ABSTRACT Energy study was conducted in an organic fertilizer production plant in Nigeria, to determine the energy consumption patterns and the associated costs for the production of both powdered and pelletised fertilizer. Analysis was conducted for a daily production of 9000 kg of the finished products. Eight and nine defined unit operations were required for production of powder and pellets, respectively. The electrical and manual energy required for the production of powder were 94.5 and 5...
ABSTRACT The properties of cast iron grade GL 250 are dependent on the microstructures developed during casting. These microstructures are in turn dependent on the composition of the alloy, type of mould and other numerous casting practice variables such as shake-out time, pouring temperature, mould ambient conditions and inoculating technique. In this work, the effect of silicon content and shake-out time on the grain size (GS) and hardness properties of GL 250 cast iron was studied using a ...
The prediction of emission characteristics of sawdust particles immediately after the cutting operation from the interaction of band saw's blade and plank is a growing research area. Still, a wide gap exists with respect to understanding the behaviour of sawdust particles as they collide with one another. Previous efforts have focused on non-collision states of sawdust particles. However, in real life, collision of particles must occur, with several particles colliding after the cutting opera...
ABSTRACT Lead absorption poses a great threat to the health of workers in printing presses where commercial publishing is done. A case example is the commercial printing operations in Lagos, Nigeria. Since regular exposure to lead dusts could result in lead poisoning, complications that could cause death of victims, monitoring and controlling lead absorption of operators is essential for the maintenance of workers’ health and for the avoidance of the risk of incurring heavy losses due to li...
ABSTRACT An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for the analysis and prediction of the relationship between cutting and process parameters during high-speed turning of nickel-based, Inconel 718, alloy. The input parameters of the ANN model are the cutting parameters: speed, feed rate, depth of cut, cutting time, and coolant pressure. The output parameters of the model are seven process parameters measured during the machining trials, namely tangential force (cutting force, Fz)...
ABSTRACT This research work investigated the corrosion resistance of nickel- plated medium carbon steel and 18/8 stainless steel in cassava fluid (i.e. containing hydrogen cyanide). It simulated the effect of continuous use of the materials in a cyanide environment where corrosion products are left in place. Low carbon steel sample was nickel electroplated at 4V for 35 minutes. The plated sample, the unplated and the 18/8 stainless steel were then subjected to a cassava fluid environment for ...
ABSTRACT In semiautomated orange fruits canning factories, the concept of bouncing ball seems applicable to the raw material transformation process in which fresh hits are passed through conveyors from the supply station (feed station) on factory floor to an elevated height where processed hits are translated, ready for sales to customers. The motion of these oranges is similar to a ball constrained to an accelerating lift tabletop. As the orange ball drops onto the surface of the upward carr...
This study utilized fractal disk dimension characterization to investigate the system response of a nonlinear, harmonically driven pendulum of mass, m (or weight. W) and length I over a well-defined parameter plane of excitation amplitude versus damping factor. The system response was simulated at three drive frequencies (symbol,*) of 1/3, 2/3 and 313. A Runge-Kutta fourth order algorithm, coded in FORTRAN programming language was used to simulate the System response over a 101 by 101 para...
In this work, modifications have been done on a prototype pneumatic separator to improve its efficiency. The effects of the modifications were studied by carrying out performance test analyses on the two blowers and reciprocating sieve mechanism which make up the critical components of the separating machine. The variations in the feed weights of the sieve were analysed to determine the best and most effective screening process. Also, the best and least tilt angles of the blowers were co...
In certain parts of the country and the globe, a consistent and steady supply of power is still scarce and inaccessible. In such places, this work will support refrigeration of nourishments, food, medications, etc... The results of such empirical research to assess the efficiency of household refrigerators is discussed in this article where melted petroleum gas (LPG) which is locally accessible comprising of 24.4% propane, 56.4% butane, and 17.2% isobutene varying from company to comp...
Wind energy is abundant, inexhaustible, affordable, environmentally preferable, and equally sustainable. More researches are emerging in the analysis of wind energy in Nigeria and each have proven that great potential exist for wind power generation in Nigeria but sufficient results is yet to be achieved in terms of application. The present research is intended to apply the technology of wind energy for pumping of water in rural Nigeria. To achieve this, a Savonius vertical axis wind turbine ...
The demand for EN8 mild steel in the industry is high due to its integral mechanical properties. However, conventional machining of EN8 mild steel is a challenging task. In this research work, prediction and optimization of EN8 mild steel Material Removal Rate (MRR) and Surface Roughness (Ra) using Response Surface Methodology (R.S. M) were investigated. The dimension of the EN8 mild steel material was 0.12 m diameter and 0.08 m in length. The turning operation of the ENS mild steel was carri...
Solar energy is the energy that is in sunlight. It has been used for thousands of years inmany different ways by people all over the world. As well as its traditional human usesin heating, cooking, and drying, it is used today to make electricity where other powersupplies are absent, such as in remote places and in space. It is becoming cheaper to makeelectricity from solar energy and in many situations it is now competitive with energyfrom coal or oil. A solar cooker can be used for cooking ...
In this paper, the design and fabrication of a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling machine was undertaken. It was designed to wash a set of two (2) 75cl used PET bottles in 10 seconds. The washing, rinsing and sterilizing chambers were made of stainless steel. The rotational wash brushes were made of plastic bristles, and the machine runs on a single phase electric motor with a washing speed of 470 rpm. After fabrication and testing, results obtained showed a set of two (2) 75cl...
This research work is aimed at the performance evaluation of biomass briquette from elephant and spear grass in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The grasses were dried, pulverized and compressed by the briquetting machine to produce the briquettes. The performance evaluation shown that elephant and spear grass briquettes had a good compressive strength between 2.0N/mm2 and 1.2N/mm2; ash content (5.18% and 6.13%) and calorific values (15013.9KJ/Kg and 15990.0KJ/Kg) respectively. The briquettes ...