DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A BRIQUETTE MAKING MACHINE

(An Executive summary)

BY

SILAS BETHEL JONAH

(MOUAU/07/10149)

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,

Umudike, Umuahia.Abia State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This project work, “DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A BRIQUETTE MAKING MACHINE” was
done as a first degree final year project work. It is obvious that with the recent energy
crises in the country (Nigeria), alternative sources of energy are being embraced and
Nigeria with her huge by-products from agricultural produce has a lot a biomass wastes.
This project focuses on the design and fabrication of a machine that can transform these
biomass waste products into a bio-fuel known as briquettes. The main processes
involved are crushing, mixing, and densification. The technique used for the
densification is the ram press method. Even though this method is known to be inferior
to the screw press method, it possesses some very important advantages over the screw
press method. This project focuses on using the piston press method to produce
briquettes while incorporating the hole in the centre of the briquette into the piston
press technique.
1.0 INTRODUCTION geothermal, fossil fuels and biomass. Of

these common energy sources, those

It is popular knowledge that in a few
that are renewable are solar, wind and
decades, our store of fossil fuels might be
fossil fuels.
exhausted with the rate at which they

are depleting. These fossil fuels are In Nigeria today, one increasingly growing

hardly renewable sources of energy. problem is the issue of waste

Scientists predict that in the next two management. Even with our waste

centuries, we would have completely run management schemes in the country,

out of these energy sources. Our fossil most of the problem still hasn’t been

fuels which are mostly oil, coal, natural solved at all. These waste management

gas and their derivatives are limited. To schemes, we know, are only occurring in

avoid exhausting these sources of some urban areas. The rural areas still

energy, we either must find a method of have to find whatever means possible to

renewing these energy sources or resort dispose of their waste products. Some of

to alternative energy sources. From our this waste is biomass waste.

history of physics, we know most

Biomass means all materials which come
common energy sources to be fission,
from living things. These include waste
fusion, hydroelectric, solar, wind,
material of plants and animals, wood,
agricultural products etc. These waste palm empty fruit bunch and almost about

materials can be transformed into fuel we every form of agricultural waste product.

can use. When these biomass products

In the eastern part of Nigeria, one of the
are used to produce fuel in solid form, it
most popular agricultural products
is known as a briquette.
produced is oil palm. It is done in very

Biomass briquette is a bio-fuel substitute large quantities. A very large percent of

for coal and charcoal. They can be used to the palm oil consumed in the whole

produce electricity from steam by using country is produced by the eastern states.

them to heat industrial boilers. The process of making this palm oil

involves getting the palm fruit and

With the recent advocacy for the use of
extracting the oil from the fruit.
non carbon fuels, briquettes have a lot of
Traditionally, oil palm is grown for its oil
advantages because its use reduces the
example like palm oil, palm kernel oil, and
carbon dioxide emissions by partially
palm kernel cake as the community
replacing coal used in power plants with
products. Besides palm oil and palm
materials that are already contained in
kernel, oil palm industry generates large
the carbon cycle.
quantity of biomass residue like fronds,
Biomass briquettes are made from things
trunks, EFB, palm oil mill effluent, palm
like sawdust, rice husks, groundnut shells,
fibre and shell that have not been fully

commercially exploited. These by-

products are normally used as fuel in the high density and energy concentrated

rural areas for cooking. But a larger fuel briquettes.

percentage of it is wasted.

There is therefore, a strong need for the 2.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

design of a machine that is capable of The Briquetting process consists of 3

transforming these products into a form main processes, which are:

in which they can be used and Crushing process

transported easily without the numerous Mixing with the binder

disadvantages of using raw by-products. Densification process

Before the material is put into the

This machine is known as a Briquette
machine, it has to be cut up into smaller
making machine.
pieces. This is assuming the product is
Converting palm biomass into a uniform
large in size since the material being
and solid fuel through briquetting process
considered for this project is the palm EFB
appears to be an attractive solution in
and other by-products of the oil palm tree
upgrading its properties and add value as
that can be used. If other smaller
reported by (Sławomir, 2012), (De et al.,
materials like groundnut shells, rice husks
2012), (Nasrin et al., 2011), (Chuen-Shii,
etc are being used; they do not require
2009). Biomass briquette is the process of
further reduction in size.
converting low bulk density biomass into
After the material has been brought to

the correct size, it is fed to the crusher to

be crushed into really small particles. This

crusher is a hammer mill. Hammer Mill

From the hammer mill, the crushed

material needs to be mixed

homogenously with a binder for the

Mixer
briquettes. This increases the force of

cohesion between the particles of

briquette, thereby making it stronger

afterwards. Ram Press

After the binder has been mixed into the

crushed material, it is moved to the

piston or ram press to be compacted or Solar Drying

densified.

Afterwards, the finished product is put in

Fig. 2.0 Briquetting Process.
the Sun to be dried by solar energy.

The process of briquette making is shown

in the figure below:

Palm (EFB)
2.1 DESIGN CALCULATION This speed is transmitted to the mixer

SHAFT SPEED from the 65mm diameter pulley attached

To calculate the shaft speed, the to the hammer mill shaft down to the

following parameters are used: 160mm diameter pulley on the mixer

D1/D2 = N2/N1 shaft. The speed is calculated by using

Where D1/D2 = N2/N1

N1 = revolution of the smaller pulley, Speed of Mixer = 576.9 rpm

rpm. Speed of Intermediary pulley = 214.3 rpm

N2 = revolution of the larger pulley, rpm. Speed of speed reducer Pulley = 79.6 rpm

Ratio of Reduction by speed reducer =

This shaft speed is only obtained when
30:1,
there is no slip condition of the belt over
Therefore, speed of ram = speed entering
the pulley. When slip and creep condition
speed reducer/30
is present, the value is reduced by 4%
Speed of reciprocating ram = 2.7 rpm
(Spolt 2008).

The speed of the Hammer mill shaft is LENGTH OF THE BELT

given by:
Diameter of electric motor pulley =
diameter of hammer mill shaft pulley,
Therefore, speed of hammer mill = speed
The pitch length of the belt is given by
(John and Stephens 1984)
( D 1+ D 2 )
L=2 C+ 1.57 ( D 1+ D 2) +
4C

of electric motor = 1420 rpm L = length of the belt, mm

C = Centre distance between larger pulley The angles of wrap for the pulleys (for

and the smaller one, mm and open belt drive) is given by:

Length of motor to hammer mill shaft belt ( R−r )

θ = 180 – sin-1
C
= 1485 mm
(Khurmi and Gupta 2011)
Length of Hammer mill to mixer belt =
θ for electric motor to hammer mill belt =
1314 mm
π rad.
Length of mixer to intermediate pulley
θ for Hammer mill to mixer belt = 2.94
belt = 1138 mm
rad.
Length of small intermediate pulley to
θ for mixer to intermediate pulley belt =
speed reducer belt = 720 mm
2.85 rad.

θ for intermediate to speed reducer

BELT CONTACT ANGLE
pulley belt = 2.48 rad.
The angle of contact between the belt

and the pulley is given by: Peripheral Velocity

( R−r )
Sin-1 β =
C The peripheral velocity of the Belt on a

Where driving pulley is given by:

R = radius of the large pulley, mm

r = radius of the smaller pulley, mm π d1 N1

v1 =
60
C = distance between the centres of the

two pulleys
Peripheral velocity of Belt of Driven pulley Peripheral Velocity of intermediate pulley

is given by: to speed reducer = 0.73m/s

π d2 N 2 TENSION IN THE BELT

v 2=
60

(Khurmi and Gupta 2010) The tension in the belt is calculated,

Under condition of no-slip, v1 = v 2 according to (Khurmi and Gupta 2010)

Where: from:

v1 = velocity of driving pulley Torque = (T1 – T2) v

v 2= velocity of driven pulley And

T1
D1 = diameter of driving pulley 2.3 log = µ.θ
T2
D2 = diameter of driven pulley
Where:
N1 = speed of driving pulley
T1 = Tension in the tight side of the belt
N2 = speed of driven pulley
T2 = tension in slack side of the Belt

V = Velocity of the belt

Peripheral Velocity of electric motor to
µ = Coefficient of friction between the
hammer mill belt = 4.83 m/s
rubber belt and the pulley = 0.3 according
Peripheral Velocity of hammer mill to
to Table 18.10 (Khurmi and Gupta 2010).
mixer belt = 4.83 m/s
θ = Angle of Contact between the belt
Peripheral velocity of intermediate pulley
and each pulley
belt = 1.96 m/s
Tension in electric motor to hammer mill P = (T1 – T2) V

belt is:
Torque at the main shaft is given by
T1 = 745.68 N
(Khurmi and Gupta 2010)
T2 = 290.60 N
T = (T1 – T2) R
Tension in the hammer mill to mixer belt

is: Also Torque transmitted is given by

T1= 776N (Khurmi and Gupta 2010)

T2=321.17 N P×6o
T=
2 πN
Tension in the mixer to intermediate

pulley: Torque on motor shaft = 14.78Nm

T1= 828.95 N
Torque on hammer mill shaft = 14.78Nm
T2= 1948.02 N
Torque on mixer shaft = 36.37Nm
Tension in the intermediate to speed

reducer pulley belt: Torque on intermediate shaft = 26.31Nm

T1 = 7726.95 N

T2 = 3679.5 N
Power on hammer mill shaft = 2.198 kw

2.2 TORQUE AND POWER TRANSMITTED Power on mixer shaft = 2.196.68 kW

TO THE SHAFT
Power on intermediate shaft = 2.193 kw
Power transmitted to the shaft is given
Power on ram shaft = 2.03 KW
by:
Where, Centrifugal force exerted by the

hammer can be calculated from

P = power
equation:
T = Torque
MV
Fc =
r
R = Radius of the pulley
Fc = 594.46 N
T1 = Tension in the tight side of the belt
PRESSURE EXERTED ON THE BRIQUETTE
T2 = tension in slack side of the Belt
The pressure exerted on the briquette is

given as
HAMMER WEIGHT
Power
Pressure = /Area
Velocity
The action of the weight of hammer shaft
Force × distance
on the main shaft is negligible. Because, Power =
Time

CENTRIFUGAL FORCE EXERTED BY THE Power

Force =
Velocity
HAMMER

Pressure = 60.4 KN/m2

2.3 DESIGN PARAMETERS

HAMMER MILL Diameter: 340mm

Cylindrical casing:
Width: 200mm

Material: Steel of 5mm thickness

Frame:
Made of 4mm thickness Angle bars of Steel plates of 1.5mm thickness

40mm by 40mm diameter

360mm by 250mm dimension

Dimension: 1060mm by 490mm by 330

Nuts and Bolts:
mm
Steel Nuts and Bolts of size 17
Strikers:
Hanger for Hammer mill to frame:
7mm thickness steel material
Steel Angle bars of thickness 4mm and
Dimension: 110mm by 70mm by 30mm
dimensions 40mm by 40mm and width

Striker shaft: 40mm.

Steel material of length 510mm and Flange:

25mm diameter
Steel plates of 1.5mm thickness

Diameter of 180mm

Hopper:
Bearing:

Mild Steel plates of 1.5mm thickness

Standard Steel Bearings

Upper dimension: 360mm by 360mm

Inner diameter: 270mm

Lower dimension: 100mm by 100mm

Outer diameter: 650mm

Discharge Chute:
This bearing is surrounded by a bearing Inner diameter: 270mm

casing of internal diameter of 650mm and

Outer diameter: 650mm
external diameter of 800mm.
This bearing is surrounded by bearing

MIXER casing of an internal diameter of 650mm

Made of steel Angle bars of thickness and external diameter of 800mm.

4mm and 40mm by 40mm dimension Discharge Chutes:

Dimension of frame: 610mm by 420mm There are two discharge chutes: one from
by 320mm the hammer mill to the mixer and

Mixer Cylinder: another from the mixer to the pressing

die.
It is made of 3mm thick mild Steel.

The first is inclined at an angle of 45 o. This

Dimensions: 600mm length and 275mm
is greater than the repose angle of
diameter
crushed saw dust and palm empty fruit
Shaft:
bunch. Its dimensions are as shown in fig.

Material is Mild Steel 3.1.

27mm diameter and 1230mm of length The second is inclined at an angle of 55 o

to the horizontal. This angle is greater

Bearings:
than the repose angle of slightly damp
Standard Steel Bearings
sawdust and empty fruit bunch. The 100mm and width 3mm. This gives a

dimensions are shown in fig 3.1. circular motion which is converted to a

reciprocating motion of the ram. This

RAM PRESS
whole system is suspended on the frame
This is the part of the machine that
by two bearings. The shaft at one end is
compacts or densifies the material finally.
connected to a pulley that goes down to
It comprises of:
the small pulley on the speed reducer.

The Die or Mould:

SPEED REDUCER:

It is made of 3mm thick mild steel plates

The whole system is controlled by a single
formed into a square. Its top and bottom
motor. The ram press is required to go at
are left open.
a relatively slow rate to achieve the

Ram pressing required. A speed reducer is

used to step the speed down to the

This is a square 5mm thick plate
required speed of the ram press. It simply
suspended by a connecting rod and held
is a gear box using a system of gears to
in place by metal bars to keep its motion
reduce the speed of the shaft. The ratio of
in a straight line.
the initial to final speed is 30:1.
This connecting rod is attached to a
MOTOR
system with a horizontal bar that has one

part extended up by flat rods of length

A 2.2kW motor with a speed of 1420rpm

is used to run the machine.

2.4 MACHINE COMPONENTS

Figures 2.1-2.5 shows the isometric, front,

end, plan and part component views of

the machine.
 Fig

2.1 Isometric view of the briquette making machine

Fig 2.2 Front view of the briquetting machine
Fig 2.3 End view of the briquetting machine
Fig 2.4 Plan view of the briquetting machine

Fig 2.5 Component parts of the briquetting machine

3.0 MATERIAL SELECTION AND COSTING

Table 3.0 Component Description and prices

MATERIAL PRICE/UNIT QUANTITY PRICE

HOPPER 4000 1 4000

BEARING 700 9 6300

HAMMER MILL CHAMBER 3000 1 3000

HAMMER MILL SHAFT 1000 1 1000

NUTS AND BOLTS 100 29 2900

DISCHARGE CHUTES 1500 2 3000

160MM ØPULLEY 1350 1 1350

65MMØPULLEY 930 5 4650

175MMØ PULLEY 1570 2 3140

MIXER CYLINDER 5000 1 5000

MIXER SHAFT 700 1 700

SPEED REDUCER 7000 1 7000

BINDER TANK 1000 1 1000

DIE 700 1 700

HINGES 300 7 2100

 BELTS 420 4 1680

SPEED REDUCER SUPPORT 2000 1 2000

MIXER FRAME 300 1 300

HAMMER MILL FRAME 350 1 350

PRESSER FRAME 300 1 300

MOTOR 45000 1 45000

WORKMANSHIP 20000
Total= N124,470

3.1 CAPACITY OF THE MACHINE of safety has been taken into

The capacity of this briquette making consideration for this value. This will give

machine is 1 briquette per minute, factor 60 briquettes per hour.

3.2 EFFICIENCY

The efficiency of the machine is calculated below;

 output
Efficiency, η = of briquettes
Input

produced to give an efficiency of 64.9%.

CONCLUSION briquettes and saving of costs spent on

fossil fuels every year.

The importance of the briquette making

machine to Nigeria cannot be over The briquette making machine does not

emphasized. With the many prospective necessarily require skilled labour to

problems which include waste operate it. It is easy to use and can be

management through recycling, handled by unskilled manpower, the raw

contributing to solving the recent energy material is very cheap and readily

crises in the country, the reduction of available; it does not require expensive

carbon resulting from the burning of fossil methods of extraction and processing

fuels which has many health effects; not (like mining coal and drilling and refining

to mention the high level of revenue that of oil); it has easy handling, storage and

can be obtained from both the sale of the transportation techniques.

RECOMMENDATIONS biomass waste. If the presence of plants

A major recommendation concerning for briquette production is put in place,

this project is that more research and a lot of our energy and waste disposal

awareness of briquettes should be made problem will be eliminated. Another

in Nigeria. Despite the fact that the modification that can be made is the

briquette making machine designed and elimination of the presence of human

fabricated in this project is not an involvement in the machine. A conveyor

invention, its been in existence in one system can be employed at the final

form or the other but is hardly popular stage of the machine so that the finished

in Nigeria. Our waste disposal systems product is automatically moved from

are still failing for lack of what to do with the point of production to a different

the waste. A lot of this problem can be point.

eliminated by recycling which is the

It is also possible to have a very gigantic
process of re-using already used
hopper so that the raw material can be
products by transforming them into a
put in very large quantities like with a
form where they are useful. Nigeria is
tipper. This will require a feeder in
known for its Agricultural ability and this
between the hopper and the hammer
agricultural practice produces tonnes
mill to avoid the feed stock getting stuck
and tonnes of
at the entrance of the mill.
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