This summer, a team of AguaClara Cornell students and AguaClara Reach members are working on Version 2 (v2) of the AguaClara Infrastructure Design Engine (AIDE). AIDE v2 software will generate a complex plant design and corresponding documentation, given minimal input parameters.

AguaClara Cornell students and AguaClara Reach members are working remotely this summer. The team uses video conferencing to work together.

Version 1 of the Design Engine was initially developed in 2008 and was dependent on proprietary software (Mathcad and AutoCAD). AIDE v2 uses open source, free software, allowing users to access AguaClara plant designs directly in their browser. It will accomplish this via Onshape, a cloud-based computer-aided design software, and its built-in programming language, FeatureScript. Documentation and specifications for the plant design will be available through an Onshape widget, which will connect to a Python-based website.

AIDE Version 1: A snippet of design code in Mathcad (left) and a screenshot of a filter design in AutoCAD (right).

The primary goal for this summer is to complete a minimum viable product (MVP) of AIDE v2. The MVP for this summer entails generating the full geometry of a Linear Flow Orifice Meter (LFOM), flocculator, sedimentation tank, and filter based on the user’s input of plant flow rate and several other hydraulic inputs, physical constraints, and user preferences. This requires a coordinated effort between the three AIDE subteams: Onshape, FeatureScript, and Python. The Onshape team has already completed a large portion of the plant’s primary treatment process components and will now be focusing on plant-wide integration and optimizing component geometry. The FeatureScript subteam will be writing design logic which incorporates hydraulic calculations into a plant hierarchy; this will allow for both component-by-component and full-plant design. The Python subteam will be working on automating the creation of plant documentation which downloads the values of the Onshape model’s parameters, updates the documentation with those values, and translates between languages.

AIDE Version 2: A snippet of design code in Python (left), a snippet of design code in FeatureScript (right), and a screenshot of a filter design in Onshape (bottom).

The development of AIDE v2 will allow AguaClara Reach to better serve our Implementation Partners by rapidly designing custom AguaClara treatment systems, and as a result, increasing global access to safe water on tap. Continue to check our blog for updates throughout the summer!

Blog Post Authors: Nicole Wang and Fletcher Chapin