Solar Chlorine Generator

Sponsored by Dow ChemicalFall 2012

Nick Lubenetski, Kelly Helfrich, Brittany LaBadie, David Blyton

Big PictureProblem: Every year there are millions of deaths resulting from contaminated drinking water

Our goal: Is to make a simple cost effective water purification device that can be operated by a common

person in Morocco

Project GoalsResearch and understand project background

(solar, chorine generation, filtration)Understand previous design failures and

successesDesign a prototype for SUNUBuild first round prototypeTest and modify prototypeWrite instruction sheet/video to be sent over

with prototype◦ include safety information

Include a detailed final report with what we found and why we chose design◦ all research included

Last Semester’s Project

What was

accomplished

• Prototype built

• Sealed the

container

• Researched

Scrubber systems

How it works

Brine Water Used

Electrolysis

Chlorine generated

reacts with harmful

bacteria

Positives of This Model

Cheap Method

All supplies are Accessible

Easy to Use

Generates Chlorine from

Brine water

Problems with Current Design

The current model is not solarRelease of very harmful chlorine gas Purified water is not accessible Installing Scrubber System is complicated

What needs to be addressedThe release of harmful chlorine

gasAccessing the purified water Making the system solar powered

Research• Our water• How to purify it• Bleach• Carbon Filtration• Chlorine Generation

Our WaterThree basic categories

1. Protozoa2. Bacteria3. Viruses

BleachAdd specified amount of bleachWait 30-60 minutes until water is

clearCan purify 5,460 gallons for $4Only kills bacteriaMay also need to be filtered

Carbon FiltrationActivated carbonWhat it’s best at removingWhat it’s not good at removingSilver or KDF-55 used to prevent

bacteria growth

Carbon Filtration Use

1. Water passes through mesh/screen filter

2. Passes through activated carbon filter

3. De-ionizing filter used

Chlorine GenerationEffects of chlorineSalt used for reactionForms hypochloriteUsed for water filtration

New DesignPurposeApplicationConstraintsBleach design

Solid Works Design

Bleach Storage

Mixing Tank

Storage tank

Carbon Filter

Addition of Bleach

Manual addition one time a month

Drains via gravitySmall amounts addedCalculations

Mixing Tank

Continuously stirred

Feed streams (bleach/water)

Assumptions & calculations

Storage Tank/Filtration

Storage tank◦ Stores purified water waiting to be filtered◦ Size◦ Underground to maximize space

Carbon Filtration◦ Pumped up from underground storage tank◦ Removes contaminants and dirt just before use or

consumption

Picture sources http://omiusajpic.org/topics/safe-drinking-water/ http://www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Resources/News-Stories/2012/

April/Miracle-Moringa--Growing-Wild-in-African-Backyards http://www.fluidmixer.com/CSTRs/Perfect-Mixing.aspx http://www.filtersfast.com/articles/Guide-to-Water-

Purification.php http://www.rainshowermfg.com/page16/page36/page36.html http://newwater.com.au/ http://www.luxist.com/tag/drinking+water/ http://www.riversideonline.com/source/images/image_popup/

id7_germtypes.jpg http://www.clorox.com/img/products/regular/hero_product.png http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/WQ/images/WQ-

13.fig1.gif http://www.goldstockbull.com/articles/time-buy-solar-stocks/ http://toponlineengineeringdegree.com/?page_id=98

Data Sources Bleach Research

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/Factsheets/WaterPurification.aspx

How to build your own at home generator-http://www.ehow.com/how_7590604_build-diy-homemade-chlorine-generator.html

Water purification w/ video- http://www.tngun.com/diy-chlorine-generator-for-water-purification/

Chlorine facts- http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/chlorine/basics/facts.asp◦ http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/chlorine.htm and http://◦ deploymenthealthlibrary.fhp.osd.mil/Product/RetrieveFile?prodId=300

Existing products- http://www.hayspurewaterforallfoundation.com/products.html Existing project- http://www.gomanzanillo.com/features/cleanwater/index.htm Bucket and Berkey system- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KExgPPfF2o Buying a Berkey Filter-

http://www.berkeyfilters.com/berkey-water-filters/replacement-filters/black-berkey/ http://www.sedifilt.com/drinking_water/

activated_carbon_granular_and_solid_block.html http://www.sedifilt.com/drinking_water/

health_effects_of_chlorine_in_drinking_water.html http://doultonusa.com/HTML%20pages/activated_carbon_water_filtration.htm http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/dwgb/documents/dwgb-

2-12.pdf http://www.lenntech.com/Data-sheets/Ion-Exchange-for-Dummies-RH.pdf http://doultonusa.com/HTML%20pages/activated_carbon_water_filtration.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_filtering http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question209.htm