Challenges for Fall 2009

Note: Ignore the following. The challenges have been updated.

Subteam Leader:

Number of team members needed: 9-10

Important team member skills:

• CEE 3310, or equivalent Fluid Dynamics course
• CEE 4540 co-requisite
• Students must be comfortable with coding
• Students should be familiar with the AguaClara design
• AutoCAD and/or MathCAD knowledge is a plus
• We are willing to train new members

Challenges

Design Tool

• Check that all pieces are scaling properly
• Identify design errors and work with the team in Honduras to develop improved design algorithms
• Update the list of variables that are returned to the user to ensure that all relevant parameters are returned.
• eliminate variables in the VNG that aren't used.

Chemical Doser

• Need to develop AutoCAD code to draw this part of the plant
• Need to develop the transition from linear dose controller to nonlinear dose controller

Entrance tank

• A first draft of this code has been created, but it has not yet been reviewed.

Rapid mix components

Requires review and possible upgrade to the first draft of the rapid mix design and then coding of the MathCAD to AutoCAD (MtA) code.

Chemical storage tanks

• These tanks need to be drawn. These may be an item that the onsite civil engineer will relocate to fit site conditions, but the design tool should show them at the correct elevation and in a reasonable location.

Floc Hopper Drain Valves

• Now that the floc hopper has been drawn, we need to code and draw the valves that dumps the flocs from the floc blanket to waste.

Horizontal Flocculator

• Need to continue coding the flocculator so change to horizontal flocculation and determine when this transition should occur.

Vertical Flocculator

• Need to ensure that the size of the ports between channels does not exceed the size available on the floc tank wall. Also, ensure that the spacing of the baffles in the last channel does not force them into the exit channel space (this may be taken care of by switching to horizontal flow).

Flocculator Drain System

• Need to code and draw the flocculator drain system.

Sedimentation Inlet and Exit Tanks

• The tanks at the end of the inlet and exit channels that hold the pipes leading to the distribution tanks and to the waste no longer need to be as tall as they are currently drawn. Rather they can just cantilever off the side of the sedimentation tank. Also the pipes in these tanks that lead to waste should be drawn as Tee's that connect to one another and then lead to waste.

Sedimentation Tank Control Pieces

• The pieces that allow the sedimentation tanks to be shut off need to be drawn (caps for the inlet channels, and exit channels). In addition, the caps should have a 1" PVC pipe that extends above the surface of the water in order to prevent air being trapped in the pipes delivering flocculated water to the sedimentation tank, and also to serve as a handle for removing the caps.

Sedimentation Tank Inlet Chimneys

• The chimneys that deliver water from the inlet channel to the sedimentation tank are currently drawn as two separates vertical channels per sed bay. Because we are no longer including floc hoppers in the tank design, there is no need to have room between the chimneys to drain the floc blanket, we can make these two chimneys one solid chimney that spans the width of the sedimentation bay. This task will involve editing the current code that draws the chimneys.

Material's List

• This list has been started and needs to be edited with input from the engineers in Honduras.

Documentation

• Continue the effort to create an AutoCAD video that will show the assembly of the plant with descriptions of each part. This video could serve as the documentation that gets sent to a user who designs a plant with the Design Tool that explains the technology behind each piece.