ERic Essandoh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by ERic Essandoh

Corn milling is a method of processing corn by crushing it between two contacting circular metall... more Corn milling is a method of processing corn by crushing it between two contacting circular metallic plates. During instances where the blades had worn out, greater energy is required, hence the need to determine the wear rate of the corn mill blades. By knowing the wear rate of the corn mill blades, millers will have the exact knowledge of the quantity of products that can be milled to avoid usage of worn out blades. In this research 4 pairs of blades were used at separate times to determine their attrition rate. On each pair of the blades, twelve different evenly separated ridges were marked and their average height is taken before and after use to find the changes in height they undergo whenever they are used. Likewise, the mass to estimate the change in mass. The pairs of blades were re-horned (re-sharpened) for the next usage. This experiment is repeated three times for each pair of blades. At the end of the experiment, a range of 0.01 to 0.05mm/bag attrition rate for changes in...

Ghana has so far consumed about 60% (1580 MW) of its hydropower potential with the remaining unta... more Ghana has so far consumed about 60% (1580 MW) of its hydropower potential with the remaining untapped potential being just 820 MW. The country currently lacks adequate financial sources for harnessing renewable energy resources to generate electricity at the levels generated by developed countries. Thermal power which happens to be the best option to the country for firm power generation is relatively expensive. Nuclear power generation has not yet been implemented in Ghana primarily because of its safety requirements and the level of technical knowledge and commitment it requires. It is therefore incumbent on the country to carefully draw and strictly execute coherent energy policies to ensure the supply of affordable, reliable and sustainable power. This research reviews policy formulations, reforms and programmes of Ghana’s power sector from 1966 to 2019 with the aim of having a fair idea of the power landscape and proposing measures and workable solutions for a better understand...

Journal of Physical Studies, 2020

Abstract: With cost being a vital factor for determining how feasible any power project will be, ... more Abstract: With cost being a vital factor for determining how feasible any power project will be, this study demonstrates that a 50 MW grid-connected wind power plant at Mankoadze in the Central Region of Ghana will be technically and financially viable and competitive at a certain minimum feed-in-tariff together with some incentives. In this study, we analyzed monthly mean wind speed data for Mankoadze at 12 m above ground level (a.g.l.) with RET Screen Wind Energy Project Model. The monthly mean wind speeds at 12 m a.g.l. were extrapolated to 80 m a.g.l. and used to determine the annual energy production of a 50 MW wind farm. The total initial cost of the 50 MW wind power project was estimated and the minimum feed-in-tariff at which the project will be financially viable over a duration of 20 years was ascertained from Net Present Value (NPV) calculations. This minimum feedin-tariff was again determined for different scenarios of grants and incentives and some recommendations were ...

Abstract-- This paper contributes to the effort being made by

Open Journal of Soil Science, 2020

Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 2014

With cost being a vital factor for determining how feasible any power project will be, this study... more With cost being a vital factor for determining how feasible any power project will be, this study demonstrates that a 50 MW grid-connected wind power plant at Mankoadze in the Central Region of Ghana will be technically and financially viable and competitive at a certain minimum feed-in-tariff together with some incentives. In this study, we analyzed monthly mean wind speed data for Mankoadze at 12 m above ground level (a.g.l.) with RET Screen Wind Energy Project Model. The monthly mean wind speeds at 12 m a.g.l. were extrapolated to 80 m a.g.l. and used to determine the annual energy production of a 50 MW wind farm. The total initial cost of the 50 MW wind power project was estimated and the minimum feed-in-tariff at which the project will be financially viable over a duration of 20 years was ascertained from Net Present Value (NPV) calculations. This minimum feedin-tariff was again determined for different scenarios of grants and incentives and some recommendations were made.

European Scientific Journal, Jun 30, 2013

International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, 2013

This paper contributes to the effort being made by The Energy Center (TEC), KNUST and African Uni... more This paper contributes to the effort being made by The Energy Center (TEC), KNUST and African Union Commission to disseminate knowledge of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) and as well increase the awareness of the general public especially the youth of Africa in RETs by measuring the average wind speed and direction of a selected project site (designated Site 0001) on the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). In order to generate a comprehensive wind data report for Site 0001 on KNUST campus a building-integrated hybrid mast (placed at a height of 20 m above ground level), NRG Wind instruments and data retriever as well as Stata, Microsoft Excel and WAsP software were employed. The wind data provided in this paper include monthly and annual average wind speeds, monthly wind gusts, prevailing wind direction and turbulence intensity of air flow among other parameters for Site 0001 on KNUST campus. The wind data made available by this paper can be used by both students and the general public alike for educational and agricultural purposes, air pollution and small wind turbine assessments in Kumasi. Index Term-Renewable Energy Technologies; buildingintegrated hybrid mast, air pollution I.

Processing Maize to improve its quality does not only prolong its useful life but also increases ... more Processing Maize to improve its quality does not only prolong its useful life but also increases the net profit farmers make and the goodwill derived from consumers. In this study, the emphasis was placed on field evaluation of a locally manufactured motorized maize thresher in Sunyani West Municipality of Ghana. The main objective of the project is to analyze and evaluate a motorized maize thresher for farmers in Sunyani West Municipality of Ghana. The methods used involved the collection and collation of threshing parameters such as threshing speed, maize moisture content for good threshing as well as taking appropriate measures such as reduction of quantitative (Un-threshed Grains and Scatter) and qualitative (mechanical grain damage) losses, and utilizing theories and mechanisms in threshing to determine various threshing parameters. The evaluation of the thresher involved the varying of the shelling shaft speed from 700 rpm to 900 rpm at different maize moisture contents rangin...

Devising technologies to make use of renewable energy such as solar energy is very innovative and... more Devising technologies to make use of renewable energy such as solar energy is very innovative and progressive sincetapping energy from a free source is cost effective in the long-term and totally ecologically friendly. The main aim ofsolar drying of crops is to preserve them by removing the excess moisture that will cause their deterioration in orderto improve their shelf life. Solar drying though found to be a mature, cost-effective and an efficient method ofdrying especially crops, it has not been widely deployed for crop drying both at the commercial and industrial levelin Ghana. The purpose of this research is to produce a solar heat collector for space heating using cheap andavailable materials and also to demonstrate the importance of incorporating obstacle/fins on plates to improve theefficiency of solar collectors. This study investigates the effect of increased air contact area of various configurationon the efficiency of solar air heaters. Nine different absorber plates (w...

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Abstract Many cookstove designs and biochar programs have been implemented in many countries arou... more Abstract Many cookstove designs and biochar programs have been implemented in many countries around the world. These programs have had varied degrees of success which is generally low. Some were able to achieve all their target objectives, others achieved a fraction of their target objectives whiles others achieved different results from their initial targets. The low success rates have been attributed to disregard for various users’ considerations by the past implementers of such designs and programs. This study seeks to determine the factors and features that Ghana cookstove users want to be incorporated in the designs of their cookstove and biochar programs. The study used a nationwide survey of household cooks. It was found that about 99% of the respondents will prefer a smokeless cook stove. The challenges that they will want eliminated from the conventional cooking systems are ranked from the highest to the lowest as: smoke and heat (35.80%), difficulty in use (21.8%), cost of cooking systems (6.8%), faulty parts (3.1%), and fuel availability (2.90%). About 83% of the respondents have no idea of the use of charcoal as a soil amendment tool (biochar), which presents an opportunity to educate the communities about the potential of biochar to improve soil fertility and quality. This paper therefore recommends that future cookstove designers, researchers and biochar programs implementers consider elimination of smoke and heat as well as fuel availability ahead of the other factors considered in the design of cookstoves.

Scientific African, 2021

Charred briquettes production is a sustainable way of producing cooking fuel from waste. Unsustai... more Charred briquettes production is a sustainable way of producing cooking fuel from waste. Unsustainable harvesting of wood for fuel production has contributed immensely to the rapid deforestation in Ghana. This study determined the potential of charred briquettes of sawdust, rice and coconut husks in meeting cooking energy needs of households. In a further step, the acceptability of biomass users in the study to replace their current fuels with charred briquettes was established. The calorific value of the charred briquettes was found to be 24.69 MJ/kg. The highest combustion efficiency of briquettes was determined as 34.7% when a multi-feed gasifier stove (MFGS) was used. There were 14% and 80% reduction in particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions, respectively when briquettes was used instead of charcoal in the MFGS. The analysis of the production cost of briquettes revealed that 1 kg of briquettes should be sold at Gh¢ 2.48 in order to make a 10% profit. The user acceptabi...

Biomass energy as an alternative source of energy promises to be a more sustainable replacement o... more Biomass energy as an alternative source of energy promises to be a more sustainable replacement of depleting fossil energy supplies and exhibits the potential for energy independence in emerging economies because biomass resources used for producing biomass energy, especially lignocellulosic wastes are much easily obtained and processed for energy. Despite the limitations of the current biomass energy production technologies, in terms of resource potential, greenhouse gas emission reduction, ease of application and economic viability, there is considerable interest in biomass gasification. Over the years lots of gasification technologies have been developed worldwide. This study examines gasification technologies that have been presented by different authors for the last 35 years with emphasis on the situation in Ghana. The study found out that small scale, direct heating and fixed bed gasification devices are more suitable for the Ghanaian energy sector. For electrical power produc...

This work established the suitability of Oxytenanthera abyssinica (OTAB) for the design of below ... more This work established the suitability of Oxytenanthera abyssinica (OTAB) for the design of below knee prosthesis pylons. This paper performed three types of test (bending, compressive and torsion) to establish the mechanical properties of OTAB. Untreated samples of OTAB were kept in an open space for a month and sliced for the bending and torsion tests. However cylindrical culms were used for the compressive test. The young modulus of elasticity established by this work is in the range of 2.68 GPa to 9.65 GPa. The yield strength obtained ranges from 42 to 45 MPa.The torsional strength of the test specimen was also found to range from 333 MPa to 380 MPa.OTAB, a relatively cheap bamboo mostly grown in developing countries,is found to possess all the mechanical properties required for prosthetic materials and even proves to be better than some of the conventional prosthetic pylon materials.

Globally, the level of common knowledge about the positive correlation between renewable energy e... more Globally, the level of common knowledge about the positive correlation between renewable energy exploitation and climate change mitigation as well as the devastating effects of global warming (climate change) and the non-exhaustiveness of renewable energy resources should be enough motivation for poor countries with significant untapped amount of renewable energy resources to exploit them because of their vulnerability to climate change. Most poor developing countries with huge endowment of renewable energy resources have no strong excuse for not developing these resources into energy conversion facilities since most of their infrastructures are built with long-term loans which are relatively easy to secure than to generate revenue internally. This paper seeks to establish the fact that Ghana is endowed with relatively significant wind resource and has the necessary infrastructure that makes wind power generation a viable venture in the country. Ghana has a gross wind resource poten...

Modelling and Simulation in Engineering

This research presents a study on the heat transfer coefficient for an unglazed solar plate colle... more This research presents a study on the heat transfer coefficient for an unglazed solar plate collector in an unsteady humid outdoor environment. The purpose for undertaking this research is to investigate the correlation between the heat transfer coefficient and air speed and also verify whether heat transfer from unglazed solar thermal collectors under outdoor conditions can be experimentally determined using a particular mathematical relationship for different locations. In estimating the heat transfer coefficient for an unglazed solar plate in an unsteady humid outdoor condition, an experiment was held using an outdoor setup that measured temperatures, wind speeds, and solar radiations from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. The solar plate collector was placed on a flat bed of height 2.2 m and a collection area of 0743 m2. An average temperature of 45°C was recorded for a mild steel plate collector which was initially exposed to an ambient temperature which ranges from 25°C to 32°C. The int...

Open Journal of Modelling and Simulation

The provision of economic resources to countries at the shore of Gulf of Guinea is a very importa... more The provision of economic resources to countries at the shore of Gulf of Guinea is a very important effort that has helped West Africa to develop to some extent. Taking the study area as a system it will be important to know the dynamics that occur in it to help neighouring countries predict its physical and thermodynamics states at all times. Ghana is located in West Africa and it is bordered in the south by the Gulf of Guinea or Atlantic Ocean. The objective of this research is to characterize the hydrodynamic circulation of the Gulf of Guinea areas neighouring Ghana. A 3-Dimensional hydrodynamic model was implemented in the territorial waters of Ghana using the Modelo Hidrodinâmico, MOHID model to represent the dynamics and study the complex circulation pattern of the sea. To achieve this in an affordable computational time, nested domain approach was used to implement the hydrodynamic model in both 2 and 3-Dimensional gridded levels. The first level is a barotropic model with only tide. The nested domains of the rest of the levels are baroclinic forced with atmospheric and oceanic elements. To quantify its accuracy, the model was validated and calibrated in three stages; first, the frequency of the water level, followed by the circulation pattern and last, analysing the nature and profiles of the atmospheric and oceanic elements. The implemented model showed good agreement with the measured water surface level in the domain with mean error values not exceeding 14.00% of the measured data and with correlation factors higher than 0.80. Also, the intensity and direction of velocity observed in the current data are well represented by the model at the water surface levels with mean errors lower than 20.00% of the measured data components. The profiles obtained for both the temperature and salinity at shore show completely a straight line for salinity and also a straight line which is slightly curved at the top for the temperature profile. The vertical straight line for the salinity profile shows that at the shore the waters are not stratified vertically or they are well mixed. The slight curve at the top of the temperature graph accounts for the mixing dy