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I worked on the Chemical Dose Controller (CDC) team with Rudy Koul and Andrea Castro. Together we created, refined, and tested a prototype of the chemical dose controller with the latest technologies. The new design for the lever arm assembly included a two sided lever, dual dosing system, and aesthetically pleasing counter weight. Also, we had the lever anodized and engraved with a scale and AguaClara logo to add a polished look to the CDC design. We also tested this system for linearity and verified that the new design does in fact provide a linear relationship between coagulant flow and driving head in the system. The AguaClara design now has a sleek piece of equipment to include in new plants that will not only function well without electricity but look good too.
Winter 2013
I am looking forward to traveling to Honduras in In January of 2013 to see the treatment plants in action, practice Spanish, and help with the knowledge transfer of the chemical dosing systemI traveled with the team to Honduras, where we toured water treatment plants, interacted with community members, attended community meetings, and overall had a great time. As a graduate student I was able to attend a conference with various water and sanitation organizations in Honduras in the country's capital Tegucigalpa. While in Honduras I was able to practice my Spanish and learn about Honduran culture.
Spring 2013
This semester I will be working with the full scale floc break up team. In the Fall of 2012, we did some experiments and got preliminary data to support the fact that breaking flocs could actually improve the performance of a flocculator. To test this idea my team member and I will be designing and fabricating a device that can be installed in the Atima plant down in Honduras. This device will systematically break up flocs to a desired size allowing small flocs to attach again. Once we have successfully fabricated the device in Ithaca we will communicate with Agua Para el Pueblo to carry out experiments to determine if floc break up will help. These tests will be done at full scaleIn the Spring of 2013 I worked on the Full Scale Floc Breakup Team. Based on previous data, we designed a device to be placed in the flocculator in Atima to break up flocs and improve performance. This was a great team to be apart of, because the idea is new and innovative. I got the chance to work on design that nobody has worked on before, and got to work on a team to invent a new product. The device was a simple plastic sheet with holes drilled in it. It is amazing to me that such a simple device has the possibility of increasing flocculator performance. I'm excited for it to be tested and find out if it works.