Construction costs 60.00
Subtotal cost 538.85 3.4.2 Calculations
Contingency reserve (10% of subtotal 53.85
costs) Total number of kilograms to be cured in 3 years
Grand total costs 592.70 = 39 bales x 120 kg/bale = 4 680 kg of leaf cured
in 3 years
3.4 Cost Benefit Analysis Expected total income in 3 years = 4680 kg x
USD3.20/ kg = USD14 976.00
Assumptions were made based on real time data and
calculations were done as below: Expected total costs of inputs in 3 years =
USD1500.00/year x 3 years + USD 592.70
3.4.1 Assumptions used (Incurred once in the first year) = USD5 092.70

From the barn capacity, the barn is expected to Expected profit in 3 years = Expected total
cure a minimum of 13 bales per season with an income in 3 years Expected total costs of inputs
average weight of 120 kg per bale (derived from in 3 years = USD14 976.00 USD5 092.70
the capacity of the barn). = USD9 883.30

253

Expected profit per year = USD 9 883.30/ 3 years
= USD 3 294.433333333333 USD3 294.43
/year
4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Tobacco curing is an essential process during tobacco
leaf processing as it is the one that determines the
quality of the leaf. It was in this context that an
efficient low cost emergency barn was developed. The
development of an efficient low cost tobacco curing
barn help in improving the quality of the tobacco leaf
at very minimum costs of establishing the curing
structure hence the life style of the tobacco farmers is
improved. The inefficiencies of the traditional barns
are resulting in long curing time (9 - 12 days) which
causes high fuel consumption and shortage of curing
space as a result of continuous ripening of tobacco
leaves in the fields. Farmers are facing massive
tobacco leaf losses due to decaying of ripened tobacco
in the fields as a result of shortage of curing space.
The designer developed three possible solutions to the
problems that were at hand. An analysis in the form of
a scoring chart was done in order to come up with a
possible solution. The design which makes use of a
250 m gauge black polythene plastic and a small
brick wall covering the furnace and the heat
exchanger was selected. The main thrust was to come
up with a solution that would reduce land degradation
from brick molding, cost, resistance to the ultra violet
rays from the sun, ease of installation and resistance
to tearing. Design calculations of the barn dimensions,
chimney and ventilation design were done and after
that, the designed barn was developed to be a physical
structure on ground at the Chinhoyi University farm
research unit.
The efficient low cost emergency tobacco curing barn
was constructed at a cost of USD592.70 which is half
the construction cost and of the efficient rocket barn
(USD1 700) which implies that, the farmer can be
able to construct two efficient low cost emergency
barn for a one rocket barn. The barn was also
constructed in 5 days which is only a quarter of the
time required to construct a rocket barn. By having
more curing space at low cost, challenges of shortage
of barn curing space and loss of tobacco leaf due to
over ripening tobacco leaf in the fields will be a thing
of past. Heat transfer and fuel use measurements
were done under normal tobacco curing environment.
A maximum temperature of 70C was used as it is the
required maximum temperature for tobacco curing.
From Equation 2, Equation 3 and Equation 4,
approximately 7 434 257.15 Wm-2, 82 080 W and 3
163.65 W was transferred by conduction, radiation
and convection respectively into the barn for tobacco
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Chirindo et al.; JOBARI, 20(4): 244-256, 2017
curing. From Equation 5, about 4 kg of wood to cure a
kilogram of tobacco against the 10.7 kg of wood fuel
used to cure a kilogram of tobacco in the literature.
This translate to an increased wood fuel use efficiency
of 62.6 %.
The thatch grass that was used as a ceiling inside the
barn as shown in the Appendix 3 was seen to have
also a great effect in preventing heat loss through the
roof. The thatch grass helps also in absorbing the
moisture in the barn during the early stages of curing
and later dries up as curing progresses. The thatch
grass is locally available and sometimes at zero cost.
The air trapped in between the two plastics right
round the barn was seen to have a great significant
effect in insulating heat hence minimum heat loss to
the outside environment was observed. Adding an
insulation in the form of a solid material such as grass
will help also reduce heat lost through the side walls
of the plastic hence improving on efficacy.
The time of 5 days that was taken in constructing the
emergency barn clearly proves the issue of urgency
hence the name emergency was justified. The
maximum cost of setting up the efficient low cost
emergency barn which is USD592.70 justifies the low
cost of the design. From the heat transfer values, it is
clear that the barn is efficient in returning heat hence
justifies the efficient part of the barn. Prolonged
testing of the barn under tobacco curing conditions
was recommended and later achieved to give a fair
judgement of the barn.
It is evident that the development of an efficient low
cost emergency tobacco curing barn for small scale
tobacco growers will go a long way in improving the
life style of the tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe and the
world at large. The project also contributes heavily to
the environmental sustainability by reducing the use
of earth bricks. After the estimated 3 year life span of
the emergency structure, the structure can be
developed into a permanent structure since the heat
exchanger system is the same as of the efficient rocket
barn.
5. RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Barn should be located where there are wind
breaks for ease of installing the plastic and to
increase the life span of the barn.
2. The barn operator should make sure that the
galvanized sheet on the heat exchanger is
covered with a thin layer of soil to prevent
falling tobacco leaves in the barn from igniting.
3. To prevent risks of fires, a 4 m wide fire guard
should be always made available right round
the barn.

4. The structure if possible should be constructed
where there is shed to prevent direct heating
from the sun which will help in increasing the
life span of the plastic by 20%.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Chinhoyi University
of Technology for sponsoring the implementation of
the design and make project through the Department
of Agricultural Engineering. All the support from
friends, families and colleagues is greatly appreciated
also.
COMPETING INTERESTS
Authors have declared that no competing interests
exist.
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APPENDICES

Appendix 1- Designer demonstrating on how the vents can be operated

Appendix 2- Complete structure showing 3 D view showing air inlet vents

Appendix 3- Thatch inside the barn

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