Automated Plant Inflow System Meeting Minutes

Spring 2009 Minutes

February 20, 2009

Working Group: Linear Automated Plant Inflow System

• Henry Zeng
• Steven Mitchell

Accomplishments

• Set up the Linear Automated Plant Inflow System.
• Consulted Nicole Ceci to determine what parts were required to set up the Linear Automated Plant Inflow System.
• Worked on MathCad file to determined whether the pipe is sized too small to accommodate the flow rates for which the orifice pattern will deliver in the LFOM.
• Helped to determine if the LFOM will fail for all flow rates.
• Created initial outline for paper.
• Edited goals and deadlines.
• Divided into two working groups.
• Researched various references for research and the paper.

Outcomes

• Scheduled a meeting with Monroe to determine how to configure and install the pressure sensor.
• Consolidated all the MathCad files into one document.
• Installed the Linear APIS in the AguaClara Lab.
• Scheduled a meeting with Monroe to review basics of the paper.
• Determined that the Linear APIS was not missing any components.
• Reviewed initial draft of paper.

Working Group: Non-Linear Automated Plant Inflow System

• Nadia Siles
• Julia Schoen

Accomplishments

• Worked on Linear APIS MathCad file to determine whether the pipe is sized too small to accommodate the flow rates for which the orifice pattern will deliver in the LFOM.
• Developed preliminary non-linear APIS mathcad code to determine whether the flow rate in the dosing tank and headloss have a linear relationship.

Metrics

• Our plant flow range in our mathcad code is: 188L/min-8,445L/min.
• We might adjust this flow rate to start at 400L/min since we will assume that the non-linear APIS will be installed in plants that have flow rates above 400L/min.

Outcomes

• We were able to observe a linear relationship between the headloss and flow rate in the dosing tank.
• Based on our flow rates we think we will need a valve as big as the ones used for a toilet.

Issues

• The graph that depicted a linear relationship between the headloss and flow rate in the dosing tank, no longer works. We need to debug the code.
• Last weekend. the wiki site was not down.

Any Overall Team Comments:

• After speaking with Nicole we have decide to split our team into two groups: Nadia and Julia will be in charge of the non-linear APIS AND Henry and Steve will be in charge of the linear APIS.
• We will change the team's name APIS to Chemical Doser Controller because the word "automated" in the APIS title suggests the system is computer-operated.
• We have entered the BIO-Expo competition and hope to have enough data by March 5th (date of the event).
• We are all responsible to set-up meetings with Monroe to discuss the outline (Henry), preliminary non-linear APIS mathcad code (Julia and Nadia), and flow controller mathcad files (Steve).