Andrew Smith's individual contribution page

Spring 2012:

I am now enrolled in CEE 4550 and working with the design team. I will provide further updates once I have my permanent project assignment. I am looking forward to a fun and productive semester with the team!

Fall 2011:

I took Monroe's capstone design course (CEE 4540) this semester in order to get a better understanding of how drinking water treatment is carried out in a conventional setting, and how AguaClara builds upon this to treat drinking water on a small scale, using no electricity. Specifically, I accomplished this by working with a group of three other classmates on assignments in which we created or updated design algorithms for the rapid mix unit, the flocculator, the sedimentation tank, and the stacked rapid sand filter, among others.

At the end of the semester, we completed a capstone design challenge, in which we performed a cost analysis of the AguaClara sedimentation tank. Traditionally, the team has employed 3 L/s bays, adding more as needed for larger plants. We proved, by using the appropriate metrics for concrete and PVC cost, that the team would save money by switching to 5.8 L/s sedimentation bays once the plant flow rate surpasses 10 L/s; similarly, we showed that they would save money by switching to 14.5 L/s bays once the plant flow rate surpasses 55 L/s.

In January, I had the opportunity to build upon my experiences in class and with the team when I traveled to Honduras. I interacted personally with our clients and got a new perspective on the plants; this is something I will keep in mind as I work on the design team this term.

Spring 2010:

I was a member of the design team. I spent the first few weeks of the semester getting acclimated to the Aguaclara class in general, and the design team in particular. I learned how to use MathCAD and Microsoft Word Fields, and I got accustomed to working on long-term projects in a team setting.

After that, I worked with Josiah Pothen and Julie Pierce to design an automated, customized specifications report. This document is geared primarily toward the engineers working on the plants in Central America, and it provides a description of the Aguaclara process and facilities, along with a brief overview of the equations used to design the plant. Because the document relies heavily on Microsoft Word Fields, Josiah and I learned how to use fields to automatically generate equations, figures, captions, etc. Before spring break, we completed a preliminary document with sample equations, figures, and captions. Monroe then integrated that document into a new version of the design tool over the break. Once that was complete, we worked with Tai, Gonzalo, and Nicolas to generate a final version of the report with fewer bugs and technical omissions.

Since May 2010, the document has seen substantial upgrades; a complete version of the report now exists in both English and Spanish and is integrated into every AguaClara design generated via the design tool.