Suhadiyana Hanapi

An Overview of Hydrogen Production from Renewable Energy Source for Remote Area Application

Hydrogen production through solar energy technology plays a very important role in the development of sustainable energy systems. Traditionally, a wide variety of methods are available for hydrogen production from conventional sources such as natural gas, coal and oil. Their application, however, contributes to emission of ozone depleting gases such as CO2. This paper reviews the recent developments of hydrogen production methods related to solar-hydrogen production for remote area application. The methods discussed are thermochemical, photoelectrochemical and electrochemical where water is the basic raw material. From this review, the low overall efficiency of photoelectrochemical and thermochemical processes make them non-attractive for remote areas application. This paper concludes that the most suitable method for hydrogen production for remote area application is electrochemical process where electrolyzer represents the most important process to obtain hydrogen without any emission of air pollutants or greenhouse gases. This paper will be useful for manufacturers, academicians and researchers who are involved and interested in solar hydrogen system.

Analysis of muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing tasks in manufacturing industry

In most assembly lines in manufacturing industry and service occupations, employees may experience pain and discomfort associated with long periods of standing. Prolonged standing tasks in manufacturing industry may lead to musculoskeletal disorders including pain, increased fatigue and stiffness in active muscles. The aims of this study are to determine subjective fatigue experienced by male Malaysian operators in metal stamping industry, and assess muscle fatigue in their lower extremities. Ten production operators of the industry participated in the study. Muscle fatigue has been analyzed using surface electromyography (sEMG) whereby six muscles such as left and right erector spinae muscles, left and right tibialis anterior muscles, and left and right gastrocnemius muscles were simultaneously measured. On the other hand, the subjective fatigue was assessed through questionnaire surveys. Results of questionnaire surveys found that all operators involved in the study reported that they experienced muscle fatigue due to prolonged standing tasks. Result obtained from sEMG measurement shows similar trend with the conclusion derived from surveys. Workers who experienced fatigue recorded a decreased average mean.

Thermal and Electrical Experimental Characterization of Ethylene Glycol and Water Mixture Coolants for a 400 W Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel

Nanofluid is an emerging technology in heat transfer study. The effect of nanofluids as a cooling medium in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is studied. Nanofluids with 0.1% and 0.5% of Al2O3 dispersed in base fluid of 50:50 mixture of Ethylene Glycol and water were analyzed experimentally. A 400 W liquid cooled PEMFC was used to verify the findings. The result showed that insignificant improvement in performance of PEMFC with nanofluids, perhaps due to the lower wattage of PEMFC used. However, the thermal performance is improved through the heat transfer rate increment of 68.5 % and 46 % for both 0.5 % of Al2O3 nanofluid and 0.1 % of Al2O3 nanofluid respectively.

Study on the springback in metal stamping for a male hinge of an automotive part

Industrial automation processes has lead to an increasing need for more precise parts. A stamping die is a special and one of a kind precision tool that cuts and forms sheet metal into desired shape. Springback, wrinkling and tearing are some of the common defects in stamped parts. The aim of this research work is to develop and apply an effective approach to understand the formability and prevent potential defects in sheet metal for a particular automotive component. The defect on springback is the main focus of interest in this study and the first stage, as discussed in this paper, is to show experimentally that springback is proportionally related to the die radius of the tool geometry. The second phase of the work is to carry out finite element analysis using a simulation tool to analyze further the springback effect in the automotive part. Comparison is then made between the experimental results of springback and the part design formability.