Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
School of Engineering
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
A very promising empirical model of the cumulative distribution of time availability of the radio refractive index was developed by PhD student A Palmer. Predicted results agree well for observation stations in the summer rainfall area of South Africa. The model has applications in improved planning of terrestrial radio communications links in South Africa. Further work is aimed at extending the model to cover the coastal and winter rainfall areas as well.
Contact person: Prof DC Baker.
The Centre for New Electricity Studies, through its continued involvement in energy conservation on campus, managed to save the University a total of R630 000 or 5,5% during 2002 when the total cost of electricity was about R11,3 mil. This equates to a 5,5% reduction in the cost of electricity to the University.
The savings are as a result of direct load control over the hot water cylinders in the men's and women's hostels on campus. By shedding and restoring load at strategic times and in accordance with the students requirements for hot water it is possible to lower overall maximum demand. By doing this we reduce the maximum demand component of the overall electricity account. Signals are sent via radio to the load control switches based on a load control algorithm developed in the Centre.
In an environment where the real cost of electricity has risen over the past five years, our efforts have resulted in a continued decline in the actual cost of the energy resources on campus. This makes the University one of the most energy efficient institutions in South Africa.
Contact person: Mr JE Calmeyer.
Teaching innovation. A first year module on innovation was developed by and has been presented by Prof Pierre Cilliers since 1998. His research has now indicated that students who have taken the module, underwent a significant change in their self-evaluation of their creativity as measured before and after taking the module. It was further determined that there was a significant correlation between the students' performance in the practical part of the module, which focuses on the development of new products, and the increase in their self-evaluation of their creativity. The research has been presented internationally, has attracted widespread interest.
Contact person: Prof PJ Cilliers.
|
