Laboratory prototype proof of appliance for washing sesame seeds

Abstract

An initial prototype was developed to prove the theoretical background behind the conceptual design of an appliance for washing sesame seeds. Specifically, the study addressed the practical problem of dry, uncleaned sesame seeds being poured into the top of the water tank and not all sinking evenly through the water so that sand grains were not completely separated from the sesame seeds. Two additional parts were introduced in the current work using a laboratory scale prototype: 1) a new extension tank added on top of the original water tank and 2) a perforated dual-disc check valve added in between the old tank and the new extension tank. These modifications resulted in a total time to wash 7 kg of uncleaned sesame seeds being reduced by approximately 61% compared to a common manual method used by Thai farmers. Furthermore, the amount of water used in the cleaning process was reduced by 74%.