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For the Fall 2012 semester, I worked with ~cs882 to improve the foam filter system by making it easier to clean, more portable, more user friendly, and more efficient.
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A brief and user-friendly operator's manual in Spanish has been created for use in Honduras.
Chemical Doser
Designs for a coagulant doser have been drawn out in the figure below (click for larger image).
The amount of coagulant needed is based upon the amount of NTU's (Net Turbidity Units) in the influent. The coagulant flow is controlled through varying head loss using the dosing tube. The chlorine doser works the same way the coagulant doser does, but adds chlorine to the effluent before distribution of the treated water.
Visual Indicator
We have constructed a secchi disk as a form of a visual indicator to tell when the filter needs to be cleaned. When the roughing filter effluent is 20 NTU, the secchi disk becomes cloudy when it is placed on top of the finishing filter. Thus the secchi disk is a good way to indicate an increase in NTUs but more experiments need to be run with varying depths and turbidities.
Spring 2013
For the Spring 2013 semester I worked with Monica Kuroki and ~lz242 on redesigning and rebuilding the foam filtration system. The main task at hand was coming up with a design using materials that could be readily obtained in Honduras. The old foam filtration system was held in place using a 8020 steel stand while the foam filters were held within clear PVC piping. Unfortunately, 8020 steel and clear PVC piping are unavailable in Honduras.
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