Design, Construction and Performance Evaluation of a Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) Oil Clarifier

摘要

This work was aimed at the design, construction and performance evaluation of a groundnut oil clarifier. The oil clarifier consists of two cylindrical tanks. The first tank was connected to the stirrer, bevel gear, pulley and motor while the second tank has a heating element and is insulated with a lagging material (rock wool). The machine was designed to clarify groundnut oil in order to improve its edible quality there by reducing its Free Fatty Acid, phospholipids, waxes, gums and some metal compound content in the oil and also eliminate the drudgery and constraints associated with the crude/traditional clarification methods. The performance of the machine was evaluated for the stirring, settling and heating time of the oil and the optimum operating conditions of rotational speed of the shaft and stirrer by degumming and neutralizing the crude groundnut oil with water and neutralizing reagents in the first tank after which is then transferred into the second tank via pump and pipe connections for heating so as to evaporate the available water to the required moisture content for safe storage. The test showed that the maximum efficiency of the clarifier was obtained using the sodium hydroxide reagent for neutralization and oil recovery which were 81.4 % and 93.41 % on the average respectively.