Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment (AZOJETE)
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Recent Trends in the Optimal Renewable Power Dispatch Frameworks in Renewable Energy-Reliant Power Systems
No full textThis study presents a comprehensive survey of Optimal Renewable Power Dispatch (ORPD) frameworks in grid-rich renewables. The work employs comparative, and trend approaches to analyze optimization methods for ORPD of 61 relevant studies published from 2018 to 2024 by making use seven parameters emerged from the overall studies include voltage stability, carbon footprint, active power, reactive power, power loss, congestion, and energy storage. The results were tabulated using bibliometric tables, trend analysis, charts, and figures. The results show that previous research mainly emphasized minimizing economic cost through active power and loss optimization. However, voltage stability and congestion constraints were rarely integrated into the optimization framework simultaneously. Despite this, most studies remain focused on tackling these issues individually, where voltage stability is usually treated as a minor constraint, loss minimization is framed as a separate objective, and congestion management is approached through standalone mechanisms. While some integrated frameworks exist, they often address a limited scope of objectives, resulting in omissions in the development of comprehensive models. To close this significant research gap, there is need for the development of robust, multi-objective, and computationally efficient frameworks that holistically address these intertwined issues. The findings will therefore have academic, technical, and practical relevance, offering both theoretical contributions and actionable solutions for future power system planning and operation
Solidworks Modeling of Mechanical Strength of an Optimum High Pressure A360 Die Cast
Get PDFIn this study, SolidWorks modeling was utilized to analyze the mechanical strength of high pressure A360 die castings. The model incorporates all necessary factors, such as material properties and design features, to accurately predict the tensile strength and flexural strength of A360 die cast components. From the input data, a statistical analysis was performed to identify key factors that affect the mechanical strength of the die cast materials. These factors were then used to build a regression model that accurately predicts the mechanical strength of the materials. By simulating various stress and strain scenarios, this research provides an in-depth understanding of the material's strength and its behavior under different loading conditions. The results showed that the maximum tensile stress of 13.401 MPa was recorded on application of 1000 N tensile load. The maximum elongation associated with 1000 N tensile load was 0.0139 mm. The maximum stresses due to concentrated and distributed 1000 N flexural loads were 66.820 MPa and 43.506 MPa respectively. The maximum deflection of 0.0527 mm was recorded due to concentrated flexural load of 1000 N and the maximum deflection due to distributed flexural loading of 1000 N/mm was 0.0371 mm. The results of this study can be used to optimize the design process of high pressure A360 die cast components, leading to improved performance and increased reliability. This will greatly aid in the design and manufacturing process, allowing for optimized designs and improved product performance. This study serves as a valuable resource for engineers and manufacturers looking to optimize the mechanical strength of their high pressure A360 die castings
Predictive Modeling and Simulation of Battery Degradation in Power Systems
No full textIn modern power systems particularly those incorporating renewable energy sources like solar and wind, batteries are essential for balancing supply and demand, stabilizing the grid, and enabling energy storage during low-demand periods. This research introduces a comprehensive modeling and simulation framework aimed at predicting how long batteries will last by examining various degradation mechanisms, including capacity fade, temperature effects, internal resistance growth, and state of charge cycling. A hybrid approach that combines electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical degradation models was used to simulate how batteries age under different operating conditions. The simulation results showed that lithium-ion batteries experienced a 12.5% capacity fade after 500 charge-discharge cycles under normal operating conditions, and the degradation rate increased to 20% in high-temperature environments (45°C). Additionally, it was observed that an 8.7% increase in internal resistance significantly affected efficiency. Furthermore, the result revealed that the adopted predictive models achieved an impressive accuracy of 94.2%, allowing for a reliable estimation of the remaining useful life (RUL) of the batteries. These findings highlight how advanced modeling techniques can really enhance battery management strategies with reduced maintenance costs and boost the reliability of power systems. Therefore, the hybrid degradation models showed an impressive predictive accuracy, surpassing recent benchmarks in the field, where older methods showed accuracies of between 91% and 93% using machine learning and physics-informed neural networks
The Effect of Zinc Dialkyl Dithiophosphate (ZDDP) Additive on the Tribological Properties of Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) Seed Oil
Get PDFMineral oil based lubricants are non-renewable, harmful to health and prone to price fluctuations. Thus, vegetable oils are considered as suitable alternatives to mineral oils for lubricant production. As such, new research into the use of non-edible vegetable oils for lubricant development is advocated to address these challenges. In this study, tribological evaluation of lubricant developed from non-edible vegetable mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) oil for industrial applications was conducted. Interestingly, the oil was characterized, modified for suitability and used to develop lubricants for industrial applications. Additionally, commercially available mineral oil based lubricant SAE 20/W50 was used as a control. The effect of ZDDP additive on the tribological performance of mahogany seed oil based biolubricant developed was also studied. The results show that the developed mahogany seed oil based biolubricant had alkaline pH of 7.56, high viscosity index of 147.12, appreciable viscosity, excellent cold flow of -9.2 ºC. Similarly, the coefficient of friction of the biolubricant developed reduced from 0.095 to 0.090when 1% of ZDDP was added and form 0.095 to 0.087 when 3% of ZDDP was added but the coefficient of friction increased from 0.095 to 0.099 with the addition of 5% of ZDDP. Therefore, developed mahogany seed oil biolubricant was observed to be suitable and environmentally friendly substitutes to mineral oil base lubricant SAE 20/W50 for application in metal cutting and lubrication of gears in food processing industry
Development of a Smart Internet of Things Based Motorcycle Theft Prevention System
Get PDFMotorcycle theft has become a critical security challenge globally, with existing security measures proving inadequate against sophisticated theft techniques. In Nigeria, motorcycle theft accounts for 22.2% of over 45,000 documented criminal cases by 2021, necessitating advanced technological solutions. Current motorcycle security systems lack integration, real-time monitoring capabilities, and reliable alert mechanisms, making motorcycles vulnerable to theft. This research presents an integrated Internet of Things (IoT) based motorcycle theft prevention system utilizing ESP32 microcontroller, gyroscope sensors for vibration detection, load sensors for weight monitoring, GPS for location tracking, and GSM for communication. The system incorporates a mobile application developed using Flutter for real-time monitoring and alert notifications. Experimental validation demonstrated high location tracking accuracy with minimal coordinate deviations (±0.000005 degrees), effective sensor detection capabilities across various weight ranges (5-25 kg) and vibration levels (800-3500 units), and efficient alert delivery with response times ranging from 1-14 seconds across different network providers. The developed system provides a comprehensive, cost-effective solution for motorcycle security, offering real-time monitoring, multi-channel alert mechanisms, and reliable theft detection capabilities that significantly enhance motorcycle protection compared to existing solutions
Design and Implementation of FPGA Accelerator for Vision Based Fire Detection
Get PDFFire outbreaks are great threat to human beings, economic infrastructure, and the environment. This led to the need for timely and accurate detection of fire incidents to minimize their devastating impacts. But conventional fire detection systems are electronic sensor based which as result they suffer from the problems of transport delay, conduction delay, limited detection range, high false alarm, and inappropriate for outdoor applications. To address the shortcomings of such sensor-based methods, several image processing and computer vision approaches to fire detection have been proposed. However, these image processing and computer vision-based solutions are implemented in software platforms which have disadvantages of inefficiency, high hardware requirements and high cost. In this research work, an embedded hardware accelerator for vision-based fire detection was designed and implemented in Kintex-7 series Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). MATLAB R2021a software was used for decoding the image dataset into pixel stream data. The design was captured in very high-speed integrated circuit HDL (VHDL). The design was synthesized with Xilinx Vivado 2021 design suite and simulated with Xilinx ISIM. Evaluation results showed that the accelerator could achieve good detection of fire features and were consistent with the results from MATLAB code running on personal computer. Compared to software implementation, the latency, resource utilization and power consumption was greatly reduced. It was also found that the hardware accelerator which was developed as an Intellectual Property (IP) core can also be employed to speed up grayscale conversion, edge detection and thresholding algorithms in embedded vision, smart camera and video analytics applications
Multi- Objective Optimization of Shelling Process of an Engine - Operated Melon (Citrullus Laenatus Kuntze) Sheller
Get PDFThe quest to develop an optimally operating mechanical device to shell melon seed (citrullus laenatus kuntze) has been a desirable objective over the past three decades. A melon sheller was constructed and optimized. The machine shelling performance analysis were based on shelling capacity, shelling efficiency, cleaning efficiency, seed loss, and damaged kernel. MATLAB 7.0, R2010a software was implemented using genetic algorithm technique for the optimization of the independent parameters and dependent response variables. A layout of the experiment was three speeds (S1, S2, S3), three feeding rate (P1, P2, P3) and three moisture contents (M1, M2, M3) which were arranged in a randomized complete design (3x3x3) in 3 replications. Melon (egusi) seed of Bara variety was used as test crop. Results showed that the machine shelling capacity and shelling efficiency increased with increase in the shelling drum speed, while the shelling capacity ranged between 20.07 and 44.90 kg/hr and the shelling efficiency ranged between 59.21 to 97.59 %. The optimum inputs were: moisture content (19.9 %), speed (1248 rpm), feed rate (42 kg/hr) at 4 passes and best performance parameters were: shelling efficiency (98.38 %), cleaning efficiency (48.79%), seed loss (8.74 %) and damaged kernel (10.44 %). The means of three replication of performance parameters were used in analysis. The shelling efficiency, cleaning efficiency, seed loss and damaged kernel were: 96.14, 49.15 %, 9.72 % and 10.52 % respectively, which is very close to the values (98.38 %, 48.79 %, 8.74 % and 10.44 %, respectively) obtained from the optimization process
Physical Properties of Guinea Corn Stalk Fibre Reinforced High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Composite for The Production of Particle Board
Get PDFMajority of developing nations view the construction/manufacturing sector as being crucial to their economy. The industry produces panels and boards for furniture, ceilings, panelling, and other wood-based manufactured projects, relying solely on forest resources. This heavy dependence strains forests, contributing to deforestation and causing prolonged damage to ecosystems. A major interest in finding substitute raw materials for the manufacture of boards and panels through the utilization of agricultural waste products, is becoming the direction to scholars. In this study, guinea corn stalk fibre reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composite was developed and analysed for the production of Particle Board. The composites were produced through the process of compounding and compression moulding operation. The HDPE was varied from 100 - 50 Wt % at interval of 10 Wt % while the filler was reversed from 10 - 50 Wt % at interval of 10 Wt %. Five different composites samples were formulated using 250 μm fibre size using HDPE as binder and a 100 % HDPE as control sample. The physical (density, thickness swelling and water absorption) properties of the developed composite were evaluated. The density (ranges from 943.9 kg/m³ to 1075.5 kg/m³), thickness swelling (3.13% to 18.75%), and water absorption (0.28% to 2.01%) of all the composites increased with increasing filler loading with highest values obtained at 50 Wt % material loading. All the values are within the minimum requirement stipulated in the European standard EN 312:2010 for general purpose particle boards except for the density which is above the standard. The incorporation of the fillers into the HDPE matrix generally enhanced the physical properties of the matrix. The Guinea Corn Stalk Fibre (GCSF) composite produced with 60 Wt % matrix and 40 Wt % filler is the most suitable for general purpose particle board production as all the physical properties met the required standard stipulated in the European standard EN 312:2010 for general purpose particle board
Spray Drying Modelling using Advanced Vaporization Approach
Get PDFThis study develops a deterministic mathematical model for simulating the spray drying of pineapple juice. The model applies advanced vaporization kinetics and a receding interface-porous diffusion approach to predict moisture content, droplet density, and temperature. Validated experimentally at feed solids concentrations of 20% and 40% and drying temperatures of 130 °C and 140 °C, the model accurately predicted final moisture content with absolute errors ranging from 2.3% to 5.2% as drying gas temperature decreases from 140 °C to 130 °C for the 20% feed, and from 1% to 1.8% for the 40% feed. Key results quantitatively demonstrate that higher air temperatures reduce final moisture content and reveal the critical role of crust formation in shifting the drying kinetics from a rapid evaporation phase to a slower, diffusion-limited regime. The model's computational efficiency and physics-based foundation make it a valuable tool for the optimization of spray drying processes, potentially reducing reliance on costly and time-consuming experimental trials
Evaluation of Corrosion Inhibition, Thermo-Oxidative Stability, and Biodegradability of Castor Oil-Based Lubricant
No full textGlobal lubricant demand is on the increase and the continual consumption of mineral oil-based lubricant has devastating environmental impact. Despite the identification of animal fat and vegetable oil as alternatives to mineral oil-based lubricants, there is concern about its sustainability due to the food-versus-lubricant debate. Thus, non-edible vegetable oil-based lubricant development has become a topical area of research. In this paper, the study of physicochemical, rheological, temperature, thermo-oxidative stability, corrosion inhibition and biodegradability properties of castor oil extracted from Nigerian grown castor bean seeds was conducted using standard test methods. The results show that castor oil has specific gravity of 0.955, free fatty acid value of 19.74 mg KOH/g, pH of 5.76, saponification value of 185.41 mg KOH/g and Iodine value of 92.1 gI2/100g oil. An assessment of the rheological and temperature properties of the castor oil gave kinematic viscosity at 400C and 1000C as 280.6 cSt and 77.5 cSt respectively, viscosity index of 33.4, pour point of -23.20C, cloud point of -12.40C and flash point of 2820C. The peroxide value of the castor oil was 8.92 meq/Kg and it was of corrosion grade 0. The castor oil has higher viscosity at 400C, lower viscosity index, and poor physicochemical properties compared to the SAE 20W50. The properties of the castor oil require improvement except its cold flow, flash point and corrosion inhibition properties. The castor oil is highly biodegradable while the SAE 20W50 has poor biodegradability. Therefore, castor oil conforms to ISO VG220 grade lubricant and qualifies to be called a biolubricant