FUTOSpace (Federal Univ. of Technology, Owerri)
Not a member yet
636 research outputs found
Sort by
Evaluation of aluminium oxide nano-particle based polymeric membrane for emulsified oil/water separation
Get PDFMaster's thesis on aluminium oxide nano-particle based polymeric membraneCrude oil emulsion formation has become a prevalent problem in oilfield and causes significant flow assurance problems during production, treatment and transportation of crude oil. When emulsions occur, they create problems which are difficult to handle and lead to numerous operational challenges such as creating high pressure drops in pipes and/or flowlines, production of off-specification crude oil damages to separation equipment. Emulsions are formed when crude oil is mixed with water as a result of factors such as high rate of shear at the production wellhead and the presence of surface active agents which naturally are present in the crude oil. Emulsions are undesirable and require demulsification to remove the dispersed water and associated inorganic salt in order to meet production and transportation specifications. Furthermore, demulsification of crude oil prevents corrosion and catalyst poisoning and ultimately increases the profitability of the crude oil. The Aluminium oxide nanoparticle membrane was prepared using support materials which are Polysulfone and polyester fabric. These membrane materials have been doped with aluminum oxide nanoparticles to enhance the separation efficiency and reduce membrane fouling. A vacuum pump was used to apply pressure at 80% stroke and 60% stroke for each of the membrane materials respectively. The result show that the aluminum oxide based polymeric membrane emulsion separation process has high separation efficiency with Polysulfone under 60% stroke pressure application having the highest efficiency of 98.5% while Polyester membrane material has the lowest separation efficiency of 96.3% under 80% stroke pressure application. Also analyses of the permeation flux reveals that polystyrene membrane material gave the highest permeation flux of 2.433 ml/cm2 -min when a pressure of 80% stroke was applied to it, while Polysulfone material gave the lowest permeation flux of0.911 ml/cm2 -min under pressure application of 80% stroke. The Polymer membrane emulsion separation process is highly suitable for separation of oil-in-water emulsions. This work presents a new approach of emulsion separation that is cheap and efficient and does not require the costly chemical additions that in most cases also impact negatively on the ecosystem
Hydrogeophysical and vulnerability index studies of parts of Umuahia, South-Eastern Nigeria
Get PDFThis thesis is for the award of Master of Science (MSc.) in GeophysicsGroundwater potential, Contamination and vulnerability in urbanizing area are major concern and need attention. The present study involved the innovative methodology of integrating Electrical resistivity (Geophysical assessment) method using a Dar-Zarrouk parameterLongitudinal unit conductance S which is directly related to the aquifer protective capacity in vulnerability assessment and the use of DRSATIC model in characterization of the groundwater quality and vulnerability of the study area. The results of the interpreted electrical resistivity data helped to delineate the aquiferous horizons within the study area. The aquifer protective capacity (APC) rating obtained from second order parameter of the VES revealed the rating less than 0.1Mhos across the study area; indicating aquiferous zone with poor protective capacity to contamination migration. The DRASTIC model of vulnerability assessment of the study area provided further insight by helping to delineate areas with Low, moderate and high vulnerability. The result obtained, revealed that about 63% of the study area are moderately vulnerable to pollution contamination, 35% of the area are within the range of high vulnerability and only 2% falls within the range of low vulnerability. Moderate to high vulnerability tendency revealed in DRASTIC model index constituting about 98% of the study area is agreement with the result obtained from the longitudinal conductance values with the rating denoting poor aquifer overburden protective capacity across the study area
Spatiotemporal dynamics of landuse/ landcover of Owerri and environs, Southtern Nigeria; implications for sold waste management
Get PDFThis Thesis is award of Degree of Master of Science (M.Sc.) in environmental Geology AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.Sc.) IN ENVIRONMENTAL
GEOLOGYMulti-criteria geospatial modelling using Geographic Information System and remote sensing data were carried out with the objective of identifying suitable waste disposal sites that are both economically feasible and environmentally sustainable in Owerri Metropolis and environs, Imo State, Nigeria. Several data sets including climatic data, soil, groundwater, drainage, landuse/land cover and slope data were extracted from satellite data were used to generate several thematic maps which will aid the siting of eco-friendly landfills in the study area. Two vintages of Landsat -8 data for years 2000 and 2020 were used to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of the landuse characteristics of the study area. Data collected were geocoded and geo-referenced using the handheld GPS instrument. The GPS coordinates of individual waste containers/dump locations were also obtained. The acquired data sets were further processed using a set of software which include ESRI ArcGIS 10.8, ENVI 5.2, and Geomatica. Various investigations were carried out using the ArcGIS 10.8 software to evaluate the potentials of GIS in the robust management of solid waste in the study area. The study produced several thematic maps which include topographical map, watershed/drainage map, lineament/lineament density map, colour composite maps for, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI), normalized difference water index (NDWI), and Land use/Land cover Maps for 2000 and 2020 respectively. Weights and factor parameters were determined using the analytical hierarchy process pair-wise comparison model. In addition, map overlay analyses were used to create the land fill suitability map of the study area which was classified into low, medium and high suitability based on the multi-criteria data used. The GIS examination of the trademark elements of the site area yielded field (5) appropriate points. They identified landfill locations are believed to be robust to limit ecological and human risks of the dumpsites. Field inspection and ground truthing of the selected five points further confirmed the suitability of the selected locations. This strategy has therefore been shown to be effective for waste management and landfill site selection
Investigation of local barites in drilling muds formulation at HTHP conditions
No full textMaster’s thesis on "local barites in drilling muds formulation". It contains pictures, graphs and tables.In order to counter-balance the formation pressure, the drilling mud is weighted up using a chemical additive, usually Barite. The usability of locally sourced Nigerian Barites on the
major types of drilling fluids in conventional and High-Pressure-High-Temperature conditions is presented. Water-Based mud, Oil-Based mud and Synthetic oil-Based mud formulations with locally sourced Barite were tested according to the ‘API RP 13B’. Hole cleaning capabilities of the formulations by the use of Cutting Carrying Index and Cutting Concentration as indicators show that Osina, Gabu and Obubra Nigerian Barites with SG’s ranging from 4.0 to 4.6 are suitable for use as drilling fluid additives; with Cutting Carrying Index in the range of 23.27 to 120.54 for Water-Based mud, 0.89 to 3.98 for Oil-Based mud and 0.45 to 1.13 for Synthetic-Based mud, and Cutting Concentration of average of 4.15 vol. % at 355gpm and 300ft/hr ROP for Water-Based mud, Oil-Based mud and Synthetic-Based mud, with MAXROP of 364ft/hr under the same conditions. Moreso, laminar flow regime in the annulus is predicted for all the mud types under the same conditions and temperatures specified. CCI for water based mud decreased from ambient, 120oF, 180oF to 240oF, compared with API mud used as control sample. Oil extracted from Irvingia Gabonensis used to formulate the Synthetic-Based mud exhibited understandable physical properties such as SG of 0.836 at 60oC and a flash point of >300oC, and could serve as replacement for diesel used as base fluid in Oil-Based muds since it is also biodegradable, though the Synthetic-Based mud exhibited unfavourable characteristics in terms of low CCI value(s) and higher filter cake thickness. All the muds displayed flat or non-progressive gel; gel strengths that break with minimal initiation pressure. Locally sourced Nigerian barites have been shown to exhibit favourable properties in the mud formulations both in conventional and High-Pressure-High-Temperature drilling conditions
Evaluation of the flow regime identification capability of gamma-based multiphase flowmeters
No full textA Masters on gamma-based multiphase flowmetersThe application of a single beam, dual energy gamma densitometer unit in determining the flow patterns of vertically upward multiphase flow was investigated. A fast-sampling (250Hz) gamma densitometer was installed on a 3" schedule 160, 11.1mm wt inlet manifold riser in an onshore production facility, Delta-X, in the Niger Delta. Gamma radiation attenuation data for the caesium-137 radioisotope-based densitometer was collected for Well-X effluent of oil, water and gas mixture. Classification of the multiphase mixture's flow regimes was investigated through the analysis of the probability mass function (PMF) chart obtained from the soft gamma count data. The prevalent flow regimes identified during the trial period were bubbly, slug, churn, annular and transition (bubbly-slug and churn-annular) flows. The result showed consistency with similar test facility studies conducted using air, diesel oil and portable water. An economic model was proposed for evaluating the economic viability of replacing existing test separators with
multiphase flowmeters. Results from the economic analysis showed that given the current cost of multiphase flowmeters, it is not viable to replace existing test separators with multiphase flowmeters on a per well basis. The valuation, however, favoured replacing an existing test separator with a single multiphase flowmeter. Sensitivity study indicated that installing multiphase flowmeters on a per well basis will be economically viable with over
60% reduction in multiphase flowmeter present CAPEX for an 8-well production facilit
Effect of manure sources and propagule node number on the productivity of orange-fleshed sweet potato (ipomoea batatas l) in Owerri, Nigeria
Get PDFThis thesis is for the award of Master of Science (MSc.) in HorticultureThe effects of Manure sources and propagule node number on the productivity of orange fleshed sweet potato (king-J) was investigated at the Teaching and Research Farm of Federal University of Technology, Owerri Nigeria in 2016 and 2017 planting seasons respectively. Three (3) vine nodes: 2, 4 and 6 as well as three (3) sources of manure: 0 (control), poultry manure 10 t ha-1and NPK 15:15:15 400 kg ha-1 respectively were combined in a 3 x 3 factorial experiment fitted into Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) giving a total of 9 treatment combinations replicated 3 times and it gave 27 treatment plots. Data on soil at the beginning and at the end of each of the experiments were collected and analyzed. Data on the growth and yield parameters of sweet potato were also collected and statistically analyzed using Genstart software. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of probability was used to test treatment effect. The result showed that the study site was slightly acidic (PH 4.99 and 5.19) and low in nitrogen (0.13 and 0.12) in 2016 and 2017. At the end of the experiment the acidity was raised from 4.99 to 5.72, and 5.19 to 6.22 in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Result of the investigation revealed that manure sources were statistically significant on sweet potato vine length, branch formation, leaf production, leafspot and bacterial blight disease severity as well as yield in kg ha-1 at 5% probability level in 2016 and 2017 planting seasons respectively. Propagule with 4 nodes applied with 400kg ha-1 NPK had the longest vines 100.40cm and 109.40cm, the highest number of leaves 104,30, 134.90, number of branches 9.00, 12.00, as well as lowest leaf spot and bacteria blight disease severity 1.15, 1.48; 1.19, 1.49 in 2016 and 2017 planting season respectively. However interaction of propagule with 4 nodes and 10 t ha-1 poultry manure produced the highest total fresh tuber yield 29.79 t ha-1 and 38.79 t ha-1 in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Sweet potato production is a good and profitable enterprise. For successful sweet potato production in Owerri Nigeria, the following recommended practices are made; Farmers can adopt the use of propagule with 4 nodes for high growth and yield of sweet potato. However further studies is recommended
Free vibration analysis of rectangular thin plate using finite element method
Get PDFMaster' thesis on vibration analysis of rectangular thin plateThis research work presents Free Vibration Analysis of Rectangular Thin Plate Using Finite Element Method. The analysis is limited to five boundary conditions. These boundary conditions are plates clamped on four edges (CCCC), plates clamped and simply supported on adjacent edges (CCSS), plates clamped on two opposite edges and simply supported on the other two opposite edges (CSCS), plates clamped on one edge and simply supported on three edges (CSSS) and plates clamped on three edges and simply supported on one edge (CCCS). A shape function which satisfies the twelve degrees of freedom of plate was assembled from the Pascal triangle to formulate a stiffness matrix which is refered to as the general flexural element stiffness matrix of thin rectangular plate. The fourth order differential equation of plate in vibration was analized with the shape function to derive the general stiffness (K) of the plate and inertia stiffness (Ki) subject to vibration. Analysis with the finite element method, the individual stiffness for CCCC, CCSS, CSCS, CSSS, CCCS was obtained. A grid size discretization, one of the major importance of finite element method; was applied to determine the approximate values of the fundamental natural frequencies of the rectangular thin plates in vibration. A MATLAB program was generated to compute the fundamental natural frequencies for plates of various aspect ratios (from 1.0 to 2.0 at an increment of 0.1) and grid size (n) (from 3 to 21 etc. at odd number increment) and the results were tabulated. The odd number increment for the grid size is to make the central deflection of the plate concide with the central node of the plate for easy calculation. The maximum percentage difference of the natural frequencies obtained between this study and previous research works done by Onwuka et al., Njoku, Leissa et al., Sakata et al., Chakraverty and Gorman are 0.4060%, 0.4070% and 3.1600% for CCCC boundary condition, 0.5503%, 0.5675% and 0.1283% for CCSS boundary condition, 0.4025%, 0.1629% and 0.1208% for CSCS boundary condition, 3.6188%, 1.4968% and 0.1034% for CSSS boundary condition and 0.4394% and 0.1461% for CCCS boundary condition. The natural frequency values obtained by the present study are close when compared with other approximate methods of Onwuka et al., Njoku, Leissa et al., Sakata et al., Chakraverty and Gorman which are clearly shown on the line graph
Modeling the effects of brewery effluents on surface water: A case study of Ajalliowa River in Enugu State
Get PDFThe thesis is for the award of Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Soil and Water Engineering optionThis study modelled the effect of brewery effluents on surface water taking Ajalliowa River in Enugu state as a case study. This predictive model, obtained using least square method, was combined with laboratory analysis to determine the changes in the physico-chemical characteristics of the river before and after the pollution, the distribution effects in time and space were also put into consideration. Water samples were collected in duplicate, using 1 litres kegs as sampling bottles and small plastic bottles of 50ml, from several points along the river body, namely: 50m upstream, effluent discharge from the brewery, the discharge point, 50m downstream, 100m downstream and 150m downstream. Prior to sample collection, all the sampling bottles were washed thoroughly, sun-dried and rinsed with the same water to be collected. The sampling bottles were labelled with dates and collection site. Grab samples werecollected repeatedly. Until analysis, the collected water samples were kept in a cool container and was preserved for various analysis by addition of 1.0 ml of concentrated nitric acid. The predictive model showed a very high correlation coefficient for some of the important parameters while some are not adequately predicted. The pH model gave the highest correlation coefficient with a very low standard of estimate. Also, for each of the sampling points, high correlation coefficients were observed. With the model showing high correlation coefficient between the experimental and simulated results, this thus indicate clearly that this model is suitable for the prediction and estimation of the major physico-chemical characteristics of the river. There is however room for improvement, which can be achieved by adopting pactorial modelling methodology
Fungitoxity of selected bio-pesticides on the storage rot diseases and biochemical composition of yam varieties (Dioscorea spp) in Owerri
Get PDFThis thesis is for the award of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.) in Plant PathologyThe study was conducted at the laboratory of Crop Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri between 2017 to 2019.This project evaluated the fungitoxicity of some bio-pesticides on the control of storage rot diseases of yam varieties (D. rotundata and D. alata) especially caused by Aspergillus spp, Fusarium spp, Rhizopus stolonifer, Yeast and B. theobromae. The fungitoxic activity of ethanol extracts of seven plant leaves (used as bio-pesticides); Chromolaena odorata, Carica papaya, Vernonia amygdalina, Ocimum gratissimum, Azadirachta indica, Psidium guajava and Cymbopogon citratus were tested in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium to determine their percentage inhibitions against the organisms isolated from the tubers. The layout for experiment was a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with seven (7) treatments and three (3) replications. Data was collected on some chemical constituents on both yam varieties of (D. rotundata and D. alata) and seven (7) leaf extracts used for the experiment. Result revealed that D. rotundata recorded higher chemical constituents than D. alata. The results of the study showed that Azadirachta indica extracted with ethanol as bio-pesticides for the experiment was the most fungitoxic as it possessed the best level (%) of inhibition on all the organisms isolated from yam varieties of D. rotundata and D. alata this could be because it contains phytochemicals such as Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Tannins, Phenols in reasonable percentage more than other plant extracts used in this work. It substantially suppressed the growth of A. niger. Furthermore, Azadirachta indica was most fungitoxic on rot diseases of A. niger (9.8%), Yeast (11.13%) and Rhizopus stolonifer (11.53%) isolated from D. alata and D. rotundata while Carica papaya (12.0%) was found to be most effective in the control of rot diseases of Fusarium oxysporium during the investigation. The application of Azadirachta indica was able to limit the growth of all the microorganisms identified during pathogenicity test. On point of attack the varieties of D. alata and D. rotundata showed that the most susceptible point of attack on the tubers was the basal part. The losses due to pathogenic attack was significantly reduced mostly by Azadirachta indica followed by Vernonia amygdalina then Carica papaya when Ocimum gratissimum was the lowest and are therefore recommended in that sequence