DEVELOPMENT OF CASSAVA GRATING MACHINE : A DUAL OPERATIONAL MODE

ABSTRACT

Development of Cassava Grating Machine : A dual Operational mode was investigated. The equipment has a realistic functional efficiency of 91.5% and 88.4% for manually and electrically powered operation with the discharge capacity 4.04 and 3.66 tons per day respectively. Simulation of its economic analysis shows between $2.6 and $3.0 could be saved while using automated cassava grater over manual system for 1-ton of cassava tuber. At 0.01 and 0.05 level of significance, it showed that the machine has a good economic potential over the convection method of grating. It saves time and labour requirements by a factor of 0.68. Design of a Cassava grating machine is dual-mode in operation; it is powered both manually and mechanically. This feature makes it useful in the rural areas where there is erratic or no power supply. Cassava is fed into machine through the hopper down to the granting drum, which rotates at a pre-set constant speed. Cassava is an important starchy root crop of the tropical world, the need to mechanize its growing and processing cannot be overemphasised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

 

Background of the Study

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a very important crop in Nigeria deriving from the extensive use of the various products and by-products as staples to most Nigerians. The consumption of cassava cuts across all parts of the country. It is a major source of carbohydrates in human diet, being processed into Garri, fatal and typical as a constituent for human food. Recently other areas of uses of cassava are being implored. It is also being used as starch [Adegeye, 1985]. The crop tolerance makes it more popular and now replacing yam in some part of Nigeria. The sweet varieties could be boiled for human consumption. Its adaptability to climatic and soil conditions even in marginal soils has endeared cassava to most people that have to do continuous cultivation on limited available land. Cassava is a shrubby, tropical, perennial plant that is not well known in the temperate zone. For most people, cassava is most commonly associated with tapioca. The plant grows tall, sometime reaching 15 feet, with leaves varying in shape and size. The edible parts are tuberous root and leaves. The tuber (root) is somewhat dark brown in color and grows up to 2 feet long. Cassava (manihot esculenta), has its origin as South America, presumably Eastern Brazil. It thrives better in poor soils them any other major food plants. Nigeria has been world-leading producer of cassava with an estimated annual production of 2.6 million tons from an estimated area of 1% million hectares of land [Agbetoye, 2005] and [CBN, 1994]. The major problem of cassava is that it is extremely perishable and the harvested tuber must be process to curb post-harvest losses [Davies, 1991]. According to food and Agriculture Organization [5] the estimated industrial cassava use was approximately, 16 percent of cassava root production and was utilized as an industrial raw material in 2001 in Nigeria. Around the world, cassava is a vital stable for about 500 million people. Cassava’s starching roots produce more food energy permit of land than any other staple crop. Nigeria is currently the largest cassava producer in the world with estimated annual production of about 40 million metric tons. About 90% of this is however, consumed as food. The country is yet to fully harness the socioeconomic potential of cassava that world translate to higher ranking of cassava next to petroleum as major contributor to the Goss Domestic Product (GDP). However, the need to mechanize cassava processing is enormous. The convectional cassava processing has a number of disadvantages and requires human energy and time and this has necessitated the design and development of mechanically-operated cassava grating machine. It was revealed that cassava peeling is still largely done manually; however, women and teenage girls are normally involved in the manual peeling of the tuber [Eagleston,1992]. The rate could be as high as 350 kg/day of 8 hour/person [Eagleston, 1992].

Usually, grating is done manually by using perforated plane sheets but such process is dangerous to human hands usually the user get wounds during grating. These problems led to the design and fabrication of machines that can grate the cassava of high quality in a short period of time and reduce human labor.

Ms. Elnor developed a cassava grater in 2006. The grating mechanism consists of a wooden grating drum. Based on the results of her study the presser is constricted that it creates much resistance in pushing and discharge hopper cannot prevent all the spills of cassava grates. The following problems were met and possible solutions were recommended.

 

 

Significance of the Study

Further enhancement in the machine will be done to improve its efficiency and capacity thus, the study is being propose so the following consideration will be taken care of the material to be use should be locally available, the develop grater must be affordable to small- scale cassava farmers, the machine can be fabricated in local machine shop, the machine should give reasonable production performance and it is easy to operate.

 

Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is on development of Cassava Grating Machine : A dual Operational mode, specifically it aimed to:

1. To design and fabricate a continuous disk- type cassava grater.
2. To evaluate the performance of the machine in terms of the capacity and efficiency the fineness modulus of grated cassava.
3. To develop grating machine with a dual Operational mode (manual and automatic mode of operation)

 

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study is focused only on the design, fabrication and evaluation of the machine in terms of capacity, efficiency and fineness modulus of grated cassava.

 

Definition of Operational Terms

• Grater. A device with sharp-edged holes: a device with many sharp-edged holes against which something such as cheese can be rubbed to reduce it to shreds or fine particles.
• Weld. Welding, in engineering, any process in which two or more pieces of metal are joined together by the application of heat, pressure, or a combination of both. Most of the processes may be grouped into two main categories: pressure welding, in which the weld is achieved by pressure; and heat welding, in which the weld is achieved by heat. Heat welding is the most common welding process used today.
• Shaft. A rotating machine element which is used to transmit power from one place to another.
• Auger. Is a device that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade to act as a screw conveyor to push the commodity towards the other end.
• Receptacle. A space used to contain cassava tubes and grated cassava.
• Pitch. Is defined as the axial distance between adjacent threads on a helix or screw.  In most screws, called “single start” screws, which have a single helical thread along their length, the lead and pitch are equal.
• Angular speed. It is the time rate of turning of a body about an axis, or the rate at which a line on a revolving body is changing direction, and is expressed in angular units per unit of time.
• Fineness Modulus (FM). Is an empirical figure obtained by adding the total percentage of the sample of an aggregate retained on each of a specified series of sieves, and dividing the sum by 100. A smaller value indicates a finer aggregate. Finer aggregates range from a value of 2.00 to 4.00, and coarse aggregates smaller than 38.1 mm range from 6.50 to 8.00.

• Pulley system. A pulley system consists of two pulley wheels each on a shaft, connected by a belt. This transmits rotary motion and force from the input, or driver shaft, to the output, or driven shaft.
• Is a small hole in a thin metal sheet. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized manner, where all of the holes are called a perforation. The process of creating perforations is called perforating, which involves puncturing the workpiece with a tool.
• Disc cutter.This is a specialized, often hand-held, power tool used for cutting hard materials. This tool is uses an abrasive grinding wheel. Each grain of abrasive on the wheel’s surface cuts a small chip from the workpiece via shear deformation.
• V-belt. This belt is a circular cross section belt designed to run in a pulley with a 60 degree V-groove. The V-groove transmits torque through a wedging action, thus increasing friction.
• A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a belt along its circumference. Pulleys are used in a variety of ways to lift loads, apply forces, and to transmit power.
• Frame. Is the structural component of equipment that provides the strength and rigidity overall.
• Electric motor. It is anelectrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical  Electric motors are used to produce linear or rotary force (torque).
• Shaft key. Akey fitting in a shaft to secure an operating part fastened in or to the shaft.
• Sieve or sifter. Is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for characterizing the particle size distribution of a sample, typically using a woven screen such as a mesh or net.
• Pillow block. It is a pedestal used to provide support for a rotating shaft with the help of compatiblebearings & various accessories. Housing material for a pillow block is typically made of cast iron or cast steel.
• Mechanical efficiency.This measures the effectiveness of a machine in transforming the energy and power that is input to the device into an output force and movement.

 

Modification, Design, fabrication of a portable laboratory injection molding machine

ABSTRACT

 

 

Plastic waste remains an environmental menace around the world but more so in Nigeria, recycling of plastics has been adopted notably for making fencing posts, and  this has been an object for job creation. However there is still a lot that needs to be done, bearing in mind that a lot of plastic waste still litters the environment. A table top Injection moulding machine was designed and fabricated to complement already existing efforts towards recycling.  In addition to the sound environmental management option this provides, it is hoped that the machine could assist in job creation and more so at local individual levels where idle youths can find an economic activity to engage in. Tensile specimens made from Virgin High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) using the machine, were tested for Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) which was found to have a value of 13 MPa and Modulus of Elasticity (E) which was found to have a value of 0.9 GPa and the results are comparable to documented values which were 15 MPa and

0.8 GPa respectively. Recycled plastic was then added to the virgin plastic at various contents to obtain an optimum processing point for the machine. These samples at varying contents of recycled plastic were also subjected to tensile and three point bending test. The general observation was that addition of recycled plastic to the virgin plastic improved tensile and shear strength but declined the tensile modulus of elasticity. Addition of steel wires to the plastic at 60% recycled plastic content, improved tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. Compared to other studies, it was observed that the material obtained could be suited for low strength car bumpers. There is still room for further improvement work on this manually operated machine but results obtained so far are promising as the machine can be used to produce small plastic items such as pegs, complete toys or toy parts, beads and other small plastic items.

Fabrication and Construction of a Outer thread Dicing Machine

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

 

Now a days the glass manufacturing & cutting Technology are well developed. But this technology & development is only useful to the large scale industries. Because of high investment on CNC machine. Small Scale Industries cannot afford for CNC machines, they utilize human lobour for glass cutting, marking, etc. And so the small scale industries depend on the labour for their cutting work. Due to this manual work Now a day in many industries production of threaded bars by using manual operated threading machines so it required more time and lower efficiency of machine. In order to reduce time and labor costs, we design circuit for automation in threading machine.

 

In today’s competitive global economy, manufacturers are experiencing more pressure than ever to automate their production processes. As a result, designers of automation systems face many challenges during system development, some with far reaching consequences that may not initially be realized. The aim of this project is to evaluate these design decisions and present them in a general way which can be applied to other systems and applications. Specifically this project addresses the design of an automatic loading and unloading system for a thread rolling machine, used in producing threaded bars. The design of any Automation system should begin on the macro scale. Issues such as the system’s role in the overall manufacturing process and material flow through the plant should be addressed before considering any specific mechanical designs.

 

Statement of the Problem

Choosing the wrong cutting tool for the job may often result in poor quality material finishes. This could be seen as rough edges, cutter marks on the surface, raised marks, or burn marks on the material’s edges or corners. Extensive tool wear may result from this error.

 

Poor material finishes could be due to either bluntness in the tool used, or improper feed speed ratio. It may also be caused by the wrong dimensions of the tool for the job at hand in terms of the sizes, quality or match with the material.To resolve this, it is important to choose the right tool and setting for the job and material.

Aims and Objectives

The main objectives of this study is on the Fabrication and construction of Outer Thread Dicing Machine

 

NON LINEAR VIBRATIONS OF A STRAIGHT PIPE WITH NON LINEAR BOUNDARY CONDITIONS.

A new non-linear model of a straight pipe conveying fluid is presented for vibration analysis when the pipe is fixed at both ends. Using the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the non-linear Lagrange strain theory, from the extended Hamilton’s principle the coupled non-linear equations of motion for the longitudinal and transverse displacements are derived. These equations of motion are discretized by using the Galerkin method. After the discretized equations are linearized in the neighbourhood of the equilibrium position, the natural frequencies are computed from the linearized equations. On the other hand, the time histories for the displacements are also obtained by applying the generalized- α time integration method to the non-linear discretized equations. The validity of the new modelling is provided by comparing results from the proposed non-linear equations with those from the equations proposed by Paı̈doussis

Full PURCHASE N7500

Oil Spillage: Effects And Environmental Impact In Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

 

The oil and gas industry is truly global, with operations conducted in every corner of the globe, from Alaska to Australia, from Peru to China, and in every habitat from Arctic to desert, from tropical rainforest to temperate woodland, from mangrove (as is the case in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria) to offshore. The global community will rely heavily on oil and gas supplies for the foreseeable future. World primary energy consumption in 1994 stood at nearly 8000 million tonnes of oil equivalents; oil and gas represented 63 per cent of world energy supply, with coal providing 27 per cent, nuclear energy 7 percent and hydro-electric 3 per cent (BP Statistical Review of World Energy, June 1995).

The exploitation of oil and gas reserves has not always been without some ecological side effects. The challenge is to meet world energy demands, whilst minimizing adverse impact on the environment by conforming to current good practice. Oil spills, damaged land, accidents and  fires, and incidents of air and water pollution have all been recorded at various times and places. In recent times the social impact of operations, especially in remote communities, has also attracted attention. The oil and gas industry has worked for a long time to meet the challenge of providing environmental protection. Much has already been achieved but the industry recognizes that even more can be accomplished (Adati, 2012).

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992—‗The Earth Summit‘—focused world attention on the close links that exist between the environment and socioeconomic development. The Summit reviewed global environmental issues and resulted in two conventions (the Framework Convention on Climate

 

Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity), as well as the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21—plan of action. The central message of Agenda 21 is one of interdependence and cross sector partnership, and the plan of action provided a new approach to the wide-ranging socio-economic and environmental challenges facing the world community.

It is no news that Nigeria is one of the leading oil producers in the World, and that the fragile Niger Delta region is the seat bench (or hub) of oil and gas production of the country. Presently, 90% of Nigeria‘s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from revenues accruing from crude oil sales (Zabbey, 2012).

The  World  Bank  estimated  that  the  oil  sector  accounts  for  95%  of  Nigeria  export  earnings and 85% of the governments revenues as of 2009. Currently in 2010 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the oil sector accounts for over 95% of Nigeria export earnings and about 65% of the government‘s revenue. According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Nigeria has an estimated 36.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January 2010. The majority of the reserves located along the Niger Delta River, offshore Bright of Benin, gulf of Guinea and the Bright of Bonny. The current exploration activities focused in deep and ultra-deep offshore and some activities in the Chad Basin located northwest of Nigeria (Ukoli, 2005).

In 2008, Nigeria‘s crude oil production averaged 1.94 million bbl/d making it the largest oil producer in Africa with current production slightly over 2.2 million bbl/d as of 2009. Also, Energy Information Association (EIA) estimated that Nigeria‘s production could have reached

2.7 million barrels/day (bbl/d). Recent offshore developments combined with the restart of some shut-in onshore production have boosted crude oil production to an average 2.03 million bbl/d as of 2010 (Adati, 2012).

The country operates a joint venture with the TNCs. The government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), owns 55% share in the Joint Venture; SPDC 30%, ELF Petroleum Nigeria Limited (a subsidiary of TotalFina) 10% and Agip 5%. (Zabbey, 2005)

 

In recent times, however, production rates keep fluctuating due to insecurity occasioned by threats of local militias in the delta. As at 2005, Nigeria‘s daily production of crude oil reached 2.2 million barrels per day (b.p.d.) and was still on the increase (Adati, 2012).

 

 

ASSESSMENT OF OIL SPILLAGE AND ITS CONTROL IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

 

The physical presence of the oil industry in Nigeria is so large and has resulted in a lot of  activities in the upstream sector which has deleterious effects on ecosystem stability and local biodiversity – which the peoples‘ livelihoods depend upon. This research provides an overview of environmental issues in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria with specific focus on oil spillage and also highlights the best approaches to achieving high environmental performance in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. The materials for this research include the use of existing reports on the oil and gas industry in Nigeria to acquire the required information. Comparative study method was used in which the data obtained Nigerian National Petroleum Company Annual Statistical report for 2013 and Shell Nigeria Monthly/ Annual statistical Reports for 2013 was analysed and logical deductions and sequential presentation of facts were thus made. It was observed in this study that oil spills occur more as a result of vandalisation than rupture during operations. Shell Nigeria has a record of oil spill amounting to about 3.038 billion barrels over a period of ten years (2003 to 2012) from their pipelines alone. The number of incidences of oil spill recorded by Shell Nigeria reduced within the period of 2007 to 2013 from 320 to 200 respectively. Also, it was observed that since 2010 the volume of oil spill has dropped significantly from 102, 000 barrels of 2009 to 20,000 barrels in 2013. Furthermore, the regulatory bodies are not working effectively and some of the country‘s regulations are out of date. Hence, a need for the government to review the regulatory laws and device an efficient means of enforcing them whenever necessary.

CONSTRUCTION OF OFFICE FILE CABINET WITH PLYWOOD

1.1 CHAPTER ONE/ INTRODUCTION

The most all known and new method of producing or making any wooden material has been known and the name of the material is referred to Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) (MDF). Though from the creation man as exploited wood into various creation and such creation where used such as art (Sculpture), Furniture etc. but because of the usefulness of wood from the unset, this bring about the production of a plywood. To make it very important and economical in natures.

In the fabrication of this Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) office file cabinet, Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) plywood was the most important material that is requested among all the material needed. It is often used in project because of its flexibility, enclosure normal plywood, durability, workability etc. which makes it more suitable for this particular project.

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• • AIM

The aim of this project is to know how to fabricate an office file cabinet using a board Medium density fiberboard(plywood)

1.1.2  OBJECTIVES

This work was done so as to derive some certain objectives; some of these include

1. What to know about Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood).
2. Relationship between Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) and timber
3. Other used of Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) in human activities
4. The process involve in the fabrication of office file cabinet using to Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) plywood
5. The human material and equipment required for the fabrication

1.2     SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

This project is based on the use of wood in the fabrication of 6ft to 6ft office file cabinet. It also focuses on fundamental of the core material used (Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood)), the tools and equipment for the fabrication process and the process involved during the fabrication.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The completion of this project was of importance and necessary in order to demonstrate how Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) can be worked upon to produce a office file cabinet with Medium-Density Fibreboard (plywood) observing strict adherence to standard procedure so as to ensure that the product is of a high quality and durability.

1.4     LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT

In performing this project, some problems were encountered which reduce the progress intended for the project. Some of these include:-

High cost of material

Scarcity of the material

• The huge cost of transportation
• In adequate power supply
• Require expertise to dismantle and assemble the office file cabinet.