Massielle Begazo's Individual Contribution Page

Design Team

Spring 2010 Contributions

This spring I worked with Nanditha on the launders and the couplings. I spent much of the earlier weeks getting familiar with how the plants work and with MathCAD.The MathCAD tutorial was my first completed assignment. I presented at the teach-in which helped me solidify my understanding of the plant.

 Our first task was to add a second socket to the coupling. The launder was shortened in length so that it could be easily removed for maintenance. I assisted Nanditha in creating a space between the lamella and the launders, for in the old designs it looked as if the lamella was supporting the launder but this is not correct. With the added distance between the launder and lamella, the height of the water  was increased and thus the height of the sedimentation tank wall had to be increased. I  helped Nanditha update the equations in MathCAD to reflect the changes made.

 I contacted Sarah Long to find out what they were currently using to support the launder, she mentioned that they used a pvc pipe under the launder as support.After discussing the matter with Heather, Nanditha, and Monroe, we decided that a cement ledge would support the launder.