Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment (AZOJETE)
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Load Frequency Control using Classical controllers
Get PDFThis paper presents a solution to the problem of load frequency control of a two area power system using PI and PID controllers. In electric power systems, the load demand varies at different times of the day and these load variations lead to changes in frequency of the power system. In an interconnected power system, the tie-line power also varies in addition to the frequency variations. These changes in frequency and tie-line power causes instability in the power system network and make it unreliable. Load frequency control therefore ensures that these changes in the tie-line power and frequency of the control areas are minimized with acceptable level of overshoot and settling time. The method used involves the modeling of the two area interconnected power system using Matlab/Simulink software, the PI and PID controllers were then tuned using the Ziegler-Nichols tuning rule and used to simulate the two area power system when a load change of 0.2pu occurred in control area one. The simulation results showed that both the PI and PID controllers were able to restore the changes in tie line power and frequency of the control areas caused by the change in load to their steady state values of zero but the PID controller has better dynamic performances of overshoot, rise time and settling time than the PI controller
Potential of Jesse Clay as Drilling Mud
Get PDFThe high bottom hole pressure normally encountered during drilling, poses serious challenges during drilling operations of oil and gas wells. The unavoidable quest for crude oil source of energy by man, required for running its home and industries, makes the high risk pose by the underground hole pressure a risk-worth taking for new discovery of oil and gas reserve. The fear of encountered formation pressure is conquered by the use of drilling fluid (drilling mud). The drilling mud is a mixture of clay, water and chemicals. The drilling clay possesses certain properties that distinguished, and earmarked it as a drilling fluid, highest economy clay that is highly sorted/hunted for, either as purely for export for economic purpose by countries where it is found but have no oil or for oil and gas exploration activities in countries where hydrocarbon exploration takes pace. Nigeria as a country is a practical scenario of the above case the drill-mud–clay is being imported for the exploration of its large oil and gas reserve. Therefore, this paper seeks address the lingering unresolved challenges of the inability to establish Nigeria’s local drilling mud-clay with properties comparable with the existing imported drilling mud-clay through laboratory analysis of Nigeria clay. In searching for suitable Nigerian clay for to be used as drilling mud, two properties (mud density and sand content) of local clay extracted from Jesse, in Ethiope-West local government area of Delta State was analyzed and the results were recorded and compared with those of imported foreign clay. For their densities, the result was recorded as 8.41kg/m3, 8.50kg/m3, 8.50kg/m3 and 8.67 kg/m3 for local clay, and 8.60 kg/m3, 8.66 kg/m3, 8.67 kg/m3 and 8.83 kg/m3 for foreign /imported Bentonite. The percentage of sand content in both the local and imported foreign drilling mud after analysis, were recorded as 0.1%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.2% and1%, 1.5 %, 1.5 % and 2% respectively. The little differences noticed between the sand value of in the drilling mud prepared with local clay and imported clay, indicates that the local drilling mud can be at its best as drilling mud like the conventional drilling mud, which is in accordance with the API recommended value range of between 0.25% -1.2% if the experimented properties are further enhanced.
 
Technical Appraisal of some Maize Shellers in Oyo and Kwara States of Nigeria
Get PDFThis study assessed the performance of some maize shellers in use in grain markets in Oyo and Kwara States, Nigeria. A preliminary survey conducted identified shellers in use as basic maize sheller (BMS) without blower, maize sheller with blower attachment (MSB) and the multi-purpose sheller (MPS). The shelling/cleaning performance of the shellers were assessed using yellow maize (SWAN 1 variety) and some key equipment parameters, which impact performance were measured. The air velocity for MSB and MPS ranged between 0.4 and 2.4 m/s which was not sufficient for efficient cleaning of chaff from shelled grains. Shaft speed for BMS, MSB and MPS were 845, 920 and 820 rpm, respectively. Average throughput for BMS, MSB and MPS was 1,714, 600 and 840 kg/hr, respectively with mean shelling efficiencies of 92.9, 82.7 and 97.9%, respectively. Mean cleaning efficiencies were 54.0 and 57.7% for MSB and MPS, respectively. The percentage grain loss for BMS, MSB and MPS were 17, 7.1 and 1.9%, respectively. It was observed that many fabricators do not consult agricultural engineers when producing machines, relying more on previous experience. Additionally, there was a lack of consideration for operator safety with the exposure of moving parts of the equipment in all the designs evaluated. A key recommendation from this study is that sheller designs should be standardized to ensure the provision of quality and highly efficient machinery for processors
Nigerian Water Resources Management – An Overview
Get PDFEffective management of a country’s water resources contributes toward its sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of Nigeria’s surface and underground water sources alongside agencies charged with functions covering all facets in water resources development and management. Nigeria consists of three broad agro-ecological zones; the northern Sudan Savannah, the Guinea Savannah and the southern rainforest spread across eight hydrological areas for the purpose of water resources management. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources is responsible for large water resources development projects and water allocation between states; comprising of sixteen (16) parastatals and agencies made up of twelve (12) River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs), Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC), Gurara Water Management Authority (GWMA), and the National Water Resources Institute (NWRI). The country has four river drainage systems and 264 dams. Recent studies of Nigerian water reserves (surface and groundwater sources) indicated that there are large supplies, and the country has surface and groundwater resources potentials of 267.3BCM and 51.9BCM respectively
Design and Implementation of a Transistorized Bi-Controlled based Utility-Connected Battery Charger for Underdeveloped Nations
Get PDFThis paper presents a transistorized bi-controlled based utility-connected battery charger to address the problem of erratic public power supply in underdeveloped nations. In this study, a utility battery charger was built by the integration of grid power supply, line frequency transformer, power electronic switches, alternating current-direct current bridge converter, regulator, and resistor-inductor-capacitor. The excess-voltage protection and battery monitoring were obtained by the bi-controlled technique. In contrast to other charging systems in underdeveloped nations, the proposed system is very simple, rugged, reliable and cheap to maintain due to simplicity and un-programmed nature of the system. The results showed that the proposed system is craggy and robust to resist voltage stress, highly reliable and relatively free from leakage currents due to the presence of a double controlled scheme using a common point of action and a line frequency transformer. In addition, the system can be used to charge batteries ranging from 50µA and above. The system can be utilized in communication companies, electric vehicles, drilling machines.
 
Assessing the Potentials of a Plant-Based Coagulant (Cyperus Esculentus Pulp) as alternative to Alum in Conventional Water Treatment Process
Get PDFGlobally, chemical coagulants such as alum are employed in water treatment during coagulation and flocculation process to improve drinking water quality. This process has an effect on human health. This research was carried out to assess the potentials of a plant-based coagulant (Cyperus esculentus Pulp) as substitute for alum or as coagulation aids. The water sample from river Gorao along Minna-Bida Road in Niger State were obtained in line with the standard laboratory procedures of the American Public Health Association (APHA) for the evaluation of the efficacy of the two coagulants (Plant-based Coagulant – Cyperus esculentus) and Aluminium Sulphate (Alum). Jar Test was done for some turbidity range. The results showed Turbidity and Colour removal efficiencies of 80.47% and 55.37% respectively. The Water Quality Index (WQI) shows that Cyperus esculentus produces good quality water (grade B) with WQI of 44.5. Recommendations arising from this study includes that further investigation should be carried out on other potential plant-based coagulants. Yellow variety of Cyperus esculentus should be investigated for its coagulation potentials and the use of Cyperus esculentus as coagulant is recommended as coagulant aid for reduction of turbidity in water.
 
Influences of pH and Temperature on the Anaerobic Fermentation of Groundnut Shell and Cow Dung for Biogas Production
Get PDFThe increasing demand, high cost and health implications of using energy derived from hydrocarbon compound have necessitated the continuous search for alternative sources of energy. Groundnut shell (GS) and Cow dung (CD) as renewable source of energy supply have been proven to be very efficient. This study investigated the influences of operating parameters in anaerobic fermentation of GS and CD in the laboratory scale using the simple locally fabricated digesters labeled A-E of 4,000cm3 working volume. The temperatures were recorded one time daily using a thermometer that was fitted to the digester. The digesters were fed on a batch basis with the slurry of different mix ratio and operated at ambient temperature (28-40°C) for 30days. Digester A being the control containing 100% of CD have pH of 7.00 and 7.20 before and after digestion respectively. This shows that the pH values of cow dung was neutral before digestion and slightly alkaline after digestion while digester E containing 100% of groundnut shell also a control have pH of 7.10 and 7.20 respectively before and after digestion. The temperatures in the five digesters fluctuated optimally between 28°C and 40°C which conforms to the mesophilic range. Most microorganisms grow best under neutral pH conditions, since other pH values may adversely affect metabolism by altering the chemical equilibrium of enzymatic reactions, or by actually destroying the enzymes. Low pH can cause the chain of biological reactions in fermentation to cease.
 
Simulation and Experimental Study of Tensile Strength of Ukam Fibre Reinforced Polyester Composites using ANSYS
Get PDFPolymers are commonly used in different applications even though it causes environmental problems. Natural fibre reinforced composites can be used as substitute for the synthetic fibre composites because of their biodegradable properties which will be a key to solving environmental problems although, the strength of natural fibres is not as high as glass fibres, their specific properties are comparable. The hand lay–up method of fabrication was employed in preparing the composite. This study investigates the tensile strength of the composite using experimental and numerical method. The test specimen of natural composite was fabricated using ASTM standard and the tensile strength of the composite determined using Hounsfield Tensometer. A 3D Finite Element (FE) model was created to simulate tensile strength in ANSYS 18. Alkali treated samples exhibited the highest increase in tensile strength at all fibre loadings. Modulus of elasticity (MOE) and percentage elongation also increased with increase in fibre loading for all treatments. The experimental values of tensile strength at 25 % were in agreement with the FEM tensile strength using ANSYS
Physical Properties of Four Varieties of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor L. Moench) Grain at Different Moisture Contents
No full textThis study was undertaken to determine the physical properties of four varieties of sorghum grain and investigate their variation with moisture content. The properties studied include: axial dimensions, arithmetic mean and geometric mean diameters, one thousand grain weight, particle density, bulk density, porosity and angle of repose. Each property was investigated at four moisture levels in the range of 3.5-18.25% d.b (brown variety), 3.04-25.49% d.b (red variety), 3.5-20% d.b (reddish brown variety) and 3.4-25.49% d.b (white variety). The major, intermediate and minor dimensions all increased with increase in moisture content from 4.25-5.04mm, 4.10-4.76mm and 2.80-2.99mm for brown, 3.78-4.32mm, 2.96-3.43mm and 1.95-2.85mm for red, 4.25-5.21mm, 4.11-4.99mm, 3.61-3.77mm for reddish brown, 4.0-5.38mm, 3.20-4.99mm and 3.00-3.48mm for white variety. The arithmetic mean diameter had higher values for the four varieties than the geometric mean diameter. One thousand grain weight, bulk density, true density, porosity, and angle of repose of all the varieties of sorghum studied, increased linearly with increase in moisture content. Regression models with high coefficients of determination were used to express the relationship existing between the physical properties of the grains with moisture content.
 
Biolubricant Production from Parinari Polyandra and Azadirachta Indica Seed Oils using Trimethylolpropane Polyol.
Get PDFEnvironmental pollution over time has raised challenges that elicit concerns for the nearest future. Synthetic lubricants, especially those obtained from petroleum products, contribute to environmental pollution. Thus, there is a need for the production of environmentally friendly lubricant as an alternative to petroleum-based lubricant currently being used. This work explored the potential of Parinari and Neem oils for the production of biolubricant using double transesterification method. Parinari oil was extracted from parinari seed using Sohxlet extraction method, and neem oil was purchased from Akande market in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, Nigeria. Both oils were pre-analysed for physico-chemical properties based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods. Trimethylolpropane (TMP) was used to increase the lubricating property of the transesterified parinari seed oil. The results showed that, the kinematic viscosity for Parinari based lubricant produced ranged between 12.1 – 67.4 cP at 40 ℃ and 15.5-28.6 cP at 100 ℃, while the kinematic viscosity for Neem-based lubricant produced ranged between 55.7 – 647.3 cP at 40 ℃ and 122.9 – 171.6 cP at 100 ℃. Parinari based lubricant had a viscosity index ranging from 159.7-174.4 and neem-based lubricant ranged from 326-365. Viscosities were all compared against SAE standard. SAE 30, 40 and 50 had kinematic viscosities ranging between 9.3-12.5, 12.5-16.3 and 16.3-21.9 respectively. Furthermore, all the biolubricants showed relatively high viscosity indexes with potentials for application in heavy equipment. NBL showed higher kinematic viscosity with longer transesterification reaction time. NBL gave random outputs for each run for biolubricants produced. Therefore, Parinari and Neem oil-based lubricants are potential lubricants as an alternative to petroleum-based lubricant.