Pilot Plant Meeting Minutes

Spring 2009 Minutes

2-20-2009

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Accomplishments

• Developed and began construction of new baffle system
  • 1/2" PVC which is already at the lab will be run continuously through the baffles we already use (after holes are drilled in them).
  • Baffles will be held in place with segments of reinforced PVC tubing slit spirally lengthwise. These tubes will be placed over the PVC pipe to hold the baffles in place and can easily be removed or added to the pipe.
  • Purchased 6' of tubing to test if it will be better to use tubing as clamps (put small segments of the tubing on each side of the baffle) or as spacers (i.e. fill the entire space between consecutive baffles with pieces of the tubing)
    The following proposals were deemed ineffective after deliberation and testing:
• Built mockup of proposed new baffle system (using 1/2 in. " PVC pipe , rubber o-rings)and rubber O-rings
  • O-rings slid around too much
• Planned several versions for the planned actual baffle design (speced out components, priced out online)

  Metrics

  • Quantitative and qualitative results from accomplishments and outcomes.
  • Potential metrics for unresolved issues.

  Outcomes

  • A summary of resolutions based on what was accomplished.
  • New directions and ideas that result from these resolutions.
  • We need to clamp, drill press baffles when we build for the pilot plant

  Issues

  • • 1/4" stainless steel pipe: $10/6 ft from McMasterCarr
      • Will need 4 pipes/channel
    • Tygon tubing (~$1.50/ft) to be used as sleeve around the pipe the keep clamps tight
    • Potentially using spring clamps ($13/100 clamps)
    • Potentially using Nitrile O-rings
    • $8/pk of 100 O-rings
      • Couldn't have O-rings on threaded beucase they'd eventually break and entire system would need to be dissembled to replace
      • Couldn't have nuts because of length of time to change spacing and in case the nuts ever became chewed out or are unable to be moved

  Outcomes

  • Have final design for the baffle system
  • Obtained materials, began construction
  • Will be retrieving rest of current baffle system from the pilot plant and drilling holes in baffles and starting construction of new system.

  Issues

  • We need to clamp or use a drill press to drill the holes in the baffles so they line up

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  • Difficult and unresolved issues
  • Plans for action