PI: Idris Bugaje (National Research Institute for Chemical Technology)
U.S. Partner: Bernard J. Van Wie (Washington State University)
Project Dates: October 2013 to March 2017
Project Overview
Gasification is a promising process for commercialization of drop-in fuels produced from renewable sources, but it is also a complex process that can be difficult to comprehend. The research of the U.S. partner Dr. Van Wie has shown that Desktop Learning Modules (DLM) in engineering education increase conceptualization. This PEER project built on Dr. Van Wie’s previous work by developing a DLM system for a gasifier process. The DLMs created introduce students and researchers to the field of gasification and enhance their understanding of the process.
The PEER team designed the process to work in Nigeria, including making it self-contained and self-powered, so it can work in domains where electricity and water utilities are intermittent or even non-functional—places where renewable energy is most needed. The researchers designed an inexpensive teaching and learning device that can be used worldwide, especially in programs with low budgets and less than desirable access to utilities. They tested the learning modules, using them as an instructional guide for teaching the concept of gasification with application to industrial processes. This is especially useful to engineering students temporarily attending the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology on industrial attachment.
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Cross-section of participants at the workshop exhibition in ABU, Zaria (Photo courtesy of Dr. Bugaje) |
Final Summary of Project Activities
Team members began by surveying literature relating to gasification principles and design and completed a one-week training on the Aspen Plus simulation package. The U.S. partners helped create the gasifier design for the module. One of the key team members, Dr. Abdulazeez Atta, participated in a workshop on science diplomacy organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and others, while both Dr. Idris Bugaje and Dr. Atta participated in the PEER Participants’ Conference in Tanzania in 2014.
The researchers tested and adjusted the DLM design. The introduction of laggings and shielding of the reactor significantly increased the attainable temperature in the reactor. Analysis showed that painting the inner surface of the reactor with silver paint decreased the heat lost due to radiation in the reactor. In order to reduce variability (maintain quality specifications), increase efficiency, and ensure the safe operation of the proposed DLM, researchers built the setup with various controls.
The PEER team organized a three-day workshop on Hands-on Engineering Learning Pedagogies at the University of Ghana, Legon, joined by faculty members from different departments in the school of engineering, University of Ghana. They made technical presentations and unveiled the DLM for gasification processes. At a separate workshop at Ahmadu Bello University, 90 participants from across 17 Nigerian institutions attended and saw technical presentations on the DLM and its potential for teaching engineering concepts. After a site visit to Washington State University by the co-PIs, the Nigerian team sought to develop capacity to build the DLMs within their own workshops, including fabricating a pyrolysis reactor and designing portable gasifier for use in data collection on biomass gasification. Team members also created a manual on international scientific collaboration.
The researchers conducted a pedagogy study on the gasification DLM with more than 200 students from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University. Students were given pre-test questions to assess their level of understanding on gasification and then tested on their understanding after the introduction of the module. Preliminary analysis showed a significant increase in the level of the students’ understanding, with senior-level students doing comparatively better.
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| Exhibition during one-day workshop in Zaria, Nigeria (Photo Courtesy of Dr. Bugaje) | Dr. Nurudeen Yusuf delivering a presentation during workshop in Zaria, Nigeria (Photo Courtesy of Dr. Bugaje) |
