Engineering
Recent Submissions
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Optimization of ethanol yield from cassava
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024)The energy crisis and worldwide economic depression has highlighted the production of biofuels from agricultural materials as an important national policy. Cassava, a root plant indigenous to Africa, is not cultivated ... -
Quantifying the cost of load curtailment on mine dewatering systems
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024)South Africa is experiencing severe electricity supply shortages, leading to rolling blackouts and soaring electricity prices. In response, demand-side management (DSM) measures are crucial to ensure grid stability and to ... -
User-based activity logging and analysis to improve system maintenance
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024)Software maintenance is continuous and forms part of the software development process. Research suggests that 15% of the total software development cost should be allocated to implementing a maintenance model for a software ... -
Fault isolation during transient conditions on a heated two-tank system: a multiway PCA approach
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024)This study aimed to employ a Multiway Principal Component Analysis (MPCA) approach for fault detection and isolation during transient conditions on a benchmark heated two-tank system, which closely resembles a chemical ... -
Plasma gasification of water hyacinth
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024)This study evaluates the feasibility of water hyacinth as a carbon fuel source for energy production, as a waste valorization method. The H-PlasWEn system at NECSA was evaluated as a possible plasma waste-to-energy ... -
A holistic feasibility assessment of the South African coal to carbon industry
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024)The coal-to-carbon industry converts beneficiated coal into high-value, non-energy carbon products. South Africa, a coal-dependent developing country, can leverage the coal-to-carbon industry to develop such products from ... -
Minimising engineering delivery cycle time variability on similar projects: An Eskom Case Study
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)Eskom Generation is experiencing high levels of cycle times variabilities on the delivery of similar engineering deliverables within similar project phases and similar plant areas across different power stations. These ... -
A zero-wastage approach to benchmark energy efficiency on platinum mines
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)The South African mining sector encompasses some of the largest mines in the world. These mines make use of high energy-consuming systems such as compressed air, ventilation, and refrigeration to extract ore from underground. ... -
Performance evaluation of a low-emissions stove using a biomass and coal blend
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)Anthropogenic activities, particularly coal combustion for industrial and domestic purposes, contribute significantly to air pollution, posing severe health risks. In developing countries like South Africa, indoor air ... -
Dynamic control of deep-level mine cooling systems using artificial intelligence
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)Deep-level mines face high electricity costs, posing a challenge as it significantly impacts production costs, consequently decreasing overall profitability. Complex energy-intensive cooling systems, including ventilation ... -
Improved ventilation control of an integrated deep-level gold mine using simulation
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)The gold mining industry in South Africa has experienced a decline in productivity, primarily due to rising operational costs, including high electricity tariffs. In addition, ventilation and refrigeration systems, responsible ... -
The Effect of Saline Solution Conditioning on South African Fly Ash Resistivity
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)Fly ash resistivity is an important characteristic that not only affects the electrical charge rate of fly ash particles but also the ultimate performance of electrostatic precipitators used for fly ash separation and ... -
A techno-economic evaluation of a PV system providing simultaneous water heating and emergency power
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)With an increase in both loadshedding and the price of electricity, homeowners are looking to reduce their dependence on the national electricity grid, both for reliability and financial benefit. While water heating with ... -
Pressure drop in fixed beds of non-spherical biomass char particle mixtures
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-08)Biomass gasification is an important engineering process for the production of fuel gases. The pressure drop of gas flowing through fixed beds is an important parameter for the design and operation of gasifiers. Pressure ... -
Mass moment of inertia model development for the dynamic response of windpumps
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)The main form of wind energy harnessing is where the wind turns a turbine to create torque. Rotational inertia is the storage of rotational energy in the form of a rotating or spinning mass. The Mass Moment of Inertia ... -
Whale call detection with deep neural networks
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)Passive acoustic monitoring with hydrophones makes it possible to detect the presence of marine animals over large areas. For monitoring to be cost-effective, this process should be fully automated. We explore a new ... -
Bio flame retardant for Polylactic acid by combining phytic acid and lignin nanoparticles from lignosulphonate
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)Lignosulphonate nanoparticles/Phytic acid bio-flame retardant for PLA is a novel and environmentally friendly flame retardant that has the potential to revolutionize the fire safety industry. This research paper provides ... -
The upgrade and characterisation of a heated two-tank system emulating typical fault conditions
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)This dissertation covers the process of determining the shortcomings of the original heated two-tank system, as designed and constructed by P. Oberholzer [1], the improvements that were made, and the set of expanded ... -
Biomechanical quantification and analysis of the human foot and ankle joint complex
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)The human foot and ankle joint complex are essential lower limb components responsible for facilitating smooth gait and other activities related to everyday living. Unfortunately, this natural movement is lost in amputees ... -
Integrated thermal-fluid and statistical modeling for fault prediction in fixed-bed dry bottom coal gasifiers
(North-West University (South Africa)., 2024-04)In this study, an integrated thermal-fluid and statistical modeling approach is developed for fixed-bed dry bottom coal gasifier fault prediction. This research is aimed to address the problem of current gasifier fault ...
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