Condition-Based Monitoring of Kiln Induced Draft Fan in A Dry Process Cement Plant for Efficient Utilization

Associated downtime and economic loss caused by replacement/maintenance of equipment necessitated pro-active technique known as Condition-Based Monitoring to prevent/reduce failures. This study evaluated the vibration of Kiln Induced Draft (KID) of cement plant before and after failure. Vibration data was acquired using accelerometer probe and data obtained were analyzed statistically by employing t-Test at 95% confidence. Results showed that vibration signals measured in mm/s for KID motor and fan bearings (non-drive and drive ends) in the horizontal plane recorded higher values than vertical and axial planes when measured before failure occurrences. After failures, horizontal plane values increased by more than 120% while those measured in the vertical and axial planes increased by less than 100%, making horizontal plane vibration measurement a more suitable parameter for predicting the machinery health condition. The t-Test conducted showed that mean differences in values of vibration signal data before and after failure are not zero but negatives (signal before failure < signal after failure). Outputs from tests of significance using two-tailed t-Test indicated that the differences in values of vibration data signals are not significant at (p≤ 0.05) when considering “equal variance not assumed”. The non-significance of these mean differences may indicate that the present operational vibration signal level should be maintained at values in order that significant difference may be observed between periods before failure and after failure for efficient prediction of failure, as the present 1.5-3.5 mm/s range is likely not a good range for efficient failure prediction

CORROSION PERFORMANCE OF 1014 MILD AND 304 STAINLESS STEELS IN ACIDIC MEDIA

Corrosion is a degradation of metallic materials under the action of the environment which requires oxygen and moisture to occur. This research work determined the corrosion performance of 1014 low carbon and 304 austenitic stainless steels in different concentration of acidic media. Corrosion tests were carried out using gravimetric technique. One hundred and eighty samples of the metals were prepared and immersed in containers of sulphuric acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO3) at 1, 2 & 3 M. The samples were then removed every three days for a period of 15 days to measure the weight loss. These were used to calculate the corrosion rates. The chemical analysis was determined using an Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX).  Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to determine the texture of the samples. The results showed that the corroded samples had pitting corrosion damage and cracks propagated generally on the sample surfaces. The corrosion rates of the samples increased with increase in molarities of the reagents, Stainless steel samples had the least corroded surfaces. The study concluded that the higher the level of concentration of acidic media (1 to 3 M), the higher the corrosion rates of samples in increasing order of HNO3, HCl and H2SO4 especially for mild steel sample (4.35 to 17.90, 0.21 to 2.90 and 10.37 to 0.64 mm/y) after 360 hours of immersion respectively. &nbsp

Evaluation of Inhibitive Performance of Acidic Extract of Eichornia Crassipeson Corrosion of Low Carbon Steel in 1M Sulphuric Acid Solution

Corrosion inhibition potential of Eichhornia crassipes extract on low carbon steel in 1 M sulphuric acid solution was investigated using gravimetric method and corrosion rate. The experiment was carried out for 3 hours at different concentration of Eichhornia crassipes extract and temperatures of 26.6°C, 40°C and 60°C. Arrhenius and improved Arrhenius equations were used to determine the thermodynamics properties of the reaction while the nature of the reaction was proposed by adsorption isotherms. The results showed that corrosion rate decreased in the presence of the extract except in 60oC. Inhibition efficiency also increased with extract concentration with the highest (82%) occurring at room temperature and 5% concentration. Inhibition efficiency decreased with increase in temperature with almost no inhibition at 60oC, this is associated with physisorption. Activation energy () and activation enthalpy () both had positive values and they increased in the presence of Eichhornia crassipes extract, those for inhibited solution were higher than those for uninhibited solution, these can also be attributed to physisorption. Inhibition  reaction obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Gibbs free energy () calculated for the reaction is -8.509 to -11.767 kJ mol-1

Inhibitive Action of Water Extract of Spondias Mombin on Corrosion of Low Carbon Steel in 0.5 M Sulphuric Acid

Corrosion inhibition of water extract of Spondias mombin on low carbon steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid was investigated in this paper. Fresh leaves, fruits and bark of this plant, washed properly, ground separately using small amount of distilled water to extract the juice at a ratio of 500 ml (distilled water) to 1 kilogram of plant were used for this experiment. Corrosion inhibitors of 0.4 g/ml, 1 g/ml and 2 g/ml were made from the filterate. Low carbon steel coupons suspended with twine inside 250 ml container of 0.5 M sulphuric acid in the presence of different concentrations of the extracts at room temperature for 35 days. The coupons were retrieved at 7 days interval, and the initial and final weights were recorded.  Inhibition efficiency for the leaves extract increased with concentration and got to its peak on the 7th day, that of the fruits extract initially increased with concentration until 1 g/ml after which there was a decline, its highest value was also recorded on the 7th day. The best inhibition efficiencies (in the range of 76.32% to 83.21%) for Spondias mombin water extract were observed in 0.4 g/ml bark extract throughout the days of the experiment, the highest being recorded on the14th day. It can be concluded that Spondias mombin water extract is a good corrosion inhibitor of low carbon steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid at room temperature, with the best being the bark extract which inhibited for up to 35 days

Application of Vibration Technique for the Control of Physical Properties of Yam (Dioscorea Spp.) Sprouts During Storage in Funaab, Nigeria Environment

Early sprouting of yam tuber is a typical problem during storage resulting into weight losses, deterioration, shrinkage and reduction in quality. This research work therefore carried out investigation on the application of vibration technique for the control of physical properties of yam (Dioscorea spp.) sprouts during storage in FUNAAB, Nigeria environment. The physical properties (length, number and weight of sprout, number of leaves and weight of roots) of the yam sprouts were determined for 140 white yam tubers. The yam tubers were divided into 108 experiment and 32 as control. The factors of the experimental design examined were frequency, amplitude and time of vibration of low (1 – 5 Hz, 5 mm and 3 minutes), medium (60 – 100 Hz, 10 mm and 10 minutes) and high (150 – 200 Hz, 20 mm and 15 minutes) respectively; weight of yam tuber of two levels of small (0.1 – 2.9 kg) and big (3.0 – 5.0 kg) were also considered. The tubers were stored for ten weeks after vibration, the physical properties of the yam sprouts were observed and records were taken every week. All the physical properties of yam sprouts examined followed the same trend. It was discovered that as the frequency, amplitude and time of vibration were increasing, the physical properties of the yam sprouts studied were decreasing significantly at p \u3c 0.05 for both weight of yams between 0.1 – 2.9 kg and between 3.0 – 5.0 kg. The results revealed that mechanical vibration significantly help in slowing down sprouting in yam tubers

Investigation of Vibration Technique To Control Physical Properties of Yam Tubers (Dioscorea rotundata Poir) uring Storage

Yam tubers lose weight during storage and prolonged storage can reduce tuber quality and quantity. This study investigated the application of vibration techniques for the control of the physical properties of yam tubers during storage. Measurements were conducted on the physical properties of the tubers: weight loss, shrinkage of the middle diameter, shrinkage of the length, top and bottom diameter, on 108 tubers treated and 32 tubers untreated (control). The factors of the experimental design were three levels of vibration frequencies, i.e. low (1 – 5 Hz), medium (60 – 100 Hz) and high (150 – 200 Hz), amplitudes of low (5 mm), medium (10 mm) and high (20 mm), and durations of low (5 minutes), medium (10 minutes) and high (15 minutes). Tuber weights were classified as small (0.1 – 2.9 kg) and large (3.0 – 5.0 kg). The tubers were stored for ten weeks after vibration, and their physical properties were measured every week during the storage period. Our study demonstrated that as the frequency, amplitude, and duration of vibration increase, the physical properties of yam tubers decrease significantly in both tuber classes. The study shows that mechanical vibration can slow down the changes in the physical properties of the yam tuber during storage

Data showing the effects of temperature and time variances on nano-additives treatment of mild steel during machining

The effects of temperature and time variances on nano-additives treatment of mild steel during machining was presented in this study. Mild steel of 150 kg mass containing 0.56% carbon was charged into the furnace at melting and pouring temperature of 1539 and 1545 °C respectively. Also charged into the furnace with the mild steel were 0.05% max phosphorous and a bit of sulphur. Thereafter, the sample was cooled and annealed at a temperature of 900 °C for 9 h and then cooled to 300 °C of hardening, normalizing and tempering respectively. The treated samples were then soaked with pulverized in palm kernel shell and barium carbonate (20%) energizer at respective temperatures (800, 850, 900 and 950 °C) and time variances (60, 90 and 120 min) in a muffle furnace. The developed tool was tested on a lathe machine to evaluate its performance. The surface and core hardness, wear resistance and toughness were carried out using the hardness tester, Rotopol–V and impact tester respectively. This is essential for predicting the useful life of the tool in service. Keywords: Nano-additive, Medium carbon steel, Case-hardening, Machinin

Data showing the effects of temperature and time variances on nano-additives treatment of mild steel during machining

The effects of temperature and time variances on nano-additives treatment of mild steel during machining was presented in this study. Mild steel of 150 kg mass containing 0.56% carbon was charged into the furnace at melting and pouring temperature of 1539 and 1545 °C respectively. Also charged into the furnace with the mild steel were 0.05% max phosphorous and a bit of sulphur. Thereafter, the sample was cooled and annealed at a temperature of 900 °C for 9 h and then cooled to 300 °C of hardening, normalizing and tempering respectively. The treated samples were then soaked with pulverized in palm kernel shell and barium carbonate (20%) energizer at respective temperatures (800, 850, 900 and 950 °C) and time variances (60, 90 and 120 min) in a muffle furnace. The developed tool was tested on a lathe machine to evaluate its performance. The surface and core hardness, wear resistance and toughness were carried out using the hardness tester, Rotopol–V and impact tester respectively. This is essential for predicting the useful life of the tool in service. Keywords: Nano-additive, Medium carbon steel, Case-hardening, Machinin