The Team:
Jonathan Da Silva, Mechanical Engineering, 2008
Abdul Karim Dawan, Mechanical Engineering, 2008
Kim Fellenz, Mechanical Engineering, 2008
Kevin Gonzales, Mechanical Engineering, 2008
Emanuel Rios, Mechanical Engineering, 2008
Advisor: Professor Frank Fischer
Summary:
According to the United Nations, an estimated 1.1 billion people across the globe, roughly 18 % of the world’s population, do not have access to clean drinking water. This problem is expected to be exacerbated by an estimated population increase of 1 billion people by 2015, mostly resulting from developing nations. It has also been estimated that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will face moderate to severe stress on their water supply.
These statistics provide a problem that can be solved in the near future using appropriate engineering practices. The technology necessary to provide people in need with clean water already exists. It is merely a matter of finding a way to implement these technologies into existing communities at a low cost and without disrupting the lifestyle of the communities being helped.
In the Fall of 2007, a group of five Mechanical Engineers completed a conceptual research project for a Water Purification System as their senior design. Jonathan Da Silva, Abdul Karim Dawan, Kim Fellenz, Kevin Gonzales and Emanuel Rios have optimized the system to provide clean drinking water at the lowest possible cost. The team has performed analysis of some of the main technologies used in water purification systems, including carbon filtration, ultraviolet light filtration, reverse osmosis, ozone filtration, and sediment filtration. For details of the design, please refer to the full report.
This design is able to accomplish the task of providing water to a community in need for years after implementation, with minimal cost and maintenance, in compliance with the criteria of Engineers Without Borders. The system design is versatile enough that it can be adapted to fit a wide variety of situations.
In the Spring of 2008, the group will develop a prototype for an indicator that signals when the carbon and sediment filters need to be replaced. Various filters have estimations in their respective specifications about how long they can last, but much of that depends on the flow rate at which the system is run and the volume of contaminants that are removed from the water. In order to stay under the $600 budget for prototypes, the group will attempt to come up with a creative testing approach to minimize research costs.
Further details of the project will be reported as more progress is made.
|