Plant Cost Calculator and Water Treatment Technology Selection Guide (WTTSG)
The Plant Cost Calculator subteam's goal is to create a live plant cost calculator based on plant flow rate or population served and develop a guide to indicate the constraints that determine which technology is best suited for different levels and types of contamination. Together, these can serve as part of the front end of the AguaClara Automated Design Tool.The Water Treatment Technology Selection Guide subteam's goal is to create an expert, interactive technology selection tool that empowers water supply professions to make better decisions and to learn which constraints determine which technologies are appropriate. We need to take into consideration the realities of resource and skill constraints of communities, and consider sustainable engineering practices.
The Fall 2011 team developed a Water Treatment Technology Selection Guide in Microsoft Excel, using the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) language. Within the WTTSG, there are five hydraulic-driven unit treatment processes featured, resulting in 11 unique combinations of treatment under consideration. In addition to providing an optimized result for the user, features within the WTTSG include a section on technology write-ups, and a list of questions to allow a layperson to pose to technology vendors.
