WERC
Client Information: Dr. Wilbert Odem Wilbert.Odem@nau.edu
Team Information:
Team Name: Alpha-Zulu Solutions
Team Members and Contact Information:
Brandon Curtis BC95@nau.edu
Brandon Giardino BLG57@nau.edu
Chris Livingston CL388@nau.edu
Marc Miller MM987@nau.edu
Amanda Shapter AJS336@nau.edu
Eric Toloskiewich ET57@nau.edu
From left: Eric Toloskiewich, Brandon Giardino, Brandon
Curtis, Marc Miller, Chris Livingston, Amanda Shapter
Project
Description
Due to large volumes of water treatment by sea vessels, using the Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration processes, New Mexico State University has proposed a project to prolong the RO membrane life by improving the current pretreatment process. The current pretreatment process uses a disposable cartridge 5-micron filter or a 20-micron and 3-micron filter, in series respectively. A 500-micron filter initially treats the flow. The average lifetime of the current filter is 4 days, requiring 4 hours of work to replace. The sea vessels are looking to increase the life span of the filter to 4 months and lower the amount of storage space to 100 cubic feet. To prolong RO membrane life and achieve 40% RO recovery, the desired particle size before RO treatment is 0.1-microns. The system may not exceed 3 times greater than the current systems size and must use no more in energy than 10 percent of the RO process. The system must be able to handle 30,000 gallons per day (GPD). The new RO pretreatment process may also be interchangeable to on-land desalination plants and the concept of Go Green should be taken into consideration.
Scope of Work:
·
Background
Research
Members of the team will conduct
research on current methods for the treatment of seawater for potable use. The
scope of the research will include existing RO systems on sea-going vessels, as
well as land based RO treatment plants. In addition, the research will identify
new and untested design alternatives.
·
Selection
of Initial Design
Potential designs will be
compared by the team to select the optimal design, which may use a series of
commercially available technologies. Input from technical advisors will be used
to eliminate designs with problems, such as high construction costs or
impractical sizes. The treatment process will be documented with schematics and
CAD drawings to illustrate the design.
·
Evaluation
of Design Alternatives
Using stakeholder input, advice
from technical advisors, and background research information, the team will
identify designs capable of meeting the WERC criteria. The criteria dictate the
design must:
Use
no more than 6-9 horsepower
Be
no more than 3 times larger than the cartridge filter system, or about 36 cubic
feet
Eliminate
use of hazardous chemicals while the vessel is at sea
Use
less than 100 cubic feet for stored items
Require
no significant maintenance for at least 4 months
Deliver
water to the RO with particle diameter less than 0.1 ΅m
Deliver
at least 75,000 gallons per day to the RO
·
Construction
of Initial Design
A bench scale model of the
selected design will be constructed to validate the design and provide test
data. The physical model will be scaled appropriately to treat 10 gallons of
seawater in 30 to 40 minutes. Additionally, the components will represent a
scale to allow construction of a full sized system aboard a sea vessel. The
model will implement physical, chemical, or biological treatments to meet the
goal of removing particles over 0.1 micron in
diameter.
·
Design
Modifications
The model will be modified to
meet the goals. The modifications may include a complete redesign or small
adjustments to pressure, filter size, or flow rates of the model.
·
Model
Testing & Data Collection
With preliminary construction of
the bench model complete, testing will begin to evaluate the performance of the
design. Testing will consist of mixing seawater, treating the seawater with the
bench model, and analyzing the resulting water characteristics to determine the
effectiveness of the treatment. Tests include turbidity, suspended solids
concentration, pH, and salinity. Each test will be performed according to
Standard Methods guidelines. Data quality will be ensured by use of multiple
samples, blanks, and the use of proper lab practice. The test results will be
used to evaluate the design for improvement. Testing will also be used to
estimate the longevity of components of the system with extended contact with
seawater. The goal of the longevity testing is to guarantee at least a four
month period between significant maintenance.
·
Analysis
of Results
The results of the fully
functioning model will be used to determine the longevity of the pretreatment
system. The longevity results will be important to determine the viability of a
four month time span between significant maintenance periods. The evaluation of
the results will indicate the effectiveness of the design for implementation.
·
Documentation
Development
The documentation deliverable
consists of a written report detailing the teams proposed solution. The report
will identify the tasks, describe the full-scale design, provide bench model
test results, give consideration of the waste generation of the design, and
give a technical evaluation of the treatment process. The report will also
include a detailed selection process with cost/benefit analysis, evaluation criteria,
and screening protocol. A discussion of the advantages, disadvantages, and
limitations of the selected treatment system, as well as other options, will be
included. Other information in the report will provide potential sterilization
methods, reference sources, safety issues associated with the process, and a
marketing strategy appropriate for distribution of the technology.
·
Competition
Testing
The final stage of the project
will culminate with a presentation of the design by Alpha-Zulu Solutions at the
WERC Environmental Design Competition during the week of April 1, 2012 in Las
Cruses, New Mexico. The competition will consist of three distinct portions. A
15-minute oral presentation on the selected treatment system will be given by
the team on April 2. The presentation consists of 25% of the total score. The
second portion of the contest will be a bench scale model demonstration worth
30% of the total score. Finally, a poster presentation will accompany the bench
scale demonstration, and comprises 10% of the total score.
Each portion of the competition
will be prepared well in advance of the competition to allow time for the team
to review and perfect the operation of the treatment systems and oral
presentation. The goal of the team will be to provide only the highest quality
of engineering and documentation for each portion of the competition.
·
Client
Report
The team at Alpha-Zulu Solutions
will also prepare a comprehensive written report for the client, Dr. Wilbert
Odem. The report will include all deliverables listed in previous sections,
including drawings, test data, meeting minutes and agendas, communications
documents, lab notebook data, and designs for a full-scale treatment operation.
A presentation will be prepared for the client, in addition to a poster
describing the basic functions of the pretreatment system.
WERC
WERC, which stands for Waste-management
Education and Research Consortium, is involved in environmental education and
technology development. Their mission is
to develop human resources and technologies needed to address environmental
issues. More information can be found
at: http://www.ieenmsu.com/werc-2/