Ann Newcomb's Individual Contribution Page

Fall 2012 Contributions

This semester I worked with Anthony Andrews to create a function that draws section cuts through the 3D model of the AguaClara plant. Previously, this work was done manually by Agua Para el Pueblo, but was a very tedious and exhaustive process. With the function that we created, section cuts are drawn as a part of the Design Tool and will be shown in the model space of any requested plant drawing.

The function requires two points to define a line that creates the section cut through the plant. Given a direction vector and a rotation angle for the insertion of the section drawing, the cut is created and inserted into the drawing space. As this function is implemented into the Design Tool, it will make it much easier for future implementation partners to understand the complex elements of the AguaClara plant, and will be particularly important for implementation partners that may be unfamiliar with our plant design. This project helps to effectively communicate the complicated nature of the AguaClara plant drawings, and expands on the professional output of the Design Tool going forward.

Spring 2012 Contributions

This semester I worked with the design team to write an abstract that highlights AguaClara technology as well as the experience of APP as an implementation partner. Previously, the documentation for AguaClara was based off of grant applications or research papers, but did not adequately describe the technology to an audience that might not have the technical background necessary to understand the important aspects of AguaClara technology.

This semester I have finished an abstract in Spanish that totals 10 pages (including pictures and charts) that describes the AguaClara technology as well as the social benefits seen in communities with AguaClara plants, previous project descriptions, cost comparison to conventional plants, and information about APP as an implementation partner. This document will serve to promote AguaClara technology as well as provide much needed information about AguaClara's past projects and the innovative technology.

Below is my final design report:

Newcomb_FinalReportSp2012.docx

Fall 2011 Contributions

This semester I worked with my 4540 group to design a new lever arm that will dose all of the chemicals for the AguaClara plant. Currently, the chemical dose controller only designates an amount of coagulant that should be added to the incoming raw water, but the chlorine is not dosed in the same way. In the current plant designs, the chlorine is dosed in a way that is not dependent on the amount of incoming raw water. Therefore, any changes that affect the incoming flow rate are not reflected in the way that the chlorine is being dosed. Our goal was to design a new chlorine dosing system that would accurately reflect the amount of incoming water and its turbidity so that the chlorine would be dosed in a more regulated manner.

In our project, we also saw a need for coagulant, of a different concentration, to be dosed to the settled water that is entering the SRSF. It has been shown that adding coagulant to water that is entering the filter could increase the efficiency of the filter collisions, and so we also added the chemical storage tanks and tubing that would be needed to add this chemical.

Ultimately, our work was to design a centralized dosing system for the plants so that the operator has the feel of a control center within the plant. We also designed a lever arm with three separate dosing tubes that can dose the coagulant to the incoming water, the coagulant to the settled water, and the chlorine to the water that is traveling to the distribution system. This work will be reflected in future plant design and will help to streamline the way in which chemicals are dosed in the AguaClara plants. 

Spring 2011 Contributions

This semester I worked with Tori Klug to redesign the way in which the chemical storage tanks are drawn in the Automated Design Tool. Before this semester, the chemical storage tanks were not drawn in the correct location in the AguaClara plant, nor where they drawn with any sort of scaling or representation of the correct size of tanks being used. Throughout this semester, we compiled a database of available chemical storage tanks and created MathCAD code that appropriately selects a size of coagulant tank based on a calculated volume. Our code also draws the chemical storage tanks and the corresponding connecting pieces and pipes in order to connect the chemical storage tanks to the constant head tank. The final report link is shown underneath and explains all of the work that we have completed this semester. My work this semester focused on compiling the database of available chemical storage tanks and working on creating the connecting pieces in AutoCAD.

Final Design Report:

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/AGUACLARA/Coagulant+Stock+Tank+Design+Program