AIDE Update: Textbook Chapter

In the past few months, we have been continuing to develop our design tool, the AguaClara Infrastructure Design Engine (AIDE). To begin publicizing AIDE for broader use, we have prepared a few public-facing documents that give more insight into how the tool works. 

The AguaClara textbook now contains a section that introduces AIDE, explains how we at AguaClara use AIDE, and describes how you can use AIDE to explore AguaClara technologies. The relevant section of the textbook can be found here. This section includes videos that guide you through an exploration of AIDE within Onshape, the CAD program that we use to design AguaClara plants. 

Introductory videos for AIDE

In addition, there are public demos available for various configurable components, which make up our customized water treatment plant designs. These public demos include a CAD model and an explanatory PDF. In the demo model, you can adjust certain parameters and quickly see how the new parameter values affect the physical model. The attached PDF describes the configurable component and defines the relevant parameters. This allows you to know more about the changes you are making and how they fit into the physics of the code integrated into the model.

We encourage you to explore our design tool and welcome feedback through this form.

AguaClara Textbook Introduction

Planned to be a compendium of AguaClara research and design methods, the “AguaClara textbook” titled The Physics of Water Treatment Design has become an indispensable resource of AguaClara design. Over the past several years, many individuals have contributed their time and knowledge in developing what the textbook has become. 

Not simply a narrative of how designs come to be, the textbook also includes design challenges for students taking the Safe Water on Tap course. These challenges are supported by direct links to Onshape 3D Models, the derivations of key principles, a glossary,  parameter convention list, and links to interactive code snippets where users can see directly how changes will affect the design.

The homepage of the textbook

The recent additions mentioned above supplement most chapters, allowing students to have nearly all course documents in one place, as well as a straightforward means to edit the design challenges. Within most chapters, the structure follows a pattern: the introduction to the component followed by derivations, then design, then the Design Challenge, ending with design solutions and future work. This structure allows readers to understand the big picture before working on the design and solving the design challenge.

The design challenges are incorporated into the text to make it easy for students to connect the design challenges to course concepts.

Another feature, designed specifically with readers in mind, is the labeling and tagging of each equation, image, heading, and reference. This allows these features to be linked within the text and can send the reader directly back to where the equation or image was first cited. The tagged headings allow important portions of the text to be cited specifically. This is helpful in guiding students towards the cited concepts in place of page numbers, which are not present in the website version of the text.

This equation is named and is automatically linked when you refer to its name elsewhere in the text. This makes it simple to refer back to other concepts.

Another unique feature of the textbook is the publishing rate of new versions. With a typical textbook, years go by before edits can be made and published. However, in our textbook, once an edit is made, a new version can be available in a few minutes. This rapid turnover means that the information is rarely out of date. The rapid changes also ensure that the textbook is never finished.

The version number can be found in the upper left-hand part of the webpage, it is updated every time a new version is pushed.

Every design change made, and each insight gained, leads to a better, more thorough version. We know that it is a short walk to the edge of knowledge and this textbook lets that be true, in a way impossible through traditional methods. Every set of reviewers makes changes to make the material easier for students and others to understand, and this allows the text to be something that can change depending on the needs of users. Some plans for the future are to simplify the way in which edits are proposed, as well as adding additional sections on plant operation and troubleshooting challenges, along with the tentative completion of several additional sections. Though it will never be truly complete, The Physics of Water Treatment Design is an incredible resource for anyone interested in learning about the AguaClara design philosophy and treatment technology.

Check out the textbook and let us know what you think!

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Blog post author: Clare O’Connors

AguaClara and Ohio State University Collaboration

RIDE (Research, Invent, Design, Empower) is ACR’s first research-based committee. RIDE partners with research institutions around the world to create more efficient, cost-effective, and reliable water treatment technologies. For the past few months, RIDE volunteers have been hard at work creating a multi-semester plan to roll out new AguaClara Programs at research institutions. RIDE’s primary objective in Spring 2021 is to ensure the successful startup of research at Ohio State University (OSU). The AguaClara OSU Program is the first student-led AguaClara research conducted outside of Cornell University, making for the newest AguaClara Program in 15 years. 

In 2018, Dr. Michael Hagenberger, a professor and Associate Dean from OSU, and Dr. Monroe Weber-Shirk, retired lecturer from Cornell, connected to discuss joint research opportunities and the successes of the student-led AguaClara program. Dr. Hagenberger sent an OSU student, Mike Reese, to work with the AguaClara Cornell team in the summer of 2019 to learn about the team and take lessons back to OSU. Since 2019, Dr. Hagenberger, Mike Reese, and Patrick Sours, a Senior Lecturer from OSU, have worked with ACR to prepare for the launch of an AguaClara OSU program.

Students at OSU began their in-person classes on January 18th, 2021 which also marked the start of their AguaClara research. Leading up to the start of the semester, RIDE provided OSU with a list of research topics, each with a short description summarizing the main research objectives. This list allowed students to learn about AguaClara research objectives and pick topics inline with their interests and experience. From the options available, OSU students selected the Depth Filtration project and created a subteam tasked with studying how varying parameters of flow rate, sand size, and coagulant dosage may affect AguaClara’s stacked rapid sand filters’ performance. Four students at OSU will be a part of the AguaClara Program at OSU this semester.

After the research topic was picked, RIDE created a comprehensive purchasing list for OSU to ensure that all required materials are prepared. 

A schematic of a lab bench setup provided to the OSU team as reference. Research teams, with the support of RIDE, will design their own testing setups and research plans.

AguaClara Cornell’s 15 years of research experience has given RIDE expertise to identify supplies needed for various research projects. RIDE used this background to make a custom purchasing guide that OSU will use to select all of their lab equipment based on their research grant budget.

When the supplies arrive on campus, RIDE will begin the last phase of the AguaClara Program setup which involves assembling the lab bench along with its most critical components. To assist with the assembly, RIDE provides a detailed list of instructions to allow in-person students to easily designate responsibilities and maximize efficiency. After the lab is ready for research, a dedicated team of RIDE members will continuously support and advise students on their current research. Remote support comes in the form of emails, videos calls, and occasional in-person visits from RIDE members who live nearby.

Thank you to everyone who has worked to make this partnership a success! ACR is so excited to welcome the OSU team to the AguaClara family. We look forward to sharing research updates from Cornell and OSU soon.

If you are interested in getting involved as a RIDE volunteer or want to learn more about starting an AguaClara Research Program, please email Matthew Cimini at mcimini@aguaclarareach.org.

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Author: Matthew Cimini