Catherine Hanna's Individual Contribution Page
Summer 2010 Contributions
This past summer, I worked with the Foam Filtration Team in order to determine the feasibility of implementing a foam filtration unit into AguaClara's small-scale water treatment plant.
I worked with four other group members to conduct research on foam filtration. We ran multiple experiments using different parameters (pore per inch count, raw water approach velocity, foam depth, alum coating, etc.) in order to determine the optimal parameters for maximum performance and least effluent turbidity. After realizing that not much work has been completed on studying the effects of foam filtration, we decided also to write a thorough research paper on our findings. Essentially we discovered that foam filtration units are not appropriate for use at a large scale. But rather, sand filtration may work best with AguaClara's water treatment plant. Hence, we have decided to begin focusing our efforts on foam filtration as a point-of-use system.
Fall 2010 Contributions
I spent this semester working with the Foam Filtration Team once again. This time, we focused our efforts on designing a point-of-use foam filtration unit.
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After combining and constantly revising my and my teammates designs (filtration unit, chlorination doser, and holding tanks), our group managed to finalize a schematic for this unit, submit a financial aid proposal to EPA's P3 competition, and run experiments to determine our unit's effectiveness as a point-of-use system. Toward the end of the semester, we also began looking into filtration effects of layering foam with different pore sizes.
Spring 2011 Contributions
I am currently working with AguaClara's Foam Filtration Team once again. We are continuing to design the point-of-use foam filtration system; however, this semester, we are focusing on the specific details of the system by calculating all necessary dimensions for each individual component. Additionally, once all dimensions and components are determined and finalized, we will build a sample system to test physically and obtain concrete results.
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