Ram Pump - Summer 2019

Ching Pang, Alyssa Ju

Abstract:

AguaClara plants contain chemical dosage tanks that require water to make liquid chemical stocks. The AguaClara Vertical Ram Pump (ACVRP) is an innovation that elimantes the need for plant operators to manually displace water up to the dosage tanks. Water is pumped from a lower to higher elevation by harvesting kinetic energy from the treated water flowing out to the community's water distribution system. The design is a modification of the conventional ram pump that allows the waste water to be contained within the pump system due to the inline feature of ACVRP. Compared to a conventional ram pump, the ACVRP is more operator-friendly and requires lower capital cost. Teams from past semesters have determined that the previous version of the ACVRP was inefficient due to a significant amount of head loss. The goal of this summer was to reduce head loss in the design and to determine the efficiency of the improved ACVRP.

String Digester - Summer 2019

Madeline Garrell, Emily Wood

Abstract:

The String Digester Summer 2019 subteam continued research on designing a new trickling filter to eliminate problems associated with conventional designs. Experiments this summer focused on designing a water distribution system that does not encourage preferential flow, and creating a matrix of strings using "loopy yarn" as the filter media. An ideal string digester would distribute water uniformly onto a large number of densely packed strings from a spray. Initial testing demonstrated that a "good" spray can be achieved with flow rates on the order of 10 μL/s, which is the amount needed to ensure proper cleaning by a biofilm. Initial testing found the string density resulting in the least preferential flow to be between 25 and 30 strings/cm, although more trials are needed to confirm this result. Further experimentation is also needed to improve the spray pattern geometry, and to determine if the "loopy yarn" is suitable for biofilm growth. The long-term goal of this team is to create an efficient wastewater treatment system that will perform secondary and tertiary treatment on domestic wastewater.

UASB - Summer 2019

Nina Blahut, Shania Fang, Emily Liu, Kanha Matai, Cara Smith

Abstract:

Since the spring of 2017, the AguaClara Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) team has been working on a the design and fabrication of a pilot-scale UASB reactor. An UASB reactor is a form of primary wastewater treatment that uses anaerobic digestion to treat the wastewater. The team has created Python code and various CAD models to record the design process and the calculations behind the reactor.

In the summer of 2019, the team will be fabricating six UASB reactors at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility for testing and data collection.

Fluoride Removal - Summer 2019

Fluoride Auto - Cindy Jin, Melissa Louie, Mike Rees

Abstract:

The Summer 2019 Fluoride team investigated issues related to the Automated and Gravity systems, with the goal of determining ideal conditions for removing fluoride. Initial qualitative tests prompted fabrication changes, such as an increase in the plate settler angle in the sedimentation tube. Jar testing was also done to examine if a floc blanket is needed for fluoride removal. Several changes in the sedimentation tube were tested to develop an optimal system for fluoride removal. Fluoride concentrations were measured with an ion electrode to determine removal efficiency and to continue developing the Langmuir Adsorption Isotherm model.