Design and Fabrication of Vacuum Dehydration Machine for Cassava Processing

Abstract

The importance of removing cyanide content in cassava mash cannot be overemphasized. The removal of cyanide by dehydration not only makes the cassava safe for consumption but also could improve it flavour. The design of a vacuum dehydration machine used for cassava processing is presented. The analysis of the various components including the slurry drum, belt drive system, transmission shaft, and the selection of a suitable prime mover was done based on the power requirement for the operation of the machine. The design analysis revealed that the machine may be driven by a 1 horsepower engine. The total length of flat-belt to drive the pulley was at an angle of lap on the smaller pulley of 2.53 rad. The resultant load act on a shaft of diameter 21 mm with maximum bending moment of 16.51 Nm. Total weights of drum filter and pipes acting on the reservoir is 124N.  The result of the performance evaluation shows that the machine performance improves with increasing vacuum pressure up to a threshold where the moisture content remain constant. The result exposed the effectiveness and efficiency of the machine at 95%.