Fredrick Kariithi (MSc. Nuclear Science, University of Nairobi) is a volunteer intern at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Nairobi, working in the Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Laboratory, UoN Lighting Laboratory and also involved in the development of a solar-powered desalination prototype that employs the electrohydrodynamic atomisation technique. Fredrick also has a bachelor of science degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the same university. He has NDT training up to Level II for which reason he has been involved in assisting undergraduate students conduct nondestructive tests in the laboratory as a way of exposing them to NDT. In the Lighting laboratory, he assists in conducting Initial Screening Method (ISM) and Market Check Test Method (MCM) on pico-solar (10 W and below) lighting products. His ongoing involvement in the desalination project which uses the electrohydrodynamic atomisation technique influenced the choice of his master’s degree research work which he conducted in the Netherlands for Gasunie, a gas infrastructure and distribution company.
His other interests includes the blockchain technology and artificial intelligence.
Project Summary
Thesis Title: Investigation of the Applicability of Electrohydrodynamic Atomisation in Odorisation in High-Pressure Gas Supply Lines
Electrohydrodynamic atomisation (EHDA) is a viable alternative that can be considered for use in the odorization of natural gas. A suitable nozzle able to operate inside the high-pressure, high velocity environment of gas supply lines was designed and fabricated. However, to implement EHDA odorization in an industrial scale, particularly inside a natural gaspipeline, a suitable monitoring system for determining the operational mode of the electrospray had to be used, since some setups may not readily allow visual access. This was done by designing, building and testing a high voltage probe to measure the electric current flowing in the high voltage line while simultaneously measuring the current flowing in the ground line in EHDA setups. The goal was to finally develop an efficient EHDA system for natural gas odorization that can be reliably monitored using a signal representing the electric current in the system. In the end, a nozzle was fabricated and used in a high-pressure gas pipeline. While EHDA experiments were conducted in a gas pipeline, it was not possible to carry out current measurements in that setup. It is recommended that whenever a need arises to measure currents in EHDA setups, such measurements should be done in the high voltage line as their reliability has been demonstrated in this research. It also emerged that an
EHDA nozzle for use in gas pipelines should be positioned in such a way that it points in the direction of the flow of the gas.
