Evaporator and Sensor Array Work Night
Date:4.2.18
Location: Logan HS
Time: 4:00-7:00 PM
Goal: Finish the evaporator and test thermistor sensor array.
Students: Dom, Andy, Alex and Paige
The work night produced mixed results. We fabricated the matrix for the evaporator side of the Desalination Machine (DM). It came together nicely and when we did a water test all connections held. The condenser on the other hand, produced problems right away.
When water was run across the radiators it would hang up and not drip off due to surface tension. This is a big concern because we need it to freely drip down to the clean water collection chamber. We think the issue is surface tension and the fact that the radiators are very tightly designed which makes it difficult to allow water to release. We are going to look at designing an acoustic vibration device to vibrate the drops off the radiators or some type of motor that when activated will vibrate the condenser.
On the electronics side of the DM, Andy was having problems with the temperature sensors. There was a very big discrepancy in the temperature both thermistors were outputting. He worked with Mr. Foye to break down the circuit and see if the problem was hardware or software. After about an hour of testing, we decided to replace the Arduino Uno for a newer one to see if that changed anything. They next day in class, Andy replaced the Uno and the circuit seemed to work giving off values within the tolerance range.
Next goal is to install the evaporator and start fabricating valves for water movement.
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| Testing the condenser to see how water behaves on it. We had problems here. |
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| Dom working on zip ties on the evaporator flow done matrix. |
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| Mr. Foye and Andy working on the thermistors for temperature. |
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| Dom cutting out the flow down matrix support material with a Dremel tool. |
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| Water testing the flow down matrix for leaks. No leaks! |
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| Testing the condenser side for leaks. We had two, but were able to tighten the hose clamps and seal them. |
Dom cutting with a dremel tool.
Water testing the flow down matrix.
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