Year: 2024 | Month: May | Volume: 11 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 385-393
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20240545
Design and Fabrication of a 300kg Capacity Fish Oven
N.A. Raji1, R.O. Kuku2, Q.A. Ajetunmobi3, R.G. Oluwaponle4, A. A Adeniji5
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lagos State University, Nigeria.
Corresponding Author: Q.A. Ajetunmobi
ABSTRACT
It is widely assumed that simply scaling up existing fish oven designs meets the drying efficiency, quality and safety requirements of the growing demands of fish products. However, this may not be the most effective solution for large scale fish growers due to various logistical and operational challenges. The existing empirical support for the construction and performance evaluation of large sized ovens remains insufficient. An electric-gas powered fish oven was developed as part of a project to enhance fish smoking methods and solve energy consumption, and scalability issues faced by large scale fish growers. According to performance assessments, the drying chamber receives a noteworthy heat input from the electric source. The efficiency of the gas source was 63%, that of the electric source was 79%, and the efficiency of the gas-electric mode was 84%. The drying pace and the percentage weight loss of the fish samples were found to be significantly influenced by the heat source and the kind of fish. Because of its functional status, this study found that Tilapia fish dried more quickly than Catfish. However, compared to utilizing solely the electric source, it was found that employing the gas dryer shortened the drying time by one hour. These improvements have the potential to improve the efficiency of fish processing and decrease losses that occur after harvest. The oven was constructed using locally available materials. After testing, it was determined that the constructed oven operates with high performance and effectiveness.
Keywords: electric oven; gas oven; heating element; large oven; Design.
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