FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIACOUNCIL FOR THE

REGULATION OF ENGINEERING IN NIGERIA

BY
CHIBUNDU NNACHI OKORO

TO

THE COUNCIL FOR THE

REGULATION OF ENGINEERING
IN NIGERIA (COREN)

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT AS A
REQUIREMENT FOR
REGISTRATION AS AN ENGINEER

By: CHIBUNDU NNACHI OKORO

COREN Graduate Reg. No:
Mobile No: + (234) 7063392415
Email: okorochibundu@gmail.com
, 2023
 REPORT ON WORK
EXPERIENCE BY
CHIBUNDU NNACHI OKORO
SUBMITTED

TO

THE COUNCIL FOR THE REGULATION OF

ENGINEERING IN NIGERIA (COREN)

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT AS A REQUIREMENT FOR

REGISTRATION AS AN ENGINEER

2023.

1
 APPROVAL PAGE
This project has been read and approved as meeting the requirements of
COUNCIL FOR THE REGULATION OF ENGINEERING IN
NIGERIA. For Membership Registration

NAME SIGN DATE

Ii

2
CERTIFICATION

iii

3
 DEDICATION
I dedicate this Report to God

iv

4
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I give God Almighty all the appreciation, for His loving kindness, and grace over me.
The data used were obtained from the activities being performed while under the
obligation of the company.

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 CHAPTER ONE

CHIBUNDU NNACHI OKORO

ADDRESS: 16 Adebola Street, Surulere, Lagos.
EMAIL: okorochibundu@gmail.com
TEL: + (234) 7063392415
SEX: Male
NATIONALITY: Nigerian

OBJECTIVE:
To work and strive for excellence in a challenging environment, attaining professional distinction and bringing
about objective results.

STRENGTH:
A team player, with excellent communication skills. A good understanding of Project Management and a high
level of discipline to maintain professional standards and ethics. Proficient in MS-Word, MS-Excel and MS-
PowerPoint. An avid researcher, especially in subjects relating to engineering, technology, entrepreneurship,
finance, food production and processing.

EDUCATION:
2019 - 2022 Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State
M.Eng. Agricultural Engineering
(in-view)
2010 - 2015 Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State
B.Eng. Agricultural Engineering
2003 - 2009 King’s College Lagos
Secondary School Certificate Examination

Published Article
Energy Performance Analysis of Convective Drying of Sorghum Gruel Residue
Journal of Energy Research and Reviews. Article no. JENRR. 76842

HOBBIES:
Reading, playing scrabble and travelling.

REFEREES:
Available upon request

6
 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Summary of Work Experience

2.1

Period Detail of Projects/Activities Duratio Supervisor

n
(Years)
Name Signatur
e
2021-Date EMPLOYER : Dangote Sugar
Refinery Lagos
Position: Mechanical Maintenance Engineer)
Activities undertaken were:
Projects undertaken;
1. Deployed to the Centrifugal unit as the
Centrifugal Engineer to oversee
maintenance operations of the refinery
centrifugal machines.
- 2. Scheduling and carrying out of
predictive, preventive, corrective and
breakdown mechanical maintenance
activities in compliance with engineering
and industrial standards.
Planning for maintenance unit quarterly
3.
maintenance and statutory inspection
2017-2018 and calibration of all rotating vessels.
EMPLOYER: Savannah Sugar Company Numan
- Position: NYSC
Activities undertaken
were: Responsibilities:
4. Managed the maintenance service
register of the heavy equipment
vehicles (Tractor), and scheduled due
dates for servicing. I also took the
monthly reports of the tractor operators
5. Took monthly records in the store for
spare parts replacement and reported it
to the procurement department
6. Maintained, overhauled and serviced the
engines of the heavy duty vehicles
(Tractor).

7
2017(Jan EMPLOYER: Dangote Savannah Sugar
.-Jun)
Company Numan
Position: Graduate Intern
Activities undertaken were:
7. Maintenance of Mill parts
8. Operation of Porta Box and conveyors
9. Supervision of steam turbine operations
10. Trainings in hydraulic pump
troubleshooting, maintenance of steam
turbines, mill turbines and setting of a
mill.

8
 CHAPTER THREE
PROJECT DETAILS
3.1Fully Mechanized Rice Production at Eggua and Ishola (MITROS Rice Project) from Land
Preparation to Harvesting

I was involved in the Ogun State Mitros Rice Project at Eggua (about 400Ha) and Ishola (75Ha)
respectively. It was a 20 men rice team which involved the project manager, agronomists,
agricultural engineers, consultants and N-power (N-Agro) beneficiaries. The variety of rice planted
was FARO 44 from Sygenta. The target was to harvest an average of 800kg per hectare or more.

3.1.1 My Responsibilities
 I was involved in the calibration of the machines on site like the Boom sprayer, Fertilizer
Broadcaster, Planters and Harvester. The calibrations were done to achieve specific targets
 Supervision of machines operators and operations to ensure proper work done
 I was involved in the brainstorming processes in tackling on-site challenges and proffering
solutions to such problems
 Record keeping
 Taking measurements of area of land particular operations have been carried out to monitor
the activities of the service providers (TRAXXI CONTINENTAL LIMITED)
 I was involved in fixing machine faults to avoid unnecessary downtimes
 Took part in key decision making on the farm site
 Delegation of task/duties to the Agro N-power beneficiaries

3.1.2 Project Description

The Ogun state MITROS Rice project was targeted at eradicating food insecurity in the state and also
become one of the major rice producing states in the country. The project was fully mechanized.

The Service provider employed on the project was TRAXI CONTINENTAL LIMITED providing the
machines including the Tractors and the tractor coupled implements, Planters, Boom Sprayers,
Fertilizer Broadcaster and the Combined Harvester.

Seed, fertilizers and chemicals were sourced from Sygenta.

9
3.1.3 Project Stages
The project stages includes
 Land Preparation
 Planting
 Harvesting
 Drying
 Aggregation

Land Preparation:
The land preparation involves Land clearing, Ploughing, Harrowing, Fertilizer and Chemical
application.
i. Land Clearing
The land clearing was done using bulldozers on site (D6 and D8). The clearing was done with
consideration that the land was to be used for crop production (avoided scraping off the
top rich soil to avoid soil nutrient loss). Bonding was done vertically along the length of
the farm to maximize land area available for cultivation. De-stumping was also done
leaving the land completely cleared and ready.

ii. Ploughing
The prime purpose of ploughing is to turn over the uppermost soil, bringing fresh nutrients to
the surface, while burying weeds and crop remains to decay. Double ploughing was done
in this case to ensure best results.

iii. Harrowing
The land was left for over two weeks to dry before Harrowing.
Harrowing and cross-harrowing technique was used here. It was done to properly break up
the lumps of soil left by the ploughing operation and to provide a finer finish, a good tilth
or soil structure that is suitable for seedbed use. In this case, disc ploughs were coupled to
the tractor for the harrowing. The Rome Harrow was also used on other parts of the field.
iv. Fertilizer application
Fertilizer application was done in two stages
 Application of NPK –
NPK is a suitable fertilizer as rice needs three major nutrients to grow – nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium; and also some micro nutrients like iron and zinc.
The application of NPK (granular fertilizer) was done at the point of planting
(immediately after the planting operation). This was done using the Fertilizer
broadcaster.
The fertilizer comes in 50kg bags. The target was 200kg per hectare (4bags/ha). To
achieve this, using the chart on the broadcaster, the fertilizer broadcaster was
10
 calibrated to the following specifications as shown below;

Table 1: Parameters used in calibrating the Fertilizer Spreader

5
Shutter opening

Broadcaster Revolution per minute 540 RPM

Spread width (Result of the shutter 14m
opening and Rpm)
Tractor speed (constant) 2.5m/s

Note that field conditions apply also.

 Application of Urea –
This is done manually twice in the 4th and 6th weeks after the planting operation. The
Urea is needed by the rice plant to help it tiller and also for flowering.

v. Chemical application
The chemical application was done using the Boom sprayer.
Chemical herbicides used are of two types – Pre and post emergence. The pre-emergence
herbicide is usually applied before the rice plant starts sprouting (almost immediately after
the planting operation) because it is non-selective herbicide (it will kill most plants) while
the post-emergence is applied after the plant has already started sprouting. In this case,
pre-emergence chemicals used were those containing Glyphosate as the active ingredient
(systemic herbicide that kills the leaf and roots of the weeds). The product called
Pendiseal was used also.
Post-emergence used was Vespanil.
Table 2: Herbicide Mix ratio
Pre-emergence chemical 4 liters
Post-emergence chemical 2.5 liters
Water quantity 200 liters
Area of land 1 ha

To achieve the mix ratio per hectare, the boom sprayer was calibrated as shown below;
Table 3: Parameters used in calibrating the Boom Sprayer
Boom sprayer pressure 40psi
Tractor engine crankshaft rotation per 1500Rpm
unit time (Tachometer reading)
Tractor Gear position Low 3
11
 Note that speed will increase with RPM if on the same gear, but not across all gears.

Planting:
The variety of rice seedling planted was FARO 44 from Sygenta. Average life cycle is 100 days but
can be more depending on so many other factors. The planting was done using mechanical planters.
The target for the planting was 40kg/ha.
The planter has 13 planter shoot levers. The shoot levers were set at opening 7 for good feed rate.
The tractor operator drives the tractor at a steady speed from one side of the field to the other
systematically following the planter tracks and ending the planting in the middle of the plot. The
planter has a seat for a supporting operator who raises the entire planter at the end of each plot. It
was a problem for the planters to actually work on water-logged or muddy parts of the field as the
mud clogged and blocked the planter shoot levers preventing the rice seedlings from dropping
properly. Manual broadcasting was done in such areas.

Figure 1: Planting operation at Eggua Rice Field

Harvesting:
The harvesting commenced a little over 120 days after planting. The combined harvester was used
for this operation. The combined harvester finishes the whole process of harvesting, threshing and
12
cleaning the rice paddy by separating it from the shrubs and grasses harvested along with it. To get
optimal performance of the combined harvester in harvesting the rice plant, we took the following
steps
 Before harvesting, the operator starts the harvester and is made to run at the rated
speed so as to avoid the knife bar from being gripped by the straws.
 Proper time is chosen for harvesting like starting not too early (like after 9am or as
the case may be) just to ensure the rice plant to be harvested is a little drier from the
early morning dew, it is also not good to harvest the grain during or after rain for it
may block the harvester and result in grain loss.
 We ensure the harvester knife bar is not raised too high. This is to make sure the
dwarf straws are harvested too
 We ensured the harvester knife bar is not lowered too low also as it may pick
stumps and damage the knife bar.
 We ensure the harvester goes in straight lines so it is easy to cover the whole field
 We ensure steady working speed
 We always clean the harvester after a day’s operation.

At the end of the harvesting process, an average of 600kg/ha was realized (Ishola).

Drying: Immediately after harvesting, the rice paddy is taken to a plain concrete drying platform
were the paddy is spread and sun-dried.

Aggregation: After properly drying the paddy to the desired moisture content, it is weighed, bagged
and stored.

Problems faced / Solution

 Faulty machines:
There were several faults that occurred on the machines during different operations. Some of
the problems were
 Bulldozer track dislocation
 Bulldozer lift cylinder leakage
13
  Planter furrow openers are flexible and they cut when they hit stumps during
operation
 Harvester knife cutting during operation due to stumps and uneven land surface
when too lowered
 Harvester belt snap during operation

Solution:
We ensured we always have machine parts, tools and an experienced technician on
ground.

 Weed problem:
This was a real problem. During the milking stage of the rice plant, the weeds were
competing seriously with the rice plant for adequate nutrients. It was also a big
problem at the harvesting stage too

Solution:
We had to introduce manual Rouging at some point to stop the weeds and at the same
time preserving the quality of the rice plant being grown.
Rouging in agriculture is the act of identifying and removing plants with undesirable
characteristics from the agricultural field.

 Rice Blast:
We experienced rice blast on different parts of the field and it was spreading fast.
Blast is caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. It can affect all above ground parts of
the rice plant like the leaf, collar, node, neck, parts of the panicle and sometimes leaf
sheath.

Solution:
We were fast to notice the symptoms of the blast so we applied an Anti-fungal powder
called ‘Rodomil Gold’ (500g mixed in 200liters of water for 1Ha and 750g for areas
with worst cases of the blast) and it was effective in controlling the blast and
preventing it from spreading to other parts of the field.

 Water-logging on some part of the field during harvesting prevented the harvester
from working as it kept getting stuck.
Solution: We resulted to manual harvesting for those parts using manual labour.

 Shortage of Man-power:

14
 A major problem on the project was shortage of man power which greatly affected the
timely and effective execution of so many operations on the field.
Solution: The men available had to work extra hard for extra hours to get certain things
done.
 Unavailability of movement facility:
This posed a serious challenge with moving around the field to attend to critical issues.
Also, taking measurements of area of land a particular operation has been carried out
was not easy.
Solution: To move around on the field, we mostly hang on the working tractors.

3.1 Massive Land Clearing at Ipokia for Proposed Ogun State Polytechnic
I alongside a colleague handled the supervision of over 400ha land clearing at Ipokia for the
intended Ogun state polytechnic. We managed 10 bulldozer operators operating a dozer each.
We had 2Nos D6 and 8Nos D8 CAT bulldozers. We worked with a map of the land area for
the intended polytechnic considering the exemption of certain villages that falls within the
land area. It was an experience of a lifetime as we witnessed aggression from people who
previously made a living through the resources on such lands.
3.2.1 My Responsibilities
 Supervise the land clearing for the intended purpose making sure the clearing doesn’t
go beyond or outside the map provided as it could lead to serious outrage by the
villagers
 Bonding the cleared trees and bushes for maximum space utilization and efficient use
of the fallen trees for other purposes like tapping wine and so on
 Daily measurement of the area of land cleared to keep record of pace and amount of
work done using the GPS
 Proper management of the bulldozer operators to ensure coverage of enough ground
daily (at least an average of 1.2ha per dozer per 8hrs of work for light vegetation and
0.8ha per dozer per 8hrs of work for densely vegetated areas every day). This involves
good management skills and human relation techniques.
 Efficient record keeping of the number of hours of work done by each dozer so as to
monitor service due time (servicing is expectedly done every 100hrs of work done)
 Taking care of on-site problems with farmers
 Reporting faults and requesting for service materials to higher authorities on time to
prevent unnecessary downtimes on the site.

3.2.2 Challenges Faced

 Strong-headedness/laziness of the operators
 Problem of farmers
 Lack of project vehicle or bike to move around

15
  Unavailability/Late arrival of working tools
 Unavailability/Late arrival of service materials like engine oil, hydraulic oil, lubricants,
machine parts and so on when service period of machine is due
 Late execution/Consideration of recommendations by the higher authorities most times
leading to bigger and more complex problems
 Downtime caused usually by late implementations of recommendations
 Inaccessibility of certain parts of the bush

3.2.3 Solutions provided

 Constantly sounding a note of warning to higher authorities over impending problems
 Taking precautionary measures over likely problems before they occur
 Having predictive and preventive maintenances at every point in time
 Creating a lively environment for everyone on site
 Sacrificing little downtimes for better well being of the machines.

3.1.4 Experience Gained

 Working operations of the bulldozer
 Operating the bulldozer machines
 Bulldozer servicing procedural knowledge
 Knowledge of bulldozer parts and their functions
 Efficient land clearing and bonding techniques
 Good human management and human relation techniques
 Getting the job done with limited resources by improvising with available resources.
3.2 Construction of a Concrete Fish Pond at Odeda
The Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture created production stations for fish farming where fish
ponds are made available for farmers at a specified rate and monitored by the ministry. The
initiative was to engage young graduates in fish farming. I was involved in the construction
of a concrete fish pond at the Odeda station. Other stations in the state include the Imasayi
and Ikenne stations.
3.3.1 My Responsibilities
 Supervision of the entire job, coordinating the craftsmen and labour, ensuring the job is
done to specified standards
 Ensuring the materials brought to site were of the right quality and standard
 Ensured there were no leakages in the pond
 Ensured that the materials brought for use were non-toxic materials.

3.3.2 Project Description

The Fish pond was 4.5m x 3.3m x 1.1m in size. The pond was designed in a rectangular
shape (this is for easy sorting of the fish and optimal use of floor space). In designing the pond,
many factors were considered and they include;
 Achieving a smooth interior surface for the pond
16
  Ease of cleaning and sterilization
 Durability and strength
 Good water circulation
 A non-toxic surface
 Tank diameter to depth ratio
 Bottom velocity

3.3.3 Project Technicalities

 Material Selection Process
The following factors were put into consideration in the selection of materials used;
- Weight of water: Water is a relatively high density fluid, so it exerts considerable
force on the structure enclosing it. This demands the use of materials with
considerable strength also so blocks of 225 x 450mm were used in the construction
of the pond.
- Corrosion: Corrosive materials were avoided so as to prevent any potential
chemical reaction between the cultured water and the materials used
- Design density and Loading: the recommended stocking density of a fish pond
/tank is 10 fingerlings per m2 (Camp, T.R., 1936). This was used to calculate the
number of fish each pond can accommodate.
 Water Inlet Design
In designing the water inlet, uniform distribution and good mixing of water must be
ensured. The force of the inlet water must be sufficient to create hydraulic
characteristics desired within the tank. The inlet pipe was fully submerged, and holes
were made on the inlet pipe to ensure that inlet water forces are imposed over the
entire water column depth and not just the surface. Excessive energy losses were
avoided by designing the inlet pipe with velocities not to exceed 1.5m/s and the inlet
orifice velocity less than 1.2m/s. The horizontal inlet arrangement was used to create
an effective water distribution entry.
 Water Outlet Design
The outlet function is to remove settled waste from the tank water column and to maintain
water-column levels within the tank. The outlet pipe water pipe will collect minimal
solids which include faees debris, feed and bacterial mass. The outlet pipe was sized to
create a velocity of at least 0.3m/s but less than 1.5m/s. the outlet pot at the bottom
drain centre connects an outlet pipe to a standpipe where the water level in the pond is
controlled. The size of the pot screen used was big enough to increase the speed of
water and to prevent clogging and trapping of solid materials but not to allow the fish
in. The speed of at least 0.4m/s was maintained. The pictorial view of the pond is
shown below;

3.2.4 Challenges Faced and Solutions Provided

 Challenges:
17
 At the initial stage, the inability of the pond to retain water was a great challenge. We
found out the cause was because the inner surface isn’t smooth enough because
enough cement wasn’t used.

 Solution Provided:
The problem was rectified by properly cementing the inner surface. The outlet pipe
bottom drain centre was also properly sealed. More curing was also done to allow
better water retention.

Figure 7: Pictorial View of the Concrete Fish Pond

3.3 Design of a Temporary Sprinkler Irrigation System on Ogun state 20Ha Rice Field at
Eggua using the Raingun Sprinkler Irrigation
Due to the sudden change in the pattern of rainfall this season (July-August 2020), there was a
cease in rainfall in some parts of the south-western part of Nigeria (Eggua area of Ogun state
inclusive). Many farmers without a system of irrigation or a source of adequate water supply in
place suffered as many crops failed or were beginning to fail due to lack of adequate rainfall. The
Ogun State Eggua Rice field falls in this category. To prevent the failure of the crop, the Ministry
tasked the department of farm mechanization and engineering services to look for a way to get
water to the rice field. I alongside one other colleague came up with the idea of using a Raingun
sprinkler irrigation system to take care of the situation.

3.4.1 My Responsibility
 To design a system of irrigating the field with the limited resources available
 To ensure water gets to the field under the limited time provided

18
3.4.2 Project Description
Due to the urgency attached to this, we had to use the resources we had at hand limiting the cost as
much as possible hence why we chose the Raingun sprinkler irrigation system.

 The Raingun –
The Raingun is a high performance micro-irrigation system. It is mostly used where
high flow rate and considerably high water throw radius are desired.
The setup is also mostly relatively cost effective.
Some features and applications of the Raingun;
 The system can irrigate a large area at once
 The system is relatively cost effective
 The system allows versatility as it can be adjusted to move 180 0 to
0
360
 It has an adjustable jet breaker which allows to adjust the droplet size and also
provide uniform irrigation
 The system uses simple components
 It is suitable for Green pasture irrigation as the entire system can be moved
around to cover more area.

 The Design –
A coupling is welded to one end of a 20cm length galvanized (delivery) pipe.
The coupling end of the 1cm length pipe is attached to the base of the rain gun sprinkler base.
The other end of the delivery pipe is welded to a 3” galvanized pipe with a 2.5” end. A 3”
PVC water hose connects the 2.5” end of the galvanized pipe to a 3” L-shaped galvanized
hollow pipe with 2.5” ends. The PVC hose is held in place using adjustable clips and also
tightened with rubber from a car tyre tube slitted into varying lengths.
T-shaped 3” galvanized pipe with 2.5” ends connect 2 lateral raingun stands each. A third T-shaped
pipe connects both lines to each other and then to the main water source which is the prime mover
surface pumping machine (2.5hp). The PVC hose serves as the main connecting line and sub-lines.
The hose is connected to a 3” irrigation water pump with a stainless reducer coupling (2.5 x 3). The
3” end of the reducer is connected to the irrigation water pump outlet as both ends are threaded.
Water is pumped from the water tank using a 3” 15 yard hard pipe. The system is supported by a
tripod connected to the delivery pipe attached to the base of the raingun. The tripod is connected to
the pipe using double both and nuts for easy adjustment. The tripod stands have its ends flattened
with a hole drilled through. This helps to nail the stands to the soil to further support the system.
Each gun shoots about a radius of 10meters.
3.4.3 Merits and Demerits of the Project Design
Merits –
 The Design is more cost effective compared to a normal irrigation setup

19
  The Design is simple
 The materials used are readily available and can be easily substituted with other
materials
 The setup can be fabricated within a little time frame

Demerits –
 The entire system needs to be moved from one part of the farm to another to cover
larger area
 It requires a whole lot of man power on farm to deal with the handling and movement
 Not suitable with high wind velocity conditions
 Water tank needs to be continually filled and done fast due to the rate at which water is
pumped to the field
 The crop might be affected in the process of moving the entire system from one part of
the field to the other.

3.4.4 Challenges Faced and Solutions Provided

Challenges –
 Little time available to get the design done
 Materials were not readily available in town
 Pumping the water from the tank
 Continuous breakage of the water pump outlet link
 Water pressure continuously pushing away the hose

Solutions –
 Had to work extra hours
 Priming repeatedly to get the water pumping
 Replacing plastic outlet links with cast material and then finally with stainless outlet
link
 Had to use double clips and then tie with rubber tube to hold hose in place to withstand
the water pressure.
3.4.5 DESIGN PARAMETERS AND CALCULATIONS

1. Square Spacing Arrangement:

D = D1 = 1.41r ………………………..(i)
D = Spacing of Raingun on Lateral
D1 = Spacing between the laterals
r = Jet length or Throw radius of Raingun
At constant pressure, r = 10m
So, D = D1 = 1.41 x 10m
D = D1 = 14.1m
20
 2. Net amount of water applied/Net depth of water application per irrigation (Dn) :
Dn = (FC – PWP) x RZD x P ……………(ii) (Source)
Where (FC – PWP) is the available soil moisture
RZD is the effective root zone depth of the crop (m)
P is the soil moisture depletion
Table 4: Available Soil Moisture for Different Major Soil Categories (FAO, 1998)
From Israelson & Hansen (1967) From Withers & Viponds (1974)
Table 5:
Soil Category Available Soil Category Available Moisture
Moisture(mm/m) (mm/m)
Sandy 70-100 Sand 55
Sandy loam 90-150 Fine Sand 80
Loam 140-190 Sandy loam 120
Clay loam 170-220 Clay loam 150
Silty Clay 180-230 Clay 235
Clay 200-250
Minimum Value of Maximum Rooting Depth in order to prevent Overestimation (Source:
FAO, 1998b).

Crop Rooting Depth (m)

Potato 0.4
Rice 0.5
Cassava 0.6
Maize 0.9

Dn = (FC – PWP) x RZD x P

Sandy loam soil,
(FC – PWP) = 120 (Withers and Viponds, 1974)
For Rice,
RZD = 0.5 (FAO, 1998b)
P = 50%
So,
Dn = 120 x 0.5 x 0.5
Net Depth of Application per Irrigation Dn = 30mm

3. Gross Irrigation Depth (Dgross):

The amount of water applied to crop in the gross irrigation depth (mm) is calculated by using;

Dgross = Dn / Ea ……………(iii) (Source: Tarjuelo, 2005)

Where Dn = net amount of water applied or net depth of water application per irrigation in
21
mm
Ea = application efficiency (%)
Table 6: Farm Irrigation Efficiencies for Sprinkler Irrigation in Different Climates (FAO,
1982).

Climate Farm Irrigation Efficiencies (Ea) (%)

Cool 80
Moderate 75
Hot 70
Desert 60

Dgross = Dn / Ea

Dn = 30mm
Ea = 75% (Moderate climate) (Source: FAO, 1982)

Dgross = 30 / 0.75 = 40mm

Gross Irrigation Depth (Dg) = 40mm = 0.40m.

4. Volume of Water (V):

Volume (V) = 10 x A x Dn …………..(iv)

Where
V = Volume of water in m3
A = Area proposed for Irrigation (ha)
Dn = Net Amount of Water Applied per Irrigation = 30mm

 To calculate the Area covered for a single setup of the System, we calculate the area of
circumference of the wetted area of one Raingun.

Note: The square arrangement of the Raingun sprinkler system shows that each raingun contribute
just a quadrant (1/4πr2) of its total wetted circumference.
For One Raingun,
22
 Throw radius I = 10m
Area (A) = πr2
A = 3.1429 x 102
A = 314.29m2 = 0.0314Ha
Volume (V) = 10 x A x Dn
V = 10 x 0.0314 x 30
V = 9.42m3 (9,420litres per 0.0314Ha)

5. Discharge or Design Flow Rate Q (m3 / hr):

Q = (10 x A x Dgross) / I x Ns x T....... (v) (Source: Michael, 1995)

Where
A = Area to be irrigated in hectares = 0.0314ha
Dgross = gross depth of water application (Dn / Ea) = 40mm
I = Irrigation Cycle in Days = 1
Ns = Number of shift per day = 2
T = Irrigation time per shift in hr = 4
Q = (10 x 0.0314 x 40) / 1 x 2 x 4
Q = 1.57m3 / hr
Discharge or Design flow rate is 1.57m3 / hr

6. Raingun Selection:
The selection of Raingun depends on the design flow rate (Q) and the working pressure of the
system as recommended by Cemargref, 1992. It is very essential to confirm the average
raingun application rate (mm / hr) remains lesser than the infiltration (mm / hr) of soil as
mentioned in the following
Q 360
It = 1000 α
2 sr
π (0.9 R)
Where
It = Raingun average application rate (mm / hr)
R = Raingun wetted radius (m)
αsr = Angle of wetted sector (°)
Q = Design flow rate
Also,
Application rate can be calculated using;
Q
Ar = K ( a ) ………………………..(vi) (Source: James, 1988)
Where
Ar = Application rate in mm / hr
K = Constant factor (60)
Q = Raingun Discharge Rate (l / min)
Q = 1.57 m3 / hr = (1.57 x 16.67) l / min
23
 Q = 26.17 l / min
ɑ =Wetted area (m2) = 314.29 m2
26.17
So, Application Rate (Ar) = 60 ( 314.29 ) = 4.996 mm / hr

Table 7: Basic Infiltration Rate for Various Soil Types (FAO, 1995).

Soil Type Basic Infiltration Rate (mm / hr)

Sand Less than 30
Sandy Loam 20 – 30
Loam 10 – 20
Clay Loam 4 – 10
Clay 1–5

Note: Raingun average infiltration rate (Ar = 4.996 mm / hr) is lesser than the soil infiltration rate
(Sandy loam = 20 – 30 mm / hr) as recommended by (Cemargref, 1992 & Tarjuelo, 2005).

Figure 8: Square Spacing Arrangement of Raingun Sprinklers

24
 COST ANALYSIS
Table 8: Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation (BEME) of the Raingun
Sprinkler Irrigation
S ITEM DESCRIPTI COST No TOTAL COST
/ ON PER OF (₦)
N ITEM ITE
(₦) MS
1. Raingun - 40,000 4 160,000
2. Irrigation Water 3” 50,000 1 50,000
Pump

3. Galvanized Pipe 3” 7,500 1 7,500

4. Galvanized pipe 2.5” 4500 1 4,500

5. 3” 100 meter 100m 42,000 1 42,000

PVC water
discharge hose

6. Hard Pipe Per yard 1200 15 18,000

7. Coupling 1” x 1½” 400 1 400
8. Stainless steel 3” x 2.5” 3,500 2 7,000
pump inlet and
outlet coupling
9. Water tank 4,000 liters 110,000 2 220,000

1 Clips Adjustable 200 25 5,000

0.
Bolt, nut and - 50 18 900
1 washer
1.
Workmanship Per stand 25,000 4 100,000

1
2.

TOTAL 615,300

25
 CONTINGENCY 61,530

GRAND TOTAL 676,830

Figure 10: Raingun Sprinkler Throw Circumference

Figure 12&13: Raingun Sprinkler System Setup

3.5 Installation of a Mini Rice Mill at Sawonjo Ogun State

The department of farm mechanization and engineering services supervised the installation of
26
a mini rice mill at sawonjo for the Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture. I was a member of the team
who supervised the technicians and the craftsmen ensuring all engineering standards were adhered
to.

3.5.1My Responsibilities
 I ensured component materials procured were of high quality and good standard
 I ensured all machines were properly installed and tested
 I supervised the works of the craftsmen and technicians ensuring proper standards were
adhered to.
 I ensured safety precautions were strictly adhered to during installation.

3.5.2 Project Description

In a bid to eradicate the challenges of food security in the state, a mini rice processing facility
was facilitated by the Ogun state government. The processing plant is a semi automated system to
cater for the rice grown in the state.
I will be discussing the processing stages where the installed machines are used.

3.5.3 Processing Stages / Machines Used:

 Parboiling Stage (Parboiler): The parboiling stage is a very important stage in the rice
processing. It involves partial boiling of the paddy before milling in order to increase its
nutritional value, to change the texture and also reduce the breakage in milling. The
parboiling process involves soaking, steaming and drying.

 Drying Stage (Dryer): The drying stage is essential to reduce the rice paddy moisture
content to the standard 12% for milling and storage purposes. Airflow rate through the rice
paddy and air temperature directly control the drying rate.
The paddy is spread on large bed dryers. The hot drying air enters the grain bulk at the inlet,
moves through the grain while absorbing water and exits the grain bulk at the outlet.

27
Figure 16: Bed Dryers Installed at Sawonjo Mini Rice Mill.

 Destoning Stage (Destoner): At this stage, the dried paddy is fed to the destoner hopper (or
shaker). This is done either manually by hand feeding or through a conveyor. It works in a
reciprocating motion where the larger stones and impurities are restricted from entering the
milling chamber by sieves while paddy (and smaller stones which is the same size as the
paddy grains) enters the milling unit.

Figure 17: Destoner Ready for Installation at Sawonjo Mini Rice Mil

 Dehusking Stage (Dehuller): The dehusking process involves the removal of the chaff from
the rice grain; this system involves two rubber rollers rotating in opposite directions. The
paddy is fed through the rubber rollers and the chaffs are removed from the rice grains by the
shearing force between the rollers. The chaff (lower density) are separated from the rice
grains (higher density) as the rice grains falls through the chamber into the conveyor that
coveys it to the polishing machine

 Polishing/Whitening Stage (Rice Polishing or whitening machine):

28
 The brown rice grains are properly polished and further whitened. The rice husks that escaped
winnowing are also separated.

Figure 18: Rice Milling Machine at Sawonjo Rice Mill

(De-husking, Air blowing, Milling and Polishing)
 Grading stage (Grader): The grading stage is the stage where the whole grains are
separated from the broken grains. The whole grains are transported through the bucket
elevator conveyor system to the color sorter.

 Color Sorting Stage (Color Sorter): The color sorter comprises of a compressor and color
sorting machine setup which is used to separate the black grains from the white ones.

 Bagging: The white grains are conveyed to the bagging setup.

29
 Figure 20: Grader Installation Process.

Figure 21: Rice Bagging Process

30
 REFRENCES
David, M. 1988. Parboiled rice gives better yields. African farming and food Processing Vol. 5,
no. 3, Pg. 47.
American Society of Agricultural Engineers, (1981). Agricultural Engineers yearbook 1981-
1982. ASAE. St. Joseph, MI.
FAO. 1998. Crop Evapotranspiration. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 300 p
Michael, A.M. (1995). Irrigation Theory and Practices. New Delhi,India;Vilas publishing
House PVT Limited.
Zakari, M.D., Maina,M.M.,Abubakar,M.S.,Shanono,N.J., Lawan,I.,Tadda,M.A and
Nasidi,N.M. (2012).Design, Construction and Installation of Sprinkler Irrigation System.Journal
of Engineering and Technology (JET) Vol.7, No 1 and 2. A Journal of the faculty of
Engineering, Bayero University,Kano,Nigeria.PP109-117.

31
 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Conclusion

As I have narrated above in this report, I have gained adequate Work Experience in
Agricultral Engineering (design, site supervision and office management) as well as
knowledge in procurement matters, project management and contracts administration. I have
now managed to bridge theories and reality on site. I have faced many challenges while
implementing projects and I have also been able to look for the solution to those problems.

Further I certify that, this report results from my involvement in various Agricultral
Engineering works carried out and is not copied from any unauthorized materials and thus the
activities written in this report were carried out under close supervision of Registered
Engineers.

With regard to the professional engineering work experience I have gained so far, I finally
wish the COREN to consider, evaluate and approve my application for registration as an
Engineer.

Name: ……………………………..

Signature:……………………………

Date:……………………………….

32
 1 Endorsement

I, the undersigned, have gone through the report that has been prepared and we endorse the
experience attained and reported by the writer. Based on our personal knowledge of the
character and professional reputation of the applicant, I recommend for acceptance of this
Work Experience report by the COREN in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for
registration as Registered Engineer/Technologist.

Name Stamp and Signature

33