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Development of Standard Formulations for Porcelain Production from Ohiya Clay
Get PDFOptimal designs for producing standard porcelains from Ohiya clay were developed in this study to scale up industrial utilization of this alumina-silicate dominated natural clay reserve. This involved experimental evaluation, modeling and optimization of the effects of firing temperature and varying Ohiya clay-feldspar-silica mix on the properties of porcelains produced from it using desirability optimization methodology. Apparent porosity, linear shrinkage, apparent density, water absorption rate, cold compressive strength and modulus of rupture constitutes the porcelains’ properties evaluated. Results revealed 42:32:20, 42:33:17, 41:32:27 as standard formulation of the clay, feldspar and silica into low/high voltage insulators, tiles and tableware respectively while 1250/1300°C, 1000°C and 1300°C constitute their respective optimal firing temperatures. Six hundred and twenty-five naira (₦625), three hundred and twenty-two naira(₦322), three hundred and fourty seven(₦347) wereused for producing an 11 kV electric insulator, 400×400 mm floor tile and serving dish based on these standard design respectively against their respective market prices of one thousand naira (₦1000), three hundred and fifty naira (₦350), four hundred and twenty naira (₦420) This implies 60%, 9% and 21% profit boost from the developed porcelain designs. Hence, adoption of the models/optimal formulations developed in study for porcelains’ production from ohiya clay is recommended for proficient exploitation of this natural resource. 
Design and Analysis of Bogie and Coach of Mass Rapid Transit (Metro) for Nepal
Get PDFMass Rapid Transit (Metro) has become the ultimate solution for city transportation due to its various advantages including traffic issues solv- ing ability, emission free mode, comfortability, speed and efficiency. In developing countries like Nepal where people are deprived of proper transportation system, Metro railway can bring about lots of positive socio-economic changes. A lot of analysis regarding the technical aspects and designing process adapted throughout the globe has been done and the best suited design for the context of Nepal has been included in the paper. A Bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to the train, serving as a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Old bogies are cast models which are huge and bulky in its nature. In order to overcome the limitations of the existing FIAT bogie, a new bogie namely Y32 Bogie is designed to equip with the coach. The coach with the longitudinal arrangements of seats is designed to accommodate the higher number of passengers. The design of the various bogie components is done following the procedures of machine design and various standards that suits the best for our context. The 3D-modeling of the bogie and the coach is performed in CREO PARAMETRIC 5.0. The design of bogie frame is then imported to ANSYS 19.2 for Finite Element Analysis. The analysis on stresses and maximum deformation induced in the bogie frame structure for different materials is performed and the comparison is made to find the best suited design. To achieve the Finite Element Analysis, the load criteria are considered from Indian Railway Standards
Design and Simulation of Methanol Production Process from CO2 and CO Hydrogenation with Reverse Water-Gas Shift Reaction
Get PDFOver the past century, Due to the excessive utilization of fossil fuels and increasing population around the globe, the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 have increased drastically. The captured CO2 can be utilized as to turn into a profitable business in addition to its positive impact of controlling the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. A production process of high purity methanol from CO2 captured has been discussed in detail in this paper. The process is designed and simulated with Pro/II V.10.2. A comparison is made of the overall methanol yield resulting from consideration of only CO2 hydrogenation and the reverse water gas shift reaction with the addition of CO hydrogenation reaction in the reactor. The reaction set was chosen accordingly. The balance on CO2 in the process showed that it is possible to abate 2.12 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of methanol produced. The CO2 and H2 were used in the ratio 1:3 and the methanol so obtained was 4139 kg/h (overall yield of 0.47) with 99 % purity. This shows that the reaction kinetics and the process flow proposed in this paper can be employed
Physicochemical and Bacteriological Analyses of Groundwater in the Periphery of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu Valley
Get PDFThe objective of this study was to assess the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of groundwater samples. A total of 34 samples were taken during the time period of June 6 to June 21 of 2016 from the groundwater sources in Kathmandu, located in the periphery of Bagmati river, from Chobhar to Sinamangal with approximate distance of 10 km. Site for study, sample collection, transportation, preservation and processing (bacteriological and physicochemical analyses) of samples were carried out following standard protocols issued by [1, 2]. Membrane filtration technique was employed for enumeration of indicator organism (coliform and thermotolerant coliform) and biochemical tests for its identification
A Review of Comparative Study on Solid Waste Management Practices in Four Different Cities in Asian Countries
Get PDFWaste management is a grassroots level problem, and a decentralized and interdisciplinary approach is required to solve this problem. The exponentially growing population and the fast-changing socio-cultural behaviors of humans influencing mass production and consumption rates are not environmentally sustainable, and this explicitly defines the big picture in the solid waste management scenario. The emerging threat to the world is not only the alarming growth in the production of waste but also the unabating mismanagement of the waste we produce. This menace is troubling urban areas of both the developing and the developed nations with high population densities as waste management is often practiced as putting wastes away from immediate sight. After reviewing a few papers about the solid waste management practices around the world, it intrigued me to write how the best practices differ from the worst practices in waste management around Asian cities. In this paper, we assess solid waste management scenarios around four Asian cities and throw a light on the management practices that the best ones are doing differently to create a more sustainable urban environment for the residents. The countries that invest in a holistic evaluation of waste produced by their citizens and conduct proper research on how to manage wastes by utilizing locally available resources seem to perform better in the waste management sector
A Vowel Based Word Splitter to Improve Performance of Existing Nepali Morphological Analyzers on Words Borrowed from Sanskrit
Get PDFNepali lexicon is rich in words borrowed from Sanskrit language, called "Tatsama" words. These words have a specific set of rules to split them into affixes and morphemes. This paper details these rules and describes an implementation that can be used to improve existing Nepali Morphological Analyzers which do not yet implement concrete rules for these kinds of words
Biodegradation of Components of Mixture of Hydrocarbons by a Defined Pure and Consortium of Selected Hydrocarbon Degraders
Get PDFThe biodegradation of a mixture of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons as multicomponent substrates in a liquid medium by pure and mixed cultures of two bacteria, Providential rettgeri and Streptococcus salivarius, two moulds, Trichoderma harzianum and Aspergillus flavipes, and one yeast, Candida famata, was investigated in this study. The microbes were isolated from petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. The fate of the various components in the substrate was monitored individually, and each component was found to decrease during the degradation period. The degrading ability of the consortium was further studied by quantifying the growth of the culture using cumulative Carbon (vi) oxide produced and the optical density method. The rate of degradation of each hydrocarbon was monitored, and growth was observed correspondingly to the degradation of the substrates. At the end of 5 days, 86.54%, 81.85%, and 81.71% of 2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, and 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene, respectively, were degraded, while 59.65% and 73.61% of hexadecane and heneicosane, respectively, were degraded. Further degradation was obtained after 11 days, resulting in 2.36%, 3.30%, 5.90%, 6.13%, and 6.35% degradation of 2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene, hexadecane, and heneicosane, respectively. Kinetic parameters such as the maximum substrate consumption rates of 0.507, 0.194, 0.798, 1.490, and 0.731 g/g/hr, and the affinities of 20.70, 6.31, 50.60, 601.0, and 358.0, were obtained for 2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene, hexadecane, and heneicosane, respectively. This result showed the prospect of the defined consortium for bioremediation of multicomponent substrates
Students’ Perception of Quality Education: A Review
Get PDFThis article presents review of scholarly works on students’ perception of their learning environment. Particularly, the literature published between 1990 and 2019 February that examine university level students’ perception of the factors that they consider the benchmark of quality education or the causes of poor academics were reviewed.
In total 63 articles were analyzed in terms of four criteria, namely, 1) the methods used to examine students’ perception of quality education, 2) the elements that were perceived to impact positively on quality education, 3) the perceived causes of poor academics, and 4) the students’ perception of quality education in relation to their demographic characteristics.
The findings related to the methods used to study the issue, students’ perception on different aspects of quality education, the causes of poor quality education, and the role of demographic variables on students’ perception are derived. We believe that the conclusions from these findings may help not only the researchers interested in perceived quality of education to plan for further research but also the institutions of higher education to execute their activities to improve their students’ satisfaction levels
Ideological Othering of Maoists in The Kathmandu Post
Get PDFThis paper explores representation of Maoists in The Kathmandu Post during and after People’s Movement II, especially after 12-point understanding between Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the Maoists in Delhi. By utilizing Althusserian notion of ideology, particularly his notion of Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) and media ethics, the paper critically scrutinizes why The Kathmandu Post epitomized Maoist and the movement the way it did. The paper claims that the Post’s depiction of Maoists is basically motivated by their economic position, ideology and vested interests which are contrary to the notion of ISA. Further, the research also substantiates that Althusserian conception of ISA does not apply in the context of Nepal. The Kathmandu Post’s explicit support to People’s Movement II and at the same time misrepresentation of Maoists despite 12-points agreement between Maoists and SPA undercuts Althusser’s notion
Techno-economic Analysis of Solar Water Pumping System for Irrigation in Nepal
Get PDFSolar Water Pumping System is a process where electricity is used to drive water pumps produced from solar PV. It makes solar PV a flexible device to be used in remote Terai-plane areas in the southern region and hilly regions of the country where grid connection is inaccessible. The geographical belt of Nepal is in a very good solar region having about 4 to 5 peak sun hours and more than 300 sunny days in a year. Over 22 percent of agricultural land in Nepal does not have access to irrigation round the year. However, the immediate challenges for mass dissemination of solar water pumping system is the capital cost of the system which is beyond the affordable range for small farmers and rural people. Moreover, perceived benefit analysis of investment on solar water pumping system for irrigation along with possible extension of grid seems essential for investment decision. This paper presents the techno-economic analysis of solar water pumping system based on the design, investment and yearly return from the crops per hectare of land that could be applied in remote Terai areas of Nepal. Result shows the discounted payback period of nine years, which is within the lifetime of the system. Other economic parameters for instance, benefit cost ratio of 1.6 and internal rate of return of 18.15 % mark favorable to invest for the system. In addition, the solar water pumping system is compared with grid-electric pumping system. The cost of a pumping system operated by grid electricity includes the cost of feasible grid extension. The grid extension length is calculated in view of permissible voltage constraint which was performed with software DIgSILENT PowerFactory. The results indicated that, up to four hectare of land, investment on solar water pumping system seems more economical than grid-electric water pumping system with grid extension for a kilometer