DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCTION ENGINEERING

This project focuses on the overhauling of a thermoplastic injection-moulding
machine, specifically addressing the restoration and fabrication of the barrel-plunger assembly, which is the core unit responsible for melting and injecting polymer materials. The work involved diagnosing performance issues in the old assembly, repairing worn components, and fabricating a new, improved barrel-plunger pair to restore optimal machine efficiency while retaining the refurbished pair as a reliable backup. Engineering analyses, including material selection, dimensional accuracy, thermal considerations, and mechanical performance, guided both the repair and fabrication processes. The project further evaluated the quality of products produced with the overhauled machine and compared them with similar off-the-shelf items to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Findings showed that the newly fabricated assembly significantly improved melt consistency, injection pressure stability, and overall product quality, demonstrating that a systematic overhaul can extend machine life, reduce downtime, and deliver outputs comparable to commercially available standards.

This project focuses on the overhauling of a thermoplastic injection-moulding
machine, specifically addressing the restoration and fabrication of the barrel-plunger assembly, which is the core unit responsible for melting and injecting polymer materials. The work involved diagnosing performance issues in the old assembly, repairing worn components, and fabricating a new, improved barrel-plunger pair to restore optimal machine efficiency while retaining the refurbished pair as a reliable backup. Engineering analyses, including material selection, dimensional accuracy, thermal considerations, and mechanical performance, guided both the repair and fabrication processes. The project further evaluated the quality of products produced with the overhauled machine and compared them with similar off-the-shelf items to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Findings showed that the newly fabricated assembly significantly improved melt consistency, injection pressure stability, and overall product quality, demonstrating that a systematic overhaul can extend machine life, reduce downtime, and deliver outputs comparable to commercially available standards.

The rising demand for reliable electricity in regions with unstable grid power necessitates the adoption of renewable energy solutions. This project focuses on the design and construction of a 5 kVA, 48 V solar inverter system, capable of integrating solar, battery, and grid power sources for consistent and uninterrupted energy supply to domestic and small office loads. The system integrates solar photovoltaic panels, a battery bank, an MPPT charge controller, and a pure sine wave inverter. It also covers system design, component selection, fabrication, installation, and performance evaluation, with considerations for efficiency, safety, reliability, and cost effectiveness. Experimental testing involved load consumption analysis, continuity and polarity tests, inverter performance evaluation, battery charge–discharge assessment, and protective device verification. The inverter demonstrated a stable AC output voltage of 230 V ± 5 V, frequency of 50 Hz ± 1 Hz, system efficiency of approximately 89.5%, and a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of less than 3%. Protective features such as overload, short circuit, reverse polarity, and thermal protection were verified to function effectively. Cost analysis indicated that the local construction of the system is more affordable than imported equivalents, while environmental evaluation highlighted reduced carbon emissions and promotion of clean energy access. The project underscores the feasibility, scalability, and socio economic benefits of solar PV systems, offering a practical framework for renewable energy adoption in rural and semi urban areas.

The production engineering department of the University of Benin has often relied on existing water supply from the faculty sunk borehole. This water has been investigated through physiochemical and biological testing to be below standard required quality for drinking. This has necessitated the development and installation of a water treatment for purification and dispensing facility in the departmental Annex of production engineering for safe sustainable water utilization. A conceptual design of the water treatment and dispensing facility was carried out and it comprises of cylindrical tanks stacked with one of the tank containing coarse aggregates of gravel, rock sand, fine aggregate of river sand, and activated carbon (charcoal) all separated with a filter mesh in the cylindrical tank. The other tank contains the clear water already treated by sedimentation tank containing the aggregated materials Tests and performance evaluation of the developed water treatment facility showed that that the volumes of samples of water taken from the water treatment and dispensing facility had minimal variation from one another. The samples had most volumes around the 50cl mark, while others were around 49cl sometimes successive difference of 0.1cl. The little variation in the volumes is due partly to excess drop in pressure of the reservoir water. The variance is 0.24 which is a mean of the respective deviations of the volumes. This value of the variance is very minimal, showing that the machine was able to discharge given volumes of water with considerable accuracy. The observed range of BODs for the treated water was (3.20mg/L to 3.88mg/L). Electrical conductivity values ranged from 18.00 to 65.00S/cm. It was inferred that there was no significant change in the pH value during the observation period; the observed values were in the range 6.9 to 7.5 for both samples of water before and after treatment. The physio-chemical characteristics of water samples in the study area suggested that there was no harmful
chemical contamination in both samples of water.

This study delves into the quality control practices of Uniben table water factory, with a focus on ensuring the production of safe and high-quality bottled water. The research aims to comprehensively assess the current quality control measures, identify areas for improvement, and propose recommendations to enhance the overall quality management system. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative interviews combining interviews with consumers of the factory’s produce and qualitative analysis of water quality parameters using the R-Charts, Run Test and Process Capability. Through this approach, the research seeks to provide a holistic understanding of the quality control practices in the Uniben table water factory. In conclusion, the analysis of result clearly showed that only one sample (bottle water) in the month of April achieved process capability and is fit for production. The month of May till July 2023 did not have samples that achieved process capability. The study concludes with recommendations for implementing a comprehensive quality control framework to enhance the quality and safety of table water production.

This project focuses on the development of a 5kVA, 48V hybrid solar inverter system aimed at providing a reliable and sustainable energy solution for domestic and small-scale applications. The system integrates solar photovoltaic (PV) energy with utility grid supply to ensure an uninterrupted power source, with solar energy serving as the primary supply and the grid as backup. A hybrid charging approach was adopted to maintain adequate battery capacity during periods of low solar irradiation. The inverter was designed to deliver a stable output suitable for powering common household and office appliances, while incorporating essential protection features to enhance system safety, efficiency, and reliability. Performance evaluation showed that the inverter provided consistent output with smooth changeover between power sources and improved energy efficiency. The project demonstrates a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to fuel-powered backup systems, reducing, dependence on the national grid and promoting cleaner energy usage.

This project presents the design, development, and testing of a solar-powered yam pounding machine, aimed at reducing manual labor and promoting sustainable energy utilization in traditional yam processing. The machine combines a solar photovoltaic (PV) system with an electric motor to power a mechanical pounding mechanism, efficiently processing yams into a smooth, consistent paste. The solar-powered system ensures energy efficiency, reduces operational costs, and minimizes environmental impact compared to conventional fuel-based or electric grid-dependent systems. The design incorporates user-friendly features and adjustable settings to accommodate varying yam quantities and desired paste consistencies. This innovation addresses the challenges faced by small-scale yam processors and rural communities, enhancing productivity while promoting eco-friendly practices in food processing. The machine's performance was evaluated based on efficiency, output quality, and energy consumption, demonstrating its potential to transform yam processing and contribute to sustainable agricultural
practices.

Despite the availability of palm fruit digesters in Nigeria, many of them remain inefficient due to outdated designs, poor material choices that increases the susceptibility to corrosion, and poor hygiene, as a result the aim of this project is to design and fabricate an improved vertical palm fruit digester with enhanced efficiency, hygiene and durability, suitable for small to medium- scale processing, specifically but not limited to South-South Nigeria. To address these challenges, the improved digester incorporates stainless steel for fabrication material to prevent rust and contamination. The digester employs a vertical chamber with an optimized shaft and angled beater arms to ensure thorough maceration of the palm fruit without damaging the nuts. Material selection, fabrication, and performance testing, which involved sourcing of fresh palm fruit bunches that were sterilized by boiling (increasing the efficiency of maceration) and then digested in controlled batches of varying masses (7kg, 9kg, 10kg and lastly 10kg. Total of 36kg) led to the gathering of data for improved results. The performance of the digester was evaluated based on digestion time, throughput capacity, effectiveness of maceration and the quality of sludge produced. The results gathered indicated that the improved digester was capable of processing a total of 36kg boiled palm fruit in 1020 seconds, with the digestion time increasing proportionally with the size of palm fruit batch. The digester achieved an average throughput of 127kg/hr, which demonstrates improved efficiency compared to traditional small-scale digesters. The use of stainless steel eradicates the issue of corrosion seen in mild steel designs, therefore enhancing durability and preventing contamination. The fabricated vertical palm fruit digester offers a significant improvement in efficiency (approximately 95%), durability and product quality making it a preferable choice for small-scale palm oil processing.

This project aimed to design and implement UnibenEngVault, a web-based platform created to provide engineering students of the University of Benin with centralized and convenient access to academic resources such as lecture notes, past questions, and tutorial materials. The initiative was motivated by the persistent difficulty students face in sourcing relevant study materials due to the lack of a unified and structured digital repository within the Faculty of Engineering. The development followed a structured methodology consisting of project planning and approval, problem analysis, system design, development, and deployment. The UI/UX design was created using Figma to ensure an intuitive and visually appealing interface. The frontend was developed with ReactJS, while the backend was implemented using Python (Flask) and PostgreSQL for database management. AWS S3 was utilized for cloud storage, and deployment was achieved through Docker, GitHub Actions (CI/CD), and DigitalOcean Droplets to ensure scalability and reliability. Security measures such as session authentication, CORS configuration, and bcrypt password hashing were implemented, alongside thorough unit, integration, and user testing. The final outcome is a secure, functional, and user-friendly platform that enables students to easily access department- and level-specific academic materials. UnibenEngVault enhances academic collaboration, improves resource accessibility, and provides a sustainable technological solution to the long-standing challenge of academic material distribution within the Faculty of Engineering

The aim of this project was the design, fabrication, and testing of an easy-to-operate and affordable small-scale palm oil clarifier fit for farm use. This was accomplished by the design and selection of materials for the manufacture of the individual components of the clarifier, the production of the working drawings, and fabrication. A performance test, in terms of oil recovery rate, was carried out on the clarifier. On average, we had 91.30% and 91.54% oil recovery rates. Comparatively, these rates are within the range of the results from industrial and more automated systems with large-scale farms, which typically strive for recovery rates between 90% and 95%