ABSTRACT This work presents the first detailed, structural framework, characteristic and types of traps which are found in the South-Eastern part Rukwa basin, located in the Western Branch of the East African Rift System, South-Western Tanzania. The goal of this work is to examine the structural framework which control trapping characteristic of the Rukwa basin within the Karoo and Lower Lake Beds reservoir. 2D seismic datasets that were collected in 1983 by Amocco obtained from TPDC were an...
Abstract A novel study on biomass-air gasification using a horizontal entrained-flow gasifier has been conducted. The use of a horizontal entrained-flow gasifier reactor was employed to assess the effect of the gasifier reactor orientation on the gasification process. The gasification experiments were conducted at 800˚C and equivalence ratio of 0.23 while maintaining gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 8000 h−1 . Preparation and characterisation of wood powder were performed using classic...
ABSTRACT In Power line communication the information are sent via electrical power lines. The power lines are characterized by multipath fading and frequency selectivity due to impedance mismatch of the channel and impulsive noise. Therefore there should be a way to increase performance of the system. In this dissertation OFDM and MCSS modulation techniques were used to enhance PLC system performance. Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of OFDM and MCSS was analyzed and system efficiency was e...
ABSTRACT Modelling is a very important tool for understanding complex problems. A model plays a fundamental role in the analysis, design and development of complex systems, especially when physical testing and experimentation are not feasible - or not possible at all. Modelling technology holds tremendous promise for reducing costs, improving quality, and shortening the time-to-market for manufactured goods. Unfortunately, this technology still remains largely underutilized by industries toda...
Abstract A survey was conducted to assess the impact of water scarcity in Somntongo, in the lowveld region of Swaziland. The study adopted the use of questionnaire, interview schedules and focused group discussions. Information sought included sources of water, distances between water sources and places of residence, and the effect of water scarcity on the various aspects of human activities. The study revealed that only two rivers and five boreholes were the major sources of water while dist...
Abstract Effects of particle size, composite mix and cold water treatment on the compressive strength of Eremospatha macrocarpa–cement composite. Rattan–cement composites were manufactured using different particle sizes (0.60, 0.85 and 1.18 mm) of untreated Eremospatha macrocarpa cane and those treated in cold water using cement–sand ratio of 1:3 and 10% of rattan based on the cement mass. Specimens were tested for compressive strength after 28 days of curing. Increasing the particle si...
ABSTRACT The efficiency of a greenhouse is influenced by the cleanliness of the glazing material through which heat and light penetrate into the enclosure. The common cleaning method for most greenhouses in developing countries is the use of a ladder to climb onto the roof to clean which is labour intensive, time-consuming, imposes severe loads on the roof that could cause failure and is dangerous to the cleaner. Consequently, many greenhouse roofs are rarely cleaned and the accumulated dirt ...
Abstract A charcoal fired reactor for small-scale production of biochar was successfully designed, fabricated and tested. The method of biochar production offered by this equipment was evaluated by comparing its output with a single barrel method of production. The results obtained during the test indicated that the efficiency of the equipment based on its output per kg of Cocoa pod husk was 79.9%. It has the capacity to produce 18.3 kg of Biochar from Cocoa Husk per day using lbag of local ...
Introduction For several years, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has been at the leading edge of research and development in many fields (Barnett and Raja, 1995; Chiou and Tong, 2001; Han et al., 2001; Pitman et al., 1996; Pramod et al., 2007; Walker, 2002; Wang, 2007). QFD evolved as a way to incorporate knowledge about the needs and desires of end-user customers into all stages of the design, manufacture, delivery and support of products and services (Einspruch, 1996; Griffin and. Hauser, ...
Abstract: Adsorption refrigeration technology has been intensively investigated in many countries of the world because of its promising potential for competing with conventional vapour compression refrigeration, its relatively low operating cost and its environmental friendliness. The search for a good adsorbent for solar powered refrigeration technology has led to various attempts to manufacture activated carbon of high adsorptive property. In this study coconut shells plus 10% animal bones...
Abstract This paper presents experimental and simulation study of the effects of stress on microstructure and failure morphology of low carbon steel under plane stress conditions. The study has revealed large extension of grains at the point of fracture and, stress and strain looped around the pearlitic faces of the microstructure matrix. The stress and strain distributions in the microstructure have shown that concentration of stress and strain on the pearlite were instrumental to oblique f...
Abstract A pressure perturbation technique based on a simple adaptation of the Weirtheim's first order thermodynamic perturbation theory has been developed and used to formulate a generalized equation of state. The practical equation formulated was applied to pure fluids, binary systems and real samples of Niger Delta Petroleum fluids. Tuning of data is not required. The results show more accurate predictions than the commonly used SRK and PR equations This work provides a theoretical framew...
ABSTRACT The broad objective of this research was to recover exhaust gases thermal energy from internal combustion engines for use in other applications. The specific objectives were: to determine the amount of thermal energy lost through exhaust gases at various engine speeds and loads; to determine the amount of energy recovered from exhaust gases at various engine speeds and loads; and to simulate the amount of maize that could be dried with the recovered energy. The experimental set-up c...
ABSTRACT Producing enough food in Kenya to better feed people and generate adequate income for the farmers is a great challenge. This challenge is likely to intensity, with a population that is projected to increase to 66.3 million in 2030. Scarce water resources and growing competition for water will be reduce its availability for irrigation, which necessitating major changes in irrigation management and scheduling in order to increase the efficiency of use of water that is allocated to agr...
ABSTRACT The conversion of forest land to agricultural land and urban settlement usually increases soil erosion, and volume of storm runoff in a catchment. In Kenya, the rural communities are encroaching into the humid and marginal areas to open up new lands for agricultural production and settlement. These changes have led to environmental degradation, which has negatively altered the hydrologic regimes of many catchments in Kenya. The Wundanyi River catchment is one of the catchments that ...