ABSTRACTS

JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OF

AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL &
ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

EEC 2501 / EEE 2501

FINAL YEAR PROJECTS

ABSTRACTS

2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR

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ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
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NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P001
EN271-0551/2009
IRUNGU GERALD WANGUNYU
MS. M. KIIO

GSM BASED HOME APPLIANCE CONTROL

AND SECURITY SYSTEM
With the latest technological advancements in the 21st Century, human beings are
more concerned with security, convenience and comfort. As technology rapidly changes,
so has crime. Hence, better and cheap innovations need to be developed to counter the new
crime tactics. Also, with people leading a busy lifestyle, there is a necessity of controlling
home appliances and performing home surveillance remotely. Most of the home appliance
and security systems currently in the market are limited in terms of area of coverage and
number of electronic devices to be controlled.
The goal of the project is to design and implement a smart home system for controlling
the home appliances remotely with the help of a mobile device and getting alerts on
intrusion. The major factors, which have been put into consideration, are affordability
and scalability. The system will have features that can enable automatic monitoring and
control, intrusion detection and switching functionalities for home electronic appliances.
As a representative, the parameter the system will monitor is temperature for automatic
switching of an air condition system. For intrusion detection, there will be a motion sensor
for controlling a security light. This is with the aim of improving safety and security and
providing more efficient utilization of energy.
The project aims to use GSM module for sending and receiving text messages and
Arduino microcontroller for control of the entire system.

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NAME :
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P002
EN271-0553/2009
EVANS NGANGA KARIUKI
MS. M. KIIO

ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM

USING RFID TECHNOLOGY
A 2006 traffic count conducted by JICA revealed that the Nairobi Thika road carried
more than 60,000 vehicles per day, the highest in the East African Region. This number has continued to grow at an ever increasing pace as Nairobi and other areas fed by
the highway continue to develop. The traditional method of handling the increased road
demand was to build more roads and remodeling the existing ones e.g. removal of roundabouts along Thika Road and building underpasses and flyovers in their place to minimize
traffic jams. However, these traditional solutions are proving not to be enough in the long
term. This is because the lower traffic congestion brought by these improvements has
also led to an increase in road demand, bringing about increased road congestion and
thus resulting in a vicious cycle of congestion on roads. One of the suggested alternative
methods is road pricing by locating toll stations along major highways such as Thika
Road.
This project aims at introducing an efficient and cost effective method of collecting
toll charges along Thika Road by use of RFID tags mounted on vehicle windscreens. This
system will eliminate the need for motorists and toll authorities to manually perform
payment and collect toll fees respectively. It will therefore facilitate paperless passage of
toll gates, reduce toll gate traffic and avoid illegal passage of vehicles through the toll
gates. The system will be prepaid and the vehicle owners will maintain an account from
which they will be charged every time they pass through a toll station. It will also have
SMS alerts for informing the vehicle owners of low balance in their accounts and when a
payment is successfully made.
I propose to use RFID readers and tags for identification and GSM modules for connectivity.

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P003
EN272-0436/2009
MWARUWA CHAKA
MS. M. KIIO

AN INTELLIGENT SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION

WITH MOTION DETECTION AND WEB BASED
MONITORING
Security is a major concern for many businesses and the government. Businesses spend
large amounts of money to keep their properties safe from theft and vandalism as well as
to keep their premises secure. It is common to find businesses or government installations
procure expensive Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance systems so as to monitor
events in their premises at all times. With the emergence of terrorism and high levels of
insecurity the contribution of such systems to security cannot be underestimated. These
systems require active monitoring personnel and produce lengthy footage (24 hours of
footage for one day) for the security personnel to review in case of an incident hence
prolonging investigations.
This project aims to incorporate a motion sensor that will be used to actively monitor
the surroundings so that video surveillance is done only when motion is detected so that
only useful footage is stored. The footage is sent to a server for processing from where it
can be viewed in a web based interface.
This will be achieved using a raspberry pi (a credit card sized computer board) and
a camera interfaced to a Passive Infrared (PIR) motion sensor for the camera and its
controls. Video/image processing will be done using python and the web based interface
will be developed in php.

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NAME :
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P005
EN271-0605/2009
MICHIRA VALENTINO MBAKA
PROF. S. KANGETHE

RFID BASED ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM
The theft of electronic devices such as laptops is a major problem in institutions. The
system currently employed involves a manual inspection and noting down of respective
serial numbers of the devices. This system is both time-consuming and inefficient while
subject to collusion between the inspector and a possible suspect.
The aim of this project is to develop an automated system that checks and verifies the
ownership of such devices when the person enters or leaves a given premise. An RFID chip
is embedded both on the intended devices and the owners Identification Card. A database
will be created so as to store the details of ownership and used in the verification process.
The RFID reader polls both tags and verifies such information as per the database and
activates a buzzer when a conflict occurs.
The system entails the use of: MySQL as the database creation tool, A microcontroller
is used for the interpretation of signals from the RFID reader & communication with
database and Microsoft Visual studio for the creation of the source code.

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P006
EN271-2712/2009
KANYUI ANN WAMAITHA
PROF. S. KANGETHE

SMART WATER METER

Water is an invaluable resource to the human race. The use and consumption of it
should therefore be used with much care to ensure that it is not wasted. The cases of
vandalism and damage of water meters and pipes have become rampant. The aim of this
project will be to help the water service providers to monitor the meter readings from the
location and from their databases as opposed to using pen and paper as it is done now.
This will not only reduce in the errors made by humans while taking readings but will
also help save on man power and costs used for the transport of the workers.
The smart water meter is an micro-controller based residential water meter which
digitally displays the readings of the water meter at location and sends these readings to
a database via a GSM module. It will be able to control valves remotely which control
water supply at every meter. Using the GSM module each and every water meter can be
monitored and mapped. The data collected from the meter will then be relayed back to
the consumer according to subscription.

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P007
EN272-0587/2009
KAMAU SAMUEL NJUGUNA
PROF. S. KANGETHE

A WRIST-MOUNTED BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY

TEMPERATURE AND PULSE WAVE
MONITORING DEVICE.
High blood pressure is known to be a silent killer. In most cases it does not present
obvious symptoms that compel the individual to seek medical attention yet it is a serious
life-threatening condition. It is the most common cause of heart attacks, heart failure,
stroke and other complications.
The aim of this project is to design and implement an affordable and low-power body
vitals monitoring device that can help many middle and low income earners keep their
health in check and identify extreme body malfunctions relating to the heart and blood
before they get out of hand.
The device detects the blood pressure, body temperature and pulse by use of sensors
and displays the results on an LCD screen mounted on the gadget. The results are also
sent to the users mobile phone via Bluetooth or wireless connectivity. Limits of the vital
signs are set and in case of extremities, a message is sent to a relevant person who can
take the necessary medical steps, preferably a doctor within reach.

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P008
EN271-0558/2009
BRYAN BUNDI KOOME
DR. S. KAMAU

SERVOFILL CAP DETECTOR AND TUB

DIVERTER MECHANISM IN UNILEVERS
SAVOURY PLANT
Unilever as a company values quality and in return always wants its products to be of
the highest quality and standard, this point encouraged us to come up with this project
idea. The RMM is packaged in the servo fill line in 500g, 200g and 55g SKUs, these tubs
are normally filled, capped, coded and a sleeve is applied, all this takes place in the servo
fill line. Certain tubs fail to get capped and thus the product is exposed after leaving the
capping machine, the coder therefore transfers the ink directly into the powder, the lidless
container then passes through the steam tunnel whereby the powder comes into direct
contact with the powder. Problems that may accrue as a result of this action includes
but not limited to the following:
Microbial contamination due to presence of moisture in the powder. This may lead
to growth of molds in the powder
Negligible Ink poisoning
The main objective of this project is to ensure tubs that dont have caps dont go
past the date coder or rather the lidless tubs are diverted into a different section so as
to prevent transfer of ink or steam into the powder and also prevent tub wastage since
uncapped tubs will be taken back to the capping machine. All this will be accomplished
by installing a machine that checks for presence of a cap and if theres no cap, the tub is
diverted into an exit bin, if there is a cap the tub proceeds past the date coder into the
sleeving section.

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P009
EN271-0549/2009
GATHU SAMUEL NDIRANGU
DR. P.K. HINGA

DISH POSITIONING SYSTEM

Satellite communication opens up a whole world of TV/Radio entertainment with a
wide variety of programs on offer to choose from. A substantial number of people are seen
to purchase satellite dishes as they seek to be part of the digital migration as well as the
quality of images inherent to the satellite service. Satellite communication, however, is
limited to the orbiting satellites footprint and adverse weather conditions that may lead
to general drifting of the satellite dish, from its originally mounted position .This therefore
makes satellite dishes prone to misalignment from these satellites in space resulting in a
weakened signal strength reception.
Moreover, satellite dishes and antennas are mounted in very precarious locations, in an
attempt to steer clear from any obstructions such as buildings and trees. This imposes a
risk when it comes to installing and servicing those installed dishes for proper alignment.
I therefore propose to design and implement a dish control system to assist in positioning
and general installation of satellite dishes.
This system will seek to use an IR remote and receiver to adjust the dish position. It
consists of two motors that will enable the dish to move both in horizontal and vertical
direction. A microcontroller will be used as the controller to interface between the signals
from the remote, to the adjusting motors. In the end, this project seeks to solve the
problem of manually adjusting the dish and providing a safe solution for mounting satellite
dishes.

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P010
EN271-0556/2009
KIPTUM EZEKIEL
DR. P.K. HINGA

AUTOMATIC GREENHOUSE CONTROL AND

MANAGEMENT USING ETHERNET
The objective of this project is to design an automated agricultural system which
is entirely sensor based and can communicate with the various sensor modules in realtime in order to control the temperature, soil moisture and light intensity efficiently
inside a greenhouse. This is achieved by actuating a cooler or heater, dripper and lights
respectively according to the necessary condition of the crops. Data acquired from the
various sensors is then sent in real time for continuous monitoring.
It is made possible to continuously collect information from the greenhouse, and control
effectively and automatically the parameters. The collected information is then sent to
a central location via Ethernet for monitoring on a computer. This makes the proposed
system to be an economical, time and labour saving solution for large scale greenhouse
applications, especially in developing countries.
I intend to use C programming language, several sensors and actuators and Arduino
board based on the ATmega328 microcontroller for the control of the sensors in use. iii

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NAME :
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P011
EN272-2729/2009
MAINA ANTHONY NDUNGU
DR. P.K. HINGA

REMOTE CONTROL OF A TOY CAR BY

ANDROID APPLICATION
Most commercial remote control toys in the market today are operated by a single
dedicated controller which is often proprietary. This project aims at designing and developing a three wheeled wireless toy car that can be operated by using an android Bluetooth
application.
An android application will provide graphical user interface (GUI) to the user. The
android device will act as a transmitter whose data is received by a Bluetooth module
interfaced to a microcontroller. The Bluetooth module will communicate serially with the
microcontroller. Two direct current (DC) motors with gear will be used for controlling
speed and direction of the toy car. H-bridge will be used to enable control of the direction
of the motor. The microcontroller will process the control signals received from the
Bluetooth module, control the direction of DC motors according to command received
and show command on liquid crystal display (LCD). The Android application will be
developed with Eclipse and android software development kit (SDK). A C compiler or an
assembler will be used to program the microcontroller software.
The expected outcome is a smart toy car motion based on android application, microcontroller and Bluetooth wireless technology. A toy car that can be positioned on the
ground where its moving features can be tested. Graphical user interface (GUI) of the
android application will consist of five buttons. Four buttons designed for four directions;
forward, backward, left and right. The fifth button designed to stop the car. The toy car
can move according to the buttons clicked.

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P012
EN272-2728 /2009
LIHANDA MARVIN AVUGWI
EN272-2737/2009
ELIAS MWANGI GIKONYO
EN272-0584/2009
ALOO JAMES OGUTU
MR. S. N. NJOROGE

INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM

The ever increasing number of vehicles coming in through our ports and finally ending
up in our city roads has caused major traffic snarl ups which is now a major concern to
every road user. This has become the norm in our major city roads, causing great delays
and making it difficult for road users to maneuver from point A to point B during peak
hours. This is because there isnt a coordinated system of controlling the traffic flow in
the entire CBD. We intend to develop a better traffic management system which is aimed
at reducing unnecessary delays and offer better alternatives to control the traffic flow
during rush hour.
There are two aspects to this project: The software simulation which will entail a
detailed model map of Nairobi CBD, on which we will demonstrate an algorithm developed
to manage the traffic flow. The second aspect will be a model of a single roundabout by
use of a microcontroller to implement the algorithm developed.

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P013
EN272-2725/2009
KARURI SOLOMON K.
EN272-2748/2009
MAGEMBE DAVID ONSARIGO
MR. S. N. NJOROGE

AUTOMATIC FIRE RESPONSE AND

EMERGENCY ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
In many industries and homes around the world unexpected fires are a major problem
that leads to loss of lives and extensive damage of property and if not controlled quickly
the damage could be catastrophic. However the level of damage can be controlled using
the proper equipment through a coordinated response system and also prevent loss of
lives.
This project aims at incorporating fire detection, emergency access control, backup
lighting and control of the sprinklers using a microcontroller. The module along with
smoke and heat detectors installed in the building will provide a means of monitoring the
situation and offer the proper response to extinguishing the fire by releasing the water
through the sprinklers. The module will also open the emergency door locks for emergency
exits that will be used to leave the building. The whole system will be integrated in such
a way that the doors are opened immediately the alarm goes off to let people out of the
building.
Apart from the automatic system there is a manual override which can be used to
operate the emergency exit and the backup lighting system. The sprinklers will be synchronized with the fire detectors and will release the water depending on the specific
location of the detector. The backup power will be set when the main power fails.

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P014
EN271-0561/2009
MAINA JAMES WAHOME
EN271-0566/2009
MUCHAI JAFAR THIURU
MR. D. MULLI

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SMART SYSTEM

USING V2I TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE
ACCIDENTS IN BLACK SPOT ZONES
The autonomous vehicle smart system using v2i technology is an intelligent device
that will enhance communication between the vehicle and various interfaces using current
electronics technology along the highways and roads generally. The system will automatically regulate speed of a moving vehicle, offer automatic alerts and electronic displays to
the driver.
In this project, we have two sections. One is the transmitter section, which will be
located in a remote place (infrastructure) and the receiver section that will be located in
the vehicle. The project involves developing the interface, as well as the vehicle system.
The interface will have an Arduino, sensors, Xbee transmitter and a motor, while the
vehicle system will include an Arduino, xbee receiver and actuators. The interface will
bear the information and program of the road conditions and controls and through the
transmitter, the program transmitted to each vehicle, which will automatically actuate
the program.
The outcomes expected include; automatic speed control without drivers intervention,
automatic electronic display depending on intended information about the road, which
will be displaying the alert message in the LCD as programmed, simultaneously a buzzer
alert is given.

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P015
EN272-2738/2009
PATRICK NDIRANGU MWAURA
MR. D. MULI

A ROBOTIC VEHICLE FOR NAVIGATING

HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS
Exposure to harmful gamma ray emissions are a risk that personnel in a nuclear
power plant face every day in their lives. This means that each employee in such a facility
should have protective gear to prevent exposure beyond the medically allowable limits.
In addition to that, there are areas where human beings are strictly forbidden to enter,
for instance; the nuclear core where emissions are at their highest. In light of this, I
have decided to come up with an autonomous vehicle with a mounted camera that will
enable the concerned parties to access these areas without necessarily exposing themselves
to such high risk. I was inspired by the fact that our country is laying down plans on
employing nuclear energy. It is, in fact, one of the objectives under the vision 2030 energy
pillar.
On the other hand maintenance tasks are crucial for all kind of industries, especially in
extensive industrial plants, like nuclear power plants. The incorporation of robots is a key
issue for automating inspection activities, as it will allow a constant and regular control
over the whole plant. This paper presents an autonomous car system to perform inspection
for early detection and prevention accidents that would occur in a nuclear power plant.
For instance some cases that have resulted from nuclear power plant accidents, include
those in Chernobyl and in Fukushima. These will serve as a warning why the need for
preventive maintenance through proper plant inspection is of at most importance.
I will use a small model using a toy car with a camera mounted on it to achieve
the system I am proposing. Essentially this is a car that drives autonomously especially
near the nuclear core areas there by protecting the employees. I propose to use the
C programming language, a camera and a Texas instrument Tiva Launch Pad for the
processing of the sensor data to effect the required control.

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P016
EN271-0583/2009
WEKESA DANIEL W
EN272-0640/2009
KABEBERI DAPHNE
DR. P. K. KIHATO

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A GESTURES

ACTUATED WHEELCHAIR MODEL WITH
OBSTACLE DETECTION
Mental retardation, stroke and birth defects have left many Kenyans unable to move
on their own so as to perform basic functions of human life. In this time of increased
societal independence, the need for such people to lead near normal and comfortable lives
for self-sustenance with little or no help from others is increasing. We aim to allow for
mobility of such disadvantaged citizens by designing and fabricating a wheelchair that is
actuated by their slight gestures.
Many control mechanisms have been developed to control motorized wheelchairs with
the objective of automating the wheelchair so as to benefit the disabled. These controls
include joysticks, touchpads, speech, sip-n-puff and head controllers. The major shortcoming of these controllers is that they assume the ability of the users to reliably input
the control. However, for many, even pressing buttons or speaking is beyond their reach
because of mental retardation, spastic movements or lack of limb coordination.
This project is to offset these limitations by utilizing motorization and simple hand
gestures for motion transmission and hence movement of the wheelchair.
Another important factor we are considering is protecting these physically disadvantaged people from unforeseen collisions and accidents by use of obstacle detection and
avoidance. This wheel chair is therefore to automatically sense the presence of obstacles
in its path and alter its direction of movement. The obstacle detection mechanism will
be done by an ultrasonic sensor that makes uses of ultrasonic waves to find the presence
of an obstacle in the wheelchairs path.

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P017
EN271-0560/2009
MAINA GLADYS WAMBUI
DR. P. K. KIHATO

BIOMETRIC CAR SECURITY SYSTEM

Security has become a key concern for many Kenyans, with increasing cases of car
thefts. With a large percentage of people owning cars by the day, it is more fundamental
to ensure car security. As per the records, cases of peoples cars going missing have been
on the increase, and it is thus necessary to curb this challenge in society. A system that
prevents car theft and sends an alert to the car owner and/or security department would
thus come in handy to solve this challenge.
This project aims at using a biometric fingerprint scanner for access control into the
car. The car owner will have the liberty of selecting the number of people who can access
his/her car, including family and/or car driver. These people will have their fingerprints
fed into the database. The system will also have a GSM module, for communication to
both the car owner, and security emergency number in case of attempted car theft. When
one tries to access the car, you will be required to scan your fingerprint on turning the
car key, and if the fingerprints match, access is granted into the car. Failure to which, the
door will not open, and a message of attempted car theft is sent to both the car owner
and security emergency number. With this in place, it will thus be easier to track the
defaulters.
I propose to use C++ to program the system, a GSM module for communication via
SMS and an ARDUINO UNO micro-controller for the overall access control.

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P018
EN271-2718/2009
RYAN WIRE SIMIYU
DR. P. K. KIHATO

WIRELESS PAYMENT USING NFC

INTERFACED WITH FACE MONITORING
NETWORK FOR CCTV SURVEILLANCE IN
STADIUMS
The main objective of this project is to develop a system that enables wireless payment
and to detect individuals in places where a large gathering of people is taking place and
to show the location of a person in the stadium array.
In many football matches and places where large public gathering takes place there
are chances of violence occurring due to various reasons. This proposed system tracks
people using previous records and relays this information to authorities in case there is a
person of interest in the crowd and it captures this information through wireless payment
and CCTV surveillance hence preventing crowding at the entrance and theft.
This project will help us develop a record and risk management system in stadiums
where attacks can often be prevented owing to mass gathering. This is achieved when
a suspicious person enters the stadium and his details are recorded according to facial
recognition.
The scanner at the entrance is interfaced to a microcontroller of 8051 family or
megaAVR series. When a person passes through with their NFC enabled card the information is recorded and the payment is accepted. The status is also displayed on the LCD
which is duly interfaced to the microcontroller. Each individual card has the information
of the card holder. Further the project can be enhanced by interfacing a GSM modem
to the microcontroller so that a warning message is sent to the concerned authorities via
SMS.

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NAME :
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P019
EN272-0433/2009
KINYUA TIMOTHY KIMATHI
MR. E. W. MUREU

BLUETOOTH BASED HOME APPLIANCE

CONTROL WITH MOBILE APPLICATION
INTEGRATION
With the advancement of technology things are becoming simpler and easier for us
due to the wide range of resources available. Home automation is the seamless control
of any electrical devices in either our homes or offices. With the current technological
advancements and the onset of smart phones various applications can be developed to
interface these home control systems and provide comfort and security at simply the
touch of a button.
Security is also becoming a key issue in our nowadays society witnessed by the stream
of robberies and murders that are being carried out on a regular basis at our home. This
therefore necessitates the need to offer more secure methods to ensure our safety at our
homes.
The project aims at developing a home appliance control system that will be interfaced with an android application that will be used to control the various desired home
appliances from the comfort of ones phone through the Bluetooth module interface. The
system will have two operation modes i.e. Manual and Automatic mode.
I propose to use the Java language alongside the Android SDK to develop an android
based mobile application to provide control of the home appliances and a Tiva C Series
TM4C123 Launchpad which will act as the controller of the sensors and actuators in the

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P020
EN272-0585/2009
ANDAYI EMMANUEL LITUNYA
MR. E. MUREU

INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR SAFETY AND

MANAGEMENT OF LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM
GAS (LPG) FOR DOMESTIC USE
This project aims at designing an electronic system that will help curb the accidents
that occur as a result of fires and explosions from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders
in our homes by mitigating them before they occur and thereby saving lives and property.
The project also designs a system to address the need for accurate budgeting in our
homes in a world that is fast evolving to mobile oriented technology and consumptionaware whereby effective planning is required to avoid wastages and misuse of resources
such as a households income.
In Kenya there are known and media reported cases of domestic accidents caused by
explosions and fires that result from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) leakages leading to
loss of lives and property which has a great impact on our countrys productive economy
such as in the event of lives being lost. The system to be designed in this project aims
at addressing this problem by offering an automated solution that will not rely solely on
user intervention. Our country Kenya is fast adopting newer technologies to help make
the life more convenient and comfortable by using technology for planning even in our
homes thus technology has become more of a need rather than a luxury. Based on this,
this project aims at developing a LPG usage monitoring system that will enable users to
monitor fuel usage and thus be able to make plans on spending.
The system to be designed in this project integrates gas level monitor, leakage detection and mitigation and an android mobile application. The system will send level and
leakage updates to a mobile phone application on demand or when low gas levels have
been detected.
This system is expected to incorporate an ATMEL AVR microcontroller, LPG gas
concentration sensor, motors, level indicator, load cell, a GSM modem and an android
mobile application.

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P021
EN272-2740/2009
NDIRANGU NDIRANGU WILSON
MR. E. MUREU

PROXIMITY MARKETING USING BLUETOOTH

LOW ENERGY (BLE)
Advertising has been a major platform used to drive consumer behavior with respect
to a commercial offering. With the increase in the need of personalized content, proximity
marketing has emerged as a superior way to advertise products based on ones location.
The increase in number of smartphone owners has resulted to content based advertising.
However, this has been a very expensive venture to businesses and wastage of resources
since the advertisements are not personalized.
This project aims at using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to trigger personalized microlocation based notifications and actions to a smartphone depending on ones proximity to
a place. These notifications can be used to advertise a product, service or event trigger
events such as turning on the lights etc. Since no pairing is required, an application can
subscribe to listen to the signals and trigger the desired actions.
I propose to use Java and Android to build the mobile app and a Bluetooth 4.0
bidirectional radio coupled with a 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 cpu to broadcast the signals.

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P022
EN271-1481/2007
ONGERI SAMUEL MAMBO
MR. D.O. OMBATI

A RADIO FREQUENCY DISCRIMINATOR FOR

USE IN HAND HELD TRANSCEIVERS
Generally, Radio frequency signal selection, discrimination and selection provides a
general framework that can be used to measure the strength of RF signals and objectively
align and monitor the performance of antennas, transmitters, receivers and other radio
devices. However, in this project the aim is to design and analyze a low cost Frequency
modulated (FM) signal discriminator that can be used to position, test and manage
handheld transceivers as well as for use in the tuning of selected RF antennas and wireless
radio devices.
The project will be conducted in modules to be combined to realize the end device.
Consequently, it should be easier to improve its performance while trading off between
the cumulative cost and circuit complexity. In addition, the project entails a detailed
description of the various constituent elements as well as the hardware implementation.
Moreover, it brings in new approaches to an existing technology in an endeavor to
realizing a cost effective, homemade signal discriminator. Another aspect of the project
will be how to improve on the frequency performance and dynamic range of this device. As
regards Science and Technology, the project presents a unique approach to rather subtle
existing technology in the face of signal instrumentation and measurements as applied
in the 1MHz-600MHz signal frequency discrimination range. The final design captures
three different aspects of the RF Discriminator, majorly at hardware level and marginally
at software perspective. Apart from serving as a preliminary trouble-shooting device in
improving the utility of many wireless transceivers, its cost is friendly and doesnt require
much training to use.

22

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P023
EN271-2716/2009
KOBUR KIPLANGAT NGENO
MR. D.O OMBATI

EFFICIENT UTILIZATION OF WHITE SPACES

USING DYNAMIC SPECTRUM ACCESS
TECHNIQUES
Frequency spectrum is allocated to operators but hardly is the entire spectrum utilized
at the same time leaving some sections un-used or under-utilized referred to as white
spaces. Employing techniques to access these white spaces dynamically so that it does
not lead to any interference to the transmission by the licensed operators would avail
additional frequencies for other operators to work within, expanding the number of users
that can then operate. This project aims at demonstrating transmission over white spaces.
Further, dynamic spectrum access techniques will be used to dynamically switch to unused sections when a primary devices appears on the section being used at that time. This
should be done without disconnection of transmission thus necessitating a backup be kept.
This project seeks to develop a code for scanning the spectrum being used, measure the
signal level and utilize the areas were the primary users signal is low. Simulations will
be done with MATLAB R2014a.
The objective of this project is to simulate and demonstrate the transmission of secondary signal over the under-utilized sections of the allocated spectrum without interfering
with the primary user. This seeks to solve the problem of limited spectrum which has
resulted in high cost of acquiring a frequency license. This project aims at showing that
using the white spaces opens up a lot more frequency for various other operators.

23

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P029
EN271-0573/2009
NGANGA GEORGE NJUGUNA
MR. P. M. ANANGI

MICROCONTROLLER BASED INDUSTRIAL

MOTOR CONDITION MONITOR
Over the years, motor protection has continually been a concern in all industrial set
up. For instance an induction motor may fail during a plant operation and hence there
is need for condition monitoring to ensure production is kept on check. This project
is thus projected towards being a safety control measure against over voltage and over
temperature. Thus there is need for the application of the latest technology such as the
use microcontrollers incorporated in the system This project works upon the principle that
it first senses the voltage and temperature, converts them from analogue to digital form
and then feeds to the microcontroller. The microcontroller compares these parameter
values with the pre-set one and then makes a decision on what is to be done. The
decision is passed to the actuators for the necessary action. This ensures safety for the
industrial plant. The project will be implemented using C++ programming software and
the system will incorporate hardware devices including a microcontroller, LCDs, LEDs,
temperature and voltage sensors. A GSM module will also be integrated in the system
for alerting the technician of the situation. Once implemented, the system will ensure
minimum interruption in the processing line since the system will detect any abnormalities
beforehand.

24

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P030
EN271-0582/2009
WAMUKOYA K. BRIAN
MR. P. M. ANANGI

UNIVERSAL APPLIANCE HOME CONTROLLER

Modern homes contain a myriad of electronic appliances, many of which have a remote
control. This project is aimed at developing a system that takes advantage of current
technological innovations, such as wireless networks and smart phones, to improve daily
interactions with these common household devices. The system is based on a mobile smart
phone application that allow the user to consolidate control over multiple devices into
a single program. Developing this application will produce several noticeable benefits.
The first is the elimination of reliance on multiple physical controllers. The second is
easing the control and management of these devices by condensing their controllers into
a single, easy-to-use application with a common interface for all devices. There exists
some commercial systems that are similar to this project. These other systems are very
expensive, and require your home to be embedded with smart home technology, or an
abundance of physical modifications to your home. The concept here is to create a
low cost alternative that would allow the simplest of functions. This system is targeted
towards simple applications that would only require the purchase of one small unit that
can control and monitor electronics that are in the room. I propose to use php to develop
a web application, Java to develop an Android mobile application that will communicate
using the internet and incorporate Arduino Microcontroller

25

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P031
EN271-3479/2011
AYUB SIMON KHAYONGO
MR P. M. ANANGI

MICRCONTROLLER POWER CONTROL

SYSTEM
Energy conservation is very critical to commercial, Industrial, domestic customers
and both to Kenya Power. Besides protecting the environment, energy conservation helps
reduce power bills for consumers.
The project is aimed at incorporating a microcontroller to automatically control power
in room. When everybody has left the building, the visitor count reaches zero and MCB
output lines at the distribution board are automatically switched off. When someone
enters the room the counter is greater than zero and hence the MCB output lines are
switched On.
Its application include offices and commercial buildings having separate entry and exit
gates. The system does not only save electricity by automatically switching off the mains
power line but the inclusions of counters enable it to count the number of people entering
and leaving the building the number of visitors at ant particular moment as the case may
be since it is essential for security purposes.
When everybody has left the building, the visitor count reaches zero and MCB output
lines at the distribution board are automatically switched off. The device consists of a
microcontroller, which is interfaced with the input and output modules, the controller acts
as an intermediate medium between both of them. So the controller can be termed as a
control unit. The input module is the visitor count, which takes the input from the user
and fed it to the microcontroller. The output module is the appliances to be controlled.
Here the microcontroller receives the input from the visitor count and switches the device
with respect to the input.

26

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P032
EN271-2314/2011
WATURI RICHARD KARIMI
MR A.M. BAARIU

AUTOMATED PACKAGING CONTROL SYSTEM

This project is aimed at improving the efficiency in packaging of cigarettes since old
tobacco plant use less reliable mechanical sensors and electromechanical ejection system
associated with high maintenance cost and low reliability that result to poor quality
systems. This is due to much over reliance on human beings for faulty product detection
and frequent manual operation of the processing machine.
Building consumer confidence in a product is very vital in a business through consistent
supply of quality products which must be free of fault. Faulty products could be a product
whose specifications fall outside the stipulated limits in product itself or its packaging.
It consists of a proximity switch that detects the presence of a product that does not
meet quality standards; a shaft encoder gives angular position of the shaft/machine to
enable synchronization of the automated process as well as machine angular position; the
digital sensor outputs are applied to the PLC. The PLC processes these input status and
updates the output accordingly according to the program. The PLC output is applied to
the solenoid control valve that controls an actuator.

27

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P033
EN272-2741/2009
NJAGGAH C. IBIN WANJIKU
MR. A.M. BAARIU

AUTOMATED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Agriculture has been the backbone of Kenya from time immemorial. The current
climate changes caused by global warming have led to unreliable rainfall making most
farmers to quickly gravitate towards irrigation. However irrigation comes with its perks
such as constant supervision, flooding of crops, water wastage and in the providence of
borehole energy resources to pump the water also becomes a challenge.
This automated irrigation system is specifically designed to cater for marginalized
areas with no piped water that solely relies borehole water to get by.
The aim of this automated system is to:
Reduce/entirely stop water wastage.
Make it far much less cumbersome a process to irrigate as no constant supervision
is necessary.
Reduce wastage of energy resources.

28

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P034
EN272-2745/2009
NYAGA DENNIS MUGAMBI
MR. A. M. BAARIU

INTELLIGENT MOTOR MONITORING

Monitoring and maintenance of motors is such a critical task that no room for errors
should be allowed in any industry as motors drive very complex electromechanical systems
Damages usually cost huge amounts to repair and also safety of the personnel should be
top at the priorities of every industry. Appropriate management of motors means wellfunctioning electromechanical systems. This project aims at implementing an intelligent
motor control system to monitor maintenance progress and conditions monitoring of motors and their related systems.
The system will use a software that will ensure relevant personnel approve servicing of
motors and related systems, is done within certain period. If this condition is not met the
intelligent system will shut the motor hence will not run even after been started. This is
to prevent using motors and related systems without servicing them as per the required
timelines. A microprocessor will be used to accomplish this and the monitoring will be
done on a computer.

29

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P035
EN271-3444/2011
SAMWEL OCHIENG OJENGE
PROF. J. NDERU

THE RISK ANALYSIS OF LIGHTNING

HAZARDS IN POWER GRID
There is great emphasis on delivery of reliable power supply as a basic infrastructure
expected for Kenya to achieve its Vision 2030 on industrialization growth. In this context, reliability concerns itself with an understanding of how lightning and thunderstorm
contribute to power failures. Lightning forms a major source of faults on overhead lines
and contributes to damages associated with electrical equipment. The intent of this study
is to look at the available data and determine the areas that are prone to high/low risk
of lightning in Western part of Kenya. This will be done in order to provide insight into
the risks associated with lightning on electrical equipment in relation to the locations in
the region and eventually determine the level of lightning protection required. The data
information for lightning strike counters on various feeders and system generated records
on various causes of power outages will be collected from National Area Control Grid
Centre, Lessos. The simulation results will be compared with real recorded failure rates.

30

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P038
EN272-0758/2008
LULU AMINA KAREGA
MR. A. KIVUVA

RF BASED STAGE NAME DISPLAY AND

ANNOUNCEMENT SYSTEM
The main aim of this project is to play the name of the forthcoming station in busses
or trains so that the passengers can get awareness of their current station and they can
get down at their destination station only.
In present bus systems conductor or driver has to shout about present station name and
sometimes they may forget and in trains, in night times we cannot find the forthcoming
station and also strangers to particular area also do not know about the stations that they
are travelling. This project uses wireless communication; RF. RF has the advantages
of fast communication for longer distances and reliability. The RF modules used here
are a transmitter, receiver, encoder and decoder. Every station will be having the RF
transmitter. The RF receiver will be fixed in every bus. As the bus moves and approaches,
the RF transmitter fixed at one end in the station continuously transmits the area code.
The RF receiver present in the bus receives the data from transmitted when it comes in
the transmitter range and this information will be given to micro controller and micro
controller will play respective station name through speakers depends upon the data it
received. This data will also be displayed on LCD.

31

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P039
EN271-0547/2009
AMBETSA DAVID MAKHABWA
MR. J.K. RIITHO

AUTOMATED RAILWAY CROSSING BARRIER

COUPLED WITH WARNING LIGHTS FOR HIGH
SPEED TRAINS
Kenya is building itself in terms of infrastructure and one of the major projects being
undertaken is the layout of the standard gauge railway line. This will drastically increase
train speeds to nearly thrice that which they travel at now. As a result the need for
automated railway crossing barriers is a need that the country is need of as they are
virtually nonexistent and the few that are present depend on manual operation and are
intended for the low speed trains.
This project aims at designing and improving railway crossing sites in tandem with
the proposed high speed trains on the proposed standard gauge railway lines. The rail
tracks will be fitted with pressure plates at requisite distances from the crossing point.
Upon contact the signal will trigger the microcontroller to activate the warning lights as
well as initiate the dropping of the railway barrier after a short while. Special attention
during design will be given to the fact that the trains are moving at varying high speeds,
as well as the change in lengths of the train.
I propose to use stepper motors, pressure sensors and Arduino UNO microcontroller
for the control of respective hardware components.

32

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P041
EN272-2753/2009
WEKESA FLORENCE NASIMIYU
MR.RIITHO J.K.

AUTOMATIC FARE COMPUTING ELECTRONIC

SYSTEM FOR TAXICABS
The project is about a system that can be incorporated in taxis for the purpose of
calculating the amount to charge a client based on various factors such as distance covered,
time delay due to traffic or because of waiting time for the client, and landscape, in terms
of how rough or smooth the road is which affects the speed. Distance and time are the
major factors.
The purpose of this project is to ensure maximum profits being accrued from the taxi
business. Today, taxi drivers decide on amount to charge a client by bargaining with the
client and estimating the cost which leads to losses or minimum profits in the business.
Another way of curbing minimum profits and losses is by preventing dishonesty among
drivers who are employed by taxi owners.
There should be a basic minimum charge irrespective of where one is going and additional charge per say,100 meters covered, and time taken for the trip. I hope to put these
factors into consideration so that at the end of the trip, the taxicabs automated system
totals three components namely, basic charge, price per kilometer, and price per minute.
I propose a prototype circuit which has the ATmega32A at the heart of the project.
This microcontroller has an internal timer which is set to overflow after every two seconds.
The hiring time is obtained in the microcontroller for billing purposes. The predetermined
billing rate is used by ATmega32A to do the calculation.
A tachometer will be used to measure revolutions per minute.The time taken for the
trip, the distance covered and the final price calculated will be displayed on an LCD
screen.
The problem of dishonesty of drivers will be addressed using a light sensor which will
sense when the driver opens the cover to reset the system to clear the memory and then
the microcontroller will use GSM to alert the owner of the same by sending them a text.

33

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P042
EN271-0548/2009
AYIER WILLIAM AYIER
MR. P. MUSYIMI

AUTOMATIC POWER FACTOR CORRECTION

In view of constantly rising power tariffs and penalties imposed by state billing cooperations, it is highly imperative for any High voltage/low voltage consumer/industry to
install an automated power factor control system so as to curtail the power factor penalty
and save energy by consistently maintaining a high power factor.
This proposed project improves the power factor automatically by use of a microcontroller through to capacitor banks.
A single phase alternating current (AC) load will be used with a source voltage of 240
[VAC].
Connected to this load will be a power factor correction device that will be controlled
by a PIC microcontroller used to measure the system voltage, current and the active and
apparent powers. Since the microcontroller is limited to 0-5V on its inputs, a voltage-tovoltage converter and a current-to-voltage converter will be used to measure the voltage
and current. The goal of this project is to obtain a power factor as close to one as possible
to obtain increased efficiency and reduce customer costs.
Power system loads consist of resistive, inductive, and capacitive loads. Examples
of resistive loads are incandescent lighting and electric heaters. Examples of inductive
loads are induction motors, transformers, and reactors. Examples of capacitive loads
are capacitors, variable or fixed capacitor banks, motor starting Power factor correction
(PFC) is usually achieved by adding capacitive load to offset the inductive load present
in the power system. The power factor of the power system is constantly changing due
to variations in the size and number of the motors being used at one time. This makes it
difficult to balance the inductive and capacitive loads continuously.
There are many benefits to having power factor correction. As a customer the cost
doesnt get passed on for having a low power factor. As a utility company, equipment
has a much longer life span and maintenance costs remain low i.e. for generators, and
synchronous motors.

34

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P043
EN271-0580/2009
REHEMA S.ATIENO SIMBA
MR. P. MUSYIMI

DUAL LEVEL CASCADED INVERTER WITH

ELIMINATION OF LOW ORDER HARMONICS
USING MICRO CONTROLLER
Lack of a reliable power grid in Kenya is a problem for many reasons hence the need
to have a power backup supply when the grid fails. There are many systems already on
the market that do this, a device that can be made cheaply with readily available parts
from disposed electronic parts .An important piece of backup power supply is the DC to
AC inverter which converts the DC voltage from a battery to an AC voltage required to
operate electronic components. An inverter which is capable of producing a pure sinusoid
is necessary to avoid noise and wear on delicate and expensive gear hence it is the goal
of this project to design a DC/AC inverter capable of producing a pure sine wave for use
with equipment with the highest efficiency.
This dual-level cascaded inverter is benchmarked against the commercial inverters. It
provides good ac voltage supply from low voltage DC, an operation that only expensive
commercial inverters can. It is well suited for dc-ac conversion from batteries, fuel cells
and solar cells. Compared to other multilevel inverter topologies it has a low part count
making it small in size and compact.Since the circuit for all the levels are same, optimized
circuit layout and packaging are possible. This dual-level inverter has only 8 transitions
in each cycle, but a PWM inverter of same type needs 10 transitions. Moreover in each
transition only half of the voltage is applied across the MOSFET so switching loss is
halved. Thus switching loss is substantially reduced compared to PWM inverters.
Harmonic elimination technique used is pulse width modulation (PWM)specifically selective harmonic elimination (SHE). This is done by first the conducting angles are chosen
such that the total harmonic distortion of the output voltage is minimized. These angles
are normally chosen so as to cancel some predominant lower frequency harmonics. Here
the conducting angles should be chosen so as to eliminate the 3rd and 5th harmonics.A
suitable code is used to achieve this.
MOSFET is used as the switching device. The switching is controlled by use of a
microcontroller that is corded in suitable language to do accurate switching compared to
analog switching in some of the commercial inverters. The micro-controller is used here to
create accurate on, off pulses for all the eight MOSFETs. Using a micro-controller for generating the switching sequence is very advantageous in many aspects. It is very compact,
35

ABSTRACTS

occupies very less space, allows reprogramming of time-delays, and is very reliable.Optocoupler is used to solve two main problems. One is common ground problem, which arises
because of MOSFETs, which need individual signal grounds. Second problem is the gate
driving voltage of MOSFET.

36

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P044
EN271-1240/2008
MWANGI WANJIRU STELLA
MR. P. MUSYIMI

EXCESS PASSENGER MONITORING IN A

PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLE
There has been an issue of excess passenger monitoring despite having stationed police
at different locations for manual check up. This has led to many injuries and death due
to passengers being overloaded hence not wearing their safety belts.
This project aims at developing a system for monitoring and reporting excess passengers in public transport. It is based on radio frequency identification (RFID), global
positioning system (GPS), and global system for mobile communication (GSM) modem.
The system is connected with SQL database which receives and stores all information.
The radio frequency identifier (RFID) which detects cards assuming that each passenger
has one card; hence each card represents one passenger. Its therefore placed at the doorway and detects the cards as the passengers board the vehicle. Global Positioning System
(GPS) to determine the precise location of a bus to which it is attached and Global System
for Mobile Communication (GSM) modem which transmit the information to a database
and then to the respective authority such as traffic police. The central database which
sends the message stores all information for the system such as latitude and longitude
with their respective location name, different traffic police stations with respective contact
numbers, user name and message sent by the system.. The system monitors the number
of passengers boarding the vehicle and reports to the respective authorities when a certain
preset number is exceeded. This help control excessive passenger hence reduces the number of deaths and severe injuries when accidents occur. It also helps eradicate bribery as
through manual check vehicle attendant can bribe the traffic police officer hence improve
the current system for manual check up.

37

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P045
EN271-0095/2009
MAUNGU CALVIN DISHON
DR. MURAGE

GSM BASED PREPAID ENERGY METER

BILLING VIA SMS
With the advent of prepaid energy meters, many Kenyans are finding it difficult to
keep up with continuous power connection because of poor regulation of use, and purchase
of electricity tokens. This may be due to packed schedules for the average mwananchi
as well as the unfamiliarity to the new meters. This power outage in itself poses among
others, security threats, especially in this new face of terrorist action in the country.
The main objective of the project is to develop a wireless energy meter incorporating
GSM technology to notify the consumer, at the convenience of a cellular device, on key
parameters such as:
Average daily consumption
Token levels at present
Power factor of the system
Efficiency of the system
All these are meant to warn the consumer on continued sustainability in the system,
with the last two for the industrial, commercial and more knowledgeable residential consumer. This project will be powered by an on-board power supply, taking AC power,
converting it into DC, feeding this to on-board devices and ICs. A microcontroller takes
the reading from the energy meter and displays the reading to an LCD device, as well as
sending it to the consumers cell phone as an SMS message through a GSM modem.
Through the design, testing, results and implementation of this project, a more efficient
and convenient way of electricity metering is expected to be demonstrated.

38

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P046
EN271-0567/2009
MULUSA JUMBA CALVIN
EN271-0555/2009
KINYANJUI SAMUEL MUNGAI
DR. MURAGE

INTERNET BASED MONITORING AND

REMOTE CONTROL OF AN INCUBATOR
Following the dire need of remote based automation of agri-business systems and processes in Kenya, in this project we aim to develop a system that enhances the remote
control, monitoring and recording of parameters in an egg incubator from a remote location.
The project is particularly fundamental as it aims to avoid the necessity of having
human laborers on site to monitor and control the incubator parameters. Not to mention
providing the autonomy to monitor conditions present onsite from any location in the
world.
This project is to be achieved by live video stream and the ability to control actuators
on site via a customized webpage. It is also vital as the whole setup in the long run slashes
costs by a substantial margin and hence totally economically viable and affordable.
The particulars of the projects functionality are as follows: we propose to use Python,
PHP, JavaScript and HTML to build the webpages that can be used to control the actuators. We also propose to use Arduino Boards for the control of sensors heating systems in
the incubator. Finally we propose to use a Yawcam software written in Java for real time
video streaming, taking image snapshots that can be sent to the user in remote location
and for motion detection.
The security enforcement factors of the project are taken into considerations by the
use of the Yawcam as it monitors real time motions and disturbances. Hence fully capable
of capturing any intrusions in the incubator site area. Moreover the website will have a
login username and strong password that ensures that only the permitted users can access
it and change parameters of actuators. This will deter hackers and malicious individuals.
Finally the reliability aspect of the project is encompassed within the assurance of the
practicability of the functions of all the subsystems within it. All the sub-components,
be it, security, economic viability, risk levels, software and actuators have a high level of
assurance and functionality. Not to mention the low possibilities of occurrence of failure,
damage or harm to the operators, locale or ambience. The project is deemed highly
reliable in an engineering environment
39

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P047
EN271-0569/2009
MUSILA MUTISO DANIEL
ENG. MBUGUA

DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMER LOAD AND

CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM
This project is concerned with the monitoring of the key operational parameters of a
distribution transformer, mainly phase voltages and currents (from which loading can be
determined), oil level and oil temperature to ensure that its capacity is utilized optimally.
This will also ensure that potential sources of problems are identified before occurrence
of failure and as a result leading to significant cost savings as well as improved system
reliability.
At the basic level, this system is intended to monitor and record these parameters
on a secondary storage device from where they can be retrieved for analysis. It can be
operated in offline mode, where its not connected to any computer or external network,
but is installed at the transformer site then left to run for a specified period to capture
the required data for that transformer. When integrated with a communication network
(online mode), a server runs on the system which allows for remote monitoring of the
transformer.
Through the design and implementation of this project, a cheap and reliable method
of monitoring distribution transformers is expected to be demonstrated, helping utility
companies operate the transformers optimally and smoothly, and as well identify problems
before any catastrophic failure.

40

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P048
EN271-0577/2009
OTIENO JOHN OUKO
ENG. MBUGUA

AUTOMATIC SWITCHING SYSTEM FOR

INDOOR AND SECURITY LIGHTS
Manual switching of lights has been employed over the years in lighting installations
to control the switching of lights. This mode of switching comes with a lot of challenges
for instance the lights remaining on or off even at instances when this shouldnt be the
case, leading to power wastage as well as posing security risks at night when some of the
security lights remain off. The manual switching of lights is also a bit cumbersome to
the users. This project aims to address the problem of manual switching by employing
an automatic switching mechanism whereby the turning on and off of lights is automated
such that the lights are either on or off strictly when the necessity arises. The features are
such that the lights are on only when necessity arises, turned on when there is someone
in a room and the amount of light intensity is quite low hindering visibility, otherwise the
lights are turned/remain off, for the indoor lights. The security lights turn on at the onset
of darkness and off at the onset of sunlight. I intend to use a light dependent resistor
(LDR), a passive infrared (PIR) sensor, an IC 555 timer, and an AND gate to achieve
this objectives.

41

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P050
EN271-0564/2009
MOKORO VICTOR MUMA
MR. B. NGOKO

AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF

INCREASED SINGLE PHASE DISTRIBUTED
GENERATION ON UNBALANCE AND FAULT
CURRENT LEVELS IN LOW VOLTAGE
DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS
Recently there has been increased interest in moving power generation closer to the
load in what is known as distributed generation (DG). Possible benefits of increased DG
include improved reliability, reduced system losses, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and
increased choice and flexibility for customers. Most DG applications are in the form of
single phase generators installed in distribution networks with typical examples being
rooftop photovoltaic arrays. While DG, especially when in the form of renewable, has
many potential advantages, several technical issues have also to be considered from the
power system operation point of view. Two such concerns will be the effects on system
voltage and current unbalance in three-phase systems and effects on the magnitude of
fault currents within low voltage distribution networks.
This research seeks to analyze the effects of increased single-phase distributed generation on unbalance and fault currents in low voltage distribution networks. The analysis
will be carried out by modeling low voltage distribution networks including DG sources
and simulating the possible effects. The information obtained could be used by system operators in formulating policies governing the DG installations in low voltage distribution
networks.

42

ABSTRACTS

ABSTRACT
S/NO. :
REG. NO. :
NAME :
SUPERVISOR :

P051
EN271-0565/2009
MOMANYI GEORGE KIMANGA
MR. B. NGOKO

AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF

INCREASED WIND GENERATION ON POWER
SYSTEM SPINNING RESERVE REQUIREMENTS
Environmental concerns and structural changes in electrical power systems have resulted in the push to have increased generation from renewable energy sources such as
wind and solar. Kenya, for instance, targets to increase wind power generation to 2,000
MW by 2031. Solar and wind power resources are, however, extremely intermittent. The
fluctuations in the power outputs of such generators are expected to have an adverse
effect on power system operation. It is important then to predict the effects of increased
renewable energy generation on various technical aspects of the power system.
One such concern is what increased intermittent renewable energies would mean on
the reliability of the power system given their fluctuating nature. Such generators are
not only prone to equipment failure but also to absence of the fuel e.g. the wind resource
during certain periods. The rule of thumb when operating a number of generators in
a power system is to ensure that the spinning reserve is greater than the largest online
generator (the N-1 criterion). However, extra reliability considerations have to be factored
in due to the intermittency of the wind resource when it forms a significant proportion of
the system generation mix.
The aim of this research is to analyze the effects of increased wind generation in power
systems on the spinning reserve resource. The analysis will be carried out using models
and simulations of typical power systems using the MATLAB/Simulink software.

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P052
EN271-0579/2009
SEGERA LONAH NYABOKE
MR. B. NGOKO

OPTIMAL CAPACITOR PLACEMENT BY USE

OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE METHODS
The optimal capacitor placement problem in power systems for loss reduction and
improvement of voltage profiles has been of great interest to power system operators for
a very long time. However, the mathematical problem, especially when considering multiple locations of capacitors, is quite complicated and usually very difficult to solve using
classical optimization methods. Recently, newer mathematical methods falling under the
general term artificial intelligence (AI) have been proposed and promise to offer simpler
and more efficient methods of solving traditional optimization problems including in the
area of power systems.
The aim of this research is to analyze the suitability of using two of the AI methods:
genetic algorithms (GAs) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in solving the power
system capacitor placement optimization problem. Computer simulations including the
GA and PSO algorithms will be used to determine the best location for placing capacitors
in test power systems. The effectiveness of the algorithms in solving the optimization
problem will be analyzed and recommendations on their applications given. This will be
done in MATLAB.

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P053
EN271-0574/2009
NOAHFRED KENGERE NGONCHE
DR. C. MAINA

ANALYSIS OF THE KENYAN POWER SYSTEM

USING A FLEXIBLE A.C. TRANSMISSION
SYSTEM (FACTS) DEVICE
A modern power system comprises of a complex electromechanical network comprising
of numerous generators, transmission lines, transformers and a variety of loads. Its common and expected in such a diverse and dynamic system that faults will tend to occur,
resulting to steady state, transient and dynamic instabilities in the power system.
This may present adverse negative effects to the power quality sensitive loads in that
power system such as the communication facilities, mission critical computer systems,
continuous manufacturing process systems, fabrication and essential service systems and
the digital economy with firms that heavily rely on data storage and retrieval, data processing, research and development.
In order to mitigate effects affecting such loads, Flexible A.C. Transmission System
(FACTS) devices have been developed to improve transient stability. This project aims
at analyzing the entire Kenyan power system using a Unified Power Flow Controller
which is a FACTS device capable of controlling the active and reactive power flows in a
transmission line for stability on the voltage profile improvement on buses under varied
loading conditions and the effect on rotor angle stability of the generators in the Kenyan
system using the device.
I intend to perform load flow investigations on a model of the real Kenyan 132kV and
220kV generation and transmission system using MATLAB and DigSilent Powerfactory
simulating softwares, in view of investigating the effect of incorporation of the Unified
Power Flow Controller device for improved transient stability in fault conditions.

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P054
EN271-2713/2009
NJERI RUTH KARA
EN272-2754/2009
YEGON DONALD KIBET
DR. C. MAINA

THE DESIGN OF A RENEWABLE SOLAR

ENERGY SOLUTION AND BUSINESS MODEL
TO REDUCE THE ELECTRICAL COST OF A
MIDDLE INCOME HOUSEHOLD.
Kenya has tremendous potential for solar energy due to its proximity to the Equator.
The country receives an estimated 4 to 6 kWh per square meter per day of solar insolation.
Solar energy can therefore be harnessed to meet the energy demands of this growing nation
while protecting its environment.
Currently, the residential sector in Kenya uses up to 850 GW per hour of electricity
annually to heat water causing a strain on the power infrastructure especially during
peak times (morning and evening). The Energy Regulatory Commission gazetted the
Solar Water Heating Regulations (2012) to facilitate uptake of solar water heating. The
regulations require for installation of solar water heating systems in all residential and
commercial premises with hot water requirements of a capacity exceeding 100 litres per
day. The Government has also introduced a zero-rated import duty and removed Value
Added Tax (VAT) on renewable energy, equipment and accessories.
This project aims to design a residential solar system comprising mainly of a Photovoltaic (PV) system and solar thermal system for water heating. The target household is
a middle income household with an electricity bill of about 5,000ksh.
The project will cover three main parts. The first is the design, optimal sizing and
simulation/modeling of the PV and solar water heating system. An energy audit of a
sample household will be carried out to determine its expenditure of electricity annually.
Electricity usage particularly for lighting and water heating loads shall also be determined
in the energy audit. The monthly electricity used by the household for three to four
months shall be monitored and recorded for the purpose of the energy audit. The audit
will enable the households required power to be known. With the information obtained
from the audit the required sizing of the PV and water heating components shall be
calculated and an optimal design of the system achieved. An objective of the system is
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to meet approximately half of the electrical load of the household and so it will be sized
accordingly. A simulation or model of the designed system shall then be made.
The second part of the project will involve the measurement of energy usage in the
new system. This will be done by the design of a specialized smart meter. The meter
will measure the energy usage of the house and compare this to the standard required
monthly reference that meets the financial savings target. It will also provide a display of
the utilization of the solar PV energy and provide warnings upon consumption exceeding
allowed objectives that will be communicated to the household. Savings made as a result
will also be displayed and communicated. The smart meter will therefore aid in provision
of user based load management on what is powered by the solar system and what is
powered by the main grid.
The state of the solar charged battery will also be monitored so as to calculate the
remaining and used capacity. A charge controller implementation will be employed to
protect the battery from being overcharged. The controller prevents over drawing and
regulates its output power as well. Drop in battery level will result in transfer controller
switching back to the grid on event of cloudy/rainy days or at night.
The last part of the project will involve the development of a business model to enable
the system to be economically viable. A limitation to solar systems is their relatively high
initial capital investment.

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ABSTRACT
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P056
EN271-0571/2009
MWALE OSCAR LITEMBEKHO
DR. K. KABERERE

ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF DISTRIBUTED

GENERATION ON POWER SYSTEM STABILITY
The demand for energy is expected to increase due to a variety of reasons. In addition
power systems are complex systems that evolve over years in response to economic growth
and continuously increasing power demands. With growing populations and the industrialization of the developing world, more energy is required to satisfy basic needs and
to attain improved standards of human welfare. Distributed Generation(DG) technology
among many reasons because of it being inexpensive as far as transmission is concerned,
reduction of transmission losses and environmental protection (for the renewable forms)
is a trend that is attracting more and more attention especially with more emphasis on
the green energy like wind and solar. Its therefore among the most emerging issues in the
energy sector across the world.
Distributed generation generally refers to small-scale electric power generators (1KW50KW) that produce electricity at a site close to customers or that are tied to an electric
distribution system.
The purpose of this project is to investigate the impacts of Distributed generation
on the power system transient stability with more emphasis on the renewable sources of
energy that include wind solar and biomass. The impacts of DG depends on the type of
technology and penetration level of DG in the distribution network. The base case will
first be simulated for transient stability studies of the Kenyan bus system without any
DG integrated. In the second scenario it will then be simulated for stability studies with
the DG power integrated. Comparison of the results of the two cases will then be done
to showcase the impacts of DG on the power system transient stability. These models
will be built using simulation software DIgSILENT Powerfactory version 14.1.3. The
incorporation of DG is expected to affect the stability of the system as its penetration
level increases even though even with small DGs the fault currents will be more than for
the base case.

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ABSTRACT
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P057
EN271-0576/2009
OMBATI DEBORAH KEMUNTO
DR. K. KABERERE

OPTIMAL PLACEMENT OF FACTS DEVICES IN

POWER SYSTEMS FOR LOSS REDUCTION
Losses in an electric power system, ideally, should be around 3-6%. However, that is
not the case in most systems. In developed countries, it is less than 10% but in developing
countries, the active power losses percentage is around 20%. It is for this reason that
utilities in the electric sector are currently interested in reducing power losses in order to
be more competitive, since the electricity prices in deregulated markets are related to the
system losses. In Kenya, the technical and non-technical losses are over 18%. The methods
used for reduction of technical losses include use of FACTS devices, reconductoring of
the power lines, load levelling, optimization of power generation schedules, installation of
shunt capacitors and construction of additional feeders and substation. The most common
FACTS devices used are the Static Variable compensators (SVCs), Thyristor Controlled
series Capacitor (TCSC) and the Unified Power Flow Compensators (UPFC).
This project seeks to analyze and compare the use of SVCs and TCSCs which are
FACTS devices for loss reduction. These compensators will be optimally placed in the
system using power flow analysis techniques. Optimal placement of the FACTS devices
will be done by use of simulation software(s) on the Kenyan transmission network. This
will in turn give an indication of the most feasible loss reduction method that can be
employed on the Kenyan power system.

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