Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR) (original) (raw)

Papers by Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

Health and safety are a major concern in developing countries like Nigeria. In the hospitality in... more Health and safety are a major concern in developing countries like Nigeria. In the hospitality industry, recreational parks pose a whole lot of risks to all. The rides and games in amusement parks are becoming sophisticated day by day, thereby creating atmospheres where accidents and injuries are becoming rampant. Hence a high degree of safety is essential for all and more reason why this research was set up. In this study, the safety measures of an amusement park, Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park and Resort were evaluated with the aim of providing risk mitigation best practices in amusement parks. In this analysis, firstly a survey was conducted to assess current health and safety activities via the use of survey questionnaires. Then, operational hazard analysis document was proposed to identify likely hazards and proffer mitigating steps. A standard hazard policy was also formulated. Finally, some recommendations were postulated to improve and enhance existing legal framework.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

Different industries come with different accidents and incidences. The hospitality sector is not ... more Different industries come with different accidents and incidences. The hospitality sector is not left out of this and in spite of efforts geared towards ensuring zero records of casualties, recreational parks in this sector still has a record of incidences that is fast becoming worrisome and a major concern to all, especially the management of such parks. In this study, the safety measures of an amusement park were evaluated with the aim of providing risk mitigation best practices in amusement parks. In this analysis, firstly a survey was conducted to assess current health and safety activities via the use of survey questionnaires and carefully analysed the data collected. Here, out of 126 respondents, 75% spends a minimum of 3 hours in the park. Also, it reveals that about 87% have had a cause to report safety concerns in the park. Despite the availability of safety signs and rules as indicated by majority of the respondents, 48% reported about customers who had injuries while using the rides and games. A standard hazard policy was also formulated, which consists of safety guidelines for both operations of the park and maintenance of rides and games.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

The inspiration behind this design came from the festivals, wastage in malls, canteens and partie... more The inspiration behind this design came from the festivals, wastage in malls, canteens and parties where people gather and consume a lot of canned drinks and these cans have to be recycled and be further used by the industries. The design of an aluminium can crusher was carried out to effectively crush aluminium cans of 33cl to obtain a percentage reduction in length of 70% which increases the production rate of aluminum cans by using the crushed cans as scraps and reduces environmental pollution resulting from aluminum cans waste. Construction of the machine was achieved. This machine when commercialized will certainly meet the need of various industries that are into production of aluminium cans and also for individuals who desire to be entrepreneurs in the area of recycling of aluminium cans. The crusher has the capacity to crush one can per second. The machine's test performance was found to be 77.5%.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

Pounded yam is a staple starchy food enjoyed by many West African countries. Traditionally, the y... more Pounded yam is a staple starchy food enjoyed by many West African countries. Traditionally, the yam is mashed using a pestle in a mortar, a process that requires significant physical effort and is typically performed by housewives who often lack the necessary strength for this laborious task. Additionally, this traditional method generates excessive sweat and noise, making it unsanitary. This study aims to design and fabricate a yam pounding machine that hygienically processes pounded yam, eliminates the strenuous manual labour, and reduces processing time. During the machine's design and construction, several factors were considered, including the electric motor's power, machine capacity, effectiveness, material availability, and maintenance. The machine was constructed using stainless steel, mild steel, pulleys, belts, bearings, and shafts. Specifically, a type A37 V-belt was used, the bowl's depth is 160 mm, and the beater's dimensions are 73 x 30 x 3 mm. Testing with two different types of yams demonstrated that the yam pounding machine produced hygienic and well-processed pounded yam in less time. The machine completely eliminated the laborious manual pounding process, achieving an efficiency of 88.171%, which is commendable for a locally fabricated machine.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

In recent years, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Nigeria has seen a quantum increa... more In recent years, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Nigeria has seen a quantum increase in number of schools with the establishment of SLIT, SCIT, SESET and Medical school. This has resulted in construction of new buildings with consequential increase in electricity demand which cannot be adequately provided for by existing distribution network of FUTO. The school management in its effort to increase power generation has gotten the support of Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria and its Alumni Association to provide large scale solar – based renewable energy and new 132/33kV substation respectively. With this expected increased generation, there is dire – need to provide improved distribution network that will accommodate the new energy intake. In this work, a new network is designed. Presently, FUTO has an 11/33kV substation at Bakassi from where power is distributed to various departments and units. The designed systems power flow equations were modelled using modified Gauss – Seidal method and thereafter simulated using ETAP software. Result showed that the peak load period in the University is between 1400 – 1600 hours. During rainy season, hydro from Otamiri river inside FUTO serving as a micro – dam proves to be preferred source. The hostel which accounts for over 22.5% of the load is recommended for the use of diesel generator at night if the utility is not available. This ensures that the battery storage system recommended for security lights around the university lasts longer.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

In turning, many parameters like cutting speed, depth of cut, feed rate, cutting tool geometry, c... more In turning, many parameters like cutting speed, depth of cut, feed rate, cutting tool geometry, cutting temperatures and cutting conditions that affect cutting performance measures, such as, cutting temperature, tool life, cutting force, surface roughness of the machined surface are frequently considered for experimental studies.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024

The provision of affordable and clean energy, SDG 7 is one of the seventeen sustainable developme... more The provision of affordable and clean energy, SDG 7 is one of the seventeen sustainable development goals, which is paramount in most countries in Africa such as Nigeria because it plays a vital role in socioeconomic development. The use of waste materials and non-edible underutilized seed oil such as spotted melon (Lagenaria breviflora) will help minimize these challenges. Hence, the need to extract the oil from this non-edible seed. The extraction efficiency of n-hexane, is dependent on factors such as the particle size of solute material, extraction time, etc. This study is aimed at evaluating the operating variables that would give an optimum yield of Lagenaria breviflora seed oil (LbSO) and to study the effect of the interaction of these factors. A central composite design (CCD) response surface methodology (RSM) was used for the optimization study while statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the significance of the variables for the process. The variables considered for this study were temperature (o C), sample weight (g), and extraction time (min.). The physical and chemical properties of the extracted LbSO were determined using standard methods which included the Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The RSM analyses results showed that the three variables have a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the yield of LbSO, with R 2 = 0.9725 and Adj. R 2 = 0.9477 which showed a good fitness of a second (quadratic) order model. Based on this model, optimal operating variables investigated for the extraction process were established as temperature 63.92 o C, sample weight 60.14 g and extraction time of 3.39 hrs, which gave a yield of 22.80% LbSO. The Physico-chemical properties of the extracted LbSO showed that it is a suitable raw material for industrial purposes such production of biodiesel, bio-lubricant, soaps, glycerol, detergents, etc. The EDXRF analysis of the LbSO extracted meal revealed the presence of SiO2 (27.23%), K2O (24.11%), CaO (3.46%), and Al2O3 (3.93 %,) which can be enhanced for the production of heterogeneous catalyst for the production of biodiesel.

This study focused on investigation of the effects of flow rate on velocity and pressure head usi... more This study focused on investigation of the effects of flow rate on velocity and pressure head using venturi flow meter. The H5 bench venturi flow meter was used in the experimental investigation to characterize the measurement of flow rate in a pipe and improve the computation of the flow rate, velocity head and pressure head. Obtained results show that the mean flow rate, velocity, velocity head, pressure head and time of fluid flow were 0.0002982m³/s, 2.3350m/s, 45.383mm, 28.0417mm and 33.083seconds respectively, while their Standard Error Mean were 0.00002516 m³/s, 0.71741m/s, 17.6885mm, 4.56812mm and 3.0128seconds respectively. The interaction between time and pressure head, time and velocity head, time & flow rate shows a strong negative correlation of-0.696,-0.790 and-0.980 respectively at significance values of 0.124, 0.061 and 0.001. While the interaction between flow rate & velocity head, flow rate & pressure head, velocity & velocity head, velocity & pressure head, velocity head & pressure head, time & flow rate, and flow rate & velocity shows a strong positive correlation of 0.885, 0.725, 0.936, 0.966, 0.845 and 0.819 respectively at significance values of 0.019, 0.103, 0.006, 0.002, 0.034 and 0.046. These results showed that the flow rate of fluid contributes significantly to both the pressure and velocity head of flow. The venturi meter analyses show the relationship between pressure losses and variation of pressure and velocity at different cross-sectional area of the piping system used in transportation of fluid especially in the oil and gas industry.

This study investigates the potentials of yam peels, potato peels, cassava peels and plantain pee... more This study investigates the potentials of yam peels, potato peels, cassava peels and
plantain peels in microbial production of ethanol. The wastes were subjected to microbiological
and chemical analysis. The microbiological analysis was done using pour plate isolation method
according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standards. The isolated
microorganisms were identified based on their cultural, morphological and biochemical
characteristics. Ethanol production was assayed using appropriate chemical method. Our
experimental result showed that the total viable bacterial counts was highest in cassava with a
count of 2.2 10 cfu / g 4  while lowest bacterial counts was observed in potato, with a count of
0.9 10 cfu / g 4  . Total viable fungal counts were highest in cassava with a count of
0.9 10 cfu / g 4  and lowest in potato, with a count of 0.4 10 cfu / g 4  . Bacterial isolates
identified includes bacillus sp., Corynebacterium sp., Pseudomonas sp., Micrococcus sp. and
Lactobacillus sp. Fungal isolated includes Penicillium sp., Aspergillus niger.,
Sachaccharomyces sp. The highest occurring bacterial isolate were bacillus sp. and
Corynebacterium sp. with percentage occurrence of 50% each. Lactobacillus sp. and
Pseudomonas sp. were the least occurring bacterial isolates with 25% distribution. The highest
occurring fungal isolate was Aspergillus niger (75%) while the least was Penicillium sp (25%).
The amount of reducing sugar recovered from the samples ranged from 11.29-46.00 mg/ml. In
ethanol yield, potato substrate had more amount of ethanol (2.50 ml) while plantain substrate
has the least amount of ethanol (0.98 ml). Alcohol number ranged from 1.0 – 3.0, with potato
being the highest while plantain the lowest. This study revealed that important industrial
materials can be produce using agricultural wastes by microorganisms.

The Saghara field is located in OML 43, Warri South of greater Forcados area in the coastal swamp... more The Saghara field is located in OML 43, Warri South of greater Forcados area in the coastal swamp depobelt. It has a total of 8 wells of which two wells have been abandoned. Gross oil production to Saghara flowstation is 30,000 barrels per day. The Saghara associated gas is part of the wider Otumara node associated gas solution project conceived to reduce gas flaring. Otumara oil wells producing into Saghara flowstation were rerouted back to Otumara flowstation. The methodology for the study involved mothballing of the existing flowstation through the installation of new inlet manifold. Fabrication of bulk and testlines done offshore with associated tie-ins and manifold. Major findings of the project study included new bulkline of 6" x 5km and testline of 4" x 5km laid for Saghara flowstation. This was connected into Otumara flowstation including all associated tie-ins and manifold works to harvest associated gas from the Saghara field. Installation of 21km fibre optic cable from Saghara wells to Otumara Central Processing Facility was for data transmission from the wells. Welding of the bulklines, flowlines, tie-ins and hook ups done with floatation method. The pipeline was routed through salt marsh, mangrove, phoenix swamp of Sagbara area. Mothballing, in-situ preservation of the flowstation and the 8" oil delivery line from Saghara to Trans-Forcados Pipeline (TFP) fabricated offshore installed. 4" and 6" pig launching, receiving facilities and tie-in at Saghara flowstation facilitated comingling of the wells. The bulk and flowlines were hydrostatically tested with no leakage recorded. SPM ranged from 0.62-1.62 μg/m 3 in the wet season compared to 9.56-22.14 μg/m 3 in the dry season, Furthermore, TSP ranged from 0.98-2.00 μg/m 3 in the wet season compared to 14.09-30.01 μg/m 3 in the dry season. Gas flaring will reduce to almost few thousand scf/d from the 1,750,000 scf/d with this new technological innovation and if replicated in this Sagbara or other areas with little or no environmental effects.

Currently, open dumpsites are used to dispose of the majority of municipal solid waste (MSW) prod... more Currently, open dumpsites are used to dispose of the majority of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in Nigerian cities and towns, which has detrimental effects on the environment. Combining mechanical and heat treatment for municipal solid waste is known as mechanical heat treatment. Food waste (FW) was gathered for this study, sorted, and then fed into a shredding machine to reduce the particle sizes. A portion of the shredded FW weighing 10 kg was fed into an autoclave. For one hour, the autoclave was kept at the required pressure range of 17 psi to 21 psi and temperature range of 121 °C to 127 °C. The wet digested slurry was transferred to a laboratory oven and dried at 105°C for 24 hours to eliminate all moisture after the autoclaving procedure. Physical and chemical properties of the FW were also evaluated, such as bulk density, weight, volume, pH, C/N ratio, total organic carbon (TOC), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN). The bulk density of the food waste was discovered to be nearly constant both before and after shredding. Moreover, the thermal hydrolysis of organic matter caused the pH of the treated FW to drop. Additionally, it was found that the autoclaving process increased the TOC content of FW.

̇-The mass flow rate Cp-Specific heat T0-Outlet temperature of working fluid. Ti-Inlet temperatur... more ̇-The mass flow rate Cp-Specific heat T0-Outlet temperature of working fluid. Ti-Inlet temperature of working fluid. Ap-Area of the absorber plate FR-Heat removal factor Ta-Ambient temperature UI-Overall heat loss coefficient IT-Incident solar radiation τα-The transmittance absorptance product F'-Collector efficiency factor Q-Heat transfer rate (kJ/h)

The aim of this study was to design, fabricate and evaluate a low cost briquetting machine that w... more The aim of this study was to design, fabricate and evaluate a low cost briquetting machine that would convert biomass material into briquettes for domestic use. This study was birthed as a result of the potentials of the sugarcane bagasse in large quantities that has not been tapped in Zaria and its environs thereby offering numerous benefits such as waste management, source of energy, employment and entrepreneurship, pollution control and preservation of forest resources. Components of the briquetting machine include hopper, frame, screw shaft, bearings, compression chamber and pressing cylinder or die. A 3 hp electric motor was used to drive the machine. It was evaluated using sugarcane bagasse mixed with cassava starch as binder at different biomass-binder ratio of 7:2.5, 7:3 and 7:4 by volume. The physical characteristics of the briquettes produced were also evaluated according to the proportion of the starch binder used. Results obtained shows that the mean output capacity of the machine was 4.1 kg/h, 3.5 kg/h and 3.67 kg/h with the three biomass-binder ratios respectively. Briquette at binder ratio 7:2.5 was observed to crumble more easily than the others binder ratios. Flame test also shows that the rate of burning decreases as the binder content increases. The briquettes produced was burnt without sparks, smokeless and does not produce irritating smell. They also ignite easily and took relatively long before they were extinguished. The study found sugarcane bagasse briquette as suitable replacement for wood fuel.

Photovoltaic (PV) system soiling losses have been proven to vary between areas and time. These lo... more Photovoltaic (PV) system soiling losses have been proven to vary between areas and time. These losses can add a lot of unpredictability to the output of a PV system. With a greater understanding and predictability of these losses, the variability of PV system output, operation, and maintenance costs associated with cleaning systems might be better understood. Due to the nonavailability of solar radiation measuring equipment at the meteorological stations, especially in developing countries, it is essential to deploy the usage of machine learning algorithms to predict the performance of PV systems under soiling conditions. In this work, a comparative performance analysis of two promising Techniques: Hammerstein-Weiner (H-W) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) is presented. Data used in this work was gathered from the University of Abuja's Faculty of Engineering, Nigeria. These two unique models are simple to use and are an upgrade to the existing models in the literature. The models' prediction accuracy were assessed using metrics such as the R and R 2 while the error analysis was conducted using MSE and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The results revealed the models developed in this work performed well in estimating the predicted power of a soiled PV module with minimal error. H-W model has a better performance in the training phase with R and R 2 having 0.9904 and 0.9809 respectively in training and testing respectively. However, the ANFIS model recorded a better performance of 0.9735 and 0.9477 for R and R 2 respectively in the testing phase.

Sugarcane is one of the world's foremost cash crops, and sugarcane planting and mechanization are... more Sugarcane is one of the world's foremost cash crops, and sugarcane planting and mechanization are the development trends of the industry. Sugarcane planting with traditional methods is costly, time-consuming, and the necessary compression of buds in the field is not achieved easily because of stalk planting in sugarcane. Nevertheless, most of the planting machines in the world do not have the function of bud prevention. The bud chip technology holds great promise for the rapid multiplication of new cane varieties. However, important operating and performance evaluation parameters of the machine are required for proper development of a prototype machine. Therefore, this present research work is focused on the empirical design of a sugarcane bud cutter. In designing the prototype sugarcane bud cutter, the focus was on design considerations and requirements, material selection and justification, and mathematical modelling of the useful parameters using established mathematical and mechanics of machine equations. The result of connecting rod force and the force along sliding which are obtained from the crank and connecting rod is high as compared to the length of the crank and connecting rod. Angular velocity and acceleration have a defined relationship with each other. Besides, it was established that a minimum cutting force, torque, and power of 504.23 N, 33.18 Nm, and 2 hp are required.

Load forecasting is one of the most reliable strategies for improving or facilitating effective p... more Load forecasting is one of the most reliable strategies for improving or facilitating effective planning, suitable operation, and adequate management of surges in electrical energy demand. Load forecasting is an integral part of electric power operation, planning, and maintenance. Machine learning algorithms have been applied in several fields of engineering to forecast quantities with a higher degree of accuracy when compared to other techniques. In this work, Machine Leaning algorithms: Feed Forward Neural Network (FNNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) were used to forecast load demand in Abuja, Nigeria. The data was obtained from Photovoltaic Geographical Information System. Data for fifteen years was obtained, it was divided into three parts modeling, thirteen years for training, one year for validation, and one year for testing. Two techniques of cross-validation were utilized to guarantee there was no overfitting or underfitting in the training, validation, and testing data. Results showed that FNNN performed better than LSTM based on RMSE and MAE. The RMSE of LSTM and FFNN, on average, was found to be 110.81 and 104.34, respectively. The MAE for LSTM and FNNN was found to be 57.08 and 55.04, respectively. The persistence model consistently performs poorly in all cases. As a result, solar irradiance from the previous day has a minimal correlation with solar irradiance from the day ahead.

In this paper, experiments are conducted on CNC milling AISI D2 material using minimum quantity l... more In this paper, experiments are conducted on CNC milling AISI D2 material using minimum quantity lubrication technique under modified Simarouba oil as straight cutting fluid. Cutting force, Surface roughness value (Ra), Tool wear and Temperature is studied for the evaluation. The results under the Simarouba oil are compared with the results milled under conventional mineral oil. The experimental results show that the cutting forces are dropped by about 5% under modified Simarouba oil compared to mineral oil. About 13% drop in Surface roughness value (Ra) are noticed under formulated Simarouba oil. Also 3% drop in Tool wear is noticed under Simarouba oil. Further, a marginal drop in tool temperature is noticed under the modified vegetable oil (Simarouba) mode of lubrication.

Home appliances in our homes, like air conditioners, refrigerators, lighting points and Televisio... more Home appliances in our homes, like air conditioners, refrigerators, lighting points and Televisions are more enjoyable when they are controlled from anywhere around the world. This can be achieved through home automation. Automation is a method or technique in which electronic systems and communication protocols are used in reducing human involvement in certain operations for more flexibility, accuracy and speed. The problem of electrical fire in homes due to forgetfulness and inability to switch off electrical appliances from far distance has causes loss of properties and energy in Nigeria. This study aimed at developing a dual tone multi-frequency signaling system combined with manual switches for use in automatic and manual control of home appliances in Nigeria. The objective was to design a DTMF Home automation system and test the built system on Testing board component by component with a view to ascertain its workability before placing on the permanent board for soldering. Design and implementation method was employed. The final result was that the connected appliances were controlled with a mobile phone from a distance approximately 400km away from the appliances. The appliances were also controlled with a Manual switch attached to the system. The system works like a two-way switch in which one end is manual switching while the other end is automation control via mobile phone (DTMF signaling). Voltage measurements were taken from important points of the system to determine the electrical behavior of the major components used in the system when in operation and when not in operation. The system was able to control three light bulbs which represented different appliances.

Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR)., 2024