Effect of Residence Time on Performance of a Developed Drum Washer for Cleaning Sweet Potatoes
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Date
2021
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Adeleke University Journal of Engineering and Technology
Abstract
Cleaning of heavily contaminated food produce is critical to its storage and processing. In this research, a drum washer was developed for the cleaning of freshly harvested sweet potato tubers. Operation parameters of the machine, including brush type (soft, semi-hard, hard), shaft speed (90-110 rpm) and lining material (steel, plastic, wooden) were simulated to determine the best process for effective machine design. The machine was developed based on the simulated parameters and its performance for washing 15 kg of the sweet potatoes was determined in 10 min operation. Results show that the semi-hard brush, plastic lining, and a speed of 90 rpm gave the lowest simulation error (e < 10-6). Also, the washing efficiency and throughput capacity were 90.6 % and 14.1 kg/min, respectively. The bruising efficiency was 10.0 %, which indicates effective washing with minimal tuber-flesh damage in the process.