Nut & Seed Oil Press Green Team Section B

collection containers CAD Model mass pulleys mass pulleys mass lower pulleys piston treadles collection containers

Market & Customer Data Purpose Customer Many people (particularly in Africa) lack oil in their diet and suffer from malnutrition and disease Only 5% of peanut oil produced worldwide is imported/exported. There is a need for locally producing peanut oil. Customer Small-scale nut/seed oil producers worldwide, specifically in developing countries Market (for peanut oil and meal) 49.2% of peanut processing is devoted to oil production. West Africa, China, and India are the world leaders in utilizing peanuts for crushing (combined total of 2,580,000 metric tons/year) Africa: 5,423,000 metric tons/year Asia: 20,964,000 metric tons/year 92% of India’s peanut production is all for oil.

Existing Methods Screw Press Solvent Extraction Ram Press

Design Specifications Customer Needs/Technical Requirements Design Attributes Is human-powered Treadles Can be operated by someone who is lightweight Pulley system to allow operator to lift significantly more than his/her own body weight Must generate pressures of at least 600 psi Piston with large mass Can be easily constructed and repaired Uses pulleys and rope (as opposed to gears) to transfer power from human to piston

Design Parameters Peanut Oil Extraction Hydraulic press with gauge provided by Amy Smith Pressures: 200 psi: onset of oil extraction 800 psi: oil drips 25% of peanut mass is extracted as oil Video

Technical Analyses Assumptions: Requirements: Results: 100 lb. person Lift mass of 1000 lbs. 1:1 lever arm ratio Requirements: 10 turns on piston pulley system 2 in2 of a layer of peanuts Results: Step size of 1 ½ ft. Piston travels only 2 inches Natural hold at step transitions to squeeze out oil

Conclusion What we learned: Recommendations: Some methods feasible, but complicated: Gears Ratchet mechanism Required pressure is difficult to obtain using human power alone. Recommendations: Can pounding extract equal amount of oil? Is a hydraulic mechanism too intricate?