User:Jacobfeldman1021/project 1

Project Preferences[edit] Project 1): Composting Bin (Gas Chamber) Problem Statement[edit]

Week 1[edit]

My group is working on the Composting Bin, and I specifically am working on the Gas Chamber portion of the project. Currently, we are completing the Conceive and Design phases from the CDIO phase. Project Plan[edit] Our group's plan over the course of the next few weeks is to design and create a composting bin. This bin will have several elements, including a frame, rotating blade, gas chamber, and exhaustion system. We hope to have it functioning properly at the end of our designated time. Week1 Narrative[edit] -I gathered the basic materials for the gas chamber, which includes a plastic bottle (chamber) and some cardboard. I also have a cap for the top of the bottle, which will be incorporated into the gas exhaustion system. -We drew our designs in our Engineering Notebooks and compared them to insure that everyone was on the same page as far as dimensions and the systems equilibrity. -I researched what method of going about making the gas chamber was most effective and practical given our materials and timeline. -I have derived a plan on what I am doing during class time as far as actually building the gas chamber. This is only to be done in class, so time is very limited and of the upmost importance in finishing this project on time.

Week 2 Narrative[edit]

Over the course of the second week, I took dimensions on my chamber and had to explore several ideas on how the chamber was going to work. I decided to use an Ortho plastic bottle as the chamber, and try to incorporate a system of fans and valves of some sort. The most important part of the second week of working on my project was determining a game plan for the actual creation of the gas chamber -I took various measurements of my gas chamber, including height, length, width and the diameter of the slot in which the two tubes were going to enter. The length of the chamber is 11.5 inches, the width is 7.5 inches, and the width of the base is 5.7 inches. The diameter of the holes that the connecting tube and pvc pipe connect to are both 1.5 inches. -I ending up deciding to use two computer fans as a method to pump air from the compost bin in and out of the chamber as needed. By incorporating two valves, one at each entrance of the chamber, the fans can still operate well. When the fans turn off, due to the programming of the arduino, the valves will close and allow the gas to settle in the chamber, allowing for an accurate reading from the sensors installed inside. -I determined that the fans should be placed at the existential point of the chamber (at the beginning of the connecting tube), and one at the top of the chamber (base of the exterior tube). This way, the valve at the entrance of the connecting tube can still be lifted by the fan without the obstruction/bending of the connecting tube (vacuum tube). The valve at the top of the chamber will be effective in that it has the most power to remove air from the chamber because of how close it is to the air itself. The valve will be placed at the top of the exterior tube (pvc pipe) so that it is hard for air to enter when unwanted, and the power of the fan will have little to no trouble at all to lift the valve when air needs to be removed. The valves will be made of heavy computer paper as opposed to lightweight cardboard, because the computer fans have a difficult time lifting the cardboard valves from a distance greater than six inches.

Week 3 Narrative[edit]

After determining the basic procedure of what I wanted to accomplish in the second week of working on the gas chamber project, I had planned the third week to consist of actually building and constructing the chamber. The first, most important thing is getting the dimensions to fit with the attachments for both the tubes and pvc pipe, as well as the computer fans. This is something that has to be done by trial and error to be completely functional, and during the course of the week the structural part of the chamber is going to hopefully be completed (as far as the different parts go). -I needed to designate the specific locations of the entrance and exit of the connecting and existential tubes. This is important because the gas chamber has to be able to sit on the frame of the compost bin and connect to it easily. The nozzle of the Ortho bin is going to be where the pvc pipe (the exhaust) is located. On the side of the bin, I drilled a hole 1.5 inches in diameter for the vacuum tube to be installed connecting it to the composting bin. -I brought in the two computer fans and tested them to see if they worked well on the valves I had made from a distance of 6 inches and 12 inches, and they were both successful. The two valves I made out of folded computer paper and they would be 'mounted' to the tops of their respective tubes. Only the top of the paper would be mounted, so that the fan could force the paper up when it turned on. -Before the connecting tube is to be installed, the diameter of the hole is wide enough so that Kelly's sensors can be installed onto the side of the chamber. Once the tube is installed, the sensors will not be accessible anymore as the vacuum tube will be cement glued air tight. -While tampering with the gas chamber, I realized that the sensors would most likely work more efficiently if there were some kind of mechanism inside the chamber to disperse the gas better. I decided that I would incorporate long cardboard pieces inside the chamber from one side to about an inch or two off from the other side. This would help to disperse the gas more evenly, allowing for a more accurate reading from our methane and temperature sensors.