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I joined Aguaclara in the spring semester of 2013. Last semester, I worked on the foam filtration team. This semester, my team members Alexandra Green, Sarah Sinclair, Chris Wen, and Jeanette Liu and I are working on the Low Flow Stacked Rapid Sand filter (LFSRSF).
In the fall semester, I have joined the 12in. subteam that is responsible for creating the new filter along with my teammates Sarah Sinclair and Chenxi Wen. This semester, we have designed a created a filter column that can be used to test and make improvements on a design that was used in India.
A large challenge we faced with designing the filter was how the slotted manifolds, inflow, and outflow tubing would be installed with the constraint of only being able to reach arm's length. This created the solution of cutting the main filter column into two pieces, but we then needed a plan to securely join the two halves of the filter column with a leak-proof seal. By the end of the semester, we successfully devised a system that involves joining the two columns with a Fernco coupling gasket, surrounded by shim stock for support, and tightened together with two hose clamps. This method of construction will join both the filter column in the middle and attach the PVC sheet caps to the top and bottom of the filter column.
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