Kevin's Individual Contribution Page

Spring 2011 Contributions

This semester, I focused primarily on the design of the POU system. I worked on developing a number of possible designs for the filter. Quantitative analysis of the possible designs using MathCAD was done in order to find one that is feasible.  I also helped write both a design paper and a research paper, which has become the focus of the last part of the semester.

Fall 2010 Contributions

Mid-semester update:

I am conducting research that focuses on the development of a point of use foam filtration unit.  Experiments will be conducted to determine the head loss across the foam, the head loss when foam collapses, the effect of layering different porosities of foam and the range of influent turbidities that results in successful filtration.  Design-wise, I will be looking at the influent water flow control system for such a unit.

End of semester update:

I have been working on editing the EPA P3 proposal, which will be submitted before the semester is over. The experimental apparatus has been assembled, and the team has completed several important experiments. We have been able to determine the head loss across the foam over time and when the foam collapses. We also looked into the effects of layering foam of varying porosities. Because of several technical issues that occurred throughout the semester, we were not able to run all the experiments that we had planned. The foam filtration team will continue running experiments in the future. Among the many experiments that we have planned, we will be investigating the effect of varying influent turbidities on filtration performance. Additionally, we will continue working on the design of our point of use filtration unit.

Summer 2010 Contributions

During the summer, I performed experiments to characterize the performance of 90 ppi polyurethane foam and find the optimal parameters for foam filtration.  I conducted experiments that varied the approach velocity, depth, and influent turbidity conditions of the foam.