Data on drying kinetics of a semi-automated gas-fired fish dryer

The datasetpresentedinthisarticlerepresentthedryingchar- acteristics ofasemi-automatedgas-fired fish dryer.Acabinetdryer wasconstructedmainlyfrommildsteelsheetmetalandstainless steel, andwasusedfordryingprepared fish samplesof Clarias gariepinus species. Majoroperatingparameterswhichincluded mass of fish, massofLiquefied PetroleumGasused,insidetem- peratureofthedryer,anddryingtimeweremonitored.Also, output parameterssuchasthemoisturecontentandenergyuti- lization amongstotherswereobservedandrecordedatvarying time intervalsandspecified dryingtemperatures.Thedrying temperaturewassustainedviaanincorporatedPIDtemperature controller thatalloweddryingtoproceeduntilarelativelycon- stant massofthedried fish sampleswasattained.Theinformation contained inthisdataarticleincludeaschematicdrawingofdry- ing kineticsanalysisofthesemi-automatedgas-fired fish dryer and apictorialviewofthegas-fired cabinetdryer.Alsoincluded are pictorialrepresentationsofthewashedandneatlyfolded degutted fish samplesanddried fish samples.Dataprovidedinthis article arethoserelatingtoprocessparametersofthesemi-auto- mated fish dryer,dataofoutputparametersofthe fish dryerand comparisons ofmoisturecontentandenergyutilizationatdiffer- ent dryingtemperatureswithtime

Design, fabrication and evaluation of fish meal pelletizing machine

A 113.1kg/h fish meal pellet processing machine which produced 4mm diameter pellet, with an average length of 6mm was designed and fabricated. Design values of 210 was used for the maximum angle that the hopper wall formed with the vertical in the discharge zone, a critical stress of 1.3kPa of the ground particulate materials, and a density of 2.4521kg/m3 of the particulate materials, were used to obtain a hopper smallest outlet diameter of 12.7cm with a capacity of 24,118cm3 which proved efficient for the pelletizing machine. Two 3-cm diameter shafts carried the speed reduction gears with the perforated disc attached to the roller cutters on one end, while at the other end a 5hp motor was connected to the speed reduction gear by pulleys with diameters of 6cm and 12cm respectively. The speed reduction was 1:5 over a motor speed of 2000rpm. The fish meal pelletizing machine utilized 4kg of ingredients to produce 3.77kg pellets at an efficiency of 94.2%. The percentage loss due to unprocessed ground particulate materials was 5.8%.The moisture content of the fish meal pellets after 7days of drying in open air was 26.5% (wet basis). When tested for floatation, the pellets stayed afloat for 9 days, while the un-dried pellets only remained afloat for 2days. A combination of the weight of the twin roller cutters and the addition of some starch to the ground particulate materials assisted the compacting and gelatinization of pellet formed. This machine will be useful to medium and small scale aquaculture farmers and also reduce the need for foreign sources of fish meal in the aquaculture industry, thus conserving foreign exchange.Keywords: Ground particulate materials; mixing; compacting; gelatinizing; pelletizin

ANALYSIS OF VIBRATION EFFECT ON FACTORY FOUNDATION IN A FLOUR MILL

Thirteen roller machines, in operation at a flour mill, all on one floor, were analyzed for spectra transmission and propagation, using a vibration analyzer. The vibration analyzer was placed at 8 different positions around each roller machine, generating unique spectra curves symbolic of signals transmitted. It was observered that with exponential characteristics above 2 in the polynomial equations  resulted in significant signal propagation requiring isolation of the machines necessary. Results indicates that out of the 7 machines requiring isolation, cork  would be needed for 3 with maximum displacement of 0.19 to 0.20mm, while composite pad would be needed for 4 with a maximum displacement of 0.10 to 0.16mm. The study had shown that vibration effects could be successfully monitored on factory floors through the vibration analyzer application, thus, minimizing harzardous effects on factory workers and facilties

Effects of Process Parameters on Vibration Frequency in Turning Operations of Perspex Material

Effects of process parameters on vibration frequency of Perspex round plastic bars was investigated experimentally under clamped - free (C - F) boundary condition during turning operation. Mathematical models were developed using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array design. Spindle speed (V), feed rate (f), and depth of cut (d) were selected as input variables in order to predict the effects of vibration frequency on the work-piece. Nine samples were run in a CNC lathe machine, and each of the experimental result was measured using DTO 32105 frequency analyser and a MXC-1600 digital frequency counter. A minimum vibration frequency of 104.8 Hz was obtained at a cutting speed of 320 m/min, feed rate 0.05 min/rev and at a depth of cut of 0.5 mm. The mathematical model developed shows the accuracy of predicting the vibration frequency to be 99.5% and the various combinations of parameters that results in the minimum vibration frequency were determined. Obtained optimum input parameters for vibration frequency indicated that production operations of Perspex round plastic bars could be enhanc

Experimental Investigation into the Effects of Al-composite Nanolubricants on the Energy and Exergy Performance of Vapour Compression Refrigerator Compressor

Nanofluids played significant role in enhancing the thermophysical properties of a refrigerant which can lead to an improved performance of the refrigerator compressor. This study investigated the performances of four Aluminium based nanolubricants in a vapour compression refrigeration compressor system. Various tests which include evaluation of the thermophysical properties and the determination of thermodynamic parameters such as exergy, power consumption, cooling load and coefficient of performance of the refrigerator compressor system were carried out. The outcome showed that the nanoparticles influenced greatly the thermophysical properties of the base oil (Capella D) and improved its thermodynamic properties. All the nanolubricants showed improved better results in terms of thermal conductivity and salinity, depicting better heat transfer and thermal capacity. Also, the results of the viscosity tests showed that the nanolubricants have lower values than the conventional base oil, indicating good pumping ability of the compressor and lower energy consumption. In addition, the results of exergy analyses reveal that most of the nanofluids systems generally showed better performance with higher values. It thus can be concluded that the nanofluids systems seem to provide better compressor/refrigerator working fluid alternative with careful selection

A Review on Automotive Industries and Foundries in Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken different precautions to support domestic vehicle assembly industries as part of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) to diversify the economy from oil and gas sector to other sectors. The potentials of foundry industries in Africa and most especially in West-Africa Sub-region are under-utilized unlike in the developed countries. Most of the Foundries in Nigeria are operated by Small Scale Industries (SMI) and are not being able to contribute significantly to the automotive industries in the country. This paper is aimed to review several works done by different researchers in the automotive and foundry industries with the view to study the contribution of foundries in the development of automotive industries in Nigeria