DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCTION ENGINEERING

Cooking activities in residential and commercial kitchens generate significant amounts of heat, smoke, oil mist, odors, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and fine particulate matter, all of which contribute to poor indoor air quality and unhealthy working conditions. Prolonged exposure to these pollutants can result in respiratory irritation, thermal discomfort, and other long-term health challenges for kitchen users. In many developing regions, the high cost of imported kitchen ventilation systems and the lack of effective local alternatives make proper fume control difficult. This project was therefore aimed at the design and fabrication of a costeffective kitchen fume extractor using locally available materials to improve indoor air quality and enhance user comfort. The design of the kitchen fume extractor was based on the principles of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and aerodynamic suction. Important design parameters considered included airflow rate, capture velocity, pressure losses, fan power requirement, structural stability, material durability, and noise control. Analytical calculations were carried out to determine the suitable hood dimensions, duct size, and axial-flow fan capacity required for effective fume extraction. Stainless steel was selected as the major construction material due to its corrosion resistance, thermal stability, ease of cleaning, and suitability for kitchen applications. The system was fabricated as a wall-mounted unit consisting of a hood, axial-flow fan, multi-stage filtration unit, and exhaust outlet, with the ability to function in both ducted and recirculatory modes. Performance evaluation was conducted under simulated cooking conditions, focusing on smoke extraction efficiency, fume clearing time, airflow uniformity, noise level, and general operational effectiveness. The results showed a significant reduction in smoke concentration and odor persistence within the kitchen environment, with stable airflow distribution and acceptable noise levels during operation. The extractor successfully removed cooking fumes within a short time and improved thermal comfort and air quality. The study concluded that an efficient and functional kitchen fume extractor can be designed and fabricated at low cost using locally available materials without compromising performance, providing a practical solution to indoor air quality control systems.

The reliance on biomass for cooking is prevalent in many parts of the world, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas. Traditional biomass stoves, although widely used, are characterized by low efficiency, high fuel consumption, and significant emissions of articulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO), contributing to indoor air pollution, health hazards, and environmental degradation. To address these challenges, smokeless biomass stoves have been developed, offering improved combustion efficiency and reduced emissions. This study presents a comparative analysis of a smokeless grass burner stove and traditional biomass stoves. The analysis focuses on thermal efficiency, fuel consumption, emission levels, and user acceptability. Using experimental tests such as the Water Boiling Test (WBT) and emission monitoring, the performance of the smokeless stove was evaluated. User feedback was also collected to understand the practical challenges and advantages of adopting smokeless stove technology. The results indicate that the smokeless grass burner stove achieves a thermal efficiency increase of XX% and reduces PM2.5 and CO emissions by YY% and ZZ%, respectively, compared to traditional stoves. Users reported improved cooking experiences due to reduced smoke exposure and faster cooking times. However, challenges such as initial cost, maintenance, and training requirements were identified as potential barriers to widespread adoption.

The ceramic tile manufacturing industry is vital to the construction sector, providing durable and aesthetic materials for diverse applications. In Nigeria, however, many tile production facilities face persistent challenges such as inefficiency, high production costs, and inconsistent quality due to outdated equipment and limited process control. Previous studies have shown that
simulation-based optimization, particularly with MATLAB, offers significant potential for improving manufacturing efficiency, but its application in local tile production remains limited. This study addresses this gap by exploring how MATLAB-based simulation can be employed to evaluate and enhance the performance of a tile production facility in Benin City, Edo State. The methodology involved collecting comprehensive production, machine, material, energy, and quality control data from a selected facility. These datasets were organized and converted into MATLAB struct format, enabling the development of a simulation model that replicated key stages of the production process. The model was used to run a five-year performance analysis, incorporating variables such as machine utilization, defect rates, energy consumption, and production output. Incremental optimization strategies such as adjusting batch sizes, refining firing schedules, and improving maintenance planning were introduced to assess their potential
impact on operational efficiency and cost reduction. Results from the simulation revealed gradual but consistent performance improvements over the five-year period, including increased daily output, higher machine utilization, reduced defect rates, and lower per-unit costs. Specifically, output gains of 8–12% and cost reductions of approximately 5% were achievable without major capital investments, simply through process optimization. The findings underscore MATLAB’s effectiveness as both a simulation and decision-support tool, providing a pathway for Nigerian tile manufacturers to improve competitiveness, reduce waste, and enhance sustainability through data-driven process improvement strategies

Post-harvest losses in developing Countries have contributed to the unavailability of foodstuffs. Estimation of these losses is generally cited to be of the order of 4% but under very adverse conditions, it is estimated as high as 100%. A significantpercentage of these losses are related to improper and or untimely preservation of foodstuffs such as fish, meat. Fish being an important component of the diet for people throughout the World, has high protein and nutritional value. It supplies 6% of global protein and may be classed as either white, oily, or shell fish. In most developing countries where there is high rate of malnutrition, fish provides nutritious food which is often cheaper than meat and therefore available to a larger number of people. Fish being an extremely perishable food which in most cases becomes inedible within twelve hours at tropical temperature, spoilage therefore begins as soon as the fish dies and processing should therefore be done quickly to prevent the growth of spoilage bacteria. Fish is a low acidfood and is therefore very susceptible to the growth of food poisoning bacteria hence another reason why it should be processed quickly. Basically the moisture content of fish stands around 80%; if this is reduced to around 25% bacteria cannot survive and autolytic activity will be greatly reduced. Further moisture content of 15% or less mould and bacteria will cease to grow; well dried fish if stored under the right conditions can be kept for several months. The use of appropriate methods of preservation creates the possibility of having greater increase in the amount of fish available for human consumption. The purpose of preservation is to reduce the moisture content of the fishy because micro-organisms that are responsible for spoilage and wastage cannot survive without moisture. Some of the preservation methods/ techniques include the following; cooking (boiling or frying), salting, smoking and drying collectively known as curing (lowering the moisture content) and fermentation (lowering the pH). However, it should be noted that the scope of this research project paper is basically aimed on drying as a means of fish preservation via a multipurpose solar powered fish drying mechanism devise. Drying is a dual process of heat and mass transfer of moisture from the interior of the product to the surrounding air. Drying involves the abstraction of moisture from the product by heating and the passage of air mass around it to carry away the released vapour. The basic essence of drying is to reduce the moisture content of the product to a level that preventsdeterioration within a certain period of time normally regarded as the “safe period” There are basically two common methods of drying fish namely; open air/sun drying and smoking. Open air/sun drying is probably the oldest method used for preserving fish and other foodstuffs primarily used in developing countries because it is the simplest and cheapest method of conserving fishes. This traditional method involves spreading of products on the ground or on rack in the open air/sun drying or on local three stone stove for smoking. Some disadvantages ofopen air/sun drying and smoking are; exposure of the fish to rain and dust, uncontrolled drying;exposure to direct sunlight which is undesirable for some foods; infestation by insect; attacks by animals etc. The use of solar powered drying mechanisms has not gained popularity in developing countries and reasons can be attributed to; poor problem definition which makes the developed dryers technically inadequate and economically unviable; inappropriate understanding of dryers designs due to the choice of construction materials; inadequate understanding of the operations of solar powered dryers and lack of design procedures. Herein, a forced convection solar powered fish dryer is designed, constructed andcharacterized to yield a better means of drying fish. The designed solar powered dryer would incorporate a heat storage unit which would variably compliment the drying rate of the product during off sunshine hours. As envisaged the device would be characterized during rainy and dry seasons, however results, calculations and analysis clearly indicate the influence of seasonal variation on the performance of the device. Average hourly variation of the dryer and ambient temperatures measured on selected days of different months of measurement during the two seasons, clearly indicated that temperatures were significantly enhanced by the device. This was due to the high ability of the designed solar collector to trap large amount of long waves. Average daily moisture loss from the drying fish was notably high, especially during dry season which was due to the high dryer temperatures and decrease in atmospheric humidity.

The multipurpose pounding machine was designed with the aim of increasing the range of food that can be processed by the traditional pounding machines while making it compact enough to fit within standard kitchen spaces and portable enough to be moved around easily. It was designed to perform the cooking and pounding of yam, fufu, amala, wheat and yam flour (poundo). The machine was fabricated using stainless steel, mild steel, Bolts and nuts, Screws. The Components of the machine are the beater, the pounding bowl, the steaming pot, the shaft, the heating element, electric motor, contactor, and temperature contoller. After fabrication, the machine was able to cook the various food via the heating element which has a rating of 700watts and pound with the help of an electric motor having a rating of 12v, 500watts that transmits power (via rotary motion) through the shaft to the beaters. The result from the testing showed that the pounding machine produced hygienic products with acceptable texture and consistency.This makes the machine a good home appliance for safe and effective for making pounded yam and other types of swallow.