PREDICTION OF CRUDE OIL VISCOSITY USING FEED-FORWARD BACK-PROPAGATION NEURAL NETWORK (FFBPNN)

Crude oil viscosity is an important governing parameter of fluid flow both in the porous media and in pipelines. So, estimating the oil viscosity at various operating conditions with accuracy is of utmost importance to petroleum engineers. Usually, oil viscosity is determined by laboratory measurements at reservoir temperature. However, laboratory experiments are rather expensive and in most cases, the data from such experiments are not reliable. So, petroleum engineers prefer to use published correlations but these correlations are either too simple or too complex and so many of them are region-based not generic. To tackle the above enumerated drawbacks, in this paper, a Feed-Forward Back-Propagation Neural Network (FFBPNN) model has been developed to estimate the crude oil viscosity (μo) of Undersaturated reservoirs in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The newly developed FFBPNN model shows good results compared to the existing empirical correlations. The μo FFBPNN model achieved an average absolute relative error of 0.01998 and the correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.999 compared to the existing empirical correlations. From the performance plots for the FFBPNN model and empirical correlations against their experimental values, the FFBPNN model's performance was excellent

SINGLE-PLANT STARVATION AND PAIRED-PLANT STARVATION TESTS OF ADULT Neochetina eichhorniae WARNER

Single-plant starvation and paired-plant starvation tests were performed on adult Neochetina eichhorniae to determine the feeding specificity of the insect on the following plants: Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Hymphaea lotus, Ceratopteris sp, Azolla species, Colocasia esculentus, Vigna sinensis, Talium triangulare, Capsicum annum and Lycopesicom esculentus.The feeding spots of N.     eichhorniae on the different plants were assessed and counted using a hand-counter.  N. eichhorniae adults fed on E. crassipes only, confirming the feeding specificity of the N. eichhorniae to E. crassipes and the safety of other plants growing in the habitat

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING INFORMATION AS DETERMINANTS FOR SUSTAINABLE SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES – OGUN STATE EXPERIENCE

n order to ensure sustainability, it is imperative to assess the role management accounting information utilisation plays in helping Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SME) operators achieve profit targets. Three hundred forty-four (344) respondents were randomly selected from a total of 2,465 in Ogun State using Taro Yamane's (1967) formulae. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was designed and sent to participants using Google Form software. Using SPSS version 23.0, the responses were analysed using a T-test at α=0.05 significance level. Results showed that the majority of SME owners reported that their accountants always provided management accounting information (MAI) and that utilisation of the accounting information contributed 20.9% of their intended profit. There was an insignificant association (-.222) between sustainable SMEs and the enterprises’ profit trend, suggesting that a consistent rise in SMEs' profits does not ensure their long-term viability. It was concluded that SME operators' utilisation of management accounting information affects the viability of SMEs in the studied region. It is advised that relevant government bodies enact and implement policies on the need for SME owners to outsource their accounting duties if they cannot afford to hire accountants. This is expected to encourage the expansion of SME activities in a sustainable manner and improve the effectiveness of their operations.   &nbsp

Microbial Content of Abattoir Wastewater and Its Contaminated Soil in Lagos, Nigeria

Microbial content of wastewater in two abattoirs and the impact on microbial population of receiving soil was studied in Agege and Ojo Local Government Areas in Lagos State, Nigeria. Wastewater samples were collected from each of the abattoirs over three months period and examined for microbial content. Soil samples contaminated with the wastewaters were also collected and analyzed for microbial content as compared to soil without wastewater contamination in the neighborhood (control). Some physico-chemical parameters of the samples such as total dissolved solid, chemical oxygen demand, etc., were examined. The wastewater samples from both abattoirs were highly contaminated; Agege abattoir showed mean bacterial count of 3.32 × 107 cfu/ml and Odo abattoir showed mean count of 2.7 × 107 cfu/ml. The mean fungal populations were 1.6 × 105 and 1.2 × 105 cfu/ml for Agege and Odo abattoirs respectively. In the contaminated soil sample, mean bacterial count was 3.36 × 107 cfu/ml compared to the 1.74 × 106 cfu/ml of the control sample. High microbial load in abattoir wastewater with negative effects on microbial population in soil, in this study, further confirmed the need to treat wastewater rather than discharging it to the environment

Water Coning in Horizontal Wells: Prediction of Post-Breakthrough Performance

This study attempts to predict post-breakthrough performance in horizontal wells as a result of water coning. The post breakthrough performance is measured in terms of the Water Oil Ratio (WOR). Correlations were developed to predict the WOR, time to breakthrough and the critical oil production rate in horizontal wells. The reservoir studied was modelled using a 3D simulator (ECLIPSE100). PVT and Relative permeability data from literatures were used in modelling the reservoir. A one well model was simulated by setting up a ‘base case’ scenario of reservoir parameters, the WOR from this base case was observed. Sensitivity analysis was then carried out by varying each of the reservoir parameters and production rate independently. Regression analysis was done to develop correlation between the height above/below the perforations and the WOR. The developed correlations compared favourably well with the existing ones

Factors Influencing Construction Clients’/Contractors’ Choice of Subcontractors in Nigeria

Arising from the recent shift in the attitude of main contractors to subcontract procurement in some of the developing countries of the world, this study presents the findings of the importance of factors influencing the choice of subcontractors by the clients and contractors. With a focus on three commercial nerve centres of Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt), the study presents the findings of a survey of construction clients/contractors and rank the factors they consider in the selection of suitable subcontractors for project execution. The results of the relative index ranking technique indicate that five most important factors are: subcontractors’ past experience in terms of size and type of projects completed; subcontractors’ management resource in terms of formal and informal training; other related issues in terms of nature of contract and time of the year (weather), past relationships with the clients/contractors (past performance), and project facilitation in terms on labour/plant resources. It is concluded that greatest premiums should be attached to some of these factors for improved construction sustainability

Experimental Study of Darcy and Non-Darcy Flow in Porous Media

A simple experimental set-up is used to validate capillary-tube models of flow in porous media for (non-) spherical particles and coarse grains of particular/specific mesh sizes. Of the two models used, one model characterizes the structure of the media apart from particle diameter or equivalent particle diameter for non-spherical objects compared to the other model. The magnitude of computed tortuosity for particles/grains studied is in order, however, that of the spherical particles was slightly higher than published values for spheres. Likewise, the ratio of dynamic to static specific surface area was below anticipated and known results in literature. For the non-spherical particle that was approximated as a half-oblate spheroid, the possible error in computed volume and surface area may be the reason for the deviation of computed equivalent diameter from the effective diameter obtained by fitting Ergun correlation to experimental result. The deviation of computed results based on the conducted experiment may in fact be due to error in appropriately fitting straight line to plotted data and precision error of gauges, and possible hysteresis at low flow velocity due to experimental procedur

Non-Monetary Motivation Strategies and Growth of Selected Deposit Money Banks in Ogun State, Nigeria

The challenge facing managers in the banking sector is how to get employees committed to their work and put in their best towards the accomplishment of banks’ goals and objectives. There was gradual and consistent decline in the performance of banks due to low level of motivation within and outside the banking organizations. It is therefore imperative for managers in the banking sector to design and implement strategies and policies that will adequately address issues relating to employees’ welfare so that it will help in achieving industrial peace which is a panacea to organizational growth. The general objective of this study was to establish the effect of non-monetary motivational strategies on the growth of selected deposit money banks in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted cross-sectional survey and target population was 800 staff of the selected commercial banks in Ogun State and sample of 481 employees was used in this study. A stratified sampling technique method was used and data was collected through the use of questionnaire. A pilot study was conducted to pretest the validity and reliability of instruments for data collection. The data was analyzed by use of quantitative method with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. The study established that work environment, leadership style, training and career advancement have positive and significant effect on the growth of selected deposit money banks in Ogun State, Nigeria. The regression analysis showed that work environment plays the most significant role on the growth of selected deposit money banks in Ogun State at 5% level of significance. Based on these findings, the study recommended that management of selected deposit money banks in Ogun State should plan very well when considering motivational strategies aimed at increasing overall productivity of the workers so as to achieve growth. Keywords: Motivation strategies, Leadership style, Training, Work environment, Growt

AN ONTOLOGY-BASED KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION USING ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS FOR ENHANCING SELECTION OF PRODUCT PREFERENCES

Product alternatives, which emerges from large number of websites during searching, accounts for some hesitation experienced by customers in selecting satisfying product. As a result, making useful decision with many trade-off considerations becomes a major cause of such problem. Several approaches have been employed for product selection such as, fuzzy logic, Neuro-fuzzy, and weighted least square. However, these could not solve the problem of inconsistency and irrelevant judgement that occur in decision making. In this study, Ontology-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used for enhancing selection of product preferences. The model involved three fundamental components: product gathering, selection and decision making. Ontology Web Language (OWL) was utilized to define ontology in expressing product information gathering in a standard and structured manner for the purpose of interoperability while AHP was employed in making optimal choices. The procedure accepts customers’ perspectives as inputs which are classified into criteria and sub-criteria. Owl was created to foster customers’ interaction and priority estimation tool for AHP in order to generate the consistency ratio of individual judgements. The model was benchmarked with Geometric Mean (GM), Eigenvector (EV), Normalized Column Sum (NCS) Weighted Least Square (WLS) and Fuzzy Preference Programming (FPP). First and second order total deviations and violation rate were the performance parameters evaluation with AHP. The results showed that the minimum and maximum units of products are 2,452and 3,574, respectively. These implied that the proposed model was consistent, relevant and reflected a non-violation of judgment in selection of product preferences. &nbsp

WELL DELIVERABILITY PREDICTIONS OF GAS FLOW IN GAS-CONDENSATE RESERVOIRS, MODELLING NEAR-CRITICAL WELLBORE PROBLEM OF TWO PHASE FLOW IN 1 -DIMENSION

Production of gases from gas-condensate reservoirs are known to bear certain challenges largely due to the formation of retrograde condensates that hinder gas flow. The drop out of this liquid creates flow regions that are characterized by the liquid saturation as it affects the mobility of the two phase flow, thereby preventing the effective modeling of well productivity. In this study, a predictive model based on an analytical approach is developed to predict gas flow in gas condensate reservoirs. This study compares the estimated gas flow from the developed model for gas-condensate reservoirs to the flow of an existing model for gas reservoirs. This study observes the effects of liquid drop-out on productivity at low pressures and the condensate unloading pressure, which is comparable to that of commercial softwar