bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Single Stroke Cylinder Rapid Compression Machine for Chemical Kinetic Study at Elevated Pressure and Temperatures
Authors: Nyong Oku , Ebieto Celestine , Woolley Robert , Blakey Simon
Published: December 2019

The fabrication of a rapid compression machine (RCM) is in its early phase of design. The machine is designed to enhance the study of ignition delay and validation of detailed kinetics models of fuels. The machine compresses fuel/air mixtures isentropically within 25 to 52 ms with a varying stroke. The combustion chamber design is not fixed and can be adjusted through the threaded shaft lock and within chamber slots. The originality of the facility is the inclusion of a pneumatic piston release mechanism (PPRM), which is pneumatically operated. The current test facility has been characterised by conducting a nonreactive and reactive experiment, the result showed that an obtainable compressed pressure of 21 bar and end gas temperature of approximately 1000 K was achievable within the present facility. The fidelity of the facility was performed with a non-reactive experiment, which experimental pressure profile was seen to follow each other closely showing that the data are highly repeatable within the test condition, the result was free from any form of rebound or disturbance, which would have adversely distort the result. The experiment data was simulated implementing the effective volume approach and was seen to perfectly match with the experiment at both stages of compression. The reactive experiment was demonstrated with heptane/air mixture at stoichiometric condition, TC = 625 ⩽ 689 K. The results show that the experimental pressure traces overlay each other thus signifying a repeatable pressure trace and this demonstrates that the Shef-RCM is operable and ready at its first stage of design for studying the ignition delay time of liquid fuels operating within an engine like conditions and for validating chemical kinetics models.
Face-based Gender recognition Analysis for Nigerians Using CNN
Authors: Lawal C.O. , Akinrinmade A. A. , Badejo J. A.
Published: December 2019

Estimating human gender from faces in images is an important area of research as many applications rely on it. Facial recognition is a branch of biometrics that uses the face which is a physical trait to uniquely identify individuals. Gender recognition using face analysis is also an important task in computer vision as it helps in visual surveillance, intelligent user interfaces, demographic studies etc. The fundamental of gender recognition and other similar classification problem is broken into four stages i.e. the image to be examined to the pre – processing of the image, feature extraction and lastly classification. Several approaches including the deep learning approach which is a representation of the learning procedure that discover multiple levels of representations using neural network has been explored for gender recognition. This work is essential in creating a face-based recognition for gender analysis for Nigerians. The face database consists of over 6000 images of Nigerians with different variations. The created database was used to analyze gender by pre-processing the images, extracting necessary features and classification using the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). An overall recognition accuracy of 98.72% was achieved demonstrating the feasibility and research potential in such direction.
Big Data And Real Estate: A Review Of Literature
Authors: Oluwunmi A. O. , Role B. A. , Akinwale O. M. , Oladayo O. P. , Afolabi T. O.
Published: December 2019

The concept of big data though relatively new has brought a lot of solutions to modern day challenges. Many authors, particularly in developed countries, have adopted the concept in tackling the numerous challenges unfolding in the real estate profession. However, most of the findings from these authors are on individual bases and as such, there is a need to reach a general consensus on the relevance of big data to the real estate profession. The review shows the impact of big data to include digitization of records, information on user preferences, sensor information on the urban environment and sensor information on movement. The paper concludes that the relevance of big data to the real estate profession cannot be over-emphasised.
Development and Characterization of Zeolite-A from Elefun Kaolin
Authors: Yusuf E.O. , Efeovbokhan V. E. , Babalola R.
Published: December 2019

Zeolites are important industrial materials of unique chemical structure that are utilized in various industrial plants as adsorbent for gases, liquid, solids or even as catalysts. The use of synthetic chemicals as starting materials for commercial production of Zeolite-A is cost intensive. However, low-cost raw materials such as clay minerals, coal ashes, natural zeolites, municipal solid wastes and industrial sludge have been widely used. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of Zeolite-A from natural raw Kaolin (Elefun) clay using hydrothermal treatment technique was investigated. The raw and beneficiated kaolin were experimentally studied and comparison was made based on material characterization and application. Metakaolinization was achieved by thermal activation of the beneficiated kaolin at 850 oC for 2 hours. Thereafter, Sodium Aluminosilicate gel was prepared with the molar ratio SiO2/Al2O3
= 2.6, Na2O/SiO2 = 3.0, and H2O/Na2O = 40 by mixing calculated amounts of metakaolin with sodium hydroxide solution of analytical grade. The gelled samples were aged for 24 hours at ambient temperature and subsequently crystallized for 24 hours at 100 °C. The starting kaolin, beneficiated kaolin, calcined kaolin and final product were characterized using X- Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and results were corroborated by X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM). The results showed that Zeolite-A can be synthesized from Elefun kaolin by ageing at room temperature for 24 hours and crystallization at 100 ° C for 24 hours.
Interference Mitigation Among Indoor Phone Subscribers In Lte Based Heterogeneous Networks Using Fast Response Frequency Reuse Technique
Authors: Ibhadode Osagie , Adekunle A. , Nwafor C. O. , Umanah I. I.
Published: December 2019

Mobile phone users both for voice and data have increased tremendously in the last decade thereby making it necessary for service providers in the telecommunication industry maintain quality of service as much as possible. The huge complaint from indoor mobile users concerning signal coverage and capacity has made it a necessity to conduct this research. The aim of this research is to minimize interference among indoor phone subscribers in long term evolution (LTE) based heterogeneous networks using fast frequency reuse technique. Femtocells are deployed in varying number within the macrocell coverage area. For communication between femto and macro users within the network, a fast frequency response technique was proposed and parameters such as path loss, SINR and channel capacities were determined to ascertain the level of performance of the system when compared with a situation with random and unplanned deployment. Results show that a high SINR results when the bit error rate is low, this consequently improves communication and throughput in the network. The high values of throughputs for edge macro-femto users compared to inner edge-macro users are due to distance of macro and femto users from the macrocell. As femtocells increase for edge macro-femto users within the coverage area, throughputs reduced gradually
An Investigation Of The Influence Of Femtocells Network On A Small Size Indoor Environment Using Itu-R And Winner Ii Path Loss Models
Authors: Ibhadode Osagie , Adekunle A. , Azeta Joseph , Abimiku Y. K.
Published: December 2019

The rapid integrations of wireless controls in mechatronics, the broadening applications of wireless radio communications in aviation, and the exponential increase in the growth of mobile phone users in the last decade have made it necessary to expand the capacity of GSM users and ultimately increase the system performance. It has also become imperative for service providers to ensure adequate coverage is provided for all mobile users in areas with poor or no service. Even though many solutions such as distributed antenna system, relays, macrocells, and picocells were developed but they could not proffer the needed solution to indoor users. In this perspective, researchers were of the opinion that femtocells have a gifted technology to enhance indoor coverage because of properties such as short power, short coverage area, reduced distance between device and user and being a plug and play device. It was however discovered that research findings on large deployment of femtocells does not corroborate when a handful is deployed. This study therefore examines the influence of femtocells network on a small size indoor environment using ITU-R and WINNER II path loss models. To accomplish this, femtocells were modeled in six apartments of a building and parameters such as path loss, received power and signal to interference plus noise ratio were determined to ascertain the performance of a particular femtocell under the influence of co-tier interference. Results show that the ITU-R model was found to experience lower path losses which produced higher received powers than WINNER II (-57.0445dBm on the average).
Effect of Welding Current on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of TIG Welding of Type-304 Austenite Stainless Steel
Authors: Ogundimu E. O. , Akinlabi E. T. , Erinosho M. F.
Published: December 2019

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of welding current on the microstructure and the mechanical properties. Material characterizations were conducted on a 6 mm thick plates of type-304 austenite stainless steel, welded by TIG welding process at two different welding currents of 150 A (Sample F3) and 170 A (Sample F4). The tensile strength and the elongation obtained from sample F4 weld were approximately 584 MPa and 19.3 %; which were higher than sample F3 weld. The average micro hardness value of sample F4 weld was found to be 235.7 HV, while that of sample F3 weld was 233.4 HV respectively. Homogenous distribution of iron (Fe), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) were observed at the welded joint of the two samples. The EDS analysis revealed that Fe, Cr, and Ni made up the composition formed at the weld zone. The optimum welding current of 170 A for TIG welding of type-304 austenite stainless steel can be recommended for high-tech industrial applications.
Optimization And Performance Evaluation Of Blender-Hammer Mill
Authors: Ajayi C.O , Oyawale F.A , Afolalu S. A.
Published: December 2019

The principle of design by analysis was adopted for the design of this project. The methodology used was to scrutinize the common critical defects of conventional hammer mills and proffer possible solutions. The foremost components of the new blender-hammer mill were enumerated. The initial tests carried out on the new blender- hammer mill revealed that the mill is capable of performing same function that industrial huge hammer mills and the conventional hammer mills can perform in production of course, medium and fine particles.The results obtained after testing, showed that the crushing efficiency was between 83% to 96%, for dry maize and wheat respectively, which is quite satisfactory. Production of fine grains was achieved but coarse, medium and fine particles were still produced for further re-run for finer particle.
Advancing PoC Devices for Early Disease Detection using Graphene-based Sensors
Authors: Oshin Oluwadamilola , Kireev Dmitry , Akinwande Deji , Adetiba Emmanuel , Idachaba Francis , Atayero Aderemi
Published: December 2019

Early detection of diseases is key to better disease management and higher survival rates. It aims at discovering conditions that have already produced biochemical changes in body fluids, but have not yet reached a stage of apparent physical symptoms or medical emergency. Therefore, early disease detection relies majorly on biochemical testing of biological fluids such as serum, in the body. The laboratories for these tests require biochemical-based instrumentations that are bulky and not commonly available especially in developing countries. Moreover, the tests are expensive and require trained personnel to conduct and interpret results. On the other hand, Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) biosensors have a potential to miniaturize the entire biochemical/laboratory methods of diagnostics into versatile, inexpensive and portable devices with great potential for low-cost Point-of-Care (POC) applications. They are capable of providing accurate and precise information on the measured health indices for sub-clinical level of diseases. Nanotechnology-inspired biosensors have further advantages of low limit of detection (required for early diagnosis), real-time analysis and lesser sample volume requirement. Of all other nanomaterials, graphene is said to be the most promising, suitable for biosensing due to its biocompatibility and consistent signal amplification even under the conditions of harsh ionic solutions found in the human body. This paper reviews the potentials, fundamental concepts and related works in using Graphene-based Field Effect Transistors (GFETs) as biosensors for early disease diagnosis. This paper also highlights a low-cost patterning mechanism for preparing SiO2/Si substrate for metal deposition (of the source and drain electrodes of FETs).
Overview Impact Of Application Of Queuing Theory Model On Productivity Performance In A Banking Sector
Authors: Afolalu Sunday A. , Babaremu Kunle O. , Ongbali Samson O. , Abioye Abiodun A. , Abdulkareem Ademola , Adejuyigbe Samuel B.
Published: December 2019

Banking sectors have perpetual queues owing to the significance of the services they render to humanity and this poses a merging challenge of queue management in the execution their jobs and in the effective delivery of services to their customers. The study focuses on the role of queuing theory in the banking sectors thus far from pedigree of queuing theory till date. This study used the historical approach to juxtapose the likelihood of the impact of queuing in the various activities in the banking as seen in the regular applications to established areas of telecommunications systems and engineering. The outcome of this review espouses that a few approaches have been applied to sort the problems encountered in the banking sectors for needful improvement. Some of these approaches are ANN (Artificial Neural Network), BPR (Business Process Reengineering) M/M/1, M/G/1 and the Erlang B&C formulas for the management of excessive bank reserves and customer queues in terms of waiting times and economic cost. These approaches have been able to improve the performance of the banking sector to an extent, however there is still a couple of limitation regarded as external factors that varies from one banking system to another and lots of works are needed to further combat the problems faced by the banking sectors.
Oxidation of Glycerol with Oxygen Molecules as the Oxidant over Activated Clay Material Catalysts
Authors: Ochonogor L. S. , Efeovbokhan V. E. , Sankar J. , Kalu E. E.
Published: December 2019

Interest in glycerol oxidation to more useful products has risen significantly over the years. This has led to the development of several catalysts some of which are scarce, uneconomical and environmentally unfriendly. In this research, two catalysts prepared from red earth - ‘A1’ (calcined at 500°c) and ‘A2’ (calcined at 500°c and dealuminated) were characterized using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and used to oxidize glycerol with O2 molecules for 240 mins. The XRF results showed that Al2O3(31.3%), SiO2(47.9%) and Fe2O3(16.05%) were the predominant components in ‘A1’ while ‘A2’ showed a marked significant difference in Al2O3(19.4%), SiO2(72.1 %) and Fe2O3(0 %). The selectivities of the oxidation products with A1 were 18.8 % glyceric acid (GLA), 13.1 % lactic acid (LCA), 1.66 % oxalic acid (OXA) and 1.24 % formic acid (FMA), while for A2 they were (20.4%) GLA and (17%) LCA. 88.1% glycerol was converted but selectivity towards any of the products was low.
Study of Energy Efficient Building Design Techniques: Covenant University Health Centre
Authors: Nkem Ede Anthony , Kesi-Ayeba Kendyson Douglas , Olakunle Oyebisi Solomon , Oluwafemi John
Published: December 2019

Energy efficiency, which is a key factor of sustainable building design is very beneficial to building occupants. This has made the focus on sustainability in the design, to be highly desirable. Studies show that two third of the energy used in existing residential buildings in Nigeria is generated via electricity, however; due to epileptic power supply, high cost of energy and high carbon emission, there is a need to minimize energy demand in the facility. This research evaluated sustainable design strategies and their effects on energy efficiency in warm humid climate of Nigeria. The climate, building envelope, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and lighting systems constitute are the main factors responsible for energy intake of a building. The research was based on case study of Covenant University Health Centre and data was collected through visual survey. The case study revealed that the building, at the time of construction did not consider sustainable design strategies in terms of materials of the building envelope, wall and window shading as well as natural means of cooling. Only lighting was considered.
Benefits and Drivers of Implementing Green Building Projects in South Africa
Authors: Oguntona O A , Akinradewo O I , Ramorwalo D L , Aigbavboa C O , Thwala W D
Published: December 2019

Several negative environmental issues are attributed to the activities of the construction industry (CI) globally with South Africa as no exception. Hence, the introduction of sustainability concepts in other to address these challenges which continually threaten the health and existence of both the human and natural environment. Green building (GB) as a sustainable concept aims to address the social and economic concerns and not only the environmental issues in the built environment. The paper, therefore, evaluates the beneficial factors and ways of promoting the implementation of GB projects in South Africa. The study employs a structured questionnaire survey as an instrument for data collection. The study gathered data from construction professionals (architects, civil engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers, construction managers, and construction project managers) who are sustainability proponents. A quantitative approach to data analysis was utilised using percentage, standard deviation, and mean item score. From the data analysed, the results revealed improved indoor air quality, ecosystem protection, increased energy efficiency, enhanced health and well-being of occupants, and minimised CO2 emissions as the top five benefits of GB projects implementation. Availability of more financing options, improved market for green products/materials, education and training on GB technologies, provision of economic incentives, and affordability of GB materials are identified as the top drivers of GB projects implementation. The findings from this study will help create awareness and encourage the adoption and implementation of GB projects which in turn has the potential to combat the severe environmental challenges caused by the activities of the CI.
Gender and Academic Performance in Engineering: An Empirical Study in a Leading Nigerian University
Authors: Abioye A. A , Ishola F. A , Abioye O. P , Odunlami O. A , Alayande T. A , Bolu C. A
Published: December 2019

Engineering is increasingly becoming a more popular career for women globally. This study aims at examining the performances of female students in comparison to their male counterparts. This is then used to determine if there is any correlation in their performances. The sample population for this research is the engineering students in Covenant University, a leading University in Nigeria. The performance of the graduating students in this school over 11 years, from 2006 to 2017, was analysed and studied. The research suggests that more percentage of female students now graduate with first class and the percentage of female students graduating with third class between these periods has reduced to almost nothing over years. Thus, it is recommended that more women should be encouraged to enrol in engineering courses, as they tend to thrive in courses such as Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
Overview for Improving Steam Turbine Power Generation Efficiency
Authors: Joseph Omosanya Abolaji , Titilayo Akinlabi Esther , Olusegun Okeniyi Joshua
Published: December 2019

Electricity is an integral part of every society for which demand is growing continuously, whereas the production is still based on limited sources of energy derived mainly from steam and gas turbines, the turbomachinery. This paper presents an overview for preliminary study on the optimization of the design of the steam turbine. This was done with a special focus on the last stage low pressure turbine blades, for the reason that the design parameters of this component exhibit influence on the efficiency of power generation from the steam turbine electric power generating system. For supporting the study, a practical overview of the Egbin thermal power station, Nigeria, was included in the study with the parameters from the last stage low pressure turbine blade for this energy generation installation. By these, suggestions that could be undertaken for improving efficiency of the steam power plant for enhancing sustainability of electric power generation were also detailed in the paper.
Weight determination of glazing properties for Trombe wall application in Johannesburg: An entropy method implementation
Authors: Oluah C.K. , Akinlabi E. T. , Njoku H. O.
Published: December 2019

Glazing materials have been found to greatly influence the performance of trombe wall systems. this is due to its role in determining the quantity of thermal energy that reaches the massive wall. in this article, a multi-criteria decision-making analysis for proper glazing selection for trombe wall system was considered, the location of interest is johannesburg metropolis. four different glazing types and four criteria were considered using the entropy method for weight determination. the four criteria considered were the solar heat gain coefficient (shgc), the u-value, visible transmittance and cost respectively. the result showed that the u-value is of utmost importance vis-a-vis other performance criteria for the glazing material. decreasing order of weights assigned was as follows; 71.2% weight factor for the u-value, 16% weight factor to cost, 10.2% weight factor to shgc and 2.6% weight factor to the visible transmittance respectively.
Influence 0f Zirconium Diboride (ZrB2) on the Physio-Mechanical Behavior of AA8011 Alloy base.
Authors: Fayomi J. , Popoola A.P.I. , Popoola O.M. , Fayomi O.S.I.
Published: December 2019

The AA8011 reinforced with 5 to 20 weight percent of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) were developed via stir casting route. In this current research work, characterization evaluation was conducted on the AA8011 alloy and its composites with the varying composition to investigate the physical and mechanical properties. The results of the mechanical properties obtained revealed an enhanced hardness and strengthening mechanism propagation of the composite in comparison to the base alloy AA8011. The experimental studies show that the addition of ceramic particles into the molten metal alloy resulted in improved properties. Also, an increase in the percentage composition of the particles leads to an increase in the strength value of the composite. Generally, the improvement in the hardening mechanical behavior of the composites can be attributed to the intrinsic properties of the incorporated particulates.
Corrosion Inhibitors as Building Evidence for Mild Steel: A Review
Authors: Oyekunle D.T. , Agboola O. , Ayeni A.O.
Published: December 2019

Mild steel is the most common type of metal used in large industries due to its acceptable material properties and low cost. However, a growing concern of its use has been limited as a result of its low resistance to corrosion especially in acidic and alkaline environments. The use of corrosion inhibitors has been encouraged by various researchers as a means slow down the corrosion rate and thus reduce monetary losses to industrial vessels, surfaces and equipment. This paper presents the types of inhibitors employed by different researchers on various mediums. It also seek to consider the limitation processes caused by some factors such as temperature of the media and concentration of the inhibitors and the media. Although the use of green inhibitors has been greatly encouraged due to its low cost but the combination of it with other kinds of inhibitors can prove to boost its effectiveness in corrosion inhibition process. Other organic materials such as animal discharge, and biomaterial should also be considered in future research works. These will further provide more literature to corrosion inhibition of mild steel which in essence promotes the life span of the metal.
Model assessment of a nanofiltration membrane for the removal metal ions from simulated wastewater
Authors: Agboola O. , Kolesnikov A. , Sadiku E.R. , Maree J.P. , Mbaya R. , Sanni S.E.
Published: December 2019

This paper accords the likelihood of applying Donnan and Steric Partitioning Pore Model (DSPM) together with extended Nernst-Planck model to elucidate the capacity of charge and Donnan exclusion mechanisms in removing ions from simulated wastewater in Nano-Pro-3012 membrane filtration process. The extended Nernst-Planck model reports the transportation of cations across Nano-Pro-3012 with respect to electrical potential gradient, movement of solutes and pressure difference through the membrane. The working principle of these two equations is dependent on the adsorption of the charged surface, diffusion and convective transport. This principle was established with a software called Comsol multi-physic 4.3b to explain the capacity of charge and Donnan exclusion mechanism of Nano-Pro-3012. The extended Nernst-Planck model and the Darcy law model were applied to evaluate the physical interrelationship amidst NanoPro-3012 and ionic solutions with the aim of having a good understanding of the transport and rejection working operation of the ions. The principle of these equations was first used to envisage the capability of Nano-Pro-3012. The data obtained were validated with the laboratory data. There was an establishment that movement of solutes across the membrane bring about diffusion transport. The total flux in solution increases due to the working operation of the diffusion which in turns reduces the electrical potential, as a result, reduces the flux in the membrane. Ions smaller than pore sizes are rejected and the theoretical data is in conformity with the experimental data.
Persulphate-based degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated water
Authors: Bo lade O. P. , Durodola B. M. , Williams A. B. , Benson N. U.
Published: December 2019

The present study investigated the degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in crude oil polluted water using sodium persulphate as a chemical oxidant. Laboratory-scale contaminations of water and degradation experiments using 0.1 M oxidant were carried out with contact time ranging from 1 to 15 days. The TPH extraction was carried out and analyzed using gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID) (Agilent 7890A). 72% of ETPH was degraded within 15 days from an initial concentration of ∼137 mg/L. Results indicated 99% efficiency in TPH degradation achieved within the first 10 days after initial contamination. Remediation technique on laboratory- and field-scale is promising and could potentially address major oil pollution contamination issues.
Walk-Through Energy Audit of An Institutional Building
Authors: Atiba O. E. , Efemwenkiekie U. K. , Olatunji R. O. , Ohunakin O. S. , Adelekan D. S. , Oyeleke O. A.
Published: December 2019

Improving energy efficiency requires detailed information on energy utilization. Many a times, institutional buildings across developing countries are not energy efficient. Thus, they require quantitative energy consumption audit information. This study outlines daily, weekly and annually projected energy consumption in an academic building within Nigeria. Measurements of the energy utilizations of the building were in accordance to ASHRAE Standard 22, ASHRAE/IES Standard 100-2015 and BCA Health Check report guidelines. Results showed that HVAC appliances and electrical motors driven gadgets consumed 36% and 61.9% of the total energy supplied. In conclusion, improving energy efficiency of similar facilities requires energy conservation practice in terms operating motors and other HVAC devices off idle-time and non-occupancy period respectively.
Influence of Facilities on Patronage of the Various Shopping Malls in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Iroham C. O. , Akinwale O. M. , Oluwunmi A. O. , Okagbue H. I. , Durodola O. D. , Ayedun C. A. , Emetere M. E. , Peter J. N.
Published: December 2019

The way shopping malls have sprawled every nook and cranny particularly in the developing economy is evident from major cities to even sub-urban areas. The expansion evident in the various locations of these shopping malls can be attributed to its patronage. Earlier researchers have linked the patronage of these malls to influences resulting from location, gender, image, type of shoppers amongst other. Even though studies on facilities and how it influences patronage are evident particularly in the developed economies such work also studied other factors thereby not giving a detailed finding on the linkage between facilities provided in such malls and the level of patronage from shoppers. This present study thereby focuses on influence of facilities provided on patronage of the five (5) identified shopping malls in Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria. The study being a cross-sectional research survey entailed the distribution of questionnaires to 143, 126, 127, 145 and 126 shoppers of Cocoa Mall; Heritage Mall; Jericho Mall; Palms Mall and Ventura Mall, respectively all located in the study area, Ibadan. A cumulative response rate of 80.3% was attained. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics of weighted mean and substantiated with factor analysis. It was revealed that most identified facilities in the malls have a great influence on patronage of the malls. However, in order to avoid superfluity of investment, investors could commence provision of Eatery / Food court (Co-V1, 0.72) as recreation facility; Kids play center (Co-V1, 0.79) as children’s facility; Toilet/Restroom (Co-V1, 0.84) as service facility; POS (Co-V1, 0.91) as banking facility and free medical checkup (CoV1, 0.91) as health facility as these have most remarkable influence on patronage of the malls. The researchers hereby advocated that investors can be guided in the provision of the relevant facilities to prevent superfluity while the keen sustenance of these specific facilities can sustain patronage of the various malls in the study area.
Effects of Heat Treatment Techniques on the Fatigue Behaviour of Steel Gears: A Review
Authors: Salawu Enesi Y. , Ajayi Oluseyi O. , Inegbenebor Anthony , Popoola A.P.I , Uyor U.O.
Published: December 2019

Heat treatment of gears are fundamental to efficient and reliable gear production because of its contribution to the overall cost of manufacturing. Different heat treatment techniques are targeted to improving hardness, ductility and strength to minimize material degradation or wear. However, several heat treatment methods had led to gear tooth distortion such as shrinkage of tooth thickness which eventually affects the contact angle. The study therefore focused on some selected heat treatment on gears and their effects on gear applications. from the reviewed heat treatment techniques, distortion is a common occurrence that result to gear fatigue. Also, it was noted that most times, the medium for quenching and most importantly, variation in the concentration affects the gear accuracy. Thus, local fracture and material loss ensue. Nevertheless, the study further suggested the use of empirical model and simulation approach for stress prediction.
Design and Construction of Air-Proof Metallic Digesters for Biogas Production from Varied Co-Digestion of Selected Agricultural Residue with Cattle Dung
Authors: Olojede M. A. , Ogunkunle O. , Ahmed N. A.
Published: December 2019

Biogas is produced from anaerobic digestion of biodegradable solid wastes in bio-digesters. Agricultural residues, comprising of animal manure and waste biomass, can constitute unfavourable environmental issues if not properly disposed. Studies aimed at converting these residues to energy need serious attention due to fast depleting rate of fossil fuel and its environmental hazard. Four cylindrical biogas digesters (A, B, C and D) of 0.052m3 capacity each were constructed and fed with cattle dung, sunflower leaves, pawpaw and potato peels at different percentage composition. The experimental set-up was left for a retention period of 40 days, after which biogas production stopped. Results revealed that the percentage Organic Dry Matter (%ODM) of cattle dung, sunflower leaves, pawpaw and potato peels were 94.91, 95.92, 97.75 and 96.60 respectively. The total volume and methane contents of biogas produced from digester a, b, c and d were 46.64, 45.80, 39.55 and 38.02 m3, and 71.82 %, 53.71 %, 66.80 % and 52.70 %, respectively. Analysis also revealed that digesters A had the highest Fresh Mass Biogas Yield (FMBY), Organic Dry Matter Biogas Yield (ODMBY), Fresh Mass Methane Yield (FMMY), and Organic Dry Matter Methane Yield (ODMMY). The Higher Heating Values (HHV) of biogas obtained from digesters A, B, C and D were 6.931, 5.680, 6.679 and 5.549 kcal/kg, respectively.
Biogas Yields Variance from Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Cow Dung with Jatropha Cake Under Mesophilic Temperatures
Authors: Ogunkunle O. , Ahmed N. A. , Olatunji K. O.
Published: December 2019

Anaerobic co-digestion requires the digestion of two or more homogenous substrates to produce biogas. The superlative participated condition is when principal amount of most important substrate (example manure or sewage sludge) is combined and fermented with each other with lesser quantities of single, or a variety of additional substrate. The co-digestion of one or more substrates commonly improves the biogas output from anaerobic digesters owing to positive improvement brought about in the digestion medium and the furnishing of missing nutrients in one substrate by another. Anaerobic co-digestion of cow dung and jatropha cake for biogas production was carried out in the batch digester in the absence of oxygen at ambient temperature with different mixing ratios for 40 days. The result indicated that treatment with 75% jatropha 25% cow dung had the highest volume of biogas at the rate of 24.41% and treatment with 100% jatropha released has the highest percentage quality of biogas produced (methane) at the rate of 59.6%. Treatment with 50% cow dung 50% jatropha cake was found to be the appropriate mix ratio, since it was rank 2nd in both qualitative and quantitative analytical point of view from the experiment performed.
Application of Carbon-based Nanofluids in Heat Exchangers: Current Trends
Authors: Borode Adeola O. , Ahmed Noor A. , Olubambi Peter A.
Published: December 2019

The thermal performance of a heat exchanger can be enhanced by adding carbon nanostructured materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene to the conventional working fluid. When nanomaterials are suspended in the working fluid, the fluid is known as Nanofluid. The enhancement in the thermal and rheological properties of the fluid is responsible for the augmentation in heat transfer performance. The influence of carbon nanomaterial on the thermophysical properties, heat transfer characteristics and flow properties are reviewed. The current trends on the utilization of carbon-based nanofluids in heat exchangers were reported. The study shows that carbon-based nanofluids have the potential to improve the performance of heat exchanger and reduce the cost of fabrication by reducing heat exchange area. The study identifies the scope for future study.
Effect of Factory Process and Location on Residential Area Noise Level
Authors: Azodo A. P. , Onwubalili C. , Mezue T. C. , Nwaokocha C. N. , Akpan U. V. , Giwa S. O.
Published: December 2019

Tranquility is one of the healthy environment factors on the residential areas which elevate the standard of living of the people and their psychological well-being. On the contrary, when there is a high level of noise intrusion at home, it might deprive one of these benefits. This study measured the industrial noise intrusion level in the residential area with respect to distance. A total of 40 residences, with 8 each around 5 food and drug processing factory sites in three local government areas (Idemili North, Onitsha North, and South) of Anambra state, Nigeria were selected as study site locations. Benetech Model GM 1352 digital sound level meter was used for the measurement of environmental outdoor noise levels at a height of 1.5 m and 3 m from any reflecting surfaces. The distance between the factory sites and the residences assessed was calculated using the coordinates of the study site points obtained with A Garmin GPS 72H on the CDXzipdistance2WP function on Microsoft Office Excel. All measurements were carried out during the daytime between 6:00 am – 10:00 pm. Three categories of environmental outdoor samples of noise levels were obtained; off work-hour, and work hour which comprises of generator usage and the national grid connection hours. The computed LAeq noise intensity level obtained at the residences assessed showed that 12(30.0) and 28(70.0) of the residences assessed were quiet and moderately loud during national grid connection hours which was; quiet 32(80) and moderately loud 8(20) during off work-hours. It, however, translated to moderately loud 24(60.0) and very loud 16(40.0) during the engagement of the services of electricity generator. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a strong negative correlation between the distances of the residences assessed from the factory sites and the noise level which were significant at p < 0.01 for values of r = -0.976 during generator use and 0.981 when compared with the national grid. This implies that the closer factory sites are on the residential area the higher the noise intrusion level which is not healthy.
Emission Properties and Performance Characteristics of Jatropha Curcas L. and Spirulina Platensis Microalgae oil-based biodiesel in diesel Machines
Authors: A Oni B. , Fagbiele O. , Agboola O. , Olawepo V. A.
Published: December 2019

The article aims at investigating the performance of diesel engine and emission properties of non-eatable oils methyl esters of J. Curcas L. and Spirulina Platensis microalgae based biodiesel in diesel engines (DE). Kirloskar Six cylinder diesel engine was the test engine used to ascertain the level of Break Power (BP) and BSFC and the Emissions of Carbon (IV) Oxide (CO2), Hydrocarbons (HC), Carbon monoxide (CO) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NOX). Different ratios of biodiesel were mixed with diesel fuels using 10.0 and 20.0 percent by volume of methyl esters with the diesel fuels for example AB10 (10% by vol. Biodiesel and 90% by vol. Diesel fuels), JB10, AB20 and JB20 respectively. However, the procedures of the experiment was in agreement with EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 procedures. The biodiesel fuel samples used decreases the brake power (BP) and increase brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) when compared to conventional oils. Results from emission indicates that the blended biodiesel reduces CO, CO2 and HC Emission and causes an increase in NOX emission. Since AB10 gives lesser emissions, it is a better option for diesel fuels in engines that are not modified to minimize exhaust releases in the environment.
Thermal Analysis of Solar Box Cooker in Omu-Aran Metropolis
Authors: Onokwai A. O. , Okonkwo U. C. , Osueke C. O. , Olayanju T.M.A. , A Ezugwu C. , Diarah R. S. , Banjo S. O. , Onokpite E. , Olabamiji T. S. , Ibiwoye M. , James J. A. , Nnodim T. C.
Published: December 2019

Just like other solar cookers, the solar box cooker needs energy gotten from the sun to operate without producing emissions. In this research, a solar box is fabricated to reduce over-dependence on fossil fuel for energy generation. This reduces the environmental degradation caused by the use of other sources of energy. The ASHRAE empirical model was used to obtain the solar irradiance present in Omu-Aran metropolis. Thereafter, the no-load and load test was conducted to determine the cooker’s thermal performance. The tests were conducted between January 2018 and January 2019 in Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria with geographical coordinates 8° 8’ 0” North, 5° 6’ 0” East. The average energy and exergy efficiency of the cooker were 32°C and 28°C respectively. A decrease in the efficiency of the cooker was observed. This was because the reflector, which is made from aluminium foil, was degrading. As a result of this degradation caused the sun rays (radiation) to be reflected poorly into the absorber and also caused a myth of overcast sky. Meanwhile, the variation in solar radiation during the sensible heating test resulted in the fluctuation inefficiency. The ratio of water to absorber temperature which was above 0.80 during the pre-boiling heating process indicates that the cooker can be recommended for sterilization.
Manufacturing Sector Performance And Economic Growth In Nigeria
Authors: Afolabi A. , Laseinde O. T.
Published: December 2019

The paper attempted to examine the impact of manufacturing sector output on economic growth in Nigeria from 1981 to 2016. The study employed secondary data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical bulletin for Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and the Granger causality techniques on RGDP, manufacturing capacity utilization (MCU), manufacturing output (LMO), government investment expenditure (GINVEXP), money supply (LM2) and interest rate (INR). Evidence of long-run and short-run relationships among the variables was established. The results showed that MCU has positive influence on RGDP while LMO also affects RGDP positively. It also showed that GINVEXP has negative effects on RGDP whereas LM2 influenced RGDP positively. Moreover, the result indicated a unidirectional causality between RGDP and MCU, LMO and LM2. Based on the above, the study suggest government should intensify efforts to promote socio-economic infrastructural, macroeconomic and institutional framework in Nigeria to provide favourable environment for external and domestic institutions interactions; so harnessed mobilized funds effectively towards productive manufacturing sector.
Coal combustion models: An overview
Authors: Marangwanda Garikai T , Madyira Daniel M , Babarinde Taiwo O.
Published: December 2019

Computational Fluid Dynamics has been used for optimisation of industrial applications with some level of success. The modest accuracy provided by some of the combustion models in use has left some room for research and improvement. Coal is presented as a fuel with complex chemical properties due to its fossil fuel nature. The devolatilization process of coal is investigated with special attention to the best models that can handle heavy and light volatiles found in coal. The heterogenous char combustion is also presented paying attention to the nature of the char particle whilst it is in the process of combustion. The other processes such as drying, homogenous volatile combustion, radiation models, particle tracking models and turbulent models are investigated in a general manner as they rarely vary with the type of fuel being investigated. A summary of the industrial applications that have successfully utilised the CFD models for optimisation of coal combustion are presented thus helping in drawing the final conclusion.
Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids in Heat Transfer Applications – A Review
Authors: Efemwenkiekie U.K. , Oyedepo S.O.
Published: December 2019

The subject of nanofluid have been a major topic of research due to its numerous thermo-physical properties and several breakthroughs that have been recorded. Despite this, other challenges have also ensued. In this work, efforts were made to review the breakthrough, challenges that have been recorded in nanofluid applications as regards thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity is a significant criterion to consider when dealing with heat transfer related works and several factors affect the performance of this systems; factors such as temperature, nanoparticle size, the method of preparation of nanofluid, volumetric loading, nanoparticle shape and base-fluid used. The result of the review showed that despite the success recorded in enhancing of these systems; by employing nanofluid to improve these systems there are still challenges that portends from the use of nanoparticle. Hence the need for further researches to done in order to address these issues
Experimental Investigations of Tool Pin Geometry and Process Parameter Influence on Mechanical Property of Friction Stir Welded 6101-T6 and 7075-T651 Aluminium Alloys
Authors: Abolusoro Olatunji P , Akinlabi Esther T
Published: December 2019

One of the variables that significantly affect the joint integrity of welds carried out with friction stir welding (FSW) is the tool pin geometry. This particular factor considerably affects the mechanical properties, joint size and microstructural evolution of the weld. The extent to which tool geometry affects the mechanical behaviour of welds under different processing parameters needs to be fully understood in order to achieve highly reliable joints for various industrial applications. This work is, therefore, an attempt at, investigating tool pin geometry and processing parameters effects on the mechanical behaviour and stability of friction stir welds through joining of 6101-T6 and 7075-T651 aluminium alloys via FSW. Two pin designs named tapered unthreaded and tapered threaded were used for this study. The result obtained shows that low rotational speed and high welding speed promote the tensile strength of the welded alloys and that welds carried out with the tapered threaded tool gave higher tensile values than the tapered unthreaded.
Exploring Neural Network to Predict Car Tyre Inflation Time and Power Requirement of a Tyre Pressure Control Unit.
Authors: Amosun S.T , Samuel O.D , Zubairu P.T , Bolaji B.O , Fayomi S.O
Published: December 2019

This study used Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the prediction of power required to inflate different tyre sizes and inflation times. ANN is a widely accepted machine learning method that uses past data to predict future trend. An existing database obtained experimentally from a tyre pressure control test rig was optimized using genetic algorithm(GA) which is an optimization tool that can find better subsets of input variables for importing into ANN. The ANN results were compared with the results obtained experimentally. The results show that the model can be implemented in modern day tyre pressure control designs and be used to predict inflation times and power required to inflate different tyre sizes.