Appraisal of Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection Losses in Nigerian Electricity Distribution System

From a practical point of view, no power system is free of losses. Power system losses, especially in distribution systems are usually high and result in increasing the cost of operations to the electric utilities and the price tag of electricity to the consumers. Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses is a reliable parameter that reveals the true energy and revenue loss conditions of distribution systems. In this paper, mathematical models were developed for the determination of billing efficiency, collection efficiency, and ATC&C losses using Life Camp Area Office’s network of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc Nigeria, as a case study. The average billing efficiency, collection efficiency and ATC&C losses for the period under review were found to be 89.73%,84.80%, and 23.79% respectively. An understanding of appraisal of these losses is important to the power system Engineers, energy policy makers, and the power firms as it enables areas of high losses in the network to be identified, which will give room for credible investment plans and subsequent monitoring of the losses. Keywords: ATC&C losses, billing, energy, distribution system, revenu

Effect of particle size on the froth floatation of Sokoto phosphate ore

Effect of particle size on the froth floatation of Sokoto phosphate ore for its beneficiation has been investigated and established. The research has been conducted using various reagents, pH(s) at different sieve size fractions. Bench scale flotation tests were carried out on -250+180μm, -180+106μm, -106+75μm, -75+45μm and -45+38μm particle size fractions after screening in order to determine the optimum flotation feed size distribution using 1 liter Denver flotation cell. The results of the scoping flotation studies using a conditioning Pulp Density of 60%Solids, pH9, 800g/t reagent dosage for AERO704 Promoter (Fatty Acid) and flotation pulp density of 28.5% Solids show that +106μm particle size gave the highest assay content of 20.4% P2O5 with a recovery of 76.2% compared to +38μm (19.9%P2O5 and recovery of 43.2%) and +180μm (19.4%P2O5 and 24.1% recovery) in their floats (concentrates) but with no perfect separation as the tailings fraction also contained similar grades with slight differences

Investigating the cooling rate of cane molasses as quenching medium for 0.61% C high carbon steels

The effect of cooling rate of cane molasses as quenching medium for 0.61% C high carbon steels was investigated. Samples of high carbon steel were spheroidized annealed and then machined prior to the hardening process. Molasses solution of viscosity equals to that of engine oil was prepared by adding water. The samples were normalized and then austenitised at 800oC and soaked for 40 minutes and then quenched in water, engine oil, raw molasses and the prepared molasses solution. Cooling rate curves of all the quenching media used were developed. The highest cooling rate of 60oC/s was attained by the prepared molasses solution. Hardness of the test samples was evaluated. The test results obtained show that the highest hardness value (525 HVN) was obtained from the sample quenched in the prepared molasses solution. Microstructures of the various samples were analyzed using OM and SEM. In all the tests samples martensite structure was observed. It was observed that the prepared molasses solution has higher severity of quenching than that of engine oil but lower than that of water. The research showed that cane molasses can harden high carbon steel without cracking the component in the same way as engine oil, hence, molasses could be a very good alternative to engine oil for use as quenching medium

Effect of reagent type on the froth floatation of Sokoto phosphate ore

Effect of reagent type on the froth floatation of Sokoto phosphate ore for its beneficiation has been established. The samples of the Sokoto phosphate mineral ore used for the research work were sourced from mining locations in Dange-Shuni, Bodinga, Yabo, Wurno, and Rabbah Local Government Areas of Sokoto State. Size-Assay analysis conducted on scrubbed Sokoto Phosphates nodules revealed that nodules had a size distribution with 80% passing 29.3 mm. Flotation Tests using AERO704 (fatty Acid), Alkyl Hydroxamates, Melamine as collectors (alone or mixed with diesel), MIBC as frother, Calcium Hydroxide and Sulphuric Acid as pH regulators and Dextrin, Sodium Silicate and Aluminium Chloride as depressants produced poor P2O5 separation in the flotation products due to very poor liberation associated with very fine mineral grains. Based on the results obtained, AERO704 Collector gave the best result with aP2O5 recovery pH of 10

Kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati: Tinjauan Filsafat Etika dan Nilai-Nilai Al-Qur’an

Di satu sisi, kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati mengusung konsep Tauhidullah (syi’ar Islam), sedang di sisi lain, dalam masa kepemimpinannya, kelangsungan budaya lokal dan budaya dari agama lama pada saat itu, sangatlah kental pada masyarakat. Bahkan cenderung digunakan oleh Sunan dalam syi’arnya di masa kepemimpinannya. Maka, kemurnian dan ketidak murniannya dapat ditinjau dengan menggunakan filsafat etika dan nilai-nilai al-Qur’an.   Adapun tujuan penelitian ini yaitu, untuk membangun sebuah konsep kepemimpinan Sunan  Gunung Djati, baik dalam tinjauan Filsafat Etika, dan Nilai-Nilai al-Qur’an, serta bagaimana pendekatan filsafat etika dan nilai-nilai al-Qur’an terhadap petatah-petitih Sunan Gunung DjatiPenelitian ini juga, bertolak dari sebuah pemikiran bahwa kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati dalam tinjauan filsafat etika dan nilai-nilai al-Qur’an, jika diaplikasikan dalam kehidupan manusia, terlebih bila disinergikan dengan perkembangan kehidupan masyarakat saat ini yang demikian kompleks dan heterogen, diasumsikan dapat menjadi satu alternatif model kepemimpinan bagi kehidupan masyarakat. Sebaliknya, bila kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati tidak bersinergi dengan konsep filsafat etika dan nilai-nilai al-Qur’an, maka perpecahan dan kehancuran kerukunan umat beragama akan terjadi, yang pada akhirnya akan berdampak negatif bagi kelangsungan kehidupan masyarakat beragama itu sendiri.  Metode yang dipakai dalam penelitian ini yaitu, metode Penelitian Filsafat yang digabung dengan metode Penelitian al-Qur’an. Kehadiran kepemimpimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati lewat rentang hidupnya yang sangat panjang (1448-1568) termasuk ketika menjadi Raja-Pandhita di Kesultanan Cirebon, dikaji melalui refleksi filosofis untuk menemukan aspek transendental dari petatah-petitihnya dan kemudian didukung juga dengan pendekatan ayat-ayat al-Qur’an yang relevan dengan kepemimpinannya. Penelitian ini juga dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode studi kepustakaan (library research). Penelitian ini tergolong dalam jenis penelitian eksploratif, karena bertujuan menggali model penelitian kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati dengan menelusuri filsafat etika dan nilai-nilai al-Qur’an. Sedangkan pada penyajian datanya, penelitian ini bersifat analitis kritis dan analitis eksploratif.Jawaban atas rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah, pertama, berdasarkan pendekatan nilai-nilai al-Qur’an, kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati merepresentasikan karakteristik dari seorang raja, sekaligus juga ulama. Hal itu tidak hanya menyangkut dimensi hidup yang profan, tapi juga terkait dengan realitas hidup yang lebih tinggi berdasarkan visi eskatologis, dengan inti paling utamanya adalah pada moralitas atau ketinggian akhlak, sebagaimana misi yang dibawa oleh Rasulullah. Kedua, etika kepemimpinan Sunan Gunung Djati, merupakan bentuk nilai-nilai universal yang bisa menjadi orientasi etis bagi kehidupan manusia. Ketiga, berdasarkan pendekatan filsafat etika serta nilai-nilai al-Qur’an, petatah-petitih Sunan Gunung Djati, walaupun disampaikan dalam bahasa Cirebon, namun dari sisi kandungannya, merupakan refleksi dari kedalaman nilai-nilai al-Qur’an, dan dalam konteks Indonesia, selaras dengan nilai falsafah Pancasila

Plant Disease Control: Understanding the Roles of Toxins and Phytoalexins in Host-Pathogen Interaction

Naturally, plant habitats are exposed to several potential effects of biotic and different abiotic environmental challenges. Several types of micro-organisms namely; bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, mites, insects, mammals and other herbivorous animals are found in large amounts in all ecosystems, which lead to considerable reduction in crop productivity. These organisms are agents carrying different diseases that can damage the plants through the secretion of toxic-microbial poisons that can penetrate in the plant tissues. Toxins are injurious substances that act on plant protoplast to influence disease development. In response to the stress effect, plants defend themselves by bearing some substances such as phytoalexins. Production of phytoalexins is one of the complex mechanisms through which plants exhibit disease resistance. Several findings specifically on phytoalexins have widen the understanding in the fields of plant biochemistry and molecular biology. However, this review reports the interaction of toxins and phytoalexins in plant-pathogen cycle, research progress on the association of phytoalexins with plant disease resistance as well as the role of the phytoalexins in plant disease control

Plant disease control: understanding the roles of toxins and phytoalexins in host-pathogen interaction

Naturally, plant habitats are exposed to several potential effects of biotic and different abiotic environmental challenges. Several types of micro-organisms namely; bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, mites, insects, mammals and other herbivorous animals are found in large amounts in all ecosystems, which lead to considerable reduction in crop productivity. These organisms are agents carrying different diseases that can damage the plants through the secretion of toxic-microbial poisons that can penetrate in the plant tissues. Toxins are injurious substances that act on plant protoplast to influence disease development. In response to the stress effect, plants defend themselves by bearing some substances such as phytoalexins. Production of phytoalexins is one of the complex mechanisms through which plants exhibit disease resistance. Several findings specifically on phytoalexins have widen the understanding in the fields of plant biochemistry and molecular biology. However, this review reports the interaction of toxins and phytoalexins in plant-pathogen cycle, research progress on the association of phytoalexins with plant disease resistance as well as the role of the phytoalexins in plant disease control

The paradigm of Tauhid as a basis for yhe integration of science and religion as implemented at UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung

This paper aims to formulate the integration of science and religion with the monotheism paradigm as its foundation and how this paradigm is implemented at the Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University, Bandung. In the context of the contemporary Islamic world, the formulation of the monotheistic paradigm is an answer to the challenge of the development of Western secularism which has created a dichotomy between science on the one hand and religion on the other. The method used in this paper is the Philosophical Research Method which seeks to find a fundamental view of the relationship between human nature regarding the development of science and the nature of monotheism as its paradigm. Therefore, this paper is in the form of library research, which reveals the meaning of texts analytically, synthetically and critically. The results of the study show that (1) the monotheism paradigm is closely related to and provides space for the development of Islamic epistemology for the integration of science and religion originating from the spirit of revelation, (2) the monotheism paradigm which is the basis for the development of scientific attitudes of classical Islamic scientists with their experiments can be continued in the Islamic world because it is very different from the way of secular Western scientists who work by relying too much on positivism methods, (3) Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung State Islamic University implements this tauhid paradigm by incorporating revelation into scientific discourse so that it can answer the challenges of the needs of Muslims contemporary society in developing a religious, scientific community. This paper recommends more serious research on monotheism as a paradigm of integrating science and religion

Performance Analysis of Intelligent Computational Algorithms for Biomass Higher Heating Value Prediction

 Higher heating value (HHV) is an essential parameter to consider when evaluating and choosing biomass substrates for combustion and power generation. Traditionally, HHV is determined in the laboratory using an adiabatic oxygen bomb calorimeter. Meanwhile, this approach is laborious and cost-intensive. Hence, it is essential to explore other viable options. In this study, two distinct artificial intelligence-based techniques, namely, a support vector machine (SVM) and an artificial neural network (ANN) were employed to develop proximate analysis-based biomass HHV prediction models. The input variables comprising ash, volatile matter, and fixed carbon were paired to form four separate inputs to the prediction models. The overall findings showed that both the ANN and the SVM tools can guarantee accurate prediction in all the input combinations. The optimal prediction performances were observed when fixed carbon and volatile matter were paired as the input combination. This combination showed that the ANN outperformed the SVM, having presented the least root mean squared error of 0.0008 and the highest correlation coefficient of 0.9274. This study, therefore, concluded that the ANN is more preferred compared to SVM for biomass HHV prediction based on the proximate analysis

In-situ hybrid study of thermal behaviour of ZnANi and ZnANiAAl2O3 nanocrystallite thin films induced TEA/MEA by electrocodeposition

Our present investigation focuses on the thermal stability of already developed electroforms of ZnANi and ZnANiAAl2O3 thin films induced with triethylamine (TEA) and monoethylamine (MEA) as surfactant by electrocodeposition on mild steel substrate with the aim to re-examine its micro-hardness and degradation behaviour in static sodium chloride solution. In the event, the samples were thermally treated at 200 �C and air cooled. The results obtained showed that the developed composites are thermally stable with hardness value of the ZnANiAAl2O3 coated; 185 Hv increased to 190.5 Hv indicating a 2.89% improvement. Noticeably, in the ZnANi coatings, a decrease in the hardness with 26.67% was observed. The oxidation resistance was however favored for both composites