Browsing by Author "Ucar, Tamer"

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Agricultural Engineering Education in Turkey: the Struggle of Separating Engineering From Science
(Tempus Publications, 2007) Ucar, Tamer; Sabanci, Alaettin
While the education in agricultural engineering has been evolving worldwide to include more biological emphasis, there are still problems for this part of the profession to be identified and recognized correctly by the general public in Turkey. Agricultural engineering education and profession in Turkey has long been controversial since it has been confused with agricultural science education. We present the current interpretation of 'agricultural engineering' in Turkey and highlight how engineering education has been mixed up with science education in agriculture. We take a historical approach and propose possible remedies within the world's general engineering education trends.
Briquetting Soda Weed (Salsola Tragus) To Be Used as a Rural Fuel Source
(Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd, 2010) Yumak, Hasan; Ucar, Tamer; Seyidbekiroglu, Nesim
Amount of traditional fuel sources in the world has been decreasing and there is a definite need to produce and utilize alternative fuels such as biomass materials. In this study, briquetting conditions of Russian tumbleweed, Salsola tragus, (commonly named soda weed in Turkey) which grows in salty soils were investigated. Soda weeds were first chopped coarsely in a local tresher, then chopped finely in a hammer mill. Weed materials at three moisture levels (7%, 10%, and 13%) were prepared in the lab. Chopped weed materials were filled in cylindrical and square dies and compressed using a hydraulic press at three pressure levels of 15.7, 19.6 and 31.4 MPa. Optimum temperature, moisture rate, and pressure values were determined to produce stable briquettes. Further experiments were conducted to produce briquettes using sawdust and walnut shells as additives in conical dies of two different sizes. Results of a statistical analysis of parameters to produce briquettes in different dies indicated that moisture rates of 7-10%, pressure of 31.4 MPa, and temperatures of 85-105 degrees C were suitable for briquetting soda weed. Furthermore, sawdust and walnut shells additives increased briquette density without any negative effects on production process and product stability. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.