Refractometer is a simple optical instrument that measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid. It measures on a "Brix" scale and the Brix level determines the flavor and quality of fruits and vegetables. The fabricated refractometer has built-in temperature compensations for Brix measurements and it is only valid for fruit juices solutions The refractometer is equipped with a thermometer and there is a means of circulating water through the refractometer to maintain a given temperature The designed refractometer consists of a light source, filtered to a single wavelength, which is directed towards the prism-sample interface by a converging lens. This creates a range of incidence angles, some of which will be completely reflected. A Charge-coupled Device (CCD) sensor precisely measures the intensity of the reflected light and determines the exact angle at which light begins to be completely reflected. The fabricated refractomter consists of six main parts which include focus adjustment, calibration screw, daylight plate, eye piece, rubber grip and main prism assembly. Actual tests were conducted using samples of orange, pineapple and cashew juices at certain levels of pH values. The average percentage Brix values of orange, cashew and pineapple juices are 7.88%, 10.84% and 6.91% respectively. It was observed that cashew juice has highest percentage Brix followed by orange and pineapple juices. This implies that cashew juice can deteriorate faster than the other two juices. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the effect of temperature and pH used for the experiment show that F-calculated (4.248) is greater than F-table (3.35) at 5% probability level; therefore, the pH of fruit juice has an effect on its brix value. It appears that the rate of pH or temperature sensitivity of the fabricated refractometer used could not be the actual or maximum rate for the experiment
The Nigerian Universities rely on weak and unreliable fossil-based electric grids with diesel engine generators (DEG) as a backup. However, there is a potential to light up the campuses using power systems derived from primary renewable power systems (RPS) like wind turbine (WT) and solar photovoltaic (PV), that can be on or off-grid to improve the energy mix and duration reliably. This study presents the comparative analysis of the optimal hybrid grid and off-grid systems (OGS & OOGS) for serving the demand load of university buildings in four climatic regions of Nigeria. HOMER Pro is used to design and select the systems based on minimal net present cost (NPC) and cost of electricity (COE). The impact of a minimal renewable fraction of 95% on the optimal system architecture (OSA) and COE is studied for both grid and off-grid modes. Also, sensitivity analysis of the impact of key variables on performance for the sites is carried out. It is found that the OGS in the four regions is PV/Converter (Conv), while for the OOGS, it is PV/WT/DEG/battery (BB)/Conv except in Port Harcourt (PH), where it is PV/DEG/BB/Conv. The COE for the OGS in the Savana and monsoon climes of Enugu and PH are 10 and 19% more than that in the warm-semi arid climate zones of Maiduguri and Kano, which is approximately 0.09 $/kWh. The COE ($/kWh) for the OOGS is 0.21 in Maiduguri, 0.245 in Kano, 0.275 in Enugu and 0.338 in PH. An obligatory 95% RF changes the architecture and increases COE in all the locations except Maiduguri, with a slightly improved COE but higher NPC like other locations. It is established that the suggested hybrid system is beneficial and feasible for supplying more reliable and clean energy to educational buildings in different Nigerian locations.
This paper reports on a hydro backed-up (HPBU) hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for a rural off-grid community in Kwara State Nigeria with an average demand load of 550.9 kWh (90.7 kW peak) per day. By using HOMER Pro software, the formulation and identification of the best reliable system architecture for attaining technical and economic viability while using nearby existing RE sources such as hydro, wind and solar energy are appropriately modelled and optimized based on the minimal net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE). It was determined that the three best feasible configurations of a HPBU-HRES for the site have an annual output ranging from 1,642,979 -1,749,272 kWh/yr and a cost of electricity (COE) in the range of 0.34 -0.64 $/kWh. The best optimal HPBU-HRES (system 1) is a combination of 184 kW of solar PV (PV), 4,545 kWh of battery capacity (BB), 81.3 kW of converter (Conv) and 277 kW of hydro generation capacity (HPP). A comparison study undertaken to illustrate the economic benefits of the studied systems shows that about 288,116, 88,342 and 53, 88 kg/yr of CO 2 savings is possible against diesel only, grid extension and first best equivalent diesel engine backed-up (DEBU) system respectively. In furtherance of the study, a sensitivity analysis of the likely variation associated with the metrological parameters, load and cost of components was undertaken. The Outcomes show that system 1 (PV/HPP-BB) is the optimal system for small to medium loads (≤600 kWh/day), irrespective of the solar radiation.
The ethanol extractor was design, fabricated and its performance was evaluated. It comprises of two plastic containers (fermentation and separating tanks) each of which is 41.2 litters in capacity and a steam boiler of 10.6 liters in capacity which was mounted on an electric heater and the temperature was controlled by a thermostat. Aluminum pipe was used to connect the steam boiler by the top side in which gaseous ethanol flows to the water jacket of 15.3 liters in capacity to condense the ethanol to liquid which is collected at the bottom side of the water jacket. Thermometer was mounted on the steam boiler to read the temperature of the mixture inside the steam boiler. Continuous flow of water is ensured in the water jacket to enhance the rate of condensation. The performance test was carried out using four different feed rates of cassava starch at two different durations of extraction which include 500g, 1000g, 1500g and 2000g at 180minutes and 200minutes. Each one was replicated five times. The results showed that the quantity of alcoholic extracted depends on quantity of starch used. The high the quantity of cassava starch will lead to high durations of extraction that produced high volume of ethanol. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the effect of feed rates and time on the efficiency of the machine confirms that these factors are important parameters that significantly affect the performance and the volume of ethanol extracted by the machine.
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