Technical Training

Department

Guidelines for Students on

Engineering Project
TECHNICAL TRAINING ENGINEERING PROJECT GUIDELINES

1. Aims and Objectives

1.1 Aims

By the end of the project the students should be able to:

1. Conduct R & D in line with education 5.0.
2. Write technical reports.
3. Solve real-life practical problem(s).

1.2 Specific Objectives

1. To provide the students with basic knowledge of conducting R & D.

2. To encourage the students to do projects they can commercialise, i.e. the course
challenges the students to develop their techno-entrepreneurial skills
3. To encourage the students to apply knowledge they acquired in earlier years in
order to solve problems of today and tomorrow.
4. To inculcate in students the habit of conducting research that is need based.
5. To develop students into innovative citizens.

2. Project Content

The project content consist of project phases, proposal and project write up.

2.1 Project Phases

Execution of Research and Development Project is done in accordance to phases

outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: Phases in execution of Research and Development Project

Project Phase Action points Execution
Schedule
1. Project Proposal  Search for practical problem arising Proposal
out of life situations Stage
 Analysis of the situation (Part 3)
 Write down a short statement giving
general outline of the problem
 Search literature for similar problems
and how they were solved (Pre-
literature review)
2. Project Rollout  Convert proposal to Chapter 1 Rollout Stage
 Go on to Project Report (Part 3)
2.1 Literature Review /  Critically analyse your situation and Rollout Stage
Analysis of Existing in relation to the literature (Part 3)
System(s), Algorithms,  Identify technology gaps that need
Models etc solution
 Design way of finding solution to the
situation
 2.2 System, Process, Model  Outline research methodology Rollout Stage
Analysis and Design  Choose best way of solving the (Part 3)
problem
 Construct process flow chart
 Plan way of finding solution to the
problem arising
 Drafting of data capture tools
 Evaluate capital costs of
implementing the design
o E.g. Modelling (analysis,
design) and/or Prototyping
2.3 Deployment/  Test performance of the suggested Rollout Stage
Implementation solution (Part 3)
 Evaluate innovativeness of the
solution
2.4 Discussion of Results,  Evaluate whether the problem has Rollout Stage
Conclusion, been solved or more research needs (Part 3)
Recommendations & to be done (Research Contributions)
Future Works  Give recommendations

2.2 Format for Writing the Project Proposal

 Project Title
 Introduction/Background
 Problem statement
 Aims and objectives
 Research gap/Innovation
 Limitations
 Work plan (Project Schedule/Gantt Chart)
 Budget

2.3 Format for Writing the Project Report

The final project should:

 Have a minimum of 40 pages and maximum of 50
 Have a font size 12, Times New Roman
 Be presented in one and half spacing

In the preliminary pages or front pages of the Design Project present the following:

 The title page

 Abstract
 Declaration
 Copyright
 Dedication
 Acknowledgments
 Abbreviations
 Table of contents
o List of tables
o List of figures
2.3.1 The title page ( Appendix I)

It is considered as page (i) but is left unnumbered. Titles are single spaced and are written
in upper case. If the title is more than one line it should break in a logical place for easy
reading. The title page shows:

 Title of project
 Name of the Institute & Department
 Name of writer
 Purpose of the project
 Fulfilment statement
 Year

2.3.2 Declaration ( Appendix II)

This serves as official acknowledgment and acceptance of the research project as
satisfactory. It is signed by your supervisor(s)

2.3.3 Copyright (Appendix III)

This is a form that grants the Centre permission to produce copies of the Research and
Development Project and also reserves the authors’ publication rights.

2.3.4 Dedication (Appendix IV)

This serves as a tribute or recognition to a specific individual or individuals.

2.3.5 Abstract (Appendix V)

The abstract is used by potential readers to determine at a glance, the contents of the
capstone design project. You should present it as a precise and well written summary. Your
abstract should contain:

 A clear statement of the problem/ problems being solved.

 The purpose of the project.
 A summary of the methods used in the design of major equipment such as heat
exchangers, distillation columns etc.
 A statement of source and type of physical data collected and its use. A summary
of experimental work undertaken and the type of data collected and its use in the
design.
 A summary of the findings, conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for
further research. Your abstract should not be more than half a page in length.

2.3.6 Acknowledgements (Appendix VI)

In this section you thank persons to whom you are indebted for guidance and assistance in
making your study successful. You must present this section on a separate page.
2.3.7 Table of Contents (Appendix VII)

You present an outline of the components of your design project. The table of contents
must be auto-generated, rather than physically typed in. These components include, the
preliminaries, and these are typed in lower case. They are arranged as follows:

 Title Page (i)

 Abstract (ii)
 Declaration (iii)
 Copyright (iv)
 Dedication (v)
 Acknowledgements (vi)
 Table of Contents (vii)
o List of Tables (viii)
o List of Figures (ix)
o List of Appendices (x)
 Abbreviations

After the preliminaries you then list chapters and chapter headings and sub-headings giving
the page(s) where these are located in your design project. Lastly you present the back
pages materials, which are references and appendices. For typing you should ensure that:

 Chapter numbers and preliminaries’ pages are typed in Roman numerals.

 Chapter titles and chapter numbers are typed in upper case.
 Sub-headings of each chapter are typed in lower case and are single spaced.
 Margins are 4.0cm on the left, 1.0 on the right hand side, 2.5cm at the top and 4.0cm
at the bottom of the page.
 Numbering of the pages should be at the centre bottom edge.
 Appendices are presented in Arabic numerals and typed in upper case. (APPENDIX
VII)

2.3.8 List of Figures

Anything other than tables should be considered as a figure. The list of figures must be
auto-generated using inserted labels for each figure. You should write the figure number,
title and reference page. Type these in lower case.

2.3.9 List of Tables

You should show the table number, its title and reference page. Like the list of figures and
table of contents, list of tables must be auto-generated. This should be done in lower case.

2.3.10 Abbreviations

All terms abbreviated in the project document should be specified in this category

3. Assessment Procedure
The course will be taken over a period of two semesters and will be examined by oral and
written presentations of the project. The project will be evaluated in reference to Table 2
Below
Table 2: Assessment Components
Work Component % of Final Course mark
1 Project proposal &document 10%
2 Concept development & evaluation report 10%
3 Prototype development & evaluation report 20%
4 Final written project report 20%
5 Oral presentation of project / report (includes 40%
practical presentation of prototype developed)

Evaluation can be split into two main categories; written report and oral presentation.
Report writing is a key skill in presentation of information. As such students should show
a mastery of this. Assessment of the written report will be upon the following basis
 Typography – spelling and grammar
 Information flow – coherence and cohesion of information
 Referencing – knowledge of referencing skills, e.g. IEEE Reference Style
 Content – relevance of information in the document toward solving the problem
 Adherence to set rules - following the prescribed procedure
 Submission date ……………..2024 to the Department Office
 Late submission:
o 1-7 days, 10 marks off
o 8 – 14 days 20 marks off
 Projects will NOT be accepted after 14 days of the due date
 Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated, cases of such will be directed to Student
Affairs, with a recommendation of Fail

NOTE: All UML diagrams such as USE CASE, ACTIVITY, SEQUENCE, etc must be
drawn using drawing software such as Microsoft Visio, EDraw, etc. Microsoft Word
drawings are not welcome.
 APPENDIX I

Title Sample Page

BIO – EXTRACTION OF LEMON GRASS OIL FROM LEMON GRASS USING THE
ENZYME PECTINASE

BY

WODEMUMBA T1222024T

SUPERVISED BY

ENG S. MUDONDO

SUBMITTED TO TELONE CENTRE FOR LEARNING IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT

OF THE DIPLOMA IN CHEMICAL AND PROCESS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

2024
 APPENDIX II

Copyright Sample Page

COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved. No part of this capstone design project may be reproduced, stored in
any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise from scholarly purpose, without the prior written
permission of the author or of Telone Centre for Learning on behalf of the author.
 APPENDIX III

Declaration Sample Page

DECLARATION

I, Wode Mumba hereby do declare that this work has not previously been accepted in
substance for any diploma/degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature
for any diploma/degree.

Student’s Signature: ………………………………. Date ………………………….

(Wode Mumba)

Supervisors Signature: …………………………….. Date ………………………….

(Engr. S. Mudondo)
 APPENDIX IV

Dedication Sample Page

DEDICATION

Firstly I would like to dedicate this piece of work to my mum and dad (Mr. and Mrs.
Mumba) for the love and care they have given to me.
 APPENDIX V

Abstract Sample Page

ABSTRACT

The effects of different starting materials and synthesis methodology on electrochemical

performance of LixMn2O4 are studied. Four spinel-type LiMn2O4 (LMO) cathode materials
were prepared by melt-impregnation method with different Li (LiNO3& LiOH·H2O) and
Mn (CMD&EMD) sources and were analyzed chemically and characterized by BET and
XRD, the electrochemical performance of the cathodes at room temperature and elevated
temperature was tested. The crystal structure was indexed to be a cubic system with lattice
parameters of 8.2342 ±0.170 Å and defined to the space group Fd3m. There was no peak
of impurity because the raw materials for Mn source were first treated with acid. Although
the results showed that the structures of the samples were confirmed to be cubic spinel
structure, the lattice parameter and specific surface area of the samples were different. The
LiMn2O4 cathodes have an initial discharge capacity of over 120mAh·g-1 and show an
ordinary two-step voltage profile. The results demonstrated that the cathode materials
prepared with LiNO3 as Li source have larger lattice parameters, than those prepared from
LiOH·H2O as Li source and those prepared from EMD as Mn source have larger particle
sizes, lower first charge and discharge capacity, better cyclic performance, whereas those
from CMD have smaller particle size, higher first charge and discharge capacity, and poor
cyclic stability at elevated temperature. The cell polarization of the cathode developed by
LiOH•H2O and EMD was identified to be the least and the elevated temperature
cycelability to be the best. These manifestations can be attributed to differences in Li and
Mn sources, specific surface areas, purities of starting materials and synthesis conditions.
Melt-impregnation method proved to be an excellent method to synthesize LiMn2O4
cathode materials that can operate at elevated temperatures when using correct starting
materials and good control of synthesis temperatures.

Key words: LiMn2O4 spinel; capacity fading; elevated temperature performance; synthesis
methodology; precursors.

APPENDIX VI
 Acknowledgements Sample Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly I would like to thank the Lord God almighty for his mercies and for seeing me
through in this research and throughout my life.
Secondly I would like to thank my supervisor Eng. S. Mudondo for his guidance through
which I managed to come up with the dissertation and his time he set aside to supervise
me.
Thirdly I would like to thank mum and dad for their encouragement and support. Special
appreciation goes to all my friends for the encouragement and technical support.
Lastly my sincere gratitude goes to all TCFL lecturers in the Chemical Engineering
Department, without them it would have been impossible for me to acquire the knowledge
and be able to undertake this project.

APPENDIX VII
 ToC Sample Pages

TABLE OF CONTENTS
(auto-generated through auto-headings)

Declaration……….………………………………………………………………………. ii

Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………… iii

Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………………………… iv

List of figures ……………………………………………………………………........... vii

List of tables ……………………………………………………………….…………... viii

Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………. ……. ix

CHAPTER 1.0. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background ……………………………………………………………………….1

1.2. Problem statement ………………………………………………………………... 2
1.3. Significance of the Project ………………………………………………. ……….3
1.4. Research questions……………………………………………………………… 4
1.5. Objectives of the study…………………………………………………………. 5
1.6. Assumptions …………………………………………………………………... 6
1.7. Limitations………………………………………………………………………...7
1.8. Delimitations……………………………………………………………………...8
1.9. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………..9

CHAPTER 2.0. REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING

2.1 Introduction……………………………………….…………………………..….. pn

2.2 Literature review………………………………….……………………………... pn

2.3 Business value.………...………………………….………………………….….. pn

2.4 Information gathering methodologies………....……………..…………….….. pn

2.5 Tangible benefits………...…………………………………………….…….…... pn

2.6 Intangible benefits………...……………………………………...………….…... pn

 2.7 Feasibility study………...………………………………………………….…..... pn

2.7.1 Technical feasibility: could it be done?……………………………..….. pn

2.7.2 Economic feasibility……………………………………………………….. pn

2.7.3 Operational feasibility…….………………………………..……….….….. pn

2.8 Risk analysis……….…...………………………………………………….…...….. pn

2.9 Summary………...………………………………………………………………….. pn

CHAPTER 3.0 SYSTEM/MODEL/ALGORITHM ANALYSIS

3.1 Introduction………...………..……………………………………………………... pn

3.2 Analysis of existing system………...………………………………………….….. pn

3.3 Data analysis - DFDs, case diagrams..…………………………….……….…...... pn

3.4 Overview of proposed system:…………………………………….…………….... pn

3.4.1 Weaknesses of the current system…………………….……………...pn

3.4.2 Strengths of the current system………………………..………….…..pn

3.4.3 Evaluation of alternatives………………………………..……….…...pn

3.4.4 Requirements analysis-use case diagrams………...……..…………..pn

3.5 Summary………...………………………………………………………..……...…..pn

CHAPTER 4.0 PROTOTYPING/SYSTEM DESIGN

4.1 Introduction ………...…………………………………………….….….……….…..pn

4.2 System inputs………...………………………………………………….……….…..pn

4.3 System processes………...……………………………………..……….……….…..pn

4.4 System outputs………...…………………………………………..…….……….…..pn

4.5 Architecture design………...…………………………………..……….……….…..pn

4.6 Physical design………...…………………………………………….….……….…..pn

4.7 Database design-entity relationship diagrams, class diagrams, tables and their
fields………...…………………………………………………………….…………..pn

4.8 Interface design………...………………………………………….…….……….…..pn

 4.9 Summary………...……………………………………………………….……….…..pn

CHAPTER 5.0 DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING

5.1 Introduction………...…………………………………………………….……….….pn

5.2 Coding and construction……….........………………………………….……….…..pn

5.3 Testing………...………………………………………………………….……….…..pn

5.4 Security………...………………………………………...……………….……….…..pn

5.5 Recommendations………...…………….……………………………….……….…..pn

5.6 Future work………...…………………………………………………….……….…..pn

5.7 Conclusion………...……………………………………………..……….……….…..pn

APPENDICES

APPENDIX I. Letter of approval…………………………………………….…….…...pn

APPENDIX II. Actual questionnaires/User manual………...……………….……..…pn

APPENDIX III. Actual Interview Schedule/Training Schedule….………….…..…..pn

NOTE: pn is the auto-generated page number, like 11, 12…40. It will not be highlighted!!
 APPENDIX VIII

References Sample Page

REFERENCES

[1] D. Zeeda, Principles of Electrical Engineering, 3rd ed. Zebra Publishing, Harare,
2021 [Online]. Available:
https://ebooks.zebra.com/docs/reader.citation?docID=6533553535&ppg=12

[2] S. Suzanna, Computer Systems Engineering, New York: Penguin Publishers’

House. 2013, pp 120-132.

[3] ….

NOTE: The order of the references (IEEE Referencing) tallies with the order in
the citations made in the document

Compiled by
Faculty Coordinator