School of Engineering (SEng.) Collections
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ItemAssessment of the effect of partial replacement of cement with waste glass powder on the perfomance of water hyacinth petiole-cement insulation boards( 2026-06-23)The growing demand for sustainable construction materials has heightened interest in developing environmentally friendly insulation products from waste resources. This study investigated the production and performance of insulation boards made from water hyacinth petioles (WHP) and waste glass powder (WGP) as a partial replacement for cement. Water hyacinth served as the fibrous component, while waste glass powder was incorporated to reduce cement consumption and promote waste recycling. Although water hyacinth petioles and waste glass powder have each been investigated separately as partial cement replacements, their combined use in a single insulation board, evaluated in both pulp and staple particle forms, has not previously been studied. WHP samples were collected from Port Bell, prepared, dried, and separated into pulp and staple particles. Waste glass collected at Makerere University was cleaned, crushed, and sieved to a fine powder. Composite boards were produced using a 60:40 WHP-to-binder ratio, with WGP replacing cement at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by weight. The samples were cast, compacted, cured under laboratory conditions, and tested for bulk density, water absorption, thickness swelling, flexural strength, and thermal conductivity. Results showed that increasing WGP content affected the boards' physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Thermal conductivity ranged from 0.105–0.046 W/mK for P-panels and 0.098–0.033 W/mK for S-panels, indicating improved thermal insulation performance at higher WGPreplacement levels. Water absorption and thickness swelling generally decreased at moderate WGP contents, while flexural strength improved due to better particle packing and matrix densification. The cost-effectiveness analysis showed that production costs increased with partial replacement of cement by WGP, rising from UGX 30,511 to 53,881 per square meter due to reduced cement consumption. Moderate WGP replacement levels (10%–20%) provided the best balance between cost and performance, making the boards economically viable compared with conventional materials such as MDF, cement boards, and gypsum boards. The study concluded that WHP–cement–WGP composite boards have strong potential as lightweight, low-cost, and sustainable thermal insulation materials. The findings have practical implications for sustainable construction by promoting the use of invasive water hyacinth in valueadded products, reducing reliance on cement, and supporting domestic waste management by recycling waste glass into useful construction materials.
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ItemDesign and construction of a 5-code key box for multiple occupancy office of the Mechanical Engieering Department.(Makerere University, 2026-08-22)ABSTRACT The increased need for secure and efficient management of shared resources in institutional environments has prompted the development of automated systems such as electronic key boxes that eliminate the inefficiencies of manual key handling. In the Mechanical Engineering Department, shared offices and laboratories faced challenges of key loss, unauthorised access, and accountability, leading to reduced operational efficiency and security concerns. This project focused on the design and construction of a 5-code electronic key box that utilised a microcontroller-based control circuit integrated with a keypad, display unit, servo motor and solenoid lock to regulate access to the office key through personalised codes. The system enhanced safety by logging user activities, triggering alarms during unauthorised attempts, and allowing only verified users to retrieve or return the key. The study also emphasised cost-effectiveness, modularity, and future scalability to accommodate IoT integration for remote monitoring and data access. Through the implementation of this system, the project contributed to digital transformation in educational institutions, promoted responsible access management, and supported sustainable technological advancement aligned with the goals of innovation and institutional efficiency.
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ItemAssessment and design of solar-powered cold storage solutions for Small-Scale fisheries in Uganda: a case study of Bwondha Landing Site( 2026)Small-scale fisheries in Uganda face post-harvest losses estimated at 25–40% of total catch, driven largely by the absence of reliable cold storage infrastructure at off-grid landing sites. This study assesses and designs a solar-powered cold storage system for Bwondha Landing Site in Mayuge District, where approximately 200 fishermen land an average of 1.7 tonnes of fish daily with no functional refrigeration facility. A comprehensive cooling load analysis determined a total cold room requirement of 45.1 kW, dominated by the product load of 40.55 kW. Based on this, a refrigeration system using R-404A refrigerant was designed, yielding a cooling capacity of 56.36 kW and a Coefficient of Performance of 4.53. The supporting solar power system, modelled in HOMER Pro using NASA POWER irradiance data, comprises a 15.5 kWp photovoltaic array, a 48 V / 3500 Ah lithium-ion battery bank, and a 96%-efficient inverter configuration, sized to meet the 12.5 kW electrical load with a minimum of 48 hours of autonomous operation. The cold room, designed in CoolSelector2, measures 5 m × 2m×3mwith100mmpolyurethaneinsulation and a storage capacity of 3.4 tonnes. System behaviour was validated through MATLAB/Simulink simulation, which confirmed stable AC output across the full PV–battery–inverter–refrigeration chain. Economic analysis demonstrated that the locally fabricated design is approximately 22% cheaper in capital cost than an imported Chinese equivalent, with a payback period of 3.2 years and a 20-year Net Present Value of UGX 1.84 billion. The findings confirm that solar-powered cold storage is both technically feasible and economically viable for small-scale fisheries at Bwondha, offering a sustainable alternative to diesel-based refrigeration and traditional preservation methods.
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ItemDesign and simulation of a high gain antenna for millimeter-wave applications(Makerere University, 2024)As electronic devices continue to shrink in size, the antenna designers are pushed to reduce the antenna size. This has led to the invention of Microstrip antennas that are found to be compatible with today’s manufactured devices and developed systems due to their low cost, low weight, and small size. With the desire to increase data rates and bandwidth by network service providers to meet the demands of their customers, mm-wave frequency bands have been explored and found to be a solution to overcome the bandwidth problem. Different antenna designs have been proposed by many researchers with the aim of increasing the gain and bandwidth of the antennas. Some of these techniques include: the use of antenna arrays, multiple layersubstrate technique, parasitic patch, defective ground structure, and air gap method among others. The main aim of this project is to design and simulate a high gain microstrip antenna through the use of an air gap method that is suitable for mm-wave applications while assessing the desired parameters like VSWR, bandwidth, radiation pattern, directivity, return loss, and antenna efficiency among others.
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ItemTechno-economic analysis of a hybrid solar PV-wind system powering an off-grid community( 2024)With continuous population increase in the rural communities of Uganda, there has been an increase in demand for electricity to foster socio-economic development. However, access to the national grid has been a challenge for most rural areas in Uganda, hence the need to explore the use of distributed renewable energy sources. This project report aims at assessing the technical and economic feasibility of implementing a sustainable energy source for electricity generation, by integrating a solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine technologies into a hybrid system powering an off-grid community. In order to implement the hybrid system, a review was carried out on the main components of the systems which include the PV modules, wind turbines, batteries, inverters and the backup generator. In order to achieve the project objectives, meteorological data was obtained from the NASA POWER website as well as the HOMER Pro software resources tab. Furthermore, field survey of the case study location was carried out to determine the energy demand. The HOMER Pro software was used to carry out the cost and technical analysis. The last phase of this project involved the design of a low voltage distribution network to carry out power systems analysis using DIgSILENT Power Factory, with the aim of evaluating the technical performance of the developed solar PV-wind system.