Design and Fabrication of a Locally Fabricated Electrically Heated Palm Fruit Sterilizer

Abstract

The traditional method of sterilizing palm fruit is often unhygienic and tedious. This study aims to apply heat sterilization of an electrically powered palm fruit sterilizer made from local materials for domestic use. The methods used in this work involved material selection, design analysis, development, deployment and performance evaluation of the machine. The materials involved in the fabrication included mild steel drum, heating element, discharge valve, discharge hose and fiberglass. The results of the design analysis showed that the sterilizer had a volumetric capacity of 60 liters, sterilization time of 76.58 minutes, heat requirement of 13,855 kJ, utilizing a heat element of 3000 W and a thermal resistance of 1.86 K/W. It was concluded that the utilization of fiberglass contributes about 50% to the total thermal resistance of the sterilizer.

R. K. C. Amadi, E. Amula, & A. C. Orokor. (2025). Design and Fabrication of a Locally Fabricated Electrically Heated Palm Fruit Sterilizer. Research and Applications of Thermal Engineering, 9(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17951347