Week 10

Final Design

Final Budget

Week 9

Week 8

Week 7 - Designated Tasks

Week 6 and Week 7 Goals and Tasks:

Scott - Finish up the information for compatibility for solar panels with the pump and filter system

Michael - Creating the parts of the apparatus in Creo - specifically pump 

Patrick - Drawing filter system in Creo

Katie - Fixing up the blog and working on the tank in Creo 

Alex - Fixing up the blog and working on the tank in Creo 

Laura - Starting rough draft for final proposal and making sure all requirements are followed

Once all of the parts are created in Creo, we will combine them and make a working system.

Tank Information - Continuation of Week 6

  Tank Information:

                After doing extensive research, we came to the conclusion that males need two gallons of potable water per day, while females need one gallon of potable water per day.  This is an average of one and a half gallons of water per person, per day.  Therefore, we would get a 165 gallon tank, which would provide for around 100 people.  The motive for switching from stainless steel to plastic is for a number of reasons.  First, cost and size have a tremendous impact on the tank.  The stainless steel tanks found are cost to size efficient, but the size was comparable to a house.  A big tank would decide the complexity of the filter and the pump system.  Therefore, a smaller tank would be best, since this project will start small and progress can be made if it turns out to be successful in Africa. 

The new plastic tank found is 65 gallons, which is much smaller compared 793 gallons.   One of the benefits of a stainless steel tank is its ability to keep water cool.  However, the water pumped from the Nile into the tank will be warm anyway, and there is not an air conditioning system within the tank, so the ability to keep the water cool is irreverent.  The plastic tank will develop bacteria growth over a long period of time, but since the tank will be completely emptied by the end of the day, according to calculations.  Therefore, the plastic tank will be sufficient for the criteria this project includes.  Below is a picture of the website the plastic green tank is purchased from, totaling to 149.99 dollars.  The 793 gallon stainless steel tank was 880.00 dollars.  By changing to the new plastic tank, over 700 dollars will be saved.  Since the tank is plastic, there will need to be some type of covering the tank can be stored under to be protected from direct sunlight. 

Below is a picture of an autoCAD multiview drawing from the website listed below.  This is the website we would purchase the tank from:  http://www.plastic-mart.com/product/6025/65-gallon-vertical-water-storage-tank-crmi-65vtfwg  

The image below is a picture of the 65 gallon, green tank. 

65 Gallon Plastic Water Tank Price:  $149.99    Part Number: CRMI-65VTFWG   Capacity: 65 Gallons   Dimensions: 24" dia. x 37"H   Weight: 20 lbs.   Ships From: ID   USD Shipping: Calculate Shipping   PDF Drawing: View Technical Drawing   Manufacturer: Custom Roto Mold   Contact Us

65 Gallon Vertical Plastic Water Storage Tank:

• This 65 gallon fresh water storage tank is designed for storage of potable water.

• 65 gallon CRMI water tank is manufactured from Food and Drug Administration approved and compliant linear polyethylene with U.V. inhibitors and designed for the containment of liquids of up to 1.0 specific gravity.
• Tank features a vented lid and comes standard with female threaded inlet/outlets

• 65 Gallon water storage tank can be ordered in green or black polyethylene plastic

Water Tanks are for storage and are not designed to be pressurized. Tanks are designed for water storage use only.
Lid Size: 8"
Inlet: 1"
Outlet: 2"

Polyethylene plastic tanks are preferred for economical and chemical resistant attributes in alage growing system and bio-diesel process and storage.   http://www.tanksystems.com/

These water tanks will last over 25 years and are approved by the FDA for potable water storage.  UV inhibitors are built into the plastic to protect it from the sunlight.  The colors available help to discourage algae growth.  This tank is available through Loomis Tank Centers and also Plastic-Mart; both places sell the tank for roughly the same price.

Website:  http://shop.loomistank.com/product/1003201.1008797.1008799.0.0/LCR65VTFWG/_/CR_65_WTR_24D_X_37H#.UYrM6rWG1ch

Above ground water tanks are UV-stabilized HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) approved for potable water by the FDA. These durable tanks have a long lifespan, are lightweight and are easy to handle.

Features:
• Applications include drinking water, fire protection, irrigation, disaster preparedness, rainwater collection
• Additional fittings can be user-installed to meet your specific needs
• These water tanks are made for above ground storage of water only - Do not bury these above-ground only water tanks
• These water tanks are rated for atmospheric pressure only -Do not use as vacuum or pressure tanks
• 3-year warranty
Specs:
Capacity 65 gal
Diameter 24 in
Height 37 in
Type Vertical
Weight 20 lbs

Week 6

Filter:

- Germicidal treatment of water

- Generate between 185nm and 254 nm of UV light

- Does not remove particles, colloids, or ions

- Exposure length proportional to length and inversely proportional to flow rate

- Dosage decreases logarithmically with distance from lamp

- http://www.filtersfast.com/P-Hydronix-Polaris-UV-1C-110V-UV-Filter.asp?gclid=CM-WlOj5_7YCFcJo4AodrwgALQ

• $58
• 10W lamp
• Flow rate: 1 gpm 

Tasks: 
Alex- will have tank information by Saturday, May 4, 2013

Patrick- will have filter information by Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Fitzy- will have filter information by Thursday, May 9, 2013

Laura- start planning final report that is due week 7

Katie- Continue with Nile River contaminate and start planning final report

Week 5 - Flow Chart

Week 4 - Coming Together with Research

Possible Pumps

Jet Pumps
- used to lift water from ground, via suction pipe 

- can go 25 to 150 feet deep (pretty sure they can go shallower as well)

- centrifugal pump with multiple impellers and diffusers.  Also has jet ejector.

- water passes through jet and gains velocity, but decreases pressure

- increased water speed and the decrease in pressure creates suction

- larger displacement from water to top of tank means less water is moved

- jet helps move water through a tube to the pump higher up

           

Submersible Pumps
- whole pump is submerged, motor and all. 

- does not need to worry about driving water in, it focuses on pushing it out
- impellers pass water to eye of impellers in succession. The water is then passed through a diffuser   which decreases the velocity of the water and converts it to pressure
- Pressure is increased for every impeller that it passes through

Limitations of Pumps
- To get more flow from the pump that the size of the exit of the impeller needs to be increased.
- To get more pressure, also known as head the impeller exit should be decreased
- Ultimately Horse Power is the limitation to a pumps demand.

Solar Panel Information: 

- Solar panels can be made out of different materials and therefore take up different amounts of space
- On average, single solar panels can produce 300 watts of electricity
- Solar panels can be connected to form a solar array, which maximizes current and therefore increases wattage
- Total wattage depends on:

• materials used
• size of the cell
• number of cells in each panel
• number of panels in the array

- You can have the solar panel adjust to follow the sun or stay in a fixed direction

- Typical 185 watt solar PV panel measure 808 x 1508 mm and weighs approx. 15kg

- Will need to use a controller to make sure that battery does not discharge or become overcharged

- Volt*Current= power (watts) 

- Increasing voltage can make system more efficient by reducing energy lost to resistance

- Power*number of peak sun hours in your area= watts-hours

- Three most common types of solar panels are:

• Polycrystalline Panels: made of silicon with many different crystals, efficient, should be used in areas with high sun exposure
• Monocrystalline Panels: made of single silicon crystal, more expensive but more efficient than Polycrystalline
• Amorphous Panels: flexible and easier to work with, works is all daylight conditions: in northern hemisphere, install panel facing solar sought, in southern hemisphere, install panel facing solar north, charge controllers/regulators

- Regulate voltage going into battery during the day

- Protect against battery discharge at night
- Allows more current to flow when charge is low and stops current when overcharged
- Essential if solar panel is being used
- Make sure controller is compatible with the solar panels and batteries in your system
- Batteries:

• Deep cycle batteries meant to be charged and discharged many times and are ideal for use with solar panels
• can be wired together to provide as much storage capacity as needed
• rated in amp-hours- measure of how much current battery can supply in certain number of hours

-Power Inverter- change current from DC to AC (may or may not need depending on what the pump needs)

• Modified sine wave- less expensive than pure sine wave inverters; most things in a household will run fine, but others may be damaged or not run normally
• Pure sine wave- same as AC provided by electrical company; will work for any appliance that you would normally run; will probably need >75 watts of power for pump; can use higher voltage DC pump, but you will need to wire together more than one solar panel to provide the right amount of power

Wiring Solar Panels Together:

-Depends on the voltage of the charge controller

• If the solar panel and charge controller voltage are the same, need to wire them in parallel
• If the charge controller voltage 48V and panels are 24, need to wire in series

- Must also consider the wire that will be used

• more wire means more resistance
• resistance directly proportional to length of cable
• resistance inversely proportional to cross sectional area of cable; can use the resistance in the cable to calculate the voltage drop in the system (V=IxR)

Week 3 - More Research

Goal:

We need to emphasis that the purpose of this project is potable water.  This week we are dividing up the work to each group member and then will assign tasks that need to be completed each week.  Each group member is listed below and their corresponding assignments:

Filters and Cleaning of Filter- Patrick
- What kind of filter will be the most effective to filter out the contaminants?
- How expensive will this filtering process be?
- Is there material in this filter that needs to be replaced?
-Does the filter meed to be cleaned?
- Is the material for this filter available in the area that it will be used in?

Solar Panel Option and Circuit Board Creation- Scott
- How do solar panels work?
- Are there different options for solar panels?
- How will you switch from solar power to battery power?
- What size solar panel and battery must be used so that the solar panel is able to charge the battery?
- Does a battery even need to be used?

Tank and Material Research and Design- Alex
- What material would be the best to use for a tank?
- Would corrosion be an issue in the area that the tank will be located?
- How big should the tank be?
- How expensive would this tank be to make?
- What type of material would be a good insulator?

Pump- Fitzy
- Which type of pump would work best with the solar panel and batteries we are using?
- Are there different types of pumps that we may be able to use?
- What are the pump rates of each pump and which would be the best size of the tank that we are using?

Contaminants and Location- Katie and Laura
- Where will our device be located?
- What are the contaminants in this area?
- How are each of these contaminants removed? 

Research: 

Water contaminants in the Nile River
-pathogens
-nutrients (phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, sulfate)
-oxygen demanding compounds (take oxygen from the water)
-suspended solids
-parasites
-salts
-heavy metals

Possible Tanks:

Material:

Stainless Steel -
·         Less vulnerable to water damage
·         Keeps water cool
·         Generally will not corrode or crack

·         Durable 

·         Resist bacteria and mold growth  

Stainless Steel:

ROUND 3000 PLUS SERIES

Tank Code	Liters	Dimensions	Price
AR-3300G	3,300	1500DIA x 1880H	$880.00
AR-3558G	3,000	1600DIA x 1785H	$880.00
AR-3000G	3,000	1600DIA x 1570H	$880.00
AR-3094G	3,000	1400DIA x 2010H	$880.00
AR-2100G	3,000	1200DIA x 1860H	$880.00
AR-2369G	3,000	1300DIA x 1785H	$880.00
AR-2863G	3,000	1400DIA x 1860H	$880.00
AR-4041G	3,000	1600DIA x 2010H	$880.00
AR-4051G	3,000	1700DIA x 1785H	$880.00

The tank selected would be have the smallest height because that would be less work the done by the pump, which would mean less power and less energy need from the solar panels.  The problem with this tank was it was too large for the amount of water needed to be collected.

Further research needs to be continued on other possible options for tanks that are more affordable and an appropriate size.

Week 2 Lab - More Research

Goal:

Today, we are focusing on researching more in depth about the filtering process and possible pumps that would be used for the design.  The budget will be modified and research will be done about how much water a person uses a day.  Depending on the water consumption, will influence the size tank used to store the water.  One point that was brought up was that even we must take into consideration that these people will be using the water for other needs besides hydration.  For example, one might use water from the tank to drink, do wash, clean dishes, and bath.  The tank will have to be very large to supply around 5 gallons of water per person.

Location - Juba

What contamination are in the water?

              Feces, salt, worms, nitrates, phosphates, lead.

Where is Juba located?

              Juba is a small village along the White Nile River in Southern Sudan.



Group members are focusing on researching the following:

Electric filtering and nano-fibers; softening water - the process of getting the heavy metals out.

Different containment in the water and what filtering methods are best for those contaminants.

In May of 2008, there was no functioning water or sewerage system in Juba.  Millions of southern Sudanese must walk miles everyday to collect water from ponds, marshes, and some will even dig wells with their hands.  The water collected is normally contaminated with parasites and disease-bearing bacteria.  (http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/)

The people of southern Sudan are unknowable about how to avoid diseases.  They will transport contaminated water with containers that are already contaminated,  making the water even worse (http://www.irinnews.org/Report/78380/SUDAN-Water-contamination-threat-in-South)



http://www.irinnews.org/Report/78380/SUDAN-Water-contamination-threat-in-South

We found a water filter that would kill 90% of the bacteria.  This would be a three-step process.  There are carbon nano tubes with nano-fiber that is hanging on the carbon. First we would get the heavy metals out through a method and then get out the bacteria through the method research online.  The water would also have to be distilled to remove the water because there are still salts in the water.  Even though the distillation process is removing the minerals that give water taste, it would clean the water and be much safer for the Sudanese to drink.

Facts:

5,000 child die a day from dirty water.

Not only does safe water has an effect on one's health, but also his/her education and economic development.

20 millions of people across Southern Sudan lack access to sanitation

17 million have no source of safe drinking water

http://www.irinnews.org/Report/78380/SUDAN-Water-contamination-threat-in-South

Week 1 - Brainstorming Ideas

Water filtration to help with shortage and cleanliness of water:

-  Use a solar panel to pump water from the Nile river and distill this water.  This water would be filtered into a reservoir for public use.

-  Natural filtration from plants - put plants around the reservoir to help with the purity of water.

-  The water from the Nile could naturally run into a holding area, where it would then be filtered and pumped into the reservoir.

-  Our idea is similar to the image below describing the purification of water, but we would use solar panels to supply the energy to pump the water.



-  This idea came from the fact that there are small streams that run through the villages of Africa, which is used as drinking water and domestic purposes.  The process these villagers go through is long and tedious.  By purifying water the water into a reservoir diseases such as malaria and guinea worm can be prevented.

-  After researching different villages along the Nile River, we decided to focus on the southern part of Sudan.

-  There are a lot of factors that must be taken into consideration.  First, the size of the solar panel must be appropriate in order to power the pump.    There would also have to be battery or some type of storage for the power generated by the solar panel.  Therefore, when days it is raining or cloudy, the water pump filtration system can still operate.  A wire would have to be purchased to transfer the energy to the battery.  We would also need a converter to convert the volts from the battery to the the pump, depending if the pumps uses volts or amps.  The amount of volts needed to operate the pump must be taken into consideration.  For example, a converter would be needed to insure the large number of volts supplied from the battery could be used for a 6 volt pump.

-  Instead of having the water filtered into a reservoir, it could be put into a holding tank; in this case there would be a tap that would allow the people to go up and directly get the water from the tank.

-  The water would be pumped up to a place 6 feet off the ground and then gravity would allow the water to run down through the filter and fall into the holding tank.

-  Based on the chart above, in order to get 100 meters cubed of water in one night pumped to 3 meters above the ground, 9.5 to 10 watts of power would be needed to power the pump.  Further research would be done once the pump is finalized about if uses volts or amps.

-  We have to look at the power produced by the solar panel - if it produces AC, we must convert to DC to store in a battery.  Depending on what type of electric the pump runs on, there is a possibility we have to convert the power back to AC to run the motor.  Converters, with specific names, are available for us to purchase.

Solar Powered Water Irrigation System:

-  Irrigation is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and help with the distribution of soils in dry areas.

-  Solar panels would be used to operate a pump for the irrigation system.  This water would not need to be purified because some of the minerals found in the water from the river are useful in irrigation.

Other Uses of Solar Panels:

-  Solar panels pump that would get water from areas underground where there is an abundance of water.  This water would be pumped up from the ground and purified by using a similar process as described above.

-  The size and the amount of energy for each solar panel can produce.

Wind Turbines:

-  Instead of using solar panels, wind turbines could also be used as a form of energy.  This may help with the cost, since solar panels are very expensive.