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Design Analysis of a Portable Oil Press Machine

Technical Report · May 2019

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DESIGN ANALYSIS OF A PORTABLE OIL PRESS MACHINE

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Lagos

By
Oluwamuyiwa Toluwani (150404037), and
Olugbeje Isaac (150404029)

Project Work for Design of Machine Elements

May, 2019

Instructor: Dr J.I Orisaleye

ABSTRACT

This paper shows the design and analysis of the mechanism in a

portable Oil Press Machine which is used to extract oil from oil-bearing
seed plants for various uses.
The Machine consists of a funnel on a cylindrical opening on the press
cage by which the seeds are poured in and a rotational motion caused by
the crank causes the seeds to be crushed inside by a screw press which
also coveys the press cake out of the press cage to the cap and then
outside. It has a high oil production of up to 1.5 liters of oil per hour.

1. Introduction
Several techniques have been successful in extracting oil from oil
seeds such as chemical, mechanical, super critical, aqueous enzymatic,
ultrasound-assisted and three-phase partitioning extraction methods.
Mechanical extraction is by far the most popularly used due to its
easiness, economical advantage and low maintenance.
For human nutrition, vegetable oils and animal fats play an important
role, acting as an energy source and supplying the human body with more
than twice the calories per unit weight than those provided by proteins
and carbohydrates.
Regarding oil seed materials, they can be divided into those for the
production of edible vegetable oils and protein such as soy, sunflower,
canola, palm and olive; those where the oil is a byproduct of fiber
production, i.e. cottons; crops for food purposes which also produce oil,
like corn, coconut, peanuts and nuts; crops which produce non-edible oils
such as castor and Jatropha and finally, sources as microbial products, like
algae, that can produce oil.
Although the main use of vegetable oils and animal fats is for human
consumption, recently there has been an increased interest in vegetable
oils due to its use as feedstock to produce bio-diesel, a renewable and less
polluting fuel when compared to diesel of fossil origin.
Other applications comprise its use as animal feed due to their high
protein meal, in medicinal purposes, as lubricant, fuel for lamps and wood
preservatives (World Bank Group, 1998).
 1.1 Comparison of oil press
The main principle of the mechanical extraction is crushing and
pressing by using mechanical tools such as piston and screw conveyor, even
though in some traditional areas stone is still used. To see the differences
among the individual presses, four important factors made the comparison.
1.1 Operating principles
Oil press can be used to separate oil from the different kinds of seed.
Several types are available in the market from small to large scale of
production. Each of the press has different characteristics and operation,
due to this, each of them is designed in accordance with the purposes.
Presses can be found in different designs but similar operating principles.
Let us look at various kinds of presses that had been invented and
designed.
⚫ Ram press. Karl Bielenberg had designed the first ram press
(Bielenberg ram) in 1985. The technology was developed in Zimbabwe,
Kenya, Mozambique and several other middle-southern African countries.

The Ram press was designed primarily for vegetable seeds with soft
shells and small seeds like sesame, sunflower and Shea nut. Later, it was
developed for seed crops with larger and harder seeds like Jatropha, Palm
fruit etc. Many models and specifications were later designed from this
original machine such as CAPU ram, Camartec ram, approTEC ram, IAE
ram and RAM-32.

Fig 1.1 Ram Press

The ram press is operated manually by hand pressing. A lever in the

chamber using a ram piston presses the seeds. When the piston moves
back, the seeds are automatically refilled at the end of the stroke. Then,
when the lever is pushed, it moves forward to the pistons. Physical
strength is needed to operate this press, as it requires pressure 190 kg
/cm2 to extract oil from the seeds.

One or more men mostly operate the press. Therefore, the design
had to be improved to make it easier to press so that women can also
operate it. However, the fuel is not used to operate it (zero fuel
consumption), little technical know-how was required for its operation
with low cost for maintenance and repairing. Additionally, the piston’s
bearing was a spare part which was often broken due to its original
material from plastic, but could be replaced with a steel bearing to reduce
repair costs. This press is portable and purchases can be made with funds
jointly. Hence, this is suitable for domestic use in rural areas thus they are
not too dependent on the delivery of raw materials from the city to
produce soap, cosmetics, detergents, cooking, lighting and motive power.

Commonly, the capacity of a ram press is about 60–65% in 5–6 kg of

seeds required to produce 1 litre oil and the time required to process 8 kg
of seed crops is about 8 hrs. In this press, the important variable to
increase oil yield is moisture content. The moisture content was
determined as a percentage based on original fresh weight, seeds with
low moisture content has a high oil yield. In rural areas, the seeds are
usually dried under the sun to get low moisture content.

The ram press is not financially feasible due to its low capacity to
extract oil from the seed, its clogging and its slow production. However,
the ram press is still recommended for small-scale seed-oil production to
reduce the purchase of oil and to improve the nutritional levels of the
people by providing dietary fat as necessary after toxins dumped. The
press owner to produce oil for its own or as an extra income can use it.
The machine design is ineffective and must be developed from the
original design. Some modifications could be considered to increase the
performance of the machine, such as the redesign of the choke opening
size, which is about 10.8–13.8 mm and piston.

⚫ Strainer press:

A diesel engine or an electric motor powers the strainer press. Steel

bars are attached to a cage with gap sets for a discharge of the oil
extraction and the gap can be adjusted in size to the type of the seed crop
so that oil can be extracted from various types of seed crops, including
palm fruit.

The seeds are fed into the hopper and then crushed, plus milled in
the chamber. Furthermore, the shaft of the screw is rotated forward
manually to open the gap, thus oil flows through the oil outlet and the
cake is pressed through the plates. Fortunately, design can be made
according to the needs that it can be equipped with, a boiler and cooker.
Many models were later designed from this original machine such as the
Tinytech expeller, the Chinese expeller, the Sayari expeller, the Sundhara
expeller and the Vyahumu expeller.

This press has a large construction, making it difficult to move but

the pressure also generated was large about the size of 40.8–357 kg/cm2
and this press is a suitable use for the industry due to the capability of
extraction of 55 litres/hr, however, it has a high fuel consumption rate,
which is about 10% of the oil produced.

Fig 1.2 Strainer Press

Furthermore, the strainer press can extract 1 liter of oil from 3–4 kg
of seeds and the capacity of the machine can convert 2,000 kg of seed to
oil in one hour, but the oil content in the cake is still found to be 10–12%.
However, commercial oil extraction is undertaken with this machine due
to its increased efficiency over the ram press. In this press, the important
variable to increase oil yield is moisture content, screw speed, gap size
and cooking temperature.

Currently, the strainer press is used in industry but not for

household use due to the high price and low profitability of the oil mill.
The cake removed through the gap is not in the form of pellets; making
environment of the machine operation dirty and workers to be
uncomfortable and unsafe. Another disadvantage of this machine is that it
is not easy to use and trained operators should operate it.

⚫ Cylinder-hole press:

The cylinder-hole press is driven by an electric motor. It has a screw

rotating in a cylinder which is supported by bearings within the shaft. The
shaft screw rotation can be adjusted by the engine rotation. The seeds are
fed into the hopper when a rotating screw crushes and transports them to
the die. Further, the oil expressed is discharged through the oil output
and the cake is discharged at the restriction.

Currently, 2 kinds have been developed from the original design,

they are the Komet, and the Danish BT. The cylinder-hole press is chosen
due to its low cost of energy and the input power required is about 1–
2.5% of the energy of the oil produced.

This press has potential to extract oil for all types of seeds varying
from small to large production capacities and the construction is designed
very simply so it can be easily moved. It generates a pressure force in a
range of 51–153 kg/cm2. Oil can be produced from seed crops for up to
approximately 200 kg/h. The cake is removed from the nozzle in the form
of pellets, making it easy to place them in a bucket.
 Fig 1.3 Cylinder-hole press
Another advantage of this machine is that the work sites are clean,
comfortable, quiet and the press is easy to use by the operator.
Another cylinder-hole press which successfully extracts oil from seed
crops is a twin-screw extruder. The twin-screw extruder has two screws
rotating in a cylinder with two parallel screw shafts that either rotate in
the same direction (co-rotate) or rotate in opposite directions (counter-
rotate). Further, co-rotation of the twin-screw extruder is the usually
used method. It can extract oil from sunflower seeds
giving a total oil yield of 78% but still has 10–13% oil content in the cake.

In this press, the important variable to increase oil yield is moisture

content, screw speed, nozzle size, cooking temperature, and throughput.
Low throughputs often give rise to high oil recovery; the throughput
should be at least 11 to 15 kg/h.
2. DESIGN CALCULATIONS AND ANALYSIS

2.1 Design considerations

Various factors were considered in the design of the Portable Oil Press
machine, which includes power requirement, size, ease and cost of
operation, cost of production and maintenance. Selection of materials was
based on availability, durability, strength and cost.

The design consideration is based on the following machine components:

⚫ Crank
⚫ Press Cage
⚫ Press Cage Cap
⚫ Frame
⚫ Screw Press

2.2 Machine description

The Portable Oil Press has four major parts namely: the screw press,
the press cage, crank and the support frame.
The Machine consists of a funnel on a cylindrical opening on the press
cage by which the seeds are poured in and a rotational motion caused by
the crank causes the seeds to be crushed inside by a screw press which
also coveys the press cake out of the press cage to the cap.
Since the whole essence of the machine is to crush seeds and extract
oil from them, we need to find the crushing force required to crush one
seed. From a previously carried out experiment online it was found out
that the crushing force required to crush one seed is about 46.2N but
because I would be designing the machine to crush different types of seed,
I approximated the crushing force to 60N.
For one seed;
Density = 580kg/m3
Mass = 0.00289kg
Area = 0.000121m2
To find Volume;
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 0.00289
= = 4.98 × 10−6 𝑚3
𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 580

2.2.1 Funnel

To design the Funnel by which the seeds would pass through into the
press cage, I needed to determine the volume of seeds that the funnel
would be able to contain per time.
I picked my funnel to be a frustum shaped cone with negligible thickness.
Volume of frustum = Volume of seed
1⁄ 𝜋(𝑟 2 + 𝑟 2 + 𝑟 𝑟 )ℎ = 4.98 × 10−6 m3 × 26 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠
3 1 2 1 2

Where h=0.06m, 𝑟1 = 3𝑟2

4.98×10−6 ×3 ×26
(𝑟1 2 + 𝑟2 2 + 𝑟1 𝑟2 ) = ;
0.06×𝜋

4.98×10−6 ×3×26
(3𝑟2 )2 + 3𝑟2 2 + 𝑟2 2 = ;
0.06×𝜋

2 20.60 ×10−4
𝑟2 = √ = 0.01259𝑚 ∴ 𝑟1 = 0.03777𝑚
13
2.2.2 Press Cage

To design the press cage, I used Mild steel as my material of choice with a
Yield Strength of 250Mpa. To determine the diameter, I used Tresca’s
maximum shear stress theory.
𝑆𝑦
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 ≤
2𝑛
Using a factor of safety of 2,
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑚𝑖𝑛 2.5 × 108
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = =
2 2×2

𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 62,500,000𝑁/𝑚2

(𝜎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑦 )2 + 𝜏𝑥𝑦 2
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 √
2

𝜎𝑦 = 0, 𝜏𝑥𝑦 = 0

(𝜎𝑥 − 0)2 + 02
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = √ = 62,500,000
2

𝑀𝑐
𝜎𝑥 =
𝐼
Moment (M) = Crushing Force × 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
M = 180 × 0.165 = 32.4Nm
𝐷 𝜋𝐷 4
c = 2 ; Moment of Inertia (I) = 64

32.4 × 𝐷 × 64 330.02
𝜎𝑥 = =
2 × 𝜋𝐷 4 𝐷3

330.02 2
√( ) + 02
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐷3 = 62,500,000
2

330.02 2
√( 𝐷3
)
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = = 62,500,000
2

330.02 2
 max = = (62,500,000)
2
9
D
330.02 2
D9 = = 6.97 10 −12
1.5625 1016
D = 9 6.97 10 −12 = 0.0576m

The Press cage is hollow and has an inner diameter of 0.0576m gotten
from our solution above. The outer diameter is assumed to be 1.5times the
inner diameter.
Outer Diameter (D1) = 0.0864m ; Inner Diameter (D2) = 0.0576m
FEA of the Frame
2.2.3 Crank

To design the Crank, I used Carbon steel as my material of choice with a

Yield Strength of 248MN/m2. To determine the diameter, I used Tresca’s
maximum shear stress theory.
𝑆𝑦
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 ≤
2𝑛
Using a Factor of safety of 2,

Tr 0.165 180  D  32 151.26

 xy = = =
J D3    2 D3
Mc 180  0.165  D  64 302.52
x = = =
I D3    2 D3
 ( x −  y ) 2 Sy
 max = +  xy =
2

2 2n
302.52 2 151.26 2 248 106
 max = ( ) + ( ) =
D3 D3 2 2
91518.35 + 22879.59
 max = = (62,000,000) 2
D9
114,397.938
D9 = = 2.979 10 −11
3.84 1015
D = 9 2.979 10 −11 = 0.0677m

From the above solution, the suitable diameter for the handle of the crank
and for the shaft of the screw press = 0.0677m

To determine the minimum force going to be applied at the Crank to

rotate it, we equate both equations of moment for the Crank and the Shaft
of the Screw Press.

Length of Shaft = 0.165m Force Applied at Shaft = 180N

Length of Handle of Crank = 0.150m Force going to be applied = ?
Moment at Shaft = Moment at Crank Handle
Force * Distance = Force * Distance
180  0.165 = x  0.150

Force = 198N
So the minimum force that is going to be applied to the handle to turn it is
198N.
FEA of the Crank
2.2.4 Screw Press

The Screw Press works with the same principle as a screw conveyor. The
screw press conveys the cake of the crushed seed out to the press cap.

To calculate the Selection capacity of the screw press, I got the formula
online.

SC = CFH  CF

CFH = Required Capacity that the conveyor can carry at a rate in m3/hr

CF = Capacity Factor (gotten from tables)

CFH =

1kg / hr
= 1.724 10 −3 m3 / hr
580kg / m3
CF = 1.5

SC = 1.724 10 −3 1.5 = 2.586 10 −3 m3 / hr

Therefore, the conveyor can only carry about 2.586 10−3 m3 perhour .
FEA of the Screw Press
2.2.5 Press Cage Cap

FEA of the Press Cage Cap

2.2.5 Power

The total power required by the human to use the Machine;

Speed (N) = 30rpm (I measured the time taken for my hand to go one
revolution in a minute)

Torque (T) = Force  Distance

2NT 2    30  0.165 180
P= = = 93.31Watts
60 60
3.0 Conclusion
The objectives of the project which were design and finite element
analysis of a portable oil Press Machine set-up suitable for a small-scale
setting were achieved. The design of the oil press machine was primarily
guided by the need to have the machine operating in a small-scale size but
also for the machine to operate effectively. The designed oil extraction
machine is ideal for the remote setting since it is mobile and can be easily
moved from one point to another

The total power dissipated by the human being to operate the

machine was 93.31 Watts while the designed machine has a seed pressing
capacity of about 1 kilogram per hour while it is running at 30 revolutions
in a minute.
3.1 Appendix
3.2 References

• Akerele, O. V and Ejiko, S. O. Design and Construction of Groundnut

Oil Expeller. International Journal of Engineering and Computer
Science. Vol. 4(6): 12529-12538. 2015.
 • Adetola, O. A., Olajide, J. O and Olalusi, A. P. Development of a Screw
Press for Palm Oil Extraction. International Journal of Scientific and
Engineering research. Vol. 5(7): 1416-1422. 2014
• Khurmi, R. S. and Gupta, J. K. Textbook of Machine Design, S. Chand
Eurasia publishing house (pvt.) Ltd, Ram Nagar, New Delhi. 2005.
• A.N. Siregar, J.A. Ghani, C.H.C. Haron, M. Rizal, Z. Yaakob, S.K.
Kamarudin. Comparison of oil press for Jatropha oil – a review Vol.
61, 2015 (1): 1–13

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