eec 2501 / eee 2501 final year projects abstracts

ABSTRACTS

JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OFAGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL &

ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

EEC 2501 / EEE 2501

FINAL YEAR PROJECTS

ABSTRACTS

2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR

1

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P001

REG. NO. : EN271-0551/2009

NAME: IRUNGU GERALD WANGUNYU

SUPERVISOR : MS. M. KIIO

GSM BASED HOME APPLIANCE CONTROL

AND SECURITY SYSTEM

With the latest technological advancements in the 21st Century, human beings aremore concerned with security, convenience and comfort. As technology rapidly changes,so has crime. Hence, better and cheap innovations need to be developed to counter the newcrime tactics. Also, with people leading a busy lifestyle, there is a necessity of controllinghome appliances and performing home surveillance remotely. Most of the home applianceand security systems currently in the market are limited in terms of area of coverage andnumber of electronic devices to be controlled.

The goal of the project is to design and implement a smart home system for controllingthe home appliances remotely with the help of a mobile device and getting alerts onintrusion. The major factors, which have been put into consideration, are affordabilityand scalability. The system will have features that can enable automatic monitoring andcontrol, intrusion detection and switching functionalities for home electronic appliances.As a representative, the parameter the system will monitor is temperature for automaticswitching of an air condition system. For intrusion detection, there will be a motion sensorfor controlling a security light. This is with the aim of improving safety and security andproviding more efficient utilization of energy.

The project aims to use GSM module for sending and receiving text messages andArduino microcontroller for control of the entire system.

2

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P002

REG. NO. : EN271-0553/2009

NAME: EVANS NG’ANG’A KARIUKI


ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM

USING RFID TECHNOLOGY

A 2006 traffic count conducted by JICA revealed that the Nairobi Thika road carriedmore than 60,000 vehicles per day, the highest in the East African Region. This num-ber has continued to grow at an ever increasing pace as Nairobi and other areas fed bythe highway continue to develop. The traditional method of handling the increased roaddemand was to build more roads and remodeling the existing ones e.g. removal of round-abouts along Thika Road and building underpasses and flyovers in their place to minimizetraffic jams. However, these traditional solutions are proving not to be enough in the longterm. This is because the lower traffic congestion brought by these improvements hasalso led to an increase in road demand, bringing about increased road congestion andthus resulting in a vicious cycle of congestion on roads. One of the suggested alternativemethods is road pricing by locating toll stations along major highways such as ThikaRoad.

This project aims at introducing an efficient and cost effective method of collectingtoll charges along Thika Road by use of RFID tags mounted on vehicle windscreens. Thissystem will eliminate the need for motorists and toll authorities to manually performpayment and collect toll fees respectively. It will therefore facilitate paperless passage oftoll gates, reduce toll gate traffic and avoid illegal passage of vehicles through the tollgates. The system will be prepaid and the vehicle owners will maintain an account fromwhich they will be charged every time they pass through a toll station. It will also haveSMS alerts for informing the vehicle owners of low balance in their accounts and when apayment is successfully made.

I propose to use RFID readers and tags for identification and GSM modules for con-nectivity.

3

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P003

REG. NO. : EN272-0436/2009

NAME: MWARUWA CHAKA


AN INTELLIGENT SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION

WITH MOTION DETECTION AND WEB BASED

MONITORING

Security is a major concern for many businesses and the government. Businesses spendlarge amounts of money to keep their properties safe from theft and vandalism as well asto keep their premises secure. It is common to find businesses or government installationsprocure expensive Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance systems so as to monitorevents in their premises at all times. With the emergence of terrorism and high levels ofinsecurity the contribution of such systems to security cannot be underestimated. Thesesystems require active monitoring personnel and produce lengthy footage (24 hours offootage for one day) for the security personnel to review in case of an incident henceprolonging investigations.

This project aims to incorporate a motion sensor that will be used to actively monitorthe surroundings so that video surveillance is done only when motion is detected so thatonly useful footage is stored. The footage is sent to a server for processing from where itcan be viewed in a web based interface.

This will be achieved using a raspberry pi (a credit card sized computer board) anda camera interfaced to a Passive Infrared (PIR) motion sensor for the camera and itscontrols. Video/image processing will be done using python and the web based interfacewill be developed in php.

4

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P005

REG. NO. : EN271-0605/2009

NAME: MICHIRA VALENTINO MBAKA

SUPERVISOR : PROF. S. KANG’ETHE

RFID BASED ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM

The theft of electronic devices such as laptops is a major problem in institutions. Thesystem currently employed involves a manual inspection and noting down of respectiveserial numbers of the devices. This system is both time-consuming and inefficient whilesubject to collusion between the inspector and a possible suspect.

The aim of this project is to develop an automated system that checks and verifies theownership of such devices when the person enters or leaves a given premise. An RFID chipis embedded both on the intended devices and the owners Identification Card. A databasewill be created so as to store the details of ownership and used in the verification process.The RFID reader polls both tags and verifies such information as per the database andactivates a buzzer when a conflict occurs.

The system entails the use of: MySQL as the database creation tool, A microcontrolleris used for the interpretation of signals from the RFID reader & communication withdatabase and Microsoft Visual studio for the creation of the source code.

5

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P006

REG. NO. : EN271-2712/2009

NAME: KANYUI ANN WAMAITHA


SMART WATER METER

Water is an invaluable resource to the human race. The use and consumption of itshould therefore be used with much care to ensure that it is not wasted. The cases ofvandalism and damage of water meters and pipes have become rampant. The aim of thisproject will be to help the water service providers to monitor the meter readings from thelocation and from their databases as opposed to using pen and paper as it is done now.This will not only reduce in the errors made by humans while taking readings but willalso help save on man power and costs used for the transport of the workers.

The smart water meter is an micro-controller based residential water meter whichdigitally displays the readings of the water meter at location and sends these readings toa database via a GSM module. It will be able to control valves remotely which controlwater supply at every meter. Using the GSM module each and every water meter can bemonitored and mapped. The data collected from the meter will then be relayed back tothe consumer according to subscription.

6

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P007

REG. NO. : EN272-0587/2009

NAME: KAMAU SAMUEL NJUGUNA


A WRIST-MOUNTED BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY

TEMPERATURE AND PULSE WAVE

MONITORING DEVICE.

High blood pressure is known to be a silent killer. In most cases it does not presentobvious symptoms that compel the individual to seek medical attention yet it is a seriouslife-threatening condition. It is the most common cause of heart attacks, heart failure,stroke and other complications.

The aim of this project is to design and implement an affordable and low-power bodyvitals monitoring device that can help many middle and low income earners keep theirhealth in check and identify extreme body malfunctions relating to the heart and bloodbefore they get out of hand.

The device detects the blood pressure, body temperature and pulse by use of sensorsand displays the results on an LCD screen mounted on the gadget. The results are alsosent to the users mobile phone via Bluetooth or wireless connectivity. Limits of the vitalsigns are set and in case of extremities, a message is sent to a relevant person who cantake the necessary medical steps, preferably a doctor within reach.

7

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P008

REG. NO. : EN271-0558/2009

NAME: BRYAN BUNDI KOOME

SUPERVISOR : DR. S. KAMAU

SERVOFILL CAP DETECTOR AND TUB

DIVERTER MECHANISM IN UNILEVER’S

SAVOURY PLANT

Unilever as a company values quality and in return always wants its products to be ofthe highest quality and standard, this point encouraged us to come up with this projectidea. The RMM is packaged in the servo fill line in 500g, 200g and 55g SKUs, these tubsare normally filled, capped, coded and a sleeve is applied, all this takes place in the servofill line. Certain tubs fail to get capped and thus the product is exposed after leaving thecapping machine, the coder therefore transfers the ink directly into the powder, the lidlesscontainer then passes through the steam tunnel whereby the powder comes into directcontact with the powder. Problems that may accrue as a result of this action includesbut not limited to the following:

• Microbial contamination due to presence of moisture in the powder. This may leadto growth of molds in the powder

• Negligible Ink poisoning

The main objective of this project is to ensure tubs that dont have caps dont gopast the date coder or rather the lidless tubs are diverted into a different section so asto prevent transfer of ink or steam into the powder and also prevent tub wastage sinceuncapped tubs will be taken back to the capping machine. All this will be accomplishedby installing a machine that checks for presence of a cap and if theres no cap, the tub isdiverted into an exit bin, if there is a cap the tub proceeds past the date coder into thesleeving section.

8

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P009

REG. NO. : EN271-0549/2009

NAME: GATHU SAMUEL NDIRANGU

SUPERVISOR : DR. P.K. HINGA

DISH POSITIONING SYSTEM

Satellite communication opens up a whole world of TV/Radio entertainment with awide variety of programs on offer to choose from. A substantial number of people are seento purchase satellite dishes as they seek to be part of the digital migration as well as thequality of images inherent to the satellite service. Satellite communication, however, islimited to the orbiting satellites footprint and adverse weather conditions that may leadto general drifting of the satellite dish, from its originally mounted position .This thereforemakes satellite dishes prone to misalignment from these satellites in space resulting in aweakened signal strength reception.

Moreover, satellite dishes and antennas are mounted in very precarious locations, in anattempt to steer clear from any obstructions such as buildings and trees. This imposes arisk when it comes to installing and servicing those installed dishes for proper alignment.I therefore propose to design and implement a dish control system to assist in positioningand general installation of satellite dishes.

This system will seek to use an IR remote and receiver to adjust the dish position. Itconsists of two motors that will enable the dish to move both in horizontal and verticaldirection. A microcontroller will be used as the controller to interface between the signalsfrom the remote, to the adjusting motors. In the end, this project seeks to solve theproblem of manually adjusting the dish and providing a safe solution for mounting satellitedishes.

9

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P010

REG. NO. : EN271-0556/2009

NAME: KIPTUM EZEKIEL


AUTOMATIC GREENHOUSE CONTROL AND

MANAGEMENT USING ETHERNET

The objective of this project is to design an automated agricultural system whichis entirely sensor based and can communicate with the various sensor modules in real-time in order to control the temperature, soil moisture and light intensity efficientlyinside a greenhouse. This is achieved by actuating a cooler or heater, dripper and lightsrespectively according to the necessary condition of the crops. Data acquired from thevarious sensors is then sent in real time for continuous monitoring.

It is made possible to continuously collect information from the greenhouse, and controleffectively and automatically the parameters. The collected information is then sent toa central location via Ethernet for monitoring on a computer. This makes the proposedsystem to be an economical, time and labour saving solution for large scale greenhouseapplications, especially in developing countries.

I intend to use C programming language, several sensors and actuators and Arduinoboard based on the ATmega328 microcontroller for the control of the sensors in use. iii

10

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P011

REG. NO. : EN272-2729/2009

NAME: MAINA ANTHONY NDUNGU


REMOTE CONTROL OF A TOY CAR BY

ANDROID APPLICATION

Most commercial remote control toys in the market today are operated by a singlededicated controller which is often proprietary. This project aims at designing and devel-oping a three wheeled wireless toy car that can be operated by using an android Bluetoothapplication.

An android application will provide graphical user interface (GUI) to the user. Theandroid device will act as a transmitter whose data is received by a Bluetooth moduleinterfaced to a microcontroller. The Bluetooth module will communicate serially with themicrocontroller. Two direct current (DC) motors with gear will be used for controllingspeed and direction of the toy car. H-bridge will be used to enable control of the directionof the motor. The microcontroller will process the control signals received from theBluetooth module, control the direction of DC motors according to command receivedand show command on liquid crystal display (LCD). The Android application will bedeveloped with Eclipse and android software development kit (SDK). A C compiler or anassembler will be used to program the microcontroller software.

The expected outcome is a smart toy car motion based on android application, mi-crocontroller and Bluetooth wireless technology. A toy car that can be positioned on theground where its moving features can be tested. Graphical user interface (GUI) of theandroid application will consist of five buttons. Four buttons designed for four directions;forward, backward, left and right. The fifth button designed to stop the car. The toy carcan move according to the buttons clicked.

11

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P012

REG. NO. : EN272-2728 /2009

NAME: LIHANDA MARVIN AVUGWI

REG. NO. : EN272-2737/2009

NAME: ELIAS MWANGI GIKONYO

REG. NO. : EN272-0584/2009

NAME: ALOO JAMES OGUTU

SUPERVISOR : MR. S. N. NJOROGE

INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM

The ever increasing number of vehicles coming in through our ports and finally endingup in our city roads has caused major traffic snarl ups which is now a major concern toevery road user. This has become the norm in our major city roads, causing great delaysand making it difficult for road users to maneuver from point A to point B during peakhours. This is because there isn’t a coordinated system of controlling the traffic flow inthe entire CBD. We intend to develop a better traffic management system which is aimedat reducing unnecessary delays and offer better alternatives to control the traffic flowduring rush hour.

There are two aspects to this project: The software simulation which will entail adetailed model map of Nairobi CBD, on which we will demonstrate an algorithm developedto manage the traffic flow. The second aspect will be a model of a single roundabout byuse of a microcontroller to implement the algorithm developed.

12

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P013

REG. NO. : EN272-2725/2009

NAME: KARURI SOLOMON K.

REG. NO. : EN272-2748/2009

NAME: MAGEMBE DAVID ONSARIGO

SUPERVISOR : MR. S. N. NJOROGE

AUTOMATIC FIRE RESPONSE AND

EMERGENCY ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

In many industries and homes around the world unexpected fires are a major problemthat leads to loss of lives and extensive damage of property and if not controlled quicklythe damage could be catastrophic. However the level of damage can be controlled usingthe proper equipment through a coordinated response system and also prevent loss oflives.

This project aims at incorporating fire detection, emergency access control, backuplighting and control of the sprinklers using a microcontroller. The module along withsmoke and heat detectors installed in the building will provide a means of monitoring thesituation and offer the proper response to extinguishing the fire by releasing the waterthrough the sprinklers. The module will also open the emergency door locks for emergencyexits that will be used to leave the building. The whole system will be integrated in sucha way that the doors are opened immediately the alarm goes off to let people out of thebuilding.

Apart from the automatic system there is a manual override which can be used tooperate the emergency exit and the backup lighting system. The sprinklers will be syn-chronized with the fire detectors and will release the water depending on the specificlocation of the detector. The backup power will be set when the main power fails.

13

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P014

REG. NO. : EN271-0561/2009

NAME: MAINA JAMES WAHOME

REG. NO. : EN271-0566/2009

NAME: MUCHAI JAFAR THIURU

SUPERVISOR : MR. D. MULLI

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SMART SYSTEM

USING V2I TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE

ACCIDENTS IN BLACK SPOT ZONES

The autonomous vehicle smart system using v2i technology is an intelligent devicethat will enhance communication between the vehicle and various interfaces using currentelectronics technology along the highways and roads generally. The system will automat-ically regulate speed of a moving vehicle, offer automatic alerts and electronic displays tothe driver.

In this project, we have two sections. One is the transmitter section, which will belocated in a remote place (infrastructure) and the receiver section that will be located inthe vehicle. The project involves developing the interface, as well as the vehicle system.The interface will have an Arduino, sensors, Xbee transmitter and a motor, while thevehicle system will include an Arduino, xbee receiver and actuators. The interface willbear the information and program of the road conditions and controls and through thetransmitter, the program transmitted to each vehicle, which will automatically actuatethe program.

The outcomes expected include; automatic speed control without driver’s intervention,automatic electronic display depending on intended information about the road, whichwill be displaying the alert message in the LCD as programmed, simultaneously a buzzeralert is given.

14

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P015

REG. NO. : EN272-2738/2009

NAME: PATRICK NDIRANGU MWAURA

SUPERVISOR : MR. D. MULI

A ROBOTIC VEHICLE FOR NAVIGATING

HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS

Exposure to harmful gamma ray emissions are a risk that personnel in a nuclearpower plant face every day in their lives. This means that each employee in such a facilityshould have protective gear to prevent exposure beyond the medically allowable limits.In addition to that, there are areas where human beings are strictly forbidden to enter,for instance; the nuclear core where emissions are at their highest. In light of this, Ihave decided to come up with an autonomous vehicle with a mounted camera that willenable the concerned parties to access these areas without necessarily exposing themselvesto such high risk. I was inspired by the fact that our country is laying down plans onemploying nuclear energy. It is, in fact, one of the objectives under the vision 2030 energypillar.

On the other hand maintenance tasks are crucial for all kind of industries, especially inextensive industrial plants, like nuclear power plants. The incorporation of robots is a keyissue for automating inspection activities, as it will allow a constant and regular controlover the whole plant. This paper presents an autonomous car system to perform inspectionfor early detection and prevention accidents that would occur in a nuclear power plant.For instance some cases that have resulted from nuclear power plant accidents, includethose in Chernobyl and in Fukushima. These will serve as a warning why the need forpreventive maintenance through proper plant inspection is of at most importance.

I will use a small model using a toy car with a camera mounted on it to achievethe system I am proposing. Essentially this is a car that drives autonomously especiallynear the nuclear core areas there by protecting the employees. I propose to use theC programming language, a camera and a Texas instrument Tiva Launch Pad for theprocessing of the sensor data to effect the required control.

15

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P016

REG. NO. : EN271-0583/2009

NAME: WEKESA DANIEL W

REG. NO. : EN272-0640/2009

NAME: KABEBERI DAPHNE

SUPERVISOR : DR. P. K. KIHATO

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A GESTURES

ACTUATED WHEELCHAIR MODEL WITH

OBSTACLE DETECTION

Mental retardation, stroke and birth defects have left many Kenyans unable to moveon their own so as to perform basic functions of human life. In this time of increasedsocietal independence, the need for such people to lead near normal and comfortable livesfor self-sustenance with little or no help from others is increasing. We aim to allow formobility of such disadvantaged citizens by designing and fabricating a wheelchair that isactuated by their slight gestures.

Many control mechanisms have been developed to control motorized wheelchairs withthe objective of automating the wheelchair so as to benefit the disabled. These controlsinclude joysticks, touchpads, speech, sip-n-puff and head controllers. The major short-coming of these controllers is that they assume the ability of the users to reliably inputthe control. However, for many, even pressing buttons or speaking is beyond their reachbecause of mental retardation, spastic movements or lack of limb coordination.

This project is to offset these limitations by utilizing motorization and simple handgestures for motion transmission and hence movement of the wheelchair.

Another important factor we are considering is protecting these physically disadvan-taged people from unforeseen collisions and accidents by use of obstacle detection andavoidance. This wheel chair is therefore to automatically sense the presence of obstaclesin its path and alter its direction of movement. The obstacle detection mechanism willbe done by an ultrasonic sensor that makes uses of ultrasonic waves to find the presenceof an obstacle in the wheelchair’s path.

16

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P017

REG. NO. : EN271-0560/2009

NAME: MAINA GLADYS WAMBUI


BIOMETRIC CAR SECURITY SYSTEM

Security has become a key concern for many Kenyans, with increasing cases of carthefts. With a large percentage of people owning cars by the day, it is more fundamentalto ensure car security. As per the records, cases of peoples cars going missing have beenon the increase, and it is thus necessary to curb this challenge in society. A system thatprevents car theft and sends an alert to the car owner and/or security department wouldthus come in handy to solve this challenge.

This project aims at using a biometric fingerprint scanner for access control into thecar. The car owner will have the liberty of selecting the number of people who can accesshis/her car, including family and/or car driver. These people will have their fingerprintsfed into the database. The system will also have a GSM module, for communication toboth the car owner, and security emergency number in case of attempted car theft. Whenone tries to access the car, you will be required to scan your fingerprint on turning thecar key, and if the fingerprints match, access is granted into the car. Failure to which, thedoor will not open, and a message of attempted car theft is sent to both the car ownerand security emergency number. With this in place, it will thus be easier to track thedefaulters.

I propose to use C++ to program the system, a GSM module for communication viaSMS and an ARDUINO UNO micro-controller for the overall access control.

17

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P018

REG. NO. : EN271-2718/2009

NAME: RYAN WIRE SIMIYU


WIRELESS PAYMENT USING NFC

INTERFACED WITH FACE MONITORING

NETWORK FOR CCTV SURVEILLANCE IN

STADIUMS

The main objective of this project is to develop a system that enables wireless paymentand to detect individuals in places where a large gathering of people is taking place andto show the location of a person in the stadium array.

In many football matches and places where large public gathering takes place thereare chances of violence occurring due to various reasons. This proposed system trackspeople using previous records and relays this information to authorities in case there is aperson of interest in the crowd and it captures this information through wireless paymentand CCTV surveillance hence preventing crowding at the entrance and theft.

This project will help us develop a record and risk management system in stadiumswhere attacks can often be prevented owing to mass gathering. This is achieved whena suspicious person enters the stadium and his details are recorded according to facialrecognition.

The scanner at the entrance is interfaced to a microcontroller of 8051 family ormegaAVR series. When a person passes through with their NFC enabled card the infor-mation is recorded and the payment is accepted. The status is also displayed on the LCDwhich is duly interfaced to the microcontroller. Each individual card has the informationof the card holder. Further the project can be enhanced by interfacing a GSM modemto the microcontroller so that a warning message is sent to the concerned authorities viaSMS.

18

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P019

REG. NO. : EN272-0433/2009

NAME: KINYUA TIMOTHY KIMATHI

SUPERVISOR : MR. E. W. MUREU

BLUETOOTH BASED HOME APPLIANCE

CONTROL WITH MOBILE APPLICATION

INTEGRATION

With the advancement of technology things are becoming simpler and easier for usdue to the wide range of resources available. Home automation is the seamless controlof any electrical devices in either our homes or offices. With the current technologicaladvancements and the onset of smart phones various applications can be developed tointerface these home control systems and provide comfort and security at simply thetouch of a button.

Security is also becoming a key issue in our nowadays society witnessed by the streamof robberies and murders that are being carried out on a regular basis at our home. Thistherefore necessitates the need to offer more secure methods to ensure our safety at ourhomes.

The project aims at developing a home appliance control system that will be inter-faced with an android application that will be used to control the various desired homeappliances from the comfort of ones phone through the Bluetooth module interface. Thesystem will have two operation modes i.e. Manual and Automatic mode.

I propose to use the Java language alongside the Android SDK to develop an androidbased mobile application to provide control of the home appliances and a Tiva C SeriesTM4C123 Launchpad which will act as the controller of the sensors and actuators in the

19

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P020

REG. NO. : EN272-0585/2009

NAME: ANDAYI EMMANUEL LITUNYA

SUPERVISOR : MR. E. MUREU

INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR SAFETY AND

MANAGEMENT OF LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM

GAS (LPG) FOR DOMESTIC USE

This project aims at designing an electronic system that will help curb the accidentsthat occur as a result of fires and explosions from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylindersin our homes by mitigating them before they occur and thereby saving lives and property.The project also designs a system to address the need for accurate budgeting in ourhomes in a world that is fast evolving to mobile oriented technology and consumption-aware whereby effective planning is required to avoid wastages and misuse of resourcessuch as a household’s income.

In Kenya there are known and media reported cases of domestic accidents caused byexplosions and fires that result from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) leakages leading toloss of lives and property which has a great impact on our country’s productive economysuch as in the event of lives being lost. The system to be designed in this project aimsat addressing this problem by offering an automated solution that will not rely solely onuser intervention. Our country Kenya is fast adopting newer technologies to help makethe life more convenient and comfortable by using technology for planning even in ourhomes thus technology has become more of a need rather than a luxury. Based on this,this project aims at developing a LPG usage monitoring system that will enable users tomonitor fuel usage and thus be able to make plans on spending.

The system to be designed in this project integrates gas level monitor, leakage detec-tion and mitigation and an android mobile application. The system will send level andleakage updates to a mobile phone application on demand or when low gas levels havebeen detected.

This system is expected to incorporate an ATMEL AVR microcontroller, LPG gasconcentration sensor, motors, level indicator, load cell, a GSM modem and an androidmobile application.

20

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P021

REG. NO. : EN272-2740/2009

NAME: NDIRANGU NDIRANGU WILSON

SUPERVISOR : MR. E. MUREU

PROXIMITY MARKETING USING BLUETOOTH

LOW ENERGY (BLE)

Advertising has been a major platform used to drive consumer behavior with respectto a commercial offering. With the increase in the need of personalized content, proximitymarketing has emerged as a superior way to advertise products based on one’s location.The increase in number of smartphone owners has resulted to content based advertising.However, this has been a very expensive venture to businesses and wastage of resourcessince the advertisements are not personalized.

This project aims at using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to trigger personalized micro-location based notifications and actions to a smartphone depending on one’s proximity toa place. These notifications can be used to advertise a product, service or event triggerevents such as turning on the lights etc. Since no pairing is required, an application cansubscribe to listen to the signals and trigger the desired actions.

I propose to use Java and Android to build the mobile app and a Bluetooth 4.0bidirectional radio coupled with a 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 cpu to broadcast the signals.

21

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P022

REG. NO. : EN271-1481/2007

NAME: ONGERI SAMUEL MAMBO

SUPERVISOR : MR. D.O. OMBATI

A RADIO FREQUENCY DISCRIMINATOR FOR

USE IN HAND HELD TRANSCEIVERS

Generally, Radio frequency signal selection, discrimination and selection provides ageneral framework that can be used to measure the strength of RF signals and objectivelyalign and monitor the performance of antennas, transmitters, receivers and other radiodevices. However, in this project the aim is to design and analyze a low cost Frequencymodulated (FM) signal discriminator that can be used to position, test and managehandheld transceivers as well as for use in the tuning of selected RF antennas and wirelessradio devices.

The project will be conducted in modules to be combined to realize the end device.Consequently, it should be easier to improve its performance while trading off betweenthe cumulative cost and circuit complexity. In addition, the project entails a detaileddescription of the various constituent elements as well as the hardware implementation.

Moreover, it brings in new approaches to an existing technology in an endeavor torealizing a cost effective, homemade signal discriminator. Another aspect of the projectwill be how to improve on the frequency performance and dynamic range of this device. Asregards Science and Technology, the project presents a unique approach to rather subtleexisting technology in the face of signal instrumentation and measurements as appliedin the 1MHz-600MHz signal frequency discrimination range. The final design capturesthree different aspects of the RF Discriminator, majorly at hardware level and marginallyat software perspective. Apart from serving as a preliminary trouble-shooting device inimproving the utility of many wireless transceivers, its cost is friendly and doesn’t requiremuch training to use.

22

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P023

REG. NO. : EN271-2716/2009

NAME: KOBUR KIPLANG’AT NG’ENO

SUPERVISOR : MR. D.O OMBATI

EFFICIENT UTILIZATION OF WHITE SPACES

USING DYNAMIC SPECTRUM ACCESS

TECHNIQUES

Frequency spectrum is allocated to operators but hardly is the entire spectrum utilizedat the same time leaving some sections un-used or under-utilized referred to as whitespaces. Employing techniques to access these white spaces dynamically so that it doesnot lead to any interference to the transmission by the licensed operators would availadditional frequencies for other operators to work within, expanding the number of usersthat can then operate. This project aims at demonstrating transmission over white spaces.Further, dynamic spectrum access techniques will be used to dynamically switch to un-used sections when a primary devices appears on the section being used at that time. Thisshould be done without disconnection of transmission thus necessitating a backup be kept.This project seeks to develop a code for scanning the spectrum being used, measure thesignal level and utilize the areas were the primary users’ signal is low. Simulations willbe done with MATLAB R2014a.

The objective of this project is to simulate and demonstrate the transmission of sec-ondary signal over the under-utilized sections of the allocated spectrum without interferingwith the primary user. This seeks to solve the problem of limited spectrum which hasresulted in high cost of acquiring a frequency license. This project aims at showing thatusing the white spaces opens up a lot more frequency for various other operators.

23

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P029

REG. NO. : EN271-0573/2009

NAME: NG’ANG’A GEORGE NJUGUNA

SUPERVISOR : MR. P. M. ANANGI

MICROCONTROLLER BASED INDUSTRIAL

MOTOR CONDITION MONITOR

Over the years, motor protection has continually been a concern in all industrial setup. For instance an induction motor may fail during a plant operation and hence thereis need for condition monitoring to ensure production is kept on check. This projectis thus projected towards being a safety control measure against over voltage and overtemperature. Thus there is need for the application of the latest technology such as theuse microcontrollers incorporated in the system This project works upon the principle thatit first senses the voltage and temperature, converts them from analogue to digital formand then feeds to the microcontroller. The microcontroller compares these parametervalues with the pre-set one and then makes a decision on what is to be done. Thedecision is passed to the actuators for the necessary action. This ensures safety for theindustrial plant. The project will be implemented using C++ programming software andthe system will incorporate hardware devices including a microcontroller, LCDs, LEDs,temperature and voltage sensors. A GSM module will also be integrated in the systemfor alerting the technician of the situation. Once implemented, the system will ensureminimum interruption in the processing line since the system will detect any abnormalitiesbeforehand.

24

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P030

REG. NO. : EN271-0582/2009

NAME: WAMUKOYA K. BRIAN

SUPERVISOR : MR. P. M. ANANGI

UNIVERSAL APPLIANCE HOME CONTROLLER

Modern homes contain a myriad of electronic appliances, many of which have a remotecontrol. This project is aimed at developing a system that takes advantage of currenttechnological innovations, such as wireless networks and smart phones, to improve dailyinteractions with these common household devices. The system is based on a mobile smartphone application that allow the user to consolidate control over multiple devices intoa single program. Developing this application will produce several noticeable benefits.The first is the elimination of reliance on multiple physical controllers. The second iseasing the control and management of these devices by condensing their controllers intoa single, easy-to-use application with a common interface for all devices. There existssome commercial systems that are similar to this project. These other systems are veryexpensive, and require your home to be embedded with smart home technology, or anabundance of physical modifications to your home. The concept here is to create alow cost alternative that would allow the simplest of functions. This system is targetedtowards simple applications that would only require the purchase of one small unit thatcan control and monitor electronics that are in the room. I propose to use php to developa web application, Java to develop an Android mobile application that will communicateusing the internet and incorporate Arduino Microcontroller

25

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P031

REG. NO. : EN271-3479/2011

NAME: AYUB SIMON KHAYONGO

SUPERVISOR : MR P. M. ANANGI

MICRCONTROLLER POWER CONTROL

SYSTEM

Energy conservation is very critical to commercial, Industrial, domestic customersand both to Kenya Power. Besides protecting the environment, energy conservation helpsreduce power bills for consumers.

The project is aimed at incorporating a microcontroller to automatically control powerin room. When everybody has left the building, the visitor count reaches zero and MCBoutput lines at the distribution board are automatically switched off. When someoneenters the room the counter is greater than zero and hence the MCB output lines areswitched On.

Its application include offices and commercial buildings having separate entry and exitgates. The system does not only save electricity by automatically switching off the mainspower line but the inclusions of counters enable it to count the number of people enteringand leaving the building the number of visitors at ant particular moment as the case maybe since it is essential for security purposes.

When everybody has left the building, the visitor count reaches zero and MCB outputlines at the distribution board are automatically switched off. The device consists of amicrocontroller, which is interfaced with the input and output modules, the controller actsas an intermediate medium between both of them. So the controller can be termed as acontrol unit. The input module is the visitor count, which takes the input from the userand fed it to the microcontroller. The output module is the appliances to be controlled.Here the microcontroller receives the input from the visitor count and switches the devicewith respect to the input.

26

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P032

REG. NO. : EN271-2314/2011

NAME: WATURI RICHARD KARIMI

SUPERVISOR : MR A.M. BAARIU

AUTOMATED PACKAGING CONTROL SYSTEM

This project is aimed at improving the efficiency in packaging of cigarettes since oldtobacco plant use less reliable mechanical sensors and electromechanical ejection systemassociated with high maintenance cost and low reliability that result to poor qualitysystems. This is due to much over reliance on human beings for faulty product detectionand frequent manual operation of the processing machine.

Building consumer confidence in a product is very vital in a business through consistentsupply of quality products which must be free of fault. Faulty products could be a productwhose specifications fall outside the stipulated limits in product itself or its packaging.

It consists of a proximity switch that detects the presence of a product that does notmeet quality standards; a shaft encoder gives angular position of the shaft/machine toenable synchronization of the automated process as well as machine angular position; thedigital sensor outputs are applied to the PLC. The PLC processes these input status andupdates the output accordingly according to the program. The PLC output is applied tothe solenoid control valve that controls an actuator.

27

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P033

REG. NO. : EN272-2741/2009

NAME: NJAGGAH C. IBIN WANJIKU

SUPERVISOR : MR. A.M. BAARIU

AUTOMATED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Agriculture has been the backbone of Kenya from time immemorial. The currentclimate changes caused by global warming have led to unreliable rainfall making mostfarmers to quickly gravitate towards irrigation. However irrigation comes with its perkssuch as constant supervision, flooding of crops, water wastage and in the providence ofborehole energy resources to pump the water also becomes a challenge.

This automated irrigation system is specifically designed to cater for marginalizedareas with no piped water that solely relies borehole water to get by.

The aim of this automated system is to:

• Reduce/entirely stop water wastage.

• Make it far much less cumbersome a process to irrigate as no constant supervisionis necessary.

• Reduce wastage of energy resources.

28

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P034

REG. NO. : EN272-2745/2009

NAME: NYAGA DENNIS MUGAMBI

SUPERVISOR : MR. A. M. BAARIU

INTELLIGENT MOTOR MONITORING

Monitoring and maintenance of motors is such a critical task that no room for errorsshould be allowed in any industry as motors drive very complex electromechanical systemsDamages usually cost huge amounts to repair and also safety of the personnel should betop at the priorities of every industry. Appropriate management of motors means well-functioning electromechanical systems. This project aims at implementing an intelligentmotor control system to monitor maintenance progress and conditions monitoring of mo-tors and their related systems.

The system will use a software that will ensure relevant personnel approve servicing ofmotors and related systems, is done within certain period. If this condition is not met theintelligent system will shut the motor hence will not run even after been started. This isto prevent using motors and related systems without servicing them as per the requiredtimelines. A microprocessor will be used to accomplish this and the monitoring will bedone on a computer.

29

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P035

REG. NO. : EN271-3444/2011

NAME: SAMWEL OCHIENG’ OJENGE

SUPERVISOR : PROF. J. NDERU

THE RISK ANALYSIS OF LIGHTNING

HAZARDS IN POWER GRID

There is great emphasis on delivery of reliable power supply as a basic infrastructureexpected for Kenya to achieve its Vision 2030 on industrialization growth. In this con-text, reliability concerns itself with an understanding of how lightning and thunderstormcontribute to power failures. Lightning forms a major source of faults on overhead linesand contributes to damages associated with electrical equipment. The intent of this studyis to look at the available data and determine the areas that are prone to high/low riskof lightning in Western part of Kenya. This will be done in order to provide insight intothe risks associated with lightning on electrical equipment in relation to the locations inthe region and eventually determine the level of lightning protection required. The datainformation for lightning strike counters on various feeders and system generated recordson various causes of power outages will be collected from National Area Control GridCentre, Lessos. The simulation results will be compared with real recorded failure rates.

30

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P038

REG. NO. : EN272-0758/2008

NAME: LULU AMINA KAREGA

SUPERVISOR : MR. A. KIVUVA

RF BASED STAGE NAME DISPLAY AND

ANNOUNCEMENT SYSTEM

The main aim of this project is to play the name of the forthcoming station in bussesor trains so that the passengers can get awareness of their current station and they canget down at their destination station only.

In present bus systems conductor or driver has to shout about present station name andsometimes they may forget and in trains, in night times we cannot find the forthcomingstation and also strangers to particular area also do not know about the stations that theyare travelling. This project uses wireless communication; RF. RF has the advantagesof fast communication for longer distances and reliability. The RF modules used hereare a transmitter, receiver, encoder and decoder. Every station will be having the RFtransmitter. The RF receiver will be fixed in every bus. As the bus moves and approaches,the RF transmitter fixed at one end in the station continuously transmits the area code.The RF receiver present in the bus receives the data from transmitted when it comes inthe transmitter range and this information will be given to micro controller and microcontroller will play respective station name through speakers depends upon the data itreceived. This data will also be displayed on LCD.

31

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P039

REG. NO. : EN271-0547/2009

NAME: AMBETSA DAVID MAKHABWA

SUPERVISOR : MR. J.K. RIITHO

AUTOMATED RAILWAY CROSSING BARRIER

COUPLED WITH WARNING LIGHTS FOR HIGH

SPEED TRAINS

Kenya is building itself in terms of infrastructure and one of the major projects beingundertaken is the layout of the standard gauge railway line. This will drastically increasetrain speeds to nearly thrice that which they travel at now. As a result the need forautomated railway crossing barriers is a need that the country is need of as they arevirtually nonexistent and the few that are present depend on manual operation and areintended for the low speed trains.

This project aims at designing and improving railway crossing sites in tandem withthe proposed high speed trains on the proposed standard gauge railway lines. The railtracks will be fitted with pressure plates at requisite distances from the crossing point.Upon contact the signal will trigger the microcontroller to activate the warning lights aswell as initiate the dropping of the railway barrier after a short while. Special attentionduring design will be given to the fact that the trains are moving at varying high speeds,as well as the change in lengths of the train.

I propose to use stepper motors, pressure sensors and Arduino UNO microcontrollerfor the control of respective hardware components.

32

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P041

REG. NO. : EN272-2753/2009

NAME: WEKESA FLORENCE NASIMIYU

SUPERVISOR : MR.RIITHO J.K.

AUTOMATIC FARE COMPUTING ELECTRONIC

SYSTEM FOR TAXICABS

The project is about a system that can be incorporated in taxis for the purpose ofcalculating the amount to charge a client based on various factors such as distance covered,time delay due to traffic or because of waiting time for the client, and landscape, in termsof how rough or smooth the road is which affects the speed. Distance and time are themajor factors.

The purpose of this project is to ensure maximum profits being accrued from the taxibusiness. Today, taxi drivers decide on amount to charge a client by bargaining with theclient and estimating the cost which leads to losses or minimum profits in the business.

Another way of curbing minimum profits and losses is by preventing dishonesty amongdrivers who are employed by taxi owners.

There should be a basic minimum charge irrespective of where one is going and addi-tional charge per say,100 meters covered, and time taken for the trip. I hope to put thesefactors into consideration so that at the end of the trip, the taxicabs automated systemtotals three components namely, basic charge, price per kilometer, and price per minute.

I propose a prototype circuit which has the ATmega32A at the heart of the project.This microcontroller has an internal timer which is set to overflow after every two seconds.The hiring time is obtained in the microcontroller for billing purposes. The predeterminedbilling rate is used by ATmega32A to do the calculation.

A tachometer will be used to measure revolutions per minute.The time taken for thetrip, the distance covered and the final price calculated will be displayed on an LCDscreen.

The problem of dishonesty of drivers will be addressed using a light sensor which willsense when the driver opens the cover to reset the system to clear the memory and thenthe microcontroller will use GSM to alert the owner of the same by sending them a text.

33

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P042

REG. NO. : EN271-0548/2009

NAME: AYIER WILLIAM AYIER

SUPERVISOR : MR. P. MUSYIMI

AUTOMATIC POWER FACTOR CORRECTION

In view of constantly rising power tariffs and penalties imposed by state billing co-operations, it is highly imperative for any High voltage/low voltage consumer/industry toinstall an automated power factor control system so as to curtail the power factor penaltyand save energy by consistently maintaining a high power factor.

This proposed project improves the power factor automatically by use of a microcon-troller through to capacitor banks.

A single phase alternating current (AC) load will be used with a source voltage of 240[VAC].

Connected to this load will be a power factor correction device that will be controlledby a PIC microcontroller used to measure the system voltage, current and the active andapparent powers. Since the microcontroller is limited to 0-5V on its inputs, a voltage-to-voltage converter and a current-to-voltage converter will be used to measure the voltageand current. The goal of this project is to obtain a power factor as close to one as possibleto obtain increased efficiency and reduce customer costs.

Power system loads consist of resistive, inductive, and capacitive loads. Examplesof resistive loads are incandescent lighting and electric heaters. Examples of inductiveloads are induction motors, transformers, and reactors. Examples of capacitive loadsare capacitors, variable or fixed capacitor banks, motor starting Power factor correction(PFC) is usually achieved by adding capacitive load to offset the inductive load presentin the power system. The power factor of the power system is constantly changing dueto variations in the size and number of the motors being used at one time. This makes itdifficult to balance the inductive and capacitive loads continuously.

There are many benefits to having power factor correction. As a customer the costdoesnt get passed on for having a low power factor. As a utility company, equipmenthas a much longer life span and maintenance costs remain low i.e. for generators, andsynchronous motors.

34

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P043

REG. NO. : EN271-0580/2009

NAME: REHEMA S.ATIENO SIMBA


DUAL LEVEL CASCADED INVERTER WITH

ELIMINATION OF LOW ORDER HARMONICS

USING MICRO CONTROLLER

Lack of a reliable power grid in Kenya is a problem for many reasons hence the needto have a power backup supply when the grid fails. There are many systems already onthe market that do this, a device that can be made cheaply with readily available partsfrom disposed electronic parts .An important piece of backup power supply is the DC toAC inverter which converts the DC voltage from a battery to an AC voltage required tooperate electronic components. An inverter which is capable of producing a pure sinusoidis necessary to avoid noise and wear on delicate and expensive gear hence it is the goalof this project to design a DC/AC inverter capable of producing a pure sine wave for usewith equipment with the highest efficiency.

This dual-level cascaded inverter is benchmarked against the commercial inverters. Itprovides good ac voltage supply from low voltage DC, an operation that only expensivecommercial inverters can. It is well suited for dc-ac conversion from batteries, fuel cellsand solar cells. Compared to other multilevel inverter topologies it has a low part countmaking it small in size and compact.Since the circuit for all the levels are same, optimizedcircuit layout and packaging are possible. This dual-level inverter has only 8 transitionsin each cycle, but a PWM inverter of same type needs 10 transitions. Moreover in eachtransition only half of the voltage is applied across the MOSFET so switching loss ishalved. Thus switching loss is substantially reduced compared to PWM inverters.

Harmonic elimination technique used is pulse width modulation (PWM)specifically se-lective harmonic elimination (SHE). This is done by first the conducting angles are chosensuch that the total harmonic distortion of the output voltage is minimized. These anglesare normally chosen so as to cancel some predominant lower frequency harmonics. Herethe conducting angles should be chosen so as to eliminate the 3rd and 5th harmonics.Asuitable code is used to achieve this.

MOSFET is used as the switching device. The switching is controlled by use of amicrocontroller that is corded in suitable language to do accurate switching compared toanalog switching in some of the commercial inverters. The micro-controller is used here tocreate accurate on, off pulses for all the eight MOSFETs. Using a micro-controller for gen-erating the switching sequence is very advantageous in many aspects. It is very compact,

35

ABSTRACTS

occupies very less space, allows reprogramming of time-delays, and is very reliable.Opto-coupler is used to solve two main problems. One is common ground problem, which arisesbecause of MOSFETs, which need individual signal grounds. Second problem is the gatedriving voltage of MOSFET.

36

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P044

REG. NO. : EN271-1240/2008

NAME: MWANGI WANJIRU STELLA


EXCESS PASSENGER MONITORING IN A

PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLE

There has been an issue of excess passenger monitoring despite having stationed policeat different locations for manual check up. This has led to many injuries and death dueto passengers being overloaded hence not wearing their safety belts.

This project aims at developing a system for monitoring and reporting excess pas-sengers in public transport. It is based on radio frequency identification (RFID), globalpositioning system (GPS), and global system for mobile communication (GSM) modem.The system is connected with SQL database which receives and stores all information.The radio frequency identifier (RFID) which detects cards assuming that each passengerhas one card; hence each card represents one passenger. Its therefore placed at the door-way and detects the cards as the passengers board the vehicle. Global Positioning System(GPS) to determine the precise location of a bus to which it is attached and Global Systemfor Mobile Communication (GSM) modem which transmit the information to a databaseand then to the respective authority such as traffic police. The central database whichsends the message stores all information for the system such as latitude and longitudewith their respective location name, different traffic police stations with respective contactnumbers, user name and message sent by the system.. The system monitors the numberof passengers boarding the vehicle and reports to the respective authorities when a certainpreset number is exceeded. This help control excessive passenger hence reduces the num-ber of deaths and severe injuries when accidents occur. It also helps eradicate bribery asthrough manual check vehicle attendant can bribe the traffic police officer hence improvethe current system for manual check up.

37

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P045

REG. NO. : EN271-0095/2009

NAME: MAUNGU CALVIN DISHON

SUPERVISOR : DR. MURAGE

GSM BASED PREPAID ENERGY METER

BILLING VIA SMS

With the advent of prepaid energy meters, many Kenyans are finding it difficult tokeep up with continuous power connection because of poor regulation of use, and purchaseof electricity tokens. This may be due to packed schedules for the average mwananchias well as the unfamiliarity to the new meters. This power outage in itself poses amongothers, security threats, especially in this new face of terrorist action in the country.The main objective of the project is to develop a wireless energy meter incorporatingGSM technology to notify the consumer, at the convenience of a cellular device, on keyparameters such as:

• Average daily consumption

• Token levels at present

• Power factor of the system

• Efficiency of the system

All these are meant to warn the consumer on continued sustainability in the system,with the last two for the industrial, commercial and more knowledgeable residential con-sumer. This project will be powered by an on-board power supply, taking AC power,converting it into DC, feeding this to on-board devices and ICs. A microcontroller takesthe reading from the energy meter and displays the reading to an LCD device, as well assending it to the consumers cell phone as an SMS message through a GSM modem.

Through the design, testing, results and implementation of this project, a more efficientand convenient way of electricity metering is expected to be demonstrated.

38

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P046

REG. NO. : EN271-0567/2009

NAME: MULUSA JUMBA CALVIN

REG. NO. : EN271-0555/2009

NAME: KINYANJUI SAMUEL MUNGAI

SUPERVISOR : DR. MURAGE

INTERNET BASED MONITORING AND

REMOTE CONTROL OF AN INCUBATORFollowing the dire need of remote based automation of agri-business systems and pro-

cesses in Kenya, in this project we aim to develop a system that enhances the remotecontrol, monitoring and recording of parameters in an egg incubator from a remote loca-tion.

The project is particularly fundamental as it aims to avoid the necessity of havinghuman laborers on site to monitor and control the incubator parameters. Not to mentionproviding the autonomy to monitor conditions present onsite from any location in theworld.

This project is to be achieved by live video stream and the ability to control actuatorson site via a customized webpage. It is also vital as the whole setup in the long run slashescosts by a substantial margin and hence totally economically viable and affordable.

The particulars of the projects functionality are as follows: we propose to use Python,PHP, JavaScript and HTML to build the webpages that can be used to control the actua-tors. We also propose to use Arduino Boards for the control of sensors heating systems inthe incubator. Finally we propose to use a Yawcam software written in Java for real timevideo streaming, taking image snapshots that can be sent to the user in remote locationand for motion detection.

The security enforcement factors of the project are taken into considerations by theuse of the Yawcam as it monitors real time motions and disturbances. Hence fully capableof capturing any intrusions in the incubator site area. Moreover the website will have alogin username and strong password that ensures that only the permitted users can accessit and change parameters of actuators. This will deter hackers and malicious individuals.

Finally the reliability aspect of the project is encompassed within the assurance of thepracticability of the functions of all the subsystems within it. All the sub-components,be it, security, economic viability, risk levels, software and actuators have a high level ofassurance and functionality. Not to mention the low possibilities of occurrence of failure,damage or harm to the operators, locale or ambience. The project is deemed highlyreliable in an engineering environment

39

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P047

REG. NO. : EN271-0569/2009

NAME: MUSILA MUTISO DANIEL

SUPERVISOR : ENG. MBUGUA

DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMER LOAD AND

CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM

This project is concerned with the monitoring of the key operational parameters of adistribution transformer, mainly phase voltages and currents (from which loading can bedetermined), oil level and oil temperature to ensure that its capacity is utilized optimally.This will also ensure that potential sources of problems are identified before occurrenceof failure and as a result leading to significant cost savings as well as improved systemreliability.

At the basic level, this system is intended to monitor and record these parameterson a secondary storage device from where they can be retrieved for analysis. It can beoperated in offline mode, where its not connected to any computer or external network,but is installed at the transformer site then left to run for a specified period to capturethe required data for that transformer. When integrated with a communication network(online mode), a server runs on the system which allows for remote monitoring of thetransformer.

Through the design and implementation of this project, a cheap and reliable methodof monitoring distribution transformers is expected to be demonstrated, helping utilitycompanies operate the transformers optimally and smoothly, and as well identify problemsbefore any catastrophic failure.

40

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P048

REG. NO. : EN271-0577/2009

NAME: OTIENO JOHN OUKO

SUPERVISOR : ENG. MBUGUA

AUTOMATIC SWITCHING SYSTEM FOR

INDOOR AND SECURITY LIGHTS

Manual switching of lights has been employed over the years in lighting installationsto control the switching of lights. This mode of switching comes with a lot of challengesfor instance the lights remaining on or off even at instances when this shouldnt be thecase, leading to power wastage as well as posing security risks at night when some of thesecurity lights remain off. The manual switching of lights is also a bit cumbersome tothe users. This project aims to address the problem of manual switching by employingan automatic switching mechanism whereby the turning on and off of lights is automatedsuch that the lights are either on or off strictly when the necessity arises. The features aresuch that the lights are on only when necessity arises, turned on when there is someonein a room and the amount of light intensity is quite low hindering visibility, otherwise thelights are turned/remain off, for the indoor lights. The security lights turn on at the onsetof darkness and off at the onset of sunlight. I intend to use a light dependent resistor(LDR), a passive infrared (PIR) sensor, an IC 555 timer, and an AND gate to achievethis objectives.

41

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P050

REG. NO. : EN271-0564/2009

NAME: MOKORO VICTOR MUMA

SUPERVISOR : MR. B. NGOKO

AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF

INCREASED SINGLE PHASE DISTRIBUTED

GENERATION ON UNBALANCE AND FAULT

CURRENT LEVELS IN LOW VOLTAGE

DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

Recently there has been increased interest in moving power generation closer to theload in what is known as distributed generation (DG). Possible benefits of increased DGinclude improved reliability, reduced system losses, reduced greenhouse gas emissions andincreased choice and flexibility for customers. Most DG applications are in the form ofsingle phase generators installed in distribution networks with typical examples beingrooftop photovoltaic arrays. While DG, especially when in the form of renewable, hasmany potential advantages, several technical issues have also to be considered from thepower system operation point of view. Two such concerns will be the effects on systemvoltage and current unbalance in three-phase systems and effects on the magnitude offault currents within low voltage distribution networks.

This research seeks to analyze the effects of increased single-phase distributed gener-ation on unbalance and fault currents in low voltage distribution networks. The analysiswill be carried out by modeling low voltage distribution networks including DG sourcesand simulating the possible effects. The information obtained could be used by system op-erators in formulating policies governing the DG installations in low voltage distributionnetworks.

42

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P051

REG. NO. : EN271-0565/2009

NAME: MOMANYI GEORGE KIMANGA


AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF

INCREASED WIND GENERATION ON POWER

SYSTEM SPINNING RESERVE REQUIREMENTS

Environmental concerns and structural changes in electrical power systems have re-sulted in the push to have increased generation from renewable energy sources such aswind and solar. Kenya, for instance, targets to increase wind power generation to 2,000MW by 2031. Solar and wind power resources are, however, extremely intermittent. Thefluctuations in the power outputs of such generators are expected to have an adverseeffect on power system operation. It is important then to predict the effects of increasedrenewable energy generation on various technical aspects of the power system.

One such concern is what increased intermittent renewable energies would mean onthe reliability of the power system given their fluctuating nature. Such generators arenot only prone to equipment failure but also to absence of the fuel e.g. the wind resourceduring certain periods. The rule of thumb when operating a number of generators ina power system is to ensure that the spinning reserve is greater than the largest onlinegenerator (the N-1 criterion). However, extra reliability considerations have to be factoredin due to the intermittency of the wind resource when it forms a significant proportion ofthe system generation mix.

The aim of this research is to analyze the effects of increased wind generation in powersystems on the spinning reserve resource. The analysis will be carried out using modelsand simulations of typical power systems using the MATLAB/Simulink software.

43

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P052

REG. NO. : EN271-0579/2009

NAME: SEGERA LONAH NYABOKE


OPTIMAL CAPACITOR PLACEMENT BY USE

OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE METHODS

The optimal capacitor placement problem in power systems for loss reduction andimprovement of voltage profiles has been of great interest to power system operators fora very long time. However, the mathematical problem, especially when considering mul-tiple locations of capacitors, is quite complicated and usually very difficult to solve usingclassical optimization methods. Recently, newer mathematical methods falling under thegeneral term artificial intelligence (AI) have been proposed and promise to offer simplerand more efficient methods of solving traditional optimization problems including in thearea of power systems.

The aim of this research is to analyze the suitability of using two of the AI methods:genetic algorithms (GAs) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in solving the powersystem capacitor placement optimization problem. Computer simulations including theGA and PSO algorithms will be used to determine the best location for placing capacitorsin test power systems. The effectiveness of the algorithms in solving the optimizationproblem will be analyzed and recommendations on their applications given. This will bedone in MATLAB.

44

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P053

REG. NO. : EN271-0574/2009

NAME: NOAHFRED KENGERE NGONCHE

SUPERVISOR : DR. C. MAINA

ANALYSIS OF THE KENYAN POWER SYSTEM

USING A FLEXIBLE A.C. TRANSMISSION

SYSTEM (FACTS) DEVICE

A modern power system comprises of a complex electromechanical network comprisingof numerous generators, transmission lines, transformers and a variety of loads. Its com-mon and expected in such a diverse and dynamic system that faults will tend to occur,resulting to steady state, transient and dynamic instabilities in the power system.

This may present adverse negative effects to the power quality sensitive loads in thatpower system such as the communication facilities, mission critical computer systems,continuous manufacturing process systems, fabrication and essential service systems andthe digital economy with firms that heavily rely on data storage and retrieval, data pro-cessing, research and development.

In order to mitigate effects affecting such loads, Flexible A.C. Transmission System(FACTS) devices have been developed to improve transient stability. This project aimsat analyzing the entire Kenyan power system using a Unified Power Flow Controllerwhich is a FACTS device capable of controlling the active and reactive power flows in atransmission line for stability on the voltage profile improvement on buses under variedloading conditions and the effect on rotor angle stability of the generators in the Kenyansystem using the device.

I intend to perform load flow investigations on a model of the real Kenyan 132kV and220kV generation and transmission system using MATLAB and DigSilent Powerfactorysimulating softwares, in view of investigating the effect of incorporation of the UnifiedPower Flow Controller device for improved transient stability in fault conditions.

45

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P054

REG. NO. : EN271-2713/2009

NAME: NJERI RUTH KARA

REG. NO. : EN272-2754/2009

NAME: YEGON DONALD KIBET

SUPERVISOR : DR. C. MAINA

THE DESIGN OF A RENEWABLE SOLAR

ENERGY SOLUTION AND BUSINESS MODEL

TO REDUCE THE ELECTRICAL COST OF A

MIDDLE INCOME HOUSEHOLD.

Kenya has tremendous potential for solar energy due to its proximity to the Equator.The country receives an estimated 4 to 6 kWh per square meter per day of solar insolation.Solar energy can therefore be harnessed to meet the energy demands of this growing nationwhile protecting its environment.

Currently, the residential sector in Kenya uses up to 850 GW per hour of electricityannually to heat water causing a strain on the power infrastructure especially duringpeak times (morning and evening). The Energy Regulatory Commission gazetted theSolar Water Heating Regulations (2012) to facilitate uptake of solar water heating. Theregulations require for installation of solar water heating systems in all residential andcommercial premises with hot water requirements of a capacity exceeding 100 litres perday. The Government has also introduced a zero-rated import duty and removed ValueAdded Tax (VAT) on renewable energy, equipment and accessories.

This project aims to design a residential solar system comprising mainly of a Photo-voltaic (PV) system and solar thermal system for water heating. The target household isa middle income household with an electricity bill of about 5,000ksh.

The project will cover three main parts. The first is the design, optimal sizing andsimulation/modeling of the PV and solar water heating system. An energy audit of asample household will be carried out to determine its expenditure of electricity annually.Electricity usage particularly for lighting and water heating loads shall also be determinedin the energy audit. The monthly electricity used by the household for three to fourmonths shall be monitored and recorded for the purpose of the energy audit. The auditwill enable the households required power to be known. With the information obtainedfrom the audit the required sizing of the PV and water heating components shall becalculated and an optimal design of the system achieved. An objective of the system is

46

ABSTRACTS

to meet approximately half of the electrical load of the household and so it will be sizedaccordingly. A simulation or model of the designed system shall then be made.

The second part of the project will involve the measurement of energy usage in thenew system. This will be done by the design of a specialized smart meter. The meterwill measure the energy usage of the house and compare this to the standard requiredmonthly reference that meets the financial savings target. It will also provide a display ofthe utilization of the solar PV energy and provide warnings upon consumption exceedingallowed objectives that will be communicated to the household. Savings made as a resultwill also be displayed and communicated. The smart meter will therefore aid in provisionof user based load management on what is powered by the solar system and what ispowered by the main grid.

The state of the solar charged battery will also be monitored so as to calculate theremaining and used capacity. A charge controller implementation will be employed toprotect the battery from being overcharged. The controller prevents over drawing andregulates its output power as well. Drop in battery level will result in transfer controllerswitching back to the grid on event of cloudy/rainy days or at night.

The last part of the project will involve the development of a business model to enablethe system to be economically viable. A limitation to solar systems is their relatively highinitial capital investment.

47

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P056

REG. NO. : EN271-0571/2009

NAME: MWALE OSCAR LITEMBEKHO

SUPERVISOR : DR. K. KABERERE

ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF DISTRIBUTED

GENERATION ON POWER SYSTEM STABILITY

The demand for energy is expected to increase due to a variety of reasons. In additionpower systems are complex systems that evolve over years in response to economic growthand continuously increasing power demands. With growing populations and the indus-trialization of the developing world, more energy is required to satisfy basic needs andto attain improved standards of human welfare. Distributed Generation(DG) technologyamong many reasons because of it being inexpensive as far as transmission is concerned,reduction of transmission losses and environmental protection (for the renewable forms)is a trend that is attracting more and more attention especially with more emphasis onthe green energy like wind and solar. Its therefore among the most emerging issues in theenergy sector across the world.

Distributed generation generally refers to small-scale electric power generators (1KW-50KW) that produce electricity at a site close to customers or that are tied to an electricdistribution system.

The purpose of this project is to investigate the impacts of Distributed generationon the power system transient stability with more emphasis on the renewable sources ofenergy that include wind solar and biomass. The impacts of DG depends on the type oftechnology and penetration level of DG in the distribution network. The base case willfirst be simulated for transient stability studies of the Kenyan bus system without anyDG integrated. In the second scenario it will then be simulated for stability studies withthe DG power integrated. Comparison of the results of the two cases will then be doneto showcase the impacts of DG on the power system transient stability. These modelswill be built using simulation software DIgSILENT Powerfactory version 14.1.3. Theincorporation of DG is expected to affect the stability of the system as its penetrationlevel increases even though even with small DGs the fault currents will be more than forthe base case.

48

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT

S/NO. : P057

REG. NO. : EN271-0576/2009

NAME: OMBATI DEBORAH KEMUNTO

SUPERVISOR : DR. K. KABERERE

OPTIMAL PLACEMENT OF FACTS DEVICES IN

POWER SYSTEMS FOR LOSS REDUCTION

Losses in an electric power system, ideally, should be around 3-6%. However, that isnot the case in most systems. In developed countries, it is less than 10% but in developingcountries, the active power losses percentage is around 20%. It is for this reason thatutilities in the electric sector are currently interested in reducing power losses in order tobe more competitive, since the electricity prices in deregulated markets are related to thesystem losses. In Kenya, the technical and non-technical losses are over 18%. The methodsused for reduction of technical losses include use of FACTS devices, reconductoring ofthe power lines, load levelling, optimization of power generation schedules, installation ofshunt capacitors and construction of additional feeders and substation. The most commonFACTS devices used are the Static Variable compensators (SVCs), Thyristor Controlledseries Capacitor (TCSC) and the Unified Power Flow Compensators (UPFC).

This project seeks to analyze and compare the use of SVCs and TCSCs which areFACTS devices for loss reduction. These compensators will be optimally placed in thesystem using power flow analysis techniques. Optimal placement of the FACTS deviceswill be done by use of simulation software(s) on the Kenyan transmission network. Thiswill in turn give an indication of the most feasible loss reduction method that can beemployed on the Kenyan power system.

49

eec 2501 / eee 2501 final year projects abstracts

Documents