DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCTION ENGINEERING

Solar energy is a promising renewable energy source that can play a crucial role in addressing global energy challenges and mitigating climate change impacts. This research focuses on assessing the impact of climate change on solar energy potential, specifically in regions vulnerable to environmental shifts. The study employs a multi-faceted approach combining data analysis, modeling techniques, and machine learning algorithms to analyze solar radiation data under varying atmospheric conditions. The methodology involves collecting historical climate data, satellite-based solar radiation data, and ground-based measurements to create comprehensive datasets. Clear sky and all-sky solar radiation parameters such as Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), and Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance (DHI) are analyzed using established models and algorithms. Machine learning techniques are utilized to develop predictive models for solar energy forecasting, considering factors like cloud cover variations, aerosol content, and long-term climate trends. The research aims to provide insights into how climate change trends impact solar energy resources, enabling better decision-making for solar energy infrastructure development and energy policy formulation. By understanding the complex interactions between climate dynamics and solar radiation, this study contributes to the advancement of sustainable energy practices and adaptation strategies in a changing climate scenario

This project addresses the critical need for efficient and accessible water pumping solutions in various applications, particularly in contexts with limited access to conventional power sources. Water pumping systems are integral to industries ranging from agriculture to disaster relief. However, challenges such as power dependency, infrastructure limitations, and environmental concerns persist. This project introduces a transformative approach by integrating a hand drill as the primary power source within a centrifugal pump system. This innovative solution leverages the portability, affordability, and versatility of this device, making it a practical and cost-effective alternative. The hand drill-powered system eliminates the reliance on electricity or fuel, enhancing accessibility in remote or emergency situations. In addition to its applicability in car washes, low volume irrigation, and medical microfluidics, this project extends its impact to various fields, including agriculture, disaster relief, and remote research stations. It offers a sustainable, portable, and environmentally responsible water pumping solution that aligns with modern needs. By combining the convenience of hand drills with the efficiency of centrifugal pumps, this project represents a significant advancement in water pumping technology.

This project addresses the critical need for efficient and accessible water pumping solutions in various applications, particularly in contexts with limited access to conventional power sources. Water pumping systems are integral to industries ranging from agriculture to disaster relief. However, challenges such as power dependency, infrastructure limitations, and environmental concerns persist. This project introduces a transformative approach by integrating a hand drill as the primary power source within a centrifugal pump system. This innovative solution leverages the portability, affordability, and versatility of this device, making it a practical and cost-effective alternative. The hand drill-powered system eliminates the reliance on electricity or fuel, enhancing accessibility in remote or emergency situations. In addition to its applicability in car washes, low volume irrigation, and medical microfluidics, this project extends its impact to various fields, including agriculture, disaster relief, and remote research stations. It offers a sustainable, portable, and environmentally responsible water pumping solution that aligns with modern needs. By combining the convenience of hand drills with the efficiency of centrifugal pumps, this project represents a significant advancement in water pumping technology

Effective inventory management is vital in ensuring the continuous availability of essential drugs in community pharmacies. However, many small and medium-sized pharmacies in Nigeria still rely on manual stock records, which are often prone to errors, delays, and inefficiencies. These limitations lead to frequent stock outs, overstocking, and poor decision-making. This project was therefore aimed at developing a low-cost, web-based pharmacy inventory management system that can automate key inventory operations and improve overall stock control efficiency. The system was designed to integrate real-time data entry, sales monitoring, and automatic computation of inventory parameters such as the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) and the Reorder Point (ROP).
The methodology involved the design and implementation of a web application connected to a PostgreSQL database. The system was built using React.js for the frontend, Node.js with Express for the backend, and MongoDB and PostgreSQL for data management. Data used for analysis were derived from the pharmacy’s 2024 operational records, including sales transactions, purchase orders, and stock levels. Analytical models such as the EOQ and ROP formulas were embedded into the application to enable automated calculation of optimal order quantities and reorder levels. The system’s functionality was evaluated based on its performance in handling more than 15,000 sales records, accuracy in computation, and responsiveness in generating real-time alerts.
The results showed that the system effectively automated stock control processes, minimized manual errors, and significantly improved decision-making speed. The EOQ and ROP computations consistently produced accurate results using a uniform 20% safety stock across all products. Additionally, the system generated automatic reorder alerts

The global edible oil industry is dominated by palm oil due to its high yield, versatility, and economic importance. Although Nigeria was once the world’s leading producer of palm oil, its current contribution to global output is less than 2%, largely due to outdated and inefficient processing technologies, particularly at the small-scale production level. One of the critical stages affected is the clarification process, which significantly influences the quality of the final product.

This study focuses on the design and fabrication of an improved diesel-powered palm oil clarifier specifically intended for small-scale producers. The machine is developed to enhance processing efficiency, improve product quality, and reduce the labor-intensive and rudimentary methods currently in use. The design addresses key challenges in the clarification stage by introducing a more effective separation process, thereby minimizing impurities and improving oil yield and quality.

The proposed system is tailored to meet the needs of rural and small-scale oil palm farmers who lack access to advanced processing technologies. By improving the efficiency of palm oil clarification, the machine is expected to contribute to increased productivity, better product quality, and enhanced economic returns for local producers. The study concludes that the adoption of improved mechanized clarification technology is essential for revitalizing Nigeria’s palm oil sector and strengthening its competitiveness in the global market.

The main objective of this machine is to remove the coconut shell and to eliminate the skilled labour involved in de-husking. The coconut outer shell is a fibrous husk one to two inches thick. This paper deals with the design and fabrication of Electric motor operated coconut de-husking machine. This project is aimed at producing an efficient and more economical machine for coconut industry. The coconut is known for its great versatility as seen in many domestic, commercial, and industrial uses of its different parts. Coconuts are different from any other fruits because they contain large quantity of tender and when immature they are known as tender-nuts or jelly-nuts and may be harvested for drinking. When they mature they still contain some water and can be used as seed nuts or processed to give oil from the kernel, charcoal from hard shell and coir from fibrous husk.
One traditional method used for coconut de-husking is using a machete. This is done by using human energy. This method is risky and tedious and yet requires skills. Hence an alternative is suggested in our project which reduces time involved in coconut de-husking and human effort. Depending upon the survey different sizes of coconut are determined. The machine is designed to accommodate different sizes of the coconut that are cultivated anywhere in the world.

Process parameters have been known to determine the quality of weldments in welding operations. Therefore the process parameters have to be manipulated to determine the desirable quality of the weldment. In doing this, the Taguchi method was applied to optimize these process parameters. The response obtained from the welding operation was the Impact strength of the weldments. From using the Taguchi method, it was derived that the optimum process parameters is A3,B1,C3. The analysis of variance was computed to determine the level of contribution of each of the process parameter to the quality level of the weldment.
It was investigated that voltage contributed most having a total of 14.42% of the quality level of the weldment, followed by the welding current, with a value of 7.94% and gas flow rate being the least with a contribution of 2.04%. A confirmation test was carried out to validate the inference that A3,B1,C3 is the optimum process parameters. The signal to noise ratio of the existing process parameters of A2 B3, C1 was determined to be 40.3997dB, whereas, the optimum welding process has a signal to noise ratio of 42.8796 dB. This shows that there is an improvement of 2.4799 dB of the optimum process parameters over the existing one. The Impact Energy of the weldment produced by the welding operation made by using the optimum process parameters has 12 J more than the Impact Energy obtained from the weldment made by using the existing process parameters.
In this study, the Taguchi method was useful in improving the quality of weldment made by applying the optimum process parameters obtained.

In Nigeria, a borehole is one of the best means of obtaining clean water in field condition. However, field operations in remote areas or in difficult conditions often require flexibility and imagination in avoiding and solving technical problems. The automated borehole regulator serves as a means to control the pumping of water between predefined upper and lower limits.This system mainly works on a principle that “water conducts electricity”. 5 wires are dipped into the tank with a certain gap between each wire will indicate the different water levels. Based on the outputs of these wires, microcontroller displays water level using LEDs as well as controls the flow of water by controlling the motor of the pump. In the 1st phase, the program is burnt into the microcontroller and the 5 copper wires are used to indicate water level and a motor controls the flow of water. An increase in the water level is determined by the wires and the signal is sent to the microprocessor and afterwards displayed on the LCD screen.The overall system testing of integrated design of voltage measurement device. The testing and integration is done to ensure that the design is functioning properly as expected thereby enabling the intended user(s) for which the project was targeted for, appreciate its implementation and equally approaches used in the design and integration of various modules of the project.

This study aimed to design and implement a low-cost microcontroller-based system for monitoring the energy consumption of individual workshop machines, addressing the limitations of conventional centralized metering systems that fail to provide machine- specific data. The literature review examined previous work on energy monitoring technologies, including commercial, open-source, and academic systems, highlighting the growing role of the Internet of Things (IoT) in enabling real-time data acquisition and remote monitoring. It emphasized the need for affordable, scalable, and educationally adaptable solutions for developing regions, where technical expertise and financial resources are limited. The research adopted an experimental design methodology involving hardware and software integration. The system was built using Arduino Nano and ESP32 microcontrollers, ZMPT101B voltage and SCT-013 current sensors, an LCD display, and a ThingSpeak IoT cloud interface. Mathematical modeling was applied to compute voltage, current, power, energy, and cost, while SolidWorks was used for casing design. Calibration and testing were conducted under varying load conditions to assess accuracy, response time, and data stability. Data were logged both locally on an SD card and remotely on the cloud for redundancy and analysis. Results indicated that the system achieved high accuracy within ±1% for voltage and ±5% for current, with an overall efficiency of 95% and IoT data transfer uptime of 98%. The developed prototype successfully provided real-time monitoring, stable performance, and reliable data transmission. The study concluded that the Arduino-based energy monitoring system is a cost-effective, scalable, and efficient solution suitable for educational, domestic,

This project focuses on the design and construction of a solar-powered food dryer aimed at improving the efficiency and sustainability of food preservation, particularly in off-grid and rural environments. The developed system utilizes solar energy as the primary heat source to dehydrate agricultural products, thereby reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing shelf life without reliance on fossil fuels or electricity from the grid. The dryer comprises a solar collector unit, drying chamber, air circulation system, Lagging material and insulated drying trays. The design emphasizes passive solar heating, which harnesses thermal energy from the sun to generate hot air that is circulated over the food products to facilitate moisture removal. To ensure uniform drying and improved airflow, Two DC-powered fan connected to a photovoltaic (PV) panel is integrated into the system. This setup enables consistent airflow and temperature regulation within the chamber during operation.The solar collector was oriented due south and inclined at 16.2°, based on the optimal slope calculated from the local latitude of Benin City. Design calculations showed a collector area of 0.17 m², drying chamber volume of 0.044 m³, and heat gain of 170 W/m², with heat loss through the chamber walls estimated at 8.9 W/m²K. Preliminary testing was conducted using sliced plantain to evaluate the drying performance in terms of moisture reduction rate, drying time, and product quality under typical October weather conditions. The internal dryer temperature ranged between 45°C and 65°C, consistently higher than ambient conditions. Moisture content reduced from approximately 100% to 39% (wet basis), corresponding to 0.075 kg amount of water removed. Effective drying occurred within 17–20 hours, significantly shorter than traditional open sun drying which typically exceeds 24 hours under similar conditions. The average drying rate was 0.0044 kg/hr, and the solar dryer achieved a high overall efficiency of 94.76%, indicating excellent heat utilization. Which is ideal for preserving color, texture, and nutrient quality of Agricultural Product. The findings demonstrate that the constructed solar dryer offers a practical and energy- efficient alternative for small-scale food processors and farmers, particularly in regions with high solar potential. This work contributes to the advancement of sustainable food processing technologies and provides a foundation for future improvements, including hybrid systems and thermal energy storage integration for continuous operation during low-sunlight periods.