FC Chlorine Precipitation Goals

Fall 2008 Team Members

Scott Fraybunger
Vanish Grover

Fall 2008 Goals

Problem: When treating water with Calcium Hypochlorite, calcium carbonate precipitates out, stopping or slowing the flow of water through the float valve. This summer, the Demo Plant team spent time mixing similar concentrations of distilled water/Calcium Hypochlorite solution and running this solution through the flow controller, in order to observe this precipitate forming.  The next step is treating the problem. To prevent failure at the float valve, there are two proposed solutions:

1. Creating an additional element in the hypochlorinators that would allow the precipitate to form elsewhere in the set up. Possibly a filter or settling system or combination of both. This would make cleanup a much simpler and prevent the flow from stopping at the float valve as a result of the precipitin of Calcium Carbonate.
2. Determining an additional chemical solution to add to the hypochlorinator that would result in a lower pH thus preventing the precipitate from forming. This would mean designing a procedure for adding the chemical element into the process that would be simple and straight forward. Additionally when choosing the chemical element the availability of the element in Honduras will be taken into consideration. After developing a new design and additional chemical to be added, we will run tests, ensuring that both methods result in fewer problems with precipitate formation.

Time line

Sept 7-13th
*contact john, and brainstorm ideas

Sept 14-Oct 4th
*lab test of measure of time and at what pH that calcium carbonate precipitates out of solution with varying alkalinities
*would like to use process controller

Oct 5-18th
*group 1 design settling system
*group 2 design pH change lab

Oct 19-25th
*group 1 build settling system
*group 2 start pH change lab 1

Oct 20-Nov 1st
*group 1 start test 1 of settling system
*group 2 finish pH change lab 1

Nov 2-8th
*group 1 finish test 1
*analize lab 1 results and design lab 2

Nov 9-15th
*group 1 analize test 1 results and then design changes for test 2
*group 2 start lab 2

Nov 16-22nd
*group 1 start test 2
*group 2 lab 2

Nov 23-29th
*group 1 finish test 2
*group 2 finish lab 2

Nov 30-Dec 6th
*final review of results and final wright-ups