Joseph I. Orisaleye

University of Lagos | Unilag · Department of Mechanical Engineering

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the physical and mechanical characteristics of the roasted cashew nut during fracture, by subjecting the nut to varying impact load tests at different orientations to ascertain the critical impact load that fractures the shell without damaging the kernel within. This load value was correlated with...

The study of compaction or solids conveying in a screw extruder has been carried out majorly on the straight screws using the plug flow analysis. Despite this, the analysis of the straight screw appears to be complex as contained in existing literatures based on the force and torque balance. The tapered screw, which is considered to be an effective...

A laboratory scale downdraft biomass gasifier was designed to deliver a mechanical power of 4 kW and thermal power of about 15 kW. The gasifier was manufactured as a single piece having a water seal and cover. The gasifier was tested in natural downdraft and forced downdraft mode. Ignition of the fuel beneath the grate, during natural downdraft mod...

The role of energy in the development of a nation cannot be underestimated. The current situation of energy in Nigeria reveals that an energy crisis is pending in the country. However, there is an abundance of renewable energy resources in Nigeria most of which have remained untapped. This paper gives an estimate of the technical potential of bioma...

Nigeria is a developing country with an insufficient supply of energy to meet the continuously growing demand. However, there are several biomass resources available within the country. This paper presents a desk review, which investigates the potential resources for biomass energy generation within the country. Energy policies to aid biomass use a...

Biomass has a high potential to contribute towards resolving the energy deficit. Processing biomass into solid fuels enhances its use in various bioenergy conversion technologies. The quality of densified biomass depends on several variables. The investigation of the effect of densification parameters on briquette quality is necessary for process o...

There are environmental concerns on the use of synthetic binders for the production of particle boards. This has stimulated interest in developing boards which do not require the use of these binders but derive adhesion from the activation of the natural chemical constituents of the materials used in manufacture of the boards. Due to the complex na...

Biomass from agriculture is a promising alternative fuel due to its carbon-neutral feature. However, raw biomass does not have properties required for its direct utilization for energy generation. Torrefaction is considered as a pretreatment method to improve the properties of biomass for energy applications. This study was aimed at investigating t...

Solidification is an essential step of heat exchange which occurs between the casting, the mold and the environment. The knowledge of the solidification process is important for the control of variables to ensure castings attain required specifications Phase diagrams reveal a lot about solidification, giving the composition and quantity of the phas...

Biomass densification is a complex process with each biomass having a unique set of variables from which briquettes of desirable quality can be produced. This study produced briquettes under different process conditions from Abura (Mitragyna ciliata) sawdust. The moisture content of the sawdust was 14.84%. Process variables considered were temperat...

Mitigating environmental concerns of climate change and global warming requires renewable and sustainable alternatives to reduce over-reliance on fossil fuels. Cleaner production practices have adopted the use of renewable alternatives to energy and material development with biomass playing a key role. With increasing potential of biomass technolog...

Aluminium alloys, and particularly aluminium silicon alloys, have found extensive use in engineering applications. Improving the mechanical properties of the cast alloys is important. One of the means of achieving this is by grain refinement using grain refiners. The grain refiners affect the fluidity, and consequently solidification, of the alloys...

Aluminium-silicon alloys possess high mechanical strength to density ratio which makes it suitable for wide engineering applications. Fluidity affects the properties of the alloys. Silicon increases the fluidity of Al-Si alloys. The refinement of silicon alloys improves the mechanical property of the alloys. This study investigated the fluidity of...

A recent study conducted by the authors, recording on site observations and grading responses to questionnaires by the 1 to 5 according to the Likert scale indicates that the gating practice in the foundries of research institutions and tertiary institutions in Lagos state is far from the best global practice. Some common errors, such as lack of kn...

Foundry practice have existed in Nigeria for centuries. However, for the development of the practice, know-how and skills must be developed. Personnel must be trained at all levels. In this study, the practices in foundries of research and academic institutions involved in foundry within Lagos state were investigated. Investigations were carried ou...

Delonix regia has good potential for medicinal, nutritional, and energy applications. However, the manual process of decorticating Delonix regia is labor‐intensive, slow, and tedious. Mechanization of the decorticating process would be of value to its utilization for medicinal, food, feed, or fuel purposes. In this study, preliminary compressive st...

The screw briquetting machine has problems which have been attributed to poor design. There are limited theoretical studies targeted at solving problems of biomass briquetting machines. The briquetting die determines the final shape and quality of the biomass briquettes. The performance of the screw briquetting machine is also dependent on the desi...

Solid biofuels can be used in heat and power generation applications. The utilization of agricultural residues for this purpose would be of immense benefit to rural communities of developing countries where the resource is being produced. Water resistance is a crucial property for transport and storage of biomass briquettes under moist climate cond...

Screw extruders are commonly used in the food and polymer industries. Scientifically designed screw extruders for biomass compaction equipment are required to limit the existing problems faced in the industry. In this study, models based on the plug flow theory were developed and used to analyse the screw extruder for biomass compaction. The approa...

The design of efficient screw extruder biomass briquetting machines is important for the utilization of loose biomass materials from wood and agricultural wastes for the production of solid fuel. In this study, the effects of geometrical parameters (channel depth and helix angle) and operational parameters (friction coefficient, mass flow rate and...

Biomass obtained from agricultural wastes have a high potential for energy generation, particularly in developing countries. The poor properties of the agricultural biomass cause handling problems and limit the suitability as fuel in conventional grates. Densification of biomass into briquettes enhances its fuel properties. In this study, effects o...

Biomass obtained from agricultural wastes have a high potential for energy generation, particularly in developing countries. The poor properties of the agricultural biomass cause handling problems and limit the suitability as fuel in conventional grates. Densification of biomass into briquettes enhances its fuel properties. In this study, effects o...

The screw extruder briquetting die is critical to determining the quality of biomass briquettes. In this study, mathematical models were developed to study pressure distribution along the briquetting die using the hot extrusion scheme and assuming a plug flow. Parametric analysis to determine the effects of design variables on die pressure distribu...

Reduced moisture content enhances storage properties of agricultural products and reduces post-harvest losses. Effective drying can be achieved using solar dryers in regions with abundant solar radiation. In this study, a natural draft mixed-type solar dryer suitable for rural communities of developing countries was developed. The performance of th...

Air pollution increases health risks and has effects on the environment. In this study, investigation of the effects of vehicular and industrial emissions on human health was carried out by administering questionnaires in selected study areas in Lagos, Nigeria. Study areas selected included Ajah, Oregun, Marina and Epe which represent residential,...

Densification of loose biomass improves its properties for use as fuels. To design efficient briquetting equipment, there is a need to study properties of briquettes under different conditions. In this study, the effects of process variables (pressure, temperature, and hold time) and a material variable (particle size) on the density of corn cob br...

The use of biomass is becoming increasingly important as an alternative energy resource, particularly for developing countries. The conversion of solid biomass to gaseous forms by the use of gasifiers has some prospects for domestic and industrial utilization. Improved cook-stoves based on gasification are considered to be cost-effective means of e...

Extruders have found application in the food, polymer and pharmaceutical industries. Rheological characteristics of materials are important in the specification of design parameters of screw extruders. Biopolymers, which consist of proteins, nucleic acids and polysaccharides, are shear-thinning (pseudoplastic) within normal operating ranges. Howeve...

The availability of potable water is a necessity for human existence. A simple laboratory scale solar water still capable of holding 75 litres of water has been developed and evaluated. The highest temperature in the solar still occurred at the vapour region and reached up to 66°C. The productivity of the solar still varies with the depth of water...

This paper presents the ergonomic evaluation of a manually operated village-level cashew nut shelling machine. A manually operated cashew nut cracking machine was evaluated. Fifty subjects took part in the study, with physiological, postural, and subjective measurements being taken. Comfort Questionnaire for cashew nut cracking machine (CQC) was al...

Yam, Dioscorea sp., is an important root crop in the tropics which can be processed into a wide variety of forms for consumption as food. However, peeling is an important process which increases the value of processed food. Yam peeling machines need to be developed for this purpose which had been carried out manually with the use of knives and on a...

This paper presents a design and development of an improved palm kernel shelling and sorting machine. The varying physical and mechanical properties of the identified species of palm kernel nuts during fracture, as a means of determining the critical load required to cause fracture on the palm kernel nuts, without damage on the nut meat within were...

Machining involves the thermal, elastic and plastic deformations of the surface layer which result in strain hardening, structural changes and development of residual stresses. These cause surface irregularities which may increase the risk of fatigue failure of material during usage. This study involves the investigation of the influence of cutting...

A table fan is a small, portable type of fan that is used in various rooms of a home or office. It is more convenient compared to other types, like kitchen exhaust, window, and pedestal fans because of its portability. It serves a number of functions for home owners and office workers such as conservation of energy compared to using air conditioner...

This paper reveals design of a rice de-stoner for separating stones from rice based on their different properties. It has a sieve with opening based on the size of rice grain to separate the rice from the stones larger than it and also a second sieve which allows sands and stones smaller than the rice only. Both sieves are vibrated, powered by a 0....

In this work, dual solar water purifier was designed and developed using locally available engineering materials. Using the sun as the principal source of energy, a cheap low technological method was used to produce small quantities of safe drinking water. The sun provides heat and ultraviolet (UV) light as the two key elements that destroy pathoge...

Biodiesel is a fuel type that has already been proven suitable for use in diesel engines. The non-edible vegetable oil of Jatropha curcas, which grows in tropical and subtropical climates across the developing world, promises a commercially viable alternative to diesel. Jatropha oil is renewable, environmental friendly and can be easily produced in...

About eighty percent of Nigerians and sixty percent of Africans live in rural communities most of who utilize biomass for cooking. The benefits of improved cookstoves coupled with the perennial fuel crisis have led to intensified research into the development of the biomass cookstoves. This work aims to develop a biomass cookstove for use in develo...

�igeria is yet to develop a comprehensive scheme which is required to solve the current and persisting problem of waste management in the country. Whereas the crude methods of sorting wastes practiced may be efficient, it wastes useful time; hence the need for a mechanized sorting machine. An attempt has been made to develop a waste sorting machine...

A high speed abrasive cutting machine was designed and developed. The abrasive wheel of 4mm thickness was used and the speed was 2500 rpm. It is driven by an electric motor having a power of about 3.67 kW. Tests results on the machine showed that it can cut 25mm and 60mm mild steel rods in 7.5s and 21.3s respectively; 25mm and 60mm stainless steel...

Feeding pellets to livestock is advantageous to both the livestock and its farmer as it supplies the required nutrients to the livestock and is also economical. However, livestock feed pelleting equipment are known to be expensive and unaffordable particularly to the local farmer. A prototype of the pelleting machine was designed and developed for...