A. U. Adoghe

Modeling Distribution Component Deterioration: An Application to Transformer Insulation

The two most critical components in a typical Power System are the circuit breakers and transformers. Failure of any of these components will result in high cost due to component replacement and associated load loss. Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) may reduce this cost in the long run by extending the component lifetime and increasing availability. This will be possible, since the adopted RCM will balance carrying out too much maintenance which will increase maintenance cost or too little maintenance that will result in catastrophic failure and hence increases the cost of maintenance and repair. A Markov model that relates probability of failure to maintenance activity is developed for distribution transformers. This model incorporates various levels of insulation deterioration and minor maintenance state. It was applied to one of the distribution transformers in Abule-Egba Business unit network of Power Holding Company of Nigeria. The result obtained from model simulation agrees with the one obtained from the mathematical analysis of the developed model. With an adjustment in the inspection parameter, this probabilistic deterioration model for a distribution transformer can also be applied to predict the performance of circuit breakers.

Automatic Transfer and Controller System for Standby Power Generator

An automatic transfer system (ATS) was developed to monitor the a.c. voltage coming from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) line for power failure conditions. Upon detection of an outage for a predetermined period of time, the standby generator is started, once is up to speed, the load is transferred from the PHCN line to the local Generator. This ATS is capable of electrically monitoring fuel level, oil level, Battery strength, next maintenance schedule and then start or stop the unmanned Generator from the computer system located in the comfort of homes or offices outside the Generator site. In this paper therefore, an Automatic Transfer System (ATS) for Power Generator is designed to improve the operation and maintenance of power generators. The ATS which includes both hardware and software module, provides a functionality that allows a power generator to be controlled and monitored from a remote location

Review of lightning protection standard in building structures in Nigeria.

A lightning protection system performs a simple task. It provides a specified path on which lightning can travel. When a building structure is equiped with a lightning protection system, the distructive power of the lightning strike is directed safely into the ground, leaving structures and equipment unharmed. This paper provides a comprehensive guidance for selection and installation of protection devices for building structures.

Design and Implementation of a Single-Phase Energy Meter with SMS Controlled and Monitored Recharge Capability

The Nigerian power sector is faced with poorly organized billing and consumer relations management. Tariff billing and collection has been a big problem in some community in Nigeria even with the introduction of prepaid meters. The process of payment is cumbersome and stressful as consumers have to go and pay in banks and then take tellers to power utility office to confirm their power bills payment before they can recharge their cards. The major purpose of this work is to design and implement a convenient, cashless, automated and transparent electricity metering, billing and payment system. This project combines the power electronic meter with a communications network which in this case is a GSM (global system for mobile) network. Remote electricity billing is a unique concept, in which the electricity board can collect the consumed units’ data from consumer on mobile phone using GSM network. A unique property of this system is that, the electricity board can disconnect or reconnect consumers from remote location through the mobile phone. As this project works on GSM network, the system can be controlled from any part of the country

Construction and Operation of an Electronic Automatic TransferSwitch (Ats)

The inconsistency of power supply in Nigeria has been a major stumbling block to the advancement of her economy and as such it is an issue that requires immediate attention. Uninterrupted power supply is critical in so many applications especially in cases like hospital operations or financial transactions. This work was born out of the need to provide a cost effective and locally available way to automate the switching between various power sources. This issue can be addressed by implementing an Automatic transfer switch which automatically switches on a backup generator in the absence of the utility supply and transfers the load to the generator. The automatic transfer switch also switches off the backup generator and connects back to the utility supply when the power comes back. The circuitry consists of time delay integrated circuits and switching relays. The present effort is a prototype design to create an automatic transfer switch that can be used in an average Nigerian household because of its affordability and simplicity of operation.