Engineering Headway Vol. 2

Abstract: Cement dust is principal industrial waste that exhibits detrimental effects on soil properties especially the nitrogen content of the soil. This study investigated the total Nitrogen and Nitrate value of the soil and dust collected in thirteen (13) different locations around Ewekoro Limestone Quarry and Cement Production. The results showed that the total nitrogen value ranges between 0.093ppm and 0.037ppm while the nitrate value ranged from 145.25ppm - 66.50ppm in the soil samples. Also, the total nitrogen in the dust particulate samples was from 0.950-0.100ppm while the nitrate value ranged from 63.00ppm-28.00pm. The value of total nitrogen value and nitrate around Ewekoro Quarry is relatively lower than the value obtained at Ososun, the control location which is about 10km away from Quarry. Duncann Multiple range tests revealed that soil samples collected from Alaguntan, Ajegunle, Arigbajo, Papa Lanto, Rail km 53, Waasinmi Alaafia, Apomu, Isofin Orile, Quarry, were significantly different in total nitrogen from the control sample (Ososun). In contrast, soil samples collected from Ayepe, Lapeleke, and Agbesi do not differ significantly in total Nitrogen from the soil sample. Also, the result of the correlation matrix indicated that there is a significant positive correlation between total nitrogen, conductivity, and depth at (<0.05), while there is a negative correlation but non-significant relationship between soil depth, pH, clay content, and total nitrogen. It is possible that the reduced level of nitrogen around the quarry location compared with the control site must have been due to the effect of cement duct particulates.

Abstract: The work presented here explores how air pollutants form and the prominent thermodynamic opportunities to reduce pollutants formation and emission during internal combustion process. The paper reviews the internal combustion engine operating cycles and discusses the relationship between the formation of pollutants and the engine’s energy management. Octane was used to model gasoline along with a petrol generator used to represent 4-stroke petrol engines. A set of thermodynamic equations were used to approximate the rate of heat transfer and the composition of exhaust gases at varying nitrogen-to-oxygen feed composition. Lowering the N₂ content in the feed air significantly decreases the overall exhaust content of NOx and CO and improves the engine’s power output. The model emphasizes the ability of retrofitting traditional internal combustion engines with a molecular air filter as a promising strategy for reducing the exhausts’ emissions whilst improving the energy performance of the internal combustion process.

Abstract: One of Africa's biggest problems, which has an impact on its social and economic growth, is its lack of access to electricity. Due to its reliance on coal, South Africa (SA) has been acknowledged as one of the nations in Sub-Saharan Africa that has had difficulty developing its energy infrastructure. South Africa is the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Africa due to its dependence on coal. The nation has been forced to switch to cleaner energy technologies like solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, and hydropower. However, as South Africa made the move from an energy based on fossil fuels to renewable energy technology (RET), it encountered both obstacles and opportunities. The review will examined the difficulties that South Africa faces, including governmental regulations, budgetary restrictions, technological issues, lack of awareness, and cultural issues. Furthermore, some of the enormous prospects for RET that exist in the nation, including solar, wind, and biomass, was also discussed.

Abstract: Copper and its salt are remarkably non-toxic to mammalian tissue. It is possible to ingest a large number of soluble copper salts such as copper sulphide to produce intoxication, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramp. Copper salts are widely employed in agriculture and veterinary practice. Copper is an essential trace element in life and is a component of several metalloenzymes and other proteins such as cytochrome oxidase, heamocyanin, lysin oxidase, ascorbate oxidase and amine oxidase. When copper is present in the body above a particular dosage of greater than 100ppm in rats, it becomes fatal to rats. Copper is transported by blood, and is distributed to tissue and organs which have different retention capacities with the highest level of copper found in the liver, kidney, spleen and lungs. This study investigated the toxicological effect of copper in the liver and kidney of animals, using albino rats as the experimental animal. The serum chemistry report showed that the protein value of the liver homogenate for most of the experimental rats was higher than that of the control whereas the value of globulin for the control was similar to that of the experimental rats. The kidney homogenate revealed that Calcium ion has higher contents in the experimental rats than that in the control. In conclusion, the effect of copper varies with the groups of rats as compared to the control.

Abstract: This study focuses on the design and construction of an improved crushing machine with a capacity of 0.15 (150 kg/hr) tons per hour, 15 Hp, and 2910 rpm speed. The design follows criterion design guidelines to ensure the improved service life of the component. When the values produced from the current design approach were contrasted with the values and outcomes received from the analysis using the Ansys package, the design should be reliable. The hammers produced are subjected to carburisation process using bio-wastes such as coconut shells, saw dust, and palm kernel shells to enhance the reliability of the machine. The bending of the shaft is controlled during the rotation at rated speed rpm when a load is applied to the shaft. The critical speed of the shaft is experienced with deflection when the shaft rotates freely. The natural frequency and speed were put under check in order to avoid failure. The von Mises stress was employed as a yielding criterion for the shaft. It states that if the components of stress operating on a body are more than the criterion, the body will yield.

Abstract: The research study employed the method of lifting to design a cassava lifting unit and its performance was evaluated using the power-take-off (PTO) of the tractor at 540 rpm speed and transmitted via the reduction gearbox of ratio 19:1 then to the driving mechanism (chain and sprocket) which drives the lifting discs to perform the third stage of harvesting cassava. The field test was conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Akure Ondo State. Nigeria teaching and research farm with one variety of cassava (sweet cassava). The tests were conducted at 1m interval spacing to evaluate the effect of different levels of parameters on the performance of the implement. Forward speed, depth of cut, and soil moisture content (clayey-loam soil) were the parameters that varied. The harvester was operated at forward speeds of 2.0 km/h, 4.0 km/h, and 6.0 km/h, depth of cut 30 cm, 32 cm, 34 cm, and soil moisture content of 15 %, 17.5 %, and 20.15 % (wet basis) using a moisture meter. The parameters kept constant were, soil type, variety of cassava, and lifting speed. The field capacity or harvesting rate which is the area harvested per unit time was also measured. The lifting efficiency is high at an optimum moisture content of 20 % wet basis. The optimum forward speed and depth of cut for an efficient lifting of the cassava was 4 km/h and 34 cm at 60 % moisture content and soil penetration resistance was taken on the first day twice (morning and evening) at different depths. The final reading was taken three days after which rain had fallen. The increase in lifting efficiency and percentage of tubers harvested was 75% at optimum forward speed and soil moisture. Thus, the result showed that there is an improvement in the harvesting approach and method. Keywords: Cassava, Harvester, Lifting, Unit, Optimisation, Optimum. Corresponding Author: bosemosunmola@yahoo.com

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of mixing ratio and temperature on the electrical conductivity of a GNP-Al2O3 hybrid nanofluid. The results showed that an increase in the mixing ratio reduced the electrical conductivity ratio of the nanofluid, while an increase in temperature improved the electrical conductivity ratio. Additionally, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used to predict the electrical conductivity of the nanofluid based on the mixing ratio and temperature. The optimal number of neurons in the hidden layer was found to be four neurons, with a low root mean square error (RMSE) value of 0.00696. The regression plot for the training, validation, and test data exhibited high correlation coefficients, indicating the reliability of the ANN model. These findings provide valuable insights into the behaviour of hybrid nanofluids and highlight the potential of using ANN for predicting their electrical conductivity.

Abstract: Application of lean manufacturing (LM) principles within the manufacturing industry extends back several decades to drive efficiency and reduce waste across complex production lines. The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as “Industry 4.0” technology is transforming the LM processes to promote the manufacturing industry. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been identified as a technology with great potential to create a longstanding impact on the manufacturing world and is a core component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Many successful industries have achieved outstanding performance by integrating LM principles at the core of their corporate transformation. Of recent, AM and 3D printing has been identified as a technology that is revolutionizing LM principles in the following ways: easier prototyping, easily customize products, shorter lead times, local on-demand manufacturing, and lower cost production. Despite the exceptional success of LM principles across different industries and sectors, still many companies LM journeys fail due to many obvious reasons. The emergence of Industry 4.0 digital technologies has created an enabling environment for different manufacturing industries currently using LM principles to identify the need to embrace or add digital technologies to their lean manufacturing transformation journey. The intersections between LM and digital technologies are termed as “Digital Lean” or “Lean 4.0”. There are limited studies and literature gaps on lean manufacturing within the context of AM industry. More so, there is no study that examines the application of digital lean manufacturing in an AM industry. The paper presents a review of the concept of lean manufacturing principles and how it is revolutionizing the AM industry. This paper investigates the concept of digital lean manufacturing and its future potential impact in the AM industry. Finally, this paper develops a digital lean manufacturing system or tools considered suitable for the AM industry.

Abstract: Recently, there is a significant increase in the number of people pursuing healthy living and expecting firms to adopt green manufacturing practices leading to improvement in the standard of living. The rapid deterioration of the environment has harmfully affected the socio-economic growth and development across the nations of the world. The severity of this effect is more pronounced among developing nations. The concern for a sustainable environment is thriving as one of the priorities for strategic firms, organization management, manufacturers, and product designers. The study present a critical review of the existing works of literature on green manufacturing,its evolution,definition and concept. The economic, environmental, social impacts from a global perspectives were discussed. The various challenges militating against its implementation and its possible drivers were examined. However, there are numerous opportunities and future research in the area of green manufacturing that are yet to be explored. Keywords: Green Manufacturing; Sustainable; Impact; Opportunities; Performance: Implementation