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This fall, I and my teammate Jenny Guan are continuing work on foam filter for deployment in Spring 2013. This device is intended for small communities such as a school.
Our tasks for this semester include the following:
1. Add a chemical dose controller for coagulant and chlorine to the filtration system. To be completed by Sept. 28
(a) Add the necessary chemicals to stock tanks and chemical dosers using the latest technologies.
(b) Create a frame design that can be obtained and easy to assemble in Honduras.
(c) Determine the foam breakpoint.
2. Develop an operator friendly method of determining when to clean the filter. To be completed by Oct. 10
(a) Observe past team members setting up the system and record the difficulties encountered.
(b) Develop recommendation to make the system more user friendly by creating a 1 page illustrated guide and testing the system by having an individual operate the system.
(c) Develop a protocol to minimize spikes in filtered water turbidity after cleaning and guidelines for setting up coagulant doses.
(d) Determine what the operator should use as feedback to determine whether the dose should be increased or decreased.
3. Communicate with Agua Para el Pueblo about the best method to deploy the technology. By Nov. 27
(a) Explore the possibility of using such a system permanently at a school or community.
(b) Create plans for deployment as an emergency system and pack a test system for transport.
(c) Coordinate plans so there is an opportunity to display a model at a school or community.
(d) Research the supplies for reticulated foam in Honduras.
4. Find a correlation between NTUs and time to breakthrough/overflow. Completed throughout project.
(a) Investigate relationships between breakthrough and plunged effluent
(b) Run more tests
5. Find a way to run the filter without electricity. Completed throughout project.
1. Add a chemical dose controller for coagulant and chlorine to the filtration system.
2. Communicate with Agua Para el Pueblo about the best method to deploy the technology.
3. Find a correlation between NTUs and time to breakthrough/overflow.
4. Find a way to run the filter without electricity.
5. Create a user manual in Spanish
The tasks in bold are ones that are still in progress.
Thus far, we have been able to create a chemical dose controller, have raised our tank up to allow the filter to run without electricity, and have created a Secchi disk to measure the turbidity easily.