Research
Examining the Effectiveness of Electricity Billing System against the Mobile Phone Billing System in Active Mining Rural Communities in the Western Region of Ghana
This paper examines the effectiveness of the electricity billing and payment system and its probable contribution to energy losses vis-à -vis the billing and payment system deployed by the telecommunication companies in rural mining communities in the Western Region of Ghana. We used field observations, interviewed respondents with both openended and structured questionnaires and literature survey to validate our conclusion. This study firmed up the following facts: over 50% of Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG’s) legal customers in most mining rural areas do not pay commensurable electricity bills every month for the power used; a heap of power customers (47% of respondents) are unmetered and 26% of respondents used power freely. The study also revealed that most rural folks are capable of paying their electricity bills without any external interventions for the reasons imbued in their business activities for livelihoods and the sums of money disbursed on mobile phone recharge cards. Finally, the installed metering and payment system for electricity consumption contributes immensely to the ECG’s non-technical losses. Weighing the current costs of electricity production, this study provides real and premier foundation for future research on the type of energy metering and payment systems and energy policies to be adopted by developing countries.
Effects of Mining Operations on Local Area Networks in Large Scale Gold Mining Environments in the Western Region of Ghana
We investigate the impacts mining operations have on established Wired/Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) in mining environments in the Western Region of Ghana. Mining activities have certain immutable negative impacts on the topography of the land with consequent effects on LAN Networks. Notable are undulating landscape with pronounced physical obstructions, LAN infrastructural relocations and reconstruction, higher atmospheric dust concentration, severe ground vibrations due to blasting and the motion of heavy mine machineries. The mobile nature of mining operations/ practices often results in relocations of established network infrastructure such as fibre cables, repeater base stations, and mask towers (i.e. cell sites).The main reason for LAN infrastructural relocations is to ensure effective LAN/WLAN communication especially during mine expansions. However, this results into lengthy network downtimes. Employees’ redundancies or idleness during network downtimes reduce mine productivity by about GHc2, 577, 860.64 (USD 1,288,930.32) annually. We recommend preventive maintenance schedule for all existing LAN infrastructure; basic Information Communication Technology (ICT) Training into the regular training module; technically qualified Information Technology (IT) experts be part of management and finally; IT projects be planned and integrated into the annual business plan. Netronics Wireless Broadband (NWB) communication technology solutions were also recommended to management and IT policy makers in the mining companies for consideration due to its good performance in mining environments.
Investigating a Hypothetical Semiconductor Laser Bar with a Smile-shaped Temperature Profile Using a Laser Diode Simulation/Emulation Tool
In this paper, Barlase, a semiconductor laser diode emulation tool, is used to emulate the by-emitter degradation analysis of high power semiconductor laser diodes. Barlase is a software that uses a LabView control interface. We have already demonstrated how Barlaseworks using a hypothetical laser diode bar (multiple emitters) to validate the usefulness of the tool. It should however, be noted that, this scenario is valid for devices at the start of the aging process only. This scenario was investigated to demonstrate Barlase as follows: curved temperature (smile) profile with maximum temperature at the centre of the bar. The result of this simulation scenario shows the successful implementation of Barlase in the by-emitter analysis of laser diodes.
Investigating the Effect of Defects through Non-Radiative Recombination Centres in a Single Emitter Laser Bar using a Laser Diode Simulation/Emulation Tool
This paper further explores the capability and versatility of Barlase in establishing deeper understanding of an emitter in a laser bar. There is communication between an emitter and the substrate on which it is mounted and this is linked to the degradation process that occurs in lasers. It is well known that various factors come into play in the operation of individual emitters and full laser bars (L-I characteristics, threshold, efficiency, etc.) but one of the most important is the effect of introducing defects through non-radiative recombination centres. Barlase is therefore used to investigate the effect of defects based on the Arrhenius equation, where the quantum well trap generation rate is activated by the local quantum well temperature. The trap generation rate is multiplied by the aging time and the trap density is updated at each aging step. Barlase allows a better understanding of how current competition, temperature and the level of defects affect the output power and the degradation rate of the bar. The significance of this study is to investigate the effect of defects through non-radiative recombination centres in a single emitter laser bar. This was done in order to establish a fair idea of how single emitters will operate in the context of a multi-emitter laser bar through the introduction of non-radiative recombination centres.
