Optimization of a High Capacity Industrial Bar Press for Jatropha Curcas Oil Extraction

Abstract

This study allowed us to achieve the optimal yield for the extraction of Jatropha Curcas oil from the main operating variables of an industrial press. We used an industrial bar press with a large extraction capacity to carry out this work. Two interesting and indicative parameters on the influence of the efficiency of the press have been analyzed, namely the number of steps of screw and the no-load temperature on the efficiency, the temperatures of the screw, oil and cake, the flow rate of the press, the power, the specific mechanical energy of the press. The best result of 31.09%, which corresponds to the maximum recovery rate of 76.92%, was obtained with the highest number of steps of screw and the highest no-load temperature. The influence of the no-load temperature of the screw on the stability of the press has also been highlighted. The screw, the oil and the cake temperatures stabilize when the no-load temperature is greater than or equal to 100°C. The study of operating variables shows their role on the specific mechanical energy. Indeed, the increase in the number of steps of screw from 4 to 6 results in a decrease in seed flow and increase in power leading to an increase in the specific mechanical energy from 34.01 to 49.83 Wh/kg.