CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

I am a Nigerian and I hail from Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State. I started my primary education early in Lagos because of my physique and intelligence. Below is the summary of my academic pursuits, Institutions attended with dates and the qualifications/grades obtained. 1.1 My Educational Background and Training SCHOOL Lad-Lak Primary School Bariga Lagos Kosofe Community College Mile 12 Lagos. Yaba College of Technology Yaba Lagos. (Full Time) Kaduna Polytechnic Kaduna. (Full Time) QUALIFICATION/GRADE First School Leaving Certificate WASC O Level ND in Electrical/ Electronics Engineering (Lower Credit)

YEAR 1973 -1978 1979 -1984 1987 - 1989 1994 1996

1999 2001 2002 2007

HND in Electrical Engineering (Power & Machine Option) (Upper Credit). Kaduna Polytechnic Post-HND in Electronics & Kaduna. (Full Time) Telecommunication Engineering (Upper Credit). Bayero University Kano. M.Eng (Electrical (Full Time) Engineering).

1.2

Industrial Training

(1988 1991) Electrical Technician

Dansy Industry Nigeria Ltd Ketu, Lagos.

I was admitted into the company first as industrial attach and later employed as an electrical technician. Dansy Industry Nigeria Ltd is a plastic manufacturing industry located in Ketu area of Lagos State. I was involved in the day to day maintenance of the machines such as Engel, SP 120, SP 130 and SP 400 to mention but few. I was also involved in the installations of new industrial electric motors and replacement of the faulty ones. Knowledge Gained: It afforded me the opportunity of having first hand on

industrial machines and made use of some instruments such as wrenches, Earth measuring equipment and multimeters.

CHAPTER TWO MY POST-GRADUATION EXPERIENCE

2.1

Scope of my Post-Graduation Experience

This chapter outlines the experience gained after graduation. Basically,

there are only four areas to be discussed, my experience as a Project Engineer with the Starcomms in the department of Project/implementation. Also my contributions in the Nigerian Air Force, Kaduna Polytechnic as a teaching staff and the Post graduate research works.

2.2

Starcomms PLC Department: Position:

(Oct 2008- to date).

Technology. Project Engineer.

Starcomms is one of the leading CDMA Companies in Nigeria which has covered about seventeen states in the country. Job Descriptions/Responsibilities

Complete Building/Construction of the Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) Sites.

Supervisions of Vendors/Contractors to Starcomms at the working sites.

Resolutions of issues relating to land meant for building cell sites where applicable and referral to legal department where it could not be resolved amicably.

Integration of newly built sites to the existing sites for easy network co-ordinations.

Hand over of sites to the operation and maintenance department on the integration day.

Supervises the acquisition of BTS and transmission sites. Manages the lease agreement and renewal process. Manages relationships with land lords/ property owners, vendors and manufacturers. Commissioning of the newly built sites.

2.3

Kaduna Polytechnic Department: Position:

(Jun Oct 2008)

Electrical/Electronics Engineering Lecturer III

Key Responsibilities: Delivering lectures to the ND1 (100 level) students on Electrical Machines.

Conducting, marking, and recording of continuous assessment tests

during the academic session. Relating the theories with practical experience in the classroom

environment.

Supervision of Two HND final projects at the end of academic session. Setting, conducting, marking, recording and submission of the Final

semester Examinations results.

2.4

Nigerian Air Force Shasha Lagos. Department: Position:

(2000 2007)

Electronics Maintenance Depot (EMD) Computer Supervisor.

Job descriptions/Key responsibilities

units. usage.

Supervision and co-ordination of computer Laboratory. Repairs and maintenance of computer systems for the Units and the sister

Assembling of new computer systems for training and administrative

Training of the military personnel, their wards and the civilians within the

vicinity of the Unit.

5

2.5

Post Graduate Studies

(2002 2005)

The post graduate studies covered the following: Laboratory mini project. Individual thesis project. Lectures and Presentation of seminars.

The exposure generally has sharpened my thinking and Skillfulness in the field of engineering.

2.6

Nigerian Air Force, Technical Training Group (1992 2000) Department: Position: Electronics Maintenance School (EMS) Instructor.

I was involved in instructing the students of the above named School, who are mainly Military personnel from the Armed Forces of Nigeria in particular and some of the Military personnel from neighboring African Countries such as Ghana, Sierra Leone, Niger Republic to mention but few. I taught the following subjects namely: Electrical Engineering Science, Electric Circuit Theory and Electrical Workshop Practice.

I gained considerable amount of knowledge in the area of workshop practice because, I also learnt the art of soldering and de-soldering on both working printed circuit board and printed circuit board for practice. I also used the opportunity to learn computer hard wares and some application packages such as MS word, excel, power point, Corel draw, instant artist etc. I jointly supervised Students project titled Design and Construction of an Electronic Sign Board My major contribution was in the area of the amount of power that would be consumed by the sign board and it was a success.

CHAPTER THREE RELEVANT ENGINEERING PROJECTS UNDERTAKING

This chapter discusses about various projects carried out as project Engineer in Starcomms Plc. My level of involvement, problems encountered, solutions and Knowledge gained. TABLE 3.1 shows the Project Executed, Project Location, and Description of work for each of the Sites. Sites Name Katina 01 Old GRA Kangiwa Road, Katina Project Location Project Cost (N) Description of Work Involved the construction of tower, Installation of two 20-kva diesel generators. Complete earthen of the tower, shelter, generators, and two diesel Katina 04 Low-Cost Housing. (Dutse Safe)
8

tanks. Involved the Installation of two 20-kva generators,

supervision of electrification of the sites by the PHCN officials. (I.e. Installation of 100kva transformer, feeder pillars and other electrical accessories. Complete earthen of the tower, generators diesel tanks and the Katina 10 Babaruga shelter. Involved the Installation of two 20-kva generators, supervision of electrification of the sites by the PHCN officials. (I.e. Installation of 100kva transformer, feeder pillars and other electrical accessories.
9

Complete earthen of the tower, generators diesel tanks and the Katina 11 Federal College of Education Katina. shelter. Involved the Installation of two 20-kva generators, electrical installation of the guard house. Supervision of installation of communication transmission cables, radio antennae for both microwaves and Kaka 01 Kwa Village RF. Installation of two 20-kva generators, inspection of installed communication transmission cables and radio antenna. (Both microwave and RF antenna).
10

Kaka 03

Danzabwa

Inspection of Installed BTS equipment, communication transmission cables and radio antennae (both MW and RF). Installation of two 20-kva generators, Installation of two 20-kva generators, electrical installation of the guard house. Supervision of installation of communication transmission cables, radio antennae for both microwaves and RF. Involved the Installation of two 20-kva generators, supervision of electrification of
11

Kaka 04

Gidan mutun daya

Kaka 05

Kankia

the sites by the PHCN officials. (I.e. Installation of 100kva transformer, feeder pillars and other electrical accessories. Complete earthen of the tower, generators diesel tanks and the Kaka 06 Ari Town shelter. Installation of two 20-kva generators, inspection of installed communication transmission cables and radio antenna. (Both microwave Kaka 07 Hassan Usman Road katsina and RF antenna). Involved the Installation of two 20-kva generators, supervision of electrification of the sites by the
12

PHCN officials. (I.e. Installation of 100kva transformer, feeder pillars and other electrical accessories. Complete earthen of the tower, generators diesel tanks and the shelter.

3.1

Involvement/Responsibility As the project Engineer, I was involved in the following at each of the sites:

Approval of site drawings Issuance of instructions to the Contractors

Approval of works and certification of Contractors work

Reporting to the Management Quality control measures on sites as related to materials and workmanship Attending to community related issues Screening of contractors Site documentation
13

 Sites supervision 3.2 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED, THEIR SOLUTIONS AND EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED.

Wrong installations of Cables at KAKA 07Site

At Hassan Usman road in Katina (kaka 07), there were two 33-kv cables that passed the side of our site and the 11-kv that enters our sites was installed in such a way that, it overlapped the two extra high voltage cables. Solution to the problem. When I saw the installation, I called the attention of the contractor involved. I also suggested to him that, instead of using overhead cable for the 11-kv, an amoured cable should be used and buried properly underground in other to prevent serious explosion and negative environmental impact.

Acquired knowledge It is ethical and professional to follow the code of installations regarding electrical transmission cables when they are happened to cross each other. The lower voltage cable should be buried under ground instead of overlaying across the extra high voltage cables.

CHAPTER FOUR
14

ANOTHER RELEVANT ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE

This chapter discusses about various projects carried out at my post-graduate studies, It also looked into the problems of power generation in Nigeria and proffers some recommendations. Local Area Network and Internet facility at Headquarters Logistic Command, Repairs and Upgrading of Eight (8) Quantities of Pentium II HP Vectra System Units (350 MHz, 4GB and 64 MB), Assembling and Installations of Twenty (20) quantities of Pentium IV Computer system Units, scheduled of duties, problems encountered, solutions and Knowledge gained.

4.1

Laboratory Mini Project

4.1.1 Introduction A simple Transistor/SCR/Diode Tester is one of the most handy gadgets on the experimenters workbench, especially if said experimenter has numerous surplus transistors with unknown histories or mysterious part numbers. When a new circuit fails to function properly, a quick check on the transistors can confirm that the problem lies elsewhere or help jog the memory on whether a particular transistor is NPN or PNP without a trip to the data book. This project report describes the design and construction of

Transistor/SCR/Diode tester. The Tester will also test diode and SCRs both in equipment (while the equipment is of course de-energized) and also by direct
15

connection to a stand-alone component. It is a simple ON/OFF test, which can identify diode and transistor action and will indicate diode polarity and transistor type PNP/NPN, if this is unknown as earlier mentioned. A. Amplifier Circuit

The output from the Schmitt trigger circuit (1a) need to be amplified in order to drive the three configured Schmitt trigger 1b, 1c, and 1d, of the IC CD 4093. (See appendix B)
U1A
1 2 3

VCC

9V

Q2
BJT_NPN_4T_VIRTUAL

7403N

R1
1.0Mohm

R2
220ohm

C1
2.2uF

Fig. 4.1 Amplifier Circuit Design. Since the dc collector (or emitter) current, is given by
Ic = I E = VE RE

(4.1)

The required dc emitter current and voltage are 20mA and 8.5 volts respectively. Hence the required resistor will then be
VE IE

RE =

(4.2)

16

4.5 = 225 20 x10 3

Hence, the available resistor of the value 220 is then chosen. B. Limiting Resistor

The 470 resistor is chosen in order to limit the current of 15mA that is the output of the three Schmitt trigger configured together. Choosing IF to be 15mA. Hence
RL = VS V F IF

(4.3)

Where VS = Supply dc voltage VF = Forward biased voltage IF = Forward biased current RL = Limiting Resistor Since the available resistor nearest to the calculated one is 470, hence, 470 resistor is then chosen for the forward biased current.

C.

Choice of 1000 Resistor

17

For average BJP Transistor either NPN or PNP, the dc current gain, hfe is given as
h fe = Steady collector current Steady base current

(4.4) (4.5)

h fe =

Ic Ib

In the case of this project, the average value hfe of BJP transistors to be tested is assumed to be 100. Since the collector current (Ic) is also assumed to be 8.3 mA, hence, the base current can then be calculated as
I b = I c h fe

(4.6)
-3

=8.3 x 1 0 =8 m .3 A

x1 0 0

Since the voltage drop across the base is assumed to be 8.3 Volts hence
Rb = Vdrop Ib

(4.7)

8.3 = 1000 8.3 x 10 -3

Hence, the reason for chosen 1k resistor as the base resistor of any of the transistor to be tested.

D.

Design of 2Hz Flashing of the LED (Light Emitting Diode)

For the 2Hz flashing of the LED to be obtained, the following formula is used,
f = 4.4 R1C1

(4.8)

18

f =

4.4 1x10 x 2.2x10 -6

6

f = 2H z

Where R1 = 1M C1 = 2.2 F Hence, the illumination of the LED appears as a 2Hz flashing. E. CD 4093 BC quad 2- input NAND Schmitt Trigger.

General Description. The CD4093 consists of four Schmitt trigger circuits. Each circuit functions as a 2-input NAND gate with Schmitt trigger action on both inputs. The gate switches at different points for positive and negative going signals. The difference between the positive (VT+) and the negative voltage (VT-) is defined as hysteresis voltage (VH). All outputs have equal source and sink currents and conform to standard B-series output drive. 4.1.2 Circuit Operation The CD4093BC CMOS IC (1c 1a) is configured as a square wave oscillator of about 2Hz (see Fig. 3.2g ).

19

The transistor (Q) BC956 help to amplify this signal, then IC (1b, 1c and 1d) invert this 2Hz signal. These two complementary square wave voltages are used as the test supply voltage to the device under test (D.U.T). Transistor base bias is via a 1000-ohm resistor. Two red LEDs are parallel in Contra fashion and connected across the output. Current flow through either LED is limited by the 470 ohm resistor and either LEDs PIV is clamped to about 1.7V, which is the on-state voltage of the other LED (being in the conducting state). With no D.U.T connected to the tester, and TEST push button pressed, both LEDs will flash alternately. If a healthy transistor is now connected during the half-cycle during which it will be biased ON and therefore heavily conducting, one LED will be effectively short-circuited and remain dark. On the alternate half-cycle, the polarity of the applied signal will not cause the D.U.T to switch ON and current can then flow through one LED causing it to illuminate. This appears as a 2Hz flashing of the LED. It should therefore the noted that if the D.U.T is: a. b. Shorted, both LEDs will be dark and Open circuited, both LEDs will flash.

The function of the two strings of series connected in series with the D.U.T is to allow only a current pathway through the D.U.T provided that it is in fact fully saturated (turned hard ON) and that in sufficient current could flow through parallel circuit resistance such that one or both of the LEDs would be dark due to
20

this. In order to test SCRs and diodes, switch S1 is thrown to the appropriate position, in which one of the two series connected pair of diodes is switched out. This is necessary because; the forward on-state voltage of a healthy diode or SCR being about 0.7 volts, then three conducting series junctions would present about 2.1 volts across the LED, which should normally be dark. Therefore the LED would not extinguish as it should and therefore give an erroneous test. The gate voltage for the SCR is via a 100 resistor. It should be remembered that, this design is known as an In-Circuit tester (no messy de-soldering, to isolate a faulty semiconductor). 4.1.3 Testing. After the completion of the circuit construction, the circuit is then tested. The following methodologies are employed during the testing:a. For a healthy NPN Transistor (i) The toggle switch is selected to the required mode (i.e Transistor),

and the Transistor is connected and tested as follows:(ii) The base of the transistor is connected to the probe of the tester

marked base/gate (b/g), the emitter /cathode (e/k) while the transistors collector is connected to the probe marked collector/Anode (i.e c/a). (iii) The test push button is pressed, 2nd LED would be flashing while

LED1 would be off. This corresponds with the diagram on the casing for a
21

healthy NPN transistor. The 2nd LED would be off immediately the finger on the Test button is lifted or removed.

1st LED 2nd LED Off Flashing Fig. 4.2(a) Diagram showing the testing of a healthy NPN Transistor. b. For a healthy PNP Transistor (i) The Toggle switch is selected to the transistor mode and the

transistor is connected and tested as follows:(ii) The base of the transistor is connected to the probe of the tester

marked (b/g). The emitter is connected to the probe of the tester marked (e/k) while the collector of the transistor is connected to the probe of the tester marked c/a. (iii) The Test push button is also pressed, 1st LED would be flashing

while 2nd LED would be off. This corresponds with the diagram on the casing for a healthy PNP transistor. The 1st LED would be off immediately the finger on the Test push button is lifted or removed.

1st LED 2nd LED Flashing Off Fig. 4.2(b) Diagram showing the testing of a healthy PNP Transistor. c. For a healthy Silicon Control Rectifier (SCR)
22

(i)

The toggle switch is selected to the SCR/Diode mode, and the SCR

is connected and tested as follows: (ii) The probe of the tester marked (b/g) is connected to the gate of the

SCR, the probe market (e/k) is connected to the cathode of the SCR while the probe marked (c/a) is connected to the anode of the SCR. (iii) The Test push button is then pressed, 2nd LED would be flashing while 1st LED would be off as long as the Test push button is being pressed. This indication corresponds with the diagram on the casing for a healthy SCR as well as NPN transistor. The 2nd LED would be off immediately the Test push button is released.

1st Led 2nd Led Off Flashing Fig. 4.2(c) Diagram showing the testing of a healthy SCR.

d. (i)

For a Healthy Diode The Toggle switch is selected to the SCR/Diode mode and the Diode is

connected and tested as follows:(ii) The probe of the tester marked (e/k) is connected to any side of the

diode while the probe marked (c/a) is connected to the other side of the diode.

23

(iii)

The Test push button is then pressed, one of the LEDs would be

flashing while the other LED would be off. The side of the diode that is connected to the flashing LED is the Anode while the side that is connected to the LED that is off is the cathode. If the polarity of the diode is reversed by interchanging the probe connected to it, the LEDs would also change. The flashing LED would go off immediately the test push button is released. 1st Led Flashing
LED2

2nd Led Off

1st Led Off

2nd Led Flashing

LED_red

Fig. 4.2 (d) Diagram showing the testing of a healthy diode.

e.

For a Faulty Transistor/SCR/Diode. (i) If a transistor is to be tested, the above-mentioned procedure need to

be followed:- it should therefore be noted that, if the transistor is 1. 2. (ii) Shorted, both LEDs will be dark and Open circuited, both LEDs will be flashing If SCR or Diode is to be tested, the procedure for testing has been

mentioned earlier, If the SCR or Diode is 1. Shorted, both LEDs will also be dark and
24

2.

Open circuited, both LEDs will be flashing.

1st Led 2nd Led Off Off Fig. 4.2(e) Shorted DUT NB

1st Led 2nd Led Flashing Flashing Fig. 4.2(f) Open Circuited DUT

It should be noted that, with no D.U.T (Device Under

Test) connected to the tester, and the Test push button is pressed, both LEDs will flash alternately.

It is very important to know the base, emitter and

collector of the transistor to be tested. Also, the Gate, Cathode and Anode of the SCR to be tested must be known. This is to make sure that no erroneous result is obtained.

25

Fig. 4.2g: Diagram showing the complete circuit diagram of the Tester

26

4.1.4 Casing The casing was made up of wood and was produced in such a way that it is very handy. The diagram of the casing is shown in Fig. 3.2h.

Fig. 4.2h: Diagram showing the complete casing of the Tester.

27

4.2

Reliability Assessment of Egbin Thermal Power Station Using Analytical Approach.

4.2.1 Preamble A number of special terms are commonly used in treating reliability problems in electric power generation stations especially thermal generation plants. Of first importance is the amount of time that the unit is on the line producing power per year; this period is referred to as service hours. The time during which a unit is shut down because the load on the system is much less than the system capacity is referred to as reserved shut down because the load on the system is much less than the system capacity is referred to as reserved shut down hours. The sum of these two quantities is the number of hours the unit is available and is known as the availability of the unit usually expressed as.
Total available operating time Total available time in a year

Availabili ty Factor =

(4.9)

4.2.2 Motivation and Significance of the Study The incessant power outages in Nigeria have been causing a lot of havoc to governments (federal, states, and locals), companies/industries and generality of the populace. Since the Egbin thermal station has been in operation for almost two decades now, there are enough data to assess its degree of
28

reliability. Egbin thermal station has a generating capcity of 1320Mw. It consists of six-reheat steam turbo electric knit with normal rating of 220Mw each. The thermal station is equipped with a central room, which has both manual and automatic devices for regulating the operational activities of the various units. There is also a switch yard control panel located in the centre of the power station. Protection devices have been specially built into the plant so that the plant and its switch yard are isolated from the rest of the system in case of severe disturbance in the national grid. The plant is also fortified with sprinklers and hydrant systems supplied from the nearby lagoon to ensure adequate protection against fire. Egbin Thermal power station is not only one of the most modern power stations; it is also the biggest in the West African sub-region. Since it accounts for about 40% of the total output generated power in the country, the need for the reliability assessment of such station cannot be overemphasized; rather, it will enhance positively the Nigerian power system. 4.2.3 Aim and Objectives The major aim of the study was to evaluate the hierarchical level1 adequacy assessment of the thermal station using analytical approach. For this purpose, annual generation data were collated from the station for a period of 10 years from 1993 to 2003 (1994 exclusive). Consequently, the objectives of the study are as follows:
29

Extraction of the characteristics of faults with few data by means of

reliability calculations.

Assessment of the economic losses due to energy not produced due to

forced outages in the thermal station.

Development of computer programs for running these calculations.

4.2.4 Methodology Based on the data collated from Egbin thermal station from the year 1993 to 2003 (excluding 1994) reliability calculations method was used to determine the MTBF, MTTR, availability factor, capacity factor and efficiency of the station. Microsoft excel charts was also used to present the graphical representations of the data. With the aid of visual basic programming language, the analysis of the data was carried out in details. 4.2.5 Summary, Recommendations and Conclusion (i). Summary The basic objective of the research work described in this thesis was to assess the economic losses of energy not produced due to forced outages in Egbin thermal station using the developed computer program for the analysis. This thesis extends some of the existing techniques to the assessment of hierarchical level one (HL 1) reliability i.e. it considers the effects that the overall outages had

30

on generation of electrical energy. The summary of finding on the assessment carried out on the Egbin thermal station is stated below: It was found that: System faults accounted for the largest percentage of the faults at Egbin

thermal station.

Over sixty seven billion naira (N67 billion) had been lost due to either

planned or forced outages. The natural gas is the best raw materials for the generation of power in

thermal station like Egbin because it is clean and very cheap when compared to oil or other forms of fuels. There is no maintenance policy, strategies, work planning orders and

resources allocations. There is no enough preventive maintenance PM, route procedures and

intervals between maintenance are not well defined. Poor plant history records make it difficult to retrieve the PM history

especially the outage hours and the time between one form of maintenance and others. It is observed that the unit cost of producing the electricity is at low cost

but, this does not address specific customer requirements, as well as coordinates large-scale modernization projects.
31

Maintenance cost in the station amount to approximately 25 35 percent

of the total production cost. Government policy is not favourable considering the effect it has on the

station from the year 1999 to 2003 regarding the relationship between the annual power generated and the cost of outages due to failures. The impact of lost generation (through non availability) exceeded within a

few years the initial purchase price of the power plants and associated equipments. (ii). Recommendations From the survey carried out, it is evident that Egbin thermal power station performs disappointingly compared with world-class operations. The following are here by recommended: (i) Forced and planned outages must be reduced drastically because of its

effects on the financial status of the station and the treasury of government. If these outages are minimized, the money that would come from this area can then be used to either construct new plants or maintain the existing ones effectively. (ii) Since the natural gas is found to be the cheapest raw material for the

production of electricity in a thermal power plants, government should make sure that vandalization of gas pipe-line is seriously looked into, so that the natural gas would be regularly available for use by the station.
32

(iii)

The importations of machineries for the station if need be, should always

be given urgent attention. (iv) Well known commercial software such as power tools, Wilbur etc should

be used so that reliability model using actual failure data and repair times can be carried out. This will enable the station to predict accurately the availability as well as the reliability of the station. (iii). Conclusion From the available records of the Egbin thermal power station, there appears to be no standards or benchmarks, but rather unreliable, inconsistent estimates of probable job duration. There is no world class procedure for reporting performance /productivity and maintenance cost, PM programs breakdowns, etc. A new maintenance paradigm that will improve maintenance control and preventive maintenance activities should be put in place. Performance measures are necessary tool for tracking progress, while some may be used in benchmarking or assessment. The managers must formulate wise strategies, make decisions and monitor progress against plans by collecting, retrieving and analyzing data. Increasing equipment reliability and extending the equipments life through cost-effective maintenance will reduce down time and achieve high
33

production capabilities. To achieve these, Power Holding Company Nigeria (PHCN) (former NEPA) must move away from the traditional reactive maintenance mode to proactive maintenance and management philosophies. There must be a complete shift to a total planned quality maintenance (TPQM) approach, which is maintenance and management philosophy that advocates planning all maintenance (i.e. preventive, predictive and corrective) as well as the control of quality in maintenance operations. In general, the office of the Honourable Minister for Economic matters of the Federal Government of Nigeria acknowledged the gross structural problems of the Nations Electrical power supply sub-sector as follows: By May 1999 when the present Administration assumed office, only 30% of the population of Nigeria had access to electricity (supplied through the National grid). The installed generating capacity from the eight power stations was 5,876 Megawatts (Mw). However, 476Mw were retired due to old age and lack of spare parts. As at May 1999, only 1,600Mw, representing 27.3% of installed capacity was actually generated, out of available capacity of 5,400 Mw. The transmission grid consisted of 5,000Km of 330Kv lines and 6,000Km of 132Kv lines.

34

CHAPTER FIVE ANOTHER RELEVANT ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE

5.1

Project 1: Local Area Network and Internet facility At Head

Quarters Logistic Command, Nigerian Air Force Ikeja.

The contract for the project of Local Area Network (LAN) and provision of the internet facility at the Head quarters Logistics Command, Nigerian Air Force Ikeja Lagos was awarded by the Head quarters Nigerian Air Force Abuja. The Members of the Monitoring Committee was given the task and mandate to monitor the Contractors job so that it tallies with the specifications in the terms and reference of the contract. Immediately the contractor introduced the engineer to handle the project to us, I discussed with him and I was allowed to involve in the activities of installations of the structural cabling at the HQ LC. I also gained better experience in the assembling of computer system units by assisting the technicians in opening the casings of the systems. Gradually, I was allowed to fix a complete system starting from beginning of the project to the end. It was later certified alright by the engineer before it was powered on, and it worked perfectly. I also had a comprehensive knowledge of LAN accessories and some instruments used in testing the structural cabling for proper serviceability. I also gained the knowledge on how the VSAT equipment is installed and configured. During the period of the project, a CAT 5 cable was to be moved
35

over an entrance gate, the technicians who carried the installations just used two long sticks to hold the cable but I suggested two solid iron rods instead, and my idea was bought by the engineer and the sticks were replaced. I also assisted the engineer in the installation of some of the software because of my back ground in computer training. During this period, I encountered some problems in installing some of the software on-line, the engineer taught me that some of the pirated softwares would not install on-line because, they could not be tracked by their original number. I also learnt that, once original antivirus softwares is installed in a passworded system unit, it is only the administrator or anybody designated to be in possession of the pass-word that can install the software. (Details of the Local Area Network Accessories are in Appendix A without the bill of quantities because it was a contract awarded to a contractor).

36

5.2

Project 2: Repairs and Upgrading of Eight (8) Quantities of Pentium II HP Vectra System Units (350 MHz, 4GB and 64 MB). As the supervisor in charge of the computer Lab of 403 Electronics

Maintenance Depot Nigerian Air Force shasha Lagos. Eight (8) quantities of Pentium II HP Vectra system units with the following configurations were brought for repairs and upgrading. (i) (ii) (iii) Processors speed Hard disk Memory Module 350MHz 4GB 64MB

Some of them had their floppy disk drives (fdd) CD ROM drives, power switches and power pack unserviceable. Below are the brief descriptions, problems encountered during the upgrade, solutions and knowledge gained. The specifications of the repaired and upgraded systems were given as follows: (i) (ii) (iii) Processors speed Hard disk Memory Module SD 450 MHz 10 GB 128 MB

I bought 8 pieces of Random Access Memory Modules (SDRAM) of 128 MB I turned off the first system unit, unplugged it from the main socket wall, and open the case. I had earlier discharged the Electrostatic in me by touching the
37

metal part of the case. I removed the 64MB SD RAM which was the old module. Two clips held each SD RAM in its socket. I pushed down the clips and opened them, rock the module gently and lifted it straight out of the slot. Secondly, I put the new SD RAM of 128MB in the lowest numbered empty slots first. I carefully pressed it straight down into the slots by applying gradually increased pressure. The clips then snapped into place when the synchronized dynamic RAM was fully inserted. Thirdly, I plugged the system unit, switched it on, and saw that it recognized the new RAM. I bought eight (8) quantities of 10 giga bytes of hard disk for more storage in the system units. I had no problem in fixing, formatting and installing the operating systems and other useful software packages. Problems & Solutions: I encountered a big problem at the initial stage when I switched on some of the PCs and they did not come on. I switched them off, unplugged it and made sure that each SD RAM module is fixed properly yet, the PCs refused to recognize the RAM. I called the attention of one of the senior Engineers and explained to him. He advised me to change that SD RAM to single sided in stead of the double sided SD RAM modules I bought. I did as he advised and the PCs worked perfectly alright. Knowledge Gained: I learnt that memory modules may look virtually

identical but they may not be interchangeable. I also know that, once a memory
38

module is not properly seated in its slot, it would not be recognized by the mother board. The project cost a paltry sum of one hundred and twenty thousand naira (N120, 000). I have saved the organization huge sum of money and I also gained some tremendous engineering experience.

5.3

Project 3: Assembling and Installations of Twenty (20) quantities of Pentium IV Computer System Units. As the Computer engineer in charge of the project, twenty (20) quantities

of Pentium IV computer system units were procured in bits with the following configurations. (i) (ii) (iii) Speed of the processor Hard disk Capacity Memory module capacity 1.70GHz 40GB 512 MB

All the items were purchased in separate unit and were assembled by me and my colleagues in the computer Lab. The systems were later tested and found to be functional. The software installations were also carried out by me and some of the subordinates that were working with me.

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After the completion of the installations, all the systems were distributed to the various offices where they are needed and are working perfectly. The aim of the in-house assembling and installations of the systems is to reduce costs and also to train the upcoming subordinates how to do the job without stress and all these and more were achieved. During the course of the project, I gained confidence and stability in assemble, trouble shooting and installation of systems.

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CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

6.1 CONCLUSION This bounded report forms the catalogue of my professional training and working experience before and after my graduation in the year 1996 at various organizations as enumerated in the report. The Council for Regulation Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), is a well learned professional body, therefore for any aspiring potential Engineer to become a corporate member of this body, the possession of a minimum academic qualification and an acceptable relevant working experience have to be obtained. I consider myself qualified to be elected as corporate member, considering my years of working experience in relevant engineering field more especially in a military training institution and telecoms industry where knowledge of both theory and practical are impacted to others. 6.2 RECOMMENDATION

In consideration of my achievements and the fact that no amount of skill in any individual can make one a perfect professional, I wish to submit that I should be considered for the election into the corporate membership cadre of the council for the regulation of Engineering in Nigeria. Thanks and may God bless you all.
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APPENDIXES

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APPENDIX A Details of the Local Area Network Accessories without bill of Quantities installed at Head quarters Logistic Command Nigerian Air Force Ikeja Lagos. S/No (a) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13 Description (b) VPN Box (10- Users) CISCO 4400 Sec 24-port 100/1000 mbpc switch 9U Data 12- port partch panel 1m patch cords 3m fly heads Rims of UTP Catch cables RJ-45 wall jacks Clips Piping Trunk (Various Sizes) Civil Works (piping) Switches and LAN Configurations 3 Com network interface cards Qty (c) 1 1 1 1 12 12 8 12 Lots Lots 1 12

VSAT EQUIPMENT VSAT Station Equipment 1.2m Antenna/Dish Live (Public) IP SSPA Converter (RF VSAT RF) VSAT Power Booster
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VSAT Power Adapters VSAT Cabling Radyne Comstream External Modem.

Subscription SCPC VSAT access with unlimited 64-128 Kbps dedicated bandwidth (24 x 7 for Twelve month). Hard wares & Softwares Compaq proliant server series with the following configuration: pentiumIV, 3.0 GHz MMx Processor (1) 17 SVGA Monitor (1) 1 GB SD RAM CD-ROM/DVD Writer 120 GB Hard disk (1) 3 Com Nic (10/100mbps) RAID etc. Work Station Ten (10) quantities with the following configurations: Pentium IV, 2.6 GHz mmx Processor (1) 15 SVGA Monitor 256 MB SD RAM
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CD ROM 40 GB Hard Disk Nic, 56kps Fax data / voice Modern (Full Multimedia) Other Accessories HP Laser Jet 1300 series printer (1) 2.0 kVA Smart on-lie UPS with Stabilizer and surge protector (1) 650 VA Back -up UPS (10) 5kVA Stabilizer for Server (1) Microsoft Advance Server 2000 (15- Users) software (1) SQL Server (5 users) (1).

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