Description
The process of palm kernel oil extraction existed since early human civilization. In ancient times, palm kernel oil extraction process merely involves the cleaning of palm kernel and grinded with the use of grinders or stone mills. When Modernization came, with the advancement of Science and Technology. Palm kernel screw press and palm kernel oil extracting machine were introduced which offered a much efficient solution and means of extracting palm kernel oil. This machine is fabricated and evaluated for small and medium scale palm kernel oil processing, in order to mechanize the extraction process and increase production output. The major components of the machine are; standing frame, thread shaft, speed reduction gear motor, driving and discharge outlet. The highest oil extraction ratio [OER] of 17.90 {and oil extraction efficiency [OEE}of 79.56 were obtained at the sterilization time of 60mm, digestion time of 10mm and screw speed of 10rpm.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL PAGE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
- PROBLEM STATEMENT
- AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
- SCOPE OF THE STUDY
- DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
- USES OF PALM KERNEL OIL
- COMPOSITION OF PALM KERNEL AND OIL
- QUALITY INDICATORS
- SOURCE OF PALM KERNEL OIL
- TRADITIONAL OR LOCAL METHOD OF PALM KERNEL OIL EXTRACTION
- PROBLEMS FACING INDIGENOUS DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF P.K.O. SCREW PRESS IN NIGERIA
- PROSPECTS OF INDIGENOUS DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF P.K.O SCREW PRESS IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.2 HARDWARE DESCRIPTION
3.3. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
3.4. DESIGN ANALYSIS OF THE WORM SHAFT
CHAPTER FOUR
- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- PERFOMANCE EVALUATION
- DISCUSSION OF RESULT
- OBSERVATION
- CONCLUSION
4.3 DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FIVE
- CONCLUSION
- RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Oil palm is originated in West Africa, the main belt run through Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Congo. Processing oil palm fruits for edible oil has been practiced in Africa for thousands of years and the oil produced, highly Coloured and flavoured, is an essential ingredient in most of the traditional West African. Large percentage of palm oil produced ends in food products while the small percentage remaining is used for industrial production (Aghalino 2000,FAO,2005). Palm kernel is the edible seed of the oil palm fruit, it is gotten after the palm fruit has been milled to extract palm oil, the endocarp which is the nut is collected, dried, and stored. The nut is then cracked and the shell blown out leaving the palm kernel itself.(Poku&Kwasi,2002)
Traditional method of producing palm kernel oil is by putting the palm kernel in boiling water, the heat allows the oil to melt out, hence mixing with water. The water is allowed to cooled, thereby condensing the palm kernel oil on the top of the water. The oil is then drained off and the remaining water is heated out of the oil so as to evaporate. This method was described by different researchers and it is time consuming. Another method of producing palm kernel oil is by heating the crucible to a very high temperature, causing the oil to melt out. This method is said to be not too good as it result to the burning of the oil (Owolarafe and Faborode ,2002).
Palm kernel oil processing involves various procedures, therefore the ability to make machinery that can handle the plenty unit operation include is indicative of a generalized ability to produce processing machines for other crops, palm industry machine developed can be used for the same functions for other crops application with little modification (Gbadamosi, 2006). The traditional method is used in rural areas of many developing countries. The oil-bearing material is ground and then heated in boiling water. The liberated oil floats to the surface and is collected. The solvent extraction method is a chemical extraction method, and is very expensive and complex for small-scale extraction. In the mechanical method such as the screw press, a rotating screw forces the oil-bearing material down the length of the cylindrical pressing cage. Increasing pressure squeezes oil out through perforations in the sides of the cage. The cake emerges from the end of the press (Gbadamosi, 2006). The working part of the machine used in processing palm kernel oil is shaft, hopper, oil collector, bearing, and cage bar.
Despite the encouraging nature of palm kernel oil production, not many people are involved in its production. The probable reason could be that the local extractor machine used in extracting the oil is not economically efficient when compared with the industrial machines. It is lower in output and industrial machine has dryer, this is the reason the expansion palm kernel is delayed.
The hike in cost of production due to high cost of input like electricity and inadequate working capital made it impossible for most of the investor in palm kernel oil to produce optimally.
1.3. AIM AND OBJECTIVE
1.3.1. Aim of the study
The aim of the project is to design and fabricate an electric press which is a palm kernel oil extractor that involves using electric motor.
1.3.2. Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study are:
- To fabricate the machine prototype
- To carefully carryout the material selection of palm kernel oil extracting machine
- To mathematically design a palm kernel oil extracting machine
- To determine the performance evaluation of the machine
1.4. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
In this design and fabrication, the method used is the mechanical extraction method, because it is suitable for production of small and large quantities of palm kernel oil. Its time rate is faster and much manual labour is not required; therefore, it is efficient, effective and cheaper than traditional method which requires more manual labour.
The electric press which is the palm kernel oil extractor comprise mainly of coupling, gearbox, pressing stations and motor. The palm kernel oil extractor is designed with the main shaft directly driven by a coupling affixed to the gearbox. The automated palm kernel oil extractor are designed to protect the gearbox from breaking or the main shaft or bearing from malfunctioning. Thus, our palm kernel oil extractor will improve the pressing efficiency of the palm kernel, so as to extract the oil and to reduce the oil in the final cake.
1.6 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
1. Hopper:
Steel sheet is used for hopper due to its strength to withhold or withstand vibration.
Fig 1.1 Hopper
- Shaft:
Shaft is a cylindrical machine element that transmits steel is selected for shaft due to its tensile strength, it is easily machined.
Fig 1.2 Shaft
- Coupling:
Coupling is another machine element that connects or joins two components together. There are different kinds or type of coupling sleeve, flexible, rigid flange. The rigid coupling is used.
Fig 1.3 Coupling
- Oil collector:
Black steel is chosen due to its strength also because the oil entry cannot corrode the materials.
5. Support:
Angular steel bar was selected due to the tensile strength, its ability to withstand deformation when it is overloaded.
6. Pressure barrel:
Thick wall allow cylinder was chosen for the construction of pressure barrel because of its tensile strength and ability to withstand internal pressure.
7. Cake collector:
Steel sheet is selected due to the high tensile strength it has.
CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion
Large quantities of palm kernels are being produced annually in Nigeria, and most enterprises involved in palm kernel oil extraction business in Nigeria employ the screw press. There is therefore real need to develop indigenous capacity for scientific and rational design and manufacture of palm kernel oil screw presses in Nigeria. This need is now urgent given the fact that all industrial-capacity p.k.o. screw presses in use in the country were imported from England, Malaysia or Germany; and the fact that the locally fabricated smaller-capacity presses have relatively low efficiencies, being mostly products of adaptive designs bereft of sound scientific and engineering know-how. The prospect of successful indigenous design and manufacture of efficient
p.k.o. screw press in Nigeria is high. The inherent problems, however, include: inadequate screw press design information, limited data on relevant properties of palm kernels, unavailability of suitable construction materials locally, harsh manufacturing environment, market uncertainties, insufficient relevant indigenous manpower, poor research funding and coordination, weak institutional establishment, etc.
Palm kernel oil extracting machine was designed and fabricated, the result was encouraging. The cost of production of this extractor was lesser compared to imported extractor. It is expected that this design will increase public confidence in the ability of indigenous eagerness to design and fabricate workable machines that can complete with imported ones. With this design, obviously the standard of living of the country will be improved.
In the all important effort to build the needed capacity for indigenous design and manufacture of efficient p.k.o. screw presses in Nigeria, the following recommendations are proffered:
- Research is urgently needed to generate standard values of palm kernel properties relevant to rational design of p.k.o. screw press, to investigate the effect of changes in palm kernel conditions on both the yield and quality of extracted oil, to determine the effects of screw parameters on the performance of oil screw press, to explore the theory of oil expression from palm kernel using the screw press, and to develop mathematical models for screw pressing of palm kernels.
- The operations of new and existing Steel Rolling Companies, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Departments in Nigeria should be stream- lined and made to produce the various right kinds of steels and alloys necessary for the manufacture of industrial agro-processing equipment like seed-oil screw presses.
The Government should change the present harsh manufacturing environment in Nigeria by providing public utilities and infrastructures, industrial machine tools and workshops, and by promoting the establishment of ancillary industries for the production of machine elements of acceptable quality.
- Joint ventures and partnership with indigenous and overseas manufacturers should be actively promoted by the Government especially by positively transforming the inimical political climate of Nigeria
To reduce the stress of searching for equipment and tools, there should be access to sufficient tools. The use of electric motor can be replaced by a hydraulic motor because of the advantage hydraulic motor has over electric motor and some of these advantage are:
- Instance reversing
- Less maintenance
- Self lubricating
- Sudden stoppage
Oncoming project students should be encouraged to research into this alternative
