solar powered pond aerator
TRANSCRIPT
Final Project Report
Title:
Design and Improvement of Water Aeration Product(driven by solar powered water pump system; determining its functionality, manufacturability and
aesthetics)
UNCONQUERED SUN SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES INC
11600 County Road 42 Tecumseh, ONN8N 2M1
Direct Contact: JOSEPHE PAPIC
Mentor: NOEL HARDING
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Walid Abdul-Kader
Submitted On: April 2, 2012
SUBMITTED TO: Dr. Jill Urbanic
TEAM MEMBERS
Ofofon Enyong 103019251
Abhay Apte 102503168 Sumeet Sharma 102805602
INDUSTRY SPONSOR – UNCONQUERED SUN SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES INC
Name Title/Position Email Signature
Sean Moore Founder & CEO [email protected]
David
Binder
Managing Partner [email protected]
Joseph
Papic
Partner & Director
of Business
Development
om
TEAM MEMBERS
Student Name Student ID # IMSE Option Email
Ofofon Ita Enyong 103019251 General [email protected]
AbhayApte 102503168 General [email protected]
Sumeet Sharma 102805602 With Business Minor [email protected]
FACULTY SUPERVISORS
Name Department Email Signature
Dr. Jill Urbanic IMSE [email protected]
Dr. Walid Abdul-kader IMSE [email protected]
SIGNATUREPAGE
PROJECT TITLE: Design and Improvement of Water Aeration Product
The work presented in this report is solely the effort of the group members and that any work of
others that was used during the execution of the design project or is included in the report has
been suitably acknowledged through the standard practice of citing references and stating
appropriate acknowledgments The work presented in this report is solely the effort of the group
members and that any work of others that was used during the execution of the design project or
is included in the report has been suitably acknowledged through the standard practice of citing
references and stating appropriate acknowledgments.
Student Name Student ID # IMSE Option Signature
Ofofon Ita Enyong 103019251 General
AbhayApte 102503168 General
Sumeet Sharma 102805602 Business
Date: 2nd
April 2012
Table of Contents Chapter 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1
INDUSTRY SECTOR ................................................................................................................................ 3
PROBLEM DEFINITION ......................................................................................................................... 5
LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 History .................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Solar radiation ....................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 PV Terminology .................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.1 Solar Cells ............................................................................................................................... 8
1.3.2 PV Module .................................................................................................................................... 9
1.3.3 PV Array…………………………………………………………………………………………9
1.4 Pond aeration…………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
1.4.1 Stratification of Water ............................................................................................................... 10 1.4.2 Aerators ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 13
2.1Phase 1:Product Planning ................................................................................................................... 13
2.1.1 Functional requirements Charts..................................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT (QFD) ......................................................................... 14 2.1.3 List Of constraints ............................................................................................................................ 15 2.1.4Technical Attributes ......................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.5 Engineering Specifications .............................................................................................................. 15 2.1.6 Product Structure tree ..................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.6 ATAR Model ................................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Phase 2: Product Design And Improvements .................................................................................. 18
2.2.1 Design Brainstorming ...................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.2 Design Variants ................................................................................................................................ 19 2.2.3 FMEA ................................................................................................................................................ 20 2.2.4 Prototyping of PVC Pipe Structure ................................................................................................ 20 2.2.4.1Material Selection .................................................................................................................... 20 2.2.4.2 Material Procurement ............................................................................................................ 21 2.2.4.3 Prototype Building .................................................................................................................. 21 2.2.4.3 A PVC structure Design build ........................................................................................ 22
2.2.4.3 B - Hose network(steps to build hose network and specifications) ............................... 23 2.2.5Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................ 25 2.2.5 A Pump Housing ........................................................................................................................ 28
2.2.5 B Hose Network Issues .............................................................................................................. 26
2.2.5.C Rotor Flush Housing .............................................................................................................. 27 2.2.5.D Flow Rate Issues ..................................................................................................................... 27 2.2.5.E Mounting of Solar Panel ........................................................................................................ 28 2.2.6 Test Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 28
2.2.6 A Flotation Test .......................................................................................................................... 28
2.2.6.B Foam Test ................................................................................................................................ 29
2.2.6.C Pump and Sprinkler System Test (without Rotor-Flush filter)…………………………...30
2.2.6 D - Rotor-flush Filter + Pump + Single Impact Sprinkler Test……………………………..32
2.2.6.E - Final product test (DO level test)…………………………………………………………33
2.2.7 Comparative Design Analysis ........................................................................................................... 34
2.2.8 Environmental Impact of PVC design: .......................................................................................... 35
Phase 3: Process Planning ........................................................................................................................ 35
3.1 BUY/MAKE MATRIX…………………………………………………………………………………………….35
2.4 Phase 4: Process Control .................................................................................................................... 39
Results and Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 42
Future work:.............................................................................................................................................. 42
APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................................... 43
Timeline ..................................................................................................................................................... 44
Phase 1: ...................................................................................................................................................... 45
A 1.1Functional Requirements Charts .................................................................................................... 45 A 1.2House Of Quality .............................................................................................................................. 46 A 1.3List of Constraints ............................................................................................................................ 47 A 1.4Technical Attributes ........................................................................................................................ 48
A 1.5ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION SHEET……………………………………………………………………………….50 A 1.6 Product structure tree (PVC model) ............................................................................................. 54
A 2.1 Pugh Matrix ..................................................................................................................................... 55
A 2.2 Design variants (PVC Design)……………………………………………………………………54
A 2.3 PVC Detailed Design ...................................................................................................................... 60 A 2.4FMEA ................................................................................................................................................ 63 A 2.5Bill of Materials ................................................................................................................................ 64
A 2.6 Prototype Building………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….64 A 2.6 a Pictures of Testing…………………………………………………………………………...65
A 2.6 b - Pictures of build……………………………………………………………………………66
A 3.1Macro Process Plan – PVC Design Product……………………………………………………...69
A 3.2 Flexsim Layout Plan………………………………………………………………………............71
A 3.3 Warehouse Layout Plan…………………………………………………………………………..69
A 4.1Tool Chart – Industrial Engineering Tools Used………………………………………………...74
A4.2 TEST DATA Tables………………………………………………………………………………..77
A4.3 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE……………………………………………………………………….80
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 81
List of Figures & Tables
Fig # Page No Fig # Page No
Fig 1 2 Fig 5 11
Fig 2 8 Fig 6 12
Fig 3 9 Fig 7 12
Fig 4 10 Fig 8 22
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of our final year project we have teamed up with Unconquered Sun, a Windsor based
company specializing in the manufacture of Solar Photovoltaic Panels. Their product lines boast
of some of the best industry standard panels that are lightweight and have leading edge module
efficiency rates. As part of their future outlook they intend to expand their product portfolio with
newer and fresher products that can be modeled around their branded solar panel, and to that end
we have teamed up with them to design a new line of products that would be used for pond
aeration. The scope of our project requires us “To create a new product line which would aerate
dirty pond water, prevent algae growth and promote better aeration. We also have to explore the
marketing, design variants and process planning options for a safe, manufacturable and
commercially viable solar powered pond aerator”. Not having precedence in market provided us
with a blessing in disguise situation, wherein it gave us the opportunity to expose ourselves to
various design methodologies, divulge in radical designs, and experiment with different
combinations to come up with fresh new designs, but on the other hand it increased the scope of
our project. To provide us with a structured plan we have divided our product development plan
into 4 different phases starting with “Product Planning”, “Product Design”, “Process Planning”
and ending with “Process Control Plan”. Various IE tools were employed during each stage to
provide us with a structured frame work for data collection, analysis and conclusions. Our final
design comprises of an Unconquered Sun branded Windsor 245 PV model, resting on 6 in
diameter PVC pipe structure, with a connected sprinkler that shoots out water. This in turn
disturbs the surface water making it unfavourable for algae growth and at the same time the
influx on fresh water increases the oxygen content and aerates the water body.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Over the years, the carbon based (coal, natural gas, gasoline) and nuclear powered non-
renewable forms of energy have been our major and in some case the only form of energy
available to us to fulfill our energy needs. These non-renewable forms of energy have led us to
never seen before pollution levels and consequent effects of global warming. This alarming rate
of environment deterioration has led people to look beyond the realm of the conventional
sources of energies, and channel their energies towards the use of renewable source of energy,
and our capstone project is but one attempt to harness the abundant solar power.
This concern has given government and the private companies enough cause to pioneer and join
causes to generate alternative sources of energy, which is clean, renewable and cost effective in
the long run. The result of this collaborative work is the introduction of Green Energy Act, 2009,
which provides companies subsidies to invest in renewable energy industry. The Ontario
Government has started the Micro-Fit program to encourage entrepreneurs and established
companies to invest in solar power sector by safeguarding a part of their investment with various
schemes and incentives.
Since the first observance of Photovoltaic effect in 1839 by Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, the
principal has been widely used in the manufacture of Solar Panels as a packaged, connected
assembly of photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can be used as a component of a larger
photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications.
Over the years there have been some amazing design improvements in the solar panel. From
being bulky and cumbersome to use, they have now evolved to becoming sleek, compact and
very efficient.
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Figure 1: Diagram of Photovoltaic Cells
The motivation for this product is deep rooted in the financial and physical hardships of the pond
owners. With the change of seasons, the pond ecosystems adapt to the changes. A by-product of
this change is the advent of algae growth in the ponds. Algae growth accompanies with it various
other side effects. An alga is a bacterium in essence and it grows with the same ferocity and
because it is a plant, it extracts all the oxygen from the pond, leading it defunct for other aquatic
life. To add to that it is also an eye sore. This has caused pond owners to spend thousands of
dollars each year in aerating their pond and keeping it clean for their livestock and aesthetic
purposes. Sensing a need to be fulfilled in the market we are making a product that will provide
pond owners with an efficient and economical solution to aerate their ponds, in the form of a
Solar powered Aeration system. This product comes as a single floatation structure with a solar
panel attached on top, an inbuilt dc pump, filtration system and a sprinkler system. The product
is designed in a way that it does not require any major set-up nor frequent maintenance. All it
requires is sunny and sunnier days.
We have tried to present this report in a structural sequence showing the approach,
methodologies and various tools that aided us through the four stages of product development.
This report takes a closer look at all the four stages of product development and the tools that we
used. Towards the end we will present the results and conclusions of our experiments and tests
that we performed with our prototype and down the line extrapolate its market potential
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INDUSTRY SECTOR
Founded in 2008 Unconquered Sun Solar Technologies Inc. is a Windsor Ontario based
manufacturer of premium high efficiency, lightweight photovoltaic modules engineered with the
rugged North American climate in mind. With a focus on quality and performance, Unconquered
Sun provides the solar industry with a superior Ontario made alternative. As both the Original
Equipment Manufacturer of The Windsor Series lightweight Ontario Compliant panel and the
Leading Solar Project Developer in Southern Ontario, Unconquered Sun is the first truly
vertically integrated company of its kind.
With a plant capacity of 18 MW and plans for further expansion in 2013, Unconquered Sun is a
driving force behind Southern Ontario's resurgence as a sustainable base for the manufacturing
of renewable technologies. They are in the process of expanding their product portfolio and have
added new products to their product portfolio.
Unconquered Sun Solar Technologies provides in house Engineering, Procurement and
Construction capability for all roof top and ground mounted Solar Projects. With more area
installations completed than any competitor, Unconquered Sun has a proven record of customer
satisfaction. After gaining a strong foothold in the domestic market, Unconquered Sun has plans
to expand into other emerging markets and strengthen their export base. Their target market
revolves around developing countries which face dire irrigation and electricity problems which it
believes can be fulfilled by its existing array of products like the solar powered water irrigation
pump.
Unconquered Sun is a part of an ever expanding solar power industry. Since Windsor is the
southernmost part of Ontario, it gets most amount of sunlight , which makes it one of the most
suitable places to use solar panels for energy generation. In addition to that the Micro-Fit
program initiated by the Canadian government has also added fuel to the ever-expanding Solar
energy market. To remain in control Unconquered Sun plans to divest in other markets by
expanding their product portfolio.
After gaining a strong foothold in the domestic market, Unconquered Sun is looking into
entering into export market. They have identified some of the countries as their test grounds to
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see how its products are received there. Their main concern lies with the expanding economies,
where electricity penetration is a problem. People face the daily challenge of supplementing their
energy needs and have to find other means to fulfill it. These kinds of markets are perfect for
Unconquered Sun to promote their products like solar panels and Solar powered irrigation kits
which can help people supplement their energy needs, in a cost effective and environmentally
conscious way. Nigeria is one of the potential markets into which Unconquered Sun is actively
looking to expand, because of their access to abundant sunlight year round and their predisposed
acceptance of the solar power as a viable energy source has made it a viable testing ground for
Unconquered Sun.
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PROBLEM DEFINITION
The primary problem being addressed in this project is the effective aeration of the pond. Unlike
a river, which is constantly renewing itself with fresh water, a pond is a closed system. This
means that anything introduced to the water will affect the water balance, if it is not filtered out.
There are a number of impurities that end up in the pond which includes but are not limited to
debris, chemicals from fertilizer run-off, animal dump and aquatic plants at the bottom of the
pond. These Impurities carries nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus that supports the growth of
algae. Algae, unlike other phytoplankton are a rapid growing bacterium which if not controlled
can rapidly bloom, depleting the oxygen content in water and further destroying the aquatic
ecosystem. This process is known as “eutrophication”. Other effects of eutrophication include
discoloration of water, pollution and increase incidences of fish kills. Eutrophication poses a
problem not only to the ecosystem but water treatment problems to humans as well. This has
caused pond owners like farmers and golf courses owners to seek desperate measures to control
these rapid growing algae bacterium.
It has been a major concern to the government and to that effect there are policies like clean
Water Act of Ontario in place to protect existing and future water sources. Incentives are
provided to people who use clean and renewable water management policies. Policy concerning
the prevention and reduction of eutrophication can be broken down into four sectors:
Technologies, public participation, economic instruments, and cooperation. The term technology
is used loosely, referring to a more widespread use of existing methods rather than an
appropriation of new technologies
There have been comprehensive studies on algae growth and tests on how to deal with this
problem in the past. Most of these studies have uncovered that the rate of water renewal plays a
critical role in eutrophication. Evidentially, that is why stagnant water found in the pond retains
more nutrients than bodies with replenished water supplies. Theoretically, it is a reasonable
assumption that replenishing the pond’s oxygen artificially and creating disturbance/turbulence
can effectively control algae growth. There have been alternative claims which states that regular
predetermined disturbance in water can indeed provide algae a better pattern for sunlight to
enhance its growth.
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At present, technologies like underwater - air pipe diffusers used for creating disturbance in
water and floating fountains whose sprinkling action captures oxygen from the atmosphere and
deposits into the pond. These alternatives are powered by electricity and a few with renewable
energy source.
We are working with solar PV makers Unconquered Sun to create a new line of products, which
would aerate (increase the oxygen content) dirty pond water and prevent algae growth in the
water body. As industrial engineers, we are going to apply our classroom experience to help
Unconquered Sun to explore the marketing, design variants and process planning options for a
safe, manufacturable and commercially viable solar powered water pump.
The product, solar powered water pump-pond aerator; is the first of its kind product in the
market, that utilizes renewable source of energy (solar power) to clean and aerate ponds. This
opportunity to gain first mover advantage or FMA comes with its competitive and economic
advantages. Introduction of Ontario Green Energy Act of 2009 is also a great incentive to expand
in the renewable sources industry because of the various government subsidies and tariff
programmes initiated by the Ontario government which protects investment done in this area.
During the planning stage of the product line we have to take into account the potential
environmental impact this product could have. The analysis of potential future impacts leads us
to choose better process, materials and technology so that these negative impacts can be
minimized, and if there are some positive impacts, then we can accentuate them to maximize
their impact.
Being the first of its kind product in the market, this product will have a very big economic and
commercial advantage. As of now Unconquered Sun is part of a highly competitive solar PV
panel manufacturing industry. By introducing this new product line they can cash into an
untapped market, and by successfully launching the product it can differentiate itself from the
other companies.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 History
A French physicist, Edmond Becquerel who discovered the photovoltaic (PV) effect, first
observed the physical phenomenon responsible for converting light to electricity in 1839
Becquerel noted a voltage appeared when one of two identical electrodes in a weak-conducting
solution was illuminated. The PV effect was first studied in solids, such a selenium in 1870’s.
The first PV cells converted less than 1% of the sun’s photons into electricity were very
expensive to the tiny amount of power to produce.
In the 1980s, photovoltaic became a popular power source for consumer electronic devices,
including calculators, watches, radios, lanterns and other small battery charging applications.
Following the energy crises of the 1970s, significant efforts also began to develop PV power
systems for residential and commercial uses both for stand-alone, remote power as well as for
utility-connected applications. During the same period, international applications for PV systems
to power rural health clinics, refrigeration, water pumping, telecommunications, and off-grid
households increased dramatically, and remain a major portion of the present world market for
PV products.
Today, the industry’s production of PV modules is growing at approximately 25 percent
annually, and major programs in the U.S., Japan and Europe are rapidly accelerating the
implementation of PV systems on buildings and interconnection to utility networks
1.2 Solar radiation
Solar radiative energy has its origin in a nuclear fusion reaction in the sun. The resulting energy
is emitted as electromagnetic radiation in the spectral range 0.2 - 3μ. The sun releases a huge
quantity of energy in terms of human capacity or need. Energy output per second is 3.86x1020
megawatts, several billion times the electric capacity of US utilities. The intensity of solar
radiation in free space at the average distance between the earth and the sun is called the solar
constant, and has a value of 1353 W/m2
.
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1.3 PV Terminology
PV systems are made up of a variety of components, which aside from the modules may include
conductors, fuses, disconnect controls, batteries, trackers, and inverters. Components vary
somewhat depending on the application. PV systems are modular by nature, thus systems can be
readily expanded and components easily repaired or replaced if needed. PV systems are cost
effective for many remote power applications, as well as for small stand-alone power
applications in proximity to the existing electric grid.
1.3.1 Solar Cell
The PV cell is the component responsible for converting light to electricity. Some
materials (e.g., silicon is the most common) produce a photovoltaic effect, where sunlight
frees electrons striking the silicon material. The freed electrons cannot return to the
positively charged sites ("holes") without flowing through an external circuit, thus
generating current. Solar cells are designed to absorb as much light as possible and are
interconnected in series and parallel electrical connections to produce desired voltages
and currents.
Figure 2: Solar Cells
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1.3.2 PV Module
A PV module is composed of interconnected solar cells that are encapsulated between a
glass cover and weatherproof backing. The modules are typically framed in aluminum
frames suitable for mounting.
1.3.3 PV Array
PV modules are connected in series and parallel to form an array of modules, thus
increasing total available power output to the needed voltage and current for a particular
application. Figure 2.3 shows an application of PV array.
Figure 3: PV Array
1.4 Pond aeration
Oxygen in ponds comes from two sources: photosynthesis and diffusion from the air. The most
important source, photosynthesis means the synthesis of food with the help of sunlight, is the
process plants use for manufacturing food. In the presence of sunlight, various aquatic plants
(especially algae) add oxygen to water as a by-product of the photosynthesis process. At night
when there is no sun , there is no photosynthesis, thus no oxygen is produced, but respiration of
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algae, fish and bacteria continues to drain oxygen from the water. Most of the time there is a
desirable balance between how much oxygen is produced and how much is used, but under some
conditions, the balance can be upset, with more oxygen being drained out as opposed to what is
added back to the pool and the oxygen concentration becomes low enough to stress or kill the
fish’s. The amount of oxygen in pond water can vary considerably from pond to pond and from
hour to hour. Typically, however, oxygen concentrations are lowest at dawn and highest during
late afternoon.
The movement of oxygen in the pond water is facilitated by the air pressure difference between
the pond and the atmospheric air. When the air pressure in water is lower than the air pressure,
the air is forced in the water. This continues until the air pressure in the water equals that of
atmospheric air. When this happens we call it the saturation point of the water. At this saturation
point there is no net flow of air between the air and the water.
Figure 4: Photosynthesis Process
Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2)
dissolved in an aqueous solution. Adequate dissolved oxygen is necessary for good water
quality. Oxygen is a necessary element to all forms of life.
1.4.1 Stratification of Water
One of the most unusual properties of the water is the fact that its density does not
linearly decrease with increasing temperatures. Instead, it has a maximum point at 39°F.
Above this point, the density of water decreases with temperature. As a result, a lake or
11
Ponds can stratify because water attains maximum density at 39°F. It becomes less dense
(lighter in weight) both above and below 39°F. This stratification of the water layers
creates a layer of water that floats on the top of the water surface and breaks the contact
between the outer air and the pond water. In a natural setting strong winds or rains can
disturb and break the top layer of water and help in the mixing of different water layer
and dissolving of oxygen in water.
This is the natural process via which the ponds aerate itself. An artificial aerator provides
the same functionality of disturbing the top layer of water, disturbing the equilibrium and
dissolves Oxygen into the water.
Figure 5: Water Stratification Process
1.4.2 Aerators
Aerators work by increasing the area of contact between air and water. Aerators circulate
water so fishes can find areas with higher oxygen concentrations. Circulation also
reduces water layers from stratification and increases oxygen transfer by forcing
oxygenated water away from the aerator. Because many of the units are electrical, wiring
should be properly protected, housed and installed to avoid any hazards from an electrical
shock. To this one of the major advantages of the solar powered water fountain is that
there is very less wiring involved on it.
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Aerators influence the rate of oxygen transfer from air to water by increasing turbulence
and surface area of water in contact with air. Aerators are of two basic types: splashers
and bubblers. An example of a splashier aerator are the fountain aerators. It splashes
water into the air to absorb adequate oxygen and then splashes onto the water surface
with a force necessary enough to break through the upper strata of water layer. Splashing
action also causes turbulence in the water body of being aerated. This turbulence helps in
mixing the upper layers of water with the below layers. This turbulence to a large extent
also prevents the formation of algae as it devoid the algae bacteria the suitable conditions
of stale still water to grow on.
Figure 6: Splasher(Fountain)Figure 7: Diffuser
Bubbler/Diffusers aerators rely upon release of air bubbles near the bottom of a water
body to affect aeration. A large surface area is created between air bubbles and
surrounding water. Rising bubbles also create turbulence within a body of water.
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Chapter 2
We have divided our product development into 4 phases of development which takes on the
logical and structural route. The motivation of dividing our project into 4 phases is derived
from the fact that product development is an enormous task and requires a structural
approach to data collections and analysis. The phased approach has provided us with a
structural format for data collection and also it provides us with the relevant tools we
require for data collection and analysis. We start off with phase 1 product planning, stage 2
for Product Design and Improvements, stage 3 for Process Planning and design and ending
with phase 4 with Process Control.
2.1Phase 1: Product Planning
During the product planning stage we had the job of understanding the problem statement,
finding all the relevant information about the product and all the features associated with it. To
that end we initiated our information gathering with the creation of the Functional requirements
Charts.
2.1.1 Functional requirements Charts
The first stage of our product development came from the creation of the functional
requirements charts. Given the design problem, the first task was to identify the
functional requirements (FRs) of the product, i.e. the requirements pertaining to what the
product will have to do. This is different than a product's behaviour. Behaviour is how a
product responds to a stimulus, whereas a function is how that stimulated response serves
some purpose in an environment. FRs focuses on the operational features of products.
This is an important philosophical point: the key to a product is how it functions in
operation, not during manufacture, or transport, or maintenance, or during any other life-
cycle phase. The creation of the functional requirements charts helped us in gathering
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relevant information for our product and also helps us structure our thoughts and clarify
the objectives of the product to be.
2.1.2 QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT (QFD)
This is a basic tool used in product and process design to translate the voice of the customers into
the voice of engineer
Steps carried out:
We identified and contacted our potential customers, which are mainly the golf owners to
gather basic information on the requirements they have for the product (voice of the
customer). We really wanted to assess what is important to them in the product, how they
perceive it and what more they could possible want from the product. We want to make sure
this product is customer oriented as possible and try to match these requirements as closely
as possible to the technical capabilities of the company ‘Unconquered Sun’. A copy of the
questionnaire we used for this interview and a few responses is attached in the appendix.
(APPENDIX REFERENCE NUMBER). The voice of customers also includes the
requirement of our management, unconquered sun and regulatory standards. These
requirements are represented on the left side of the QFD. Then we had the customers rated
the importance of these requirements on a scale of 1-5.
The next step was to find out how our customers rate our product in relation to other
competing product based on their requirement. These ratings are represented on the side of
the QFD.
The next move was to convert the ‘voice of customers’ into ‘Voice of Engineers’ or technical
attributes of the product and indicating the direction of improvement.
The relationship chart is where the team determines the relationship between the customer’s
needs and the company’s ability to meet those needs. It has to do with determining the
strength of the relationship between the technical descriptors and the customer’s needs and
matching them.
Then the design attributes was rated in terms of the organizational difficulty at the bottom of
the QFD and target values where set.
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Correlation Matrix: this room is where the term House of Quality comes from because it
makes the matrix looks like a house with a roof. The team members examined how each of
the technical descriptors impacts each other and mark the relationship where it is strongly
positive or negative or it is moderately positive or negative.
The final stage is where the team calculates the absolute importance of each technical
descriptor, which is the sum of the products of the cell value and the customer’s importance
rating. The technical attribute with the highest score is the technical aspect that matters the
most to the customers. In our case, this attribute is the safety and size of the product with a
score higher than 300.
2.1.3 List Of constraints
After the completion of the functional requirements charts we had trickled down to all the
relevant elements of our product to be. The identification of these elements helped us come
up with the list of constraints that applied to each, either because of their own limitations or
because of the limitations from our stake holders. the list of constraints was a very major step
in our product planning because it help us give our product a scope which further helped us
in our progress towards the product design.
2.1.4 Technical Attributes Refer to Appendix # A 1.4
2.1.5 Engineering Specifications Refer to Appendix # A1.5 AND A1.4 AND A1.3
2.1.6 Product Structure tree
The PBS is identical in format to the work breakdown structure (WBS), but includes only
the physical architecture of a product. The product structure tree includes the data and
service elements necessary to complete the system, as well as all the individual product
elements. This provides the reader a visual aid in understanding the breakdown of the
product and provides him with a much better understanding of the product and its
functionality. (Refer to Appendix # A 1.4)
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2.1.7 ATAR Model
Estimating the adoption rates for any new product can be a daunting process. One approach
is to estimate the yearly percent of sales based on the market size. For example, if the
market size is 1.0 million units you might estimate annual sales as follows: Year 1 – 1%
(10,000 units), Year 2 – 3% (30,000 units), etc. Even after completing extensive research,
these numbers are often little more than an educated guess with a great deal of uncertainty.
These estimates can be supported by a sensitivity analysis to help deal with this
uncertainty.
The ATAR model provides a framework to help estimate the adoption rate in each
year. The ATAR model (Awareness, Trial, Availability, and Repeat) is based on concept of
‘Diffusion of Innovation’. In order for a person to be a regular purchaser of the new
product they must first become ‘Aware’ that it exists. Once they have become aware of it
they must make the decision to ‘Try’ it out. In order to be able to try it out, it must be
‘Available’ for them to purchase. If they are happy with the trial, then they may decide to
adopt the product, that is, ‘Repeat’ the purchase again.
Now, relating this model to the solar powered aerator. 7% of the gulf courses in Canada,
statistics shows that there are about 2300 golf course. This data is from 2008. From the
survey on the golf course around Windsor, each gulf course has at least two ponds. Hence
in total the market size for our new product is 4600 units.
Awareness: This depends on the extent in which this product has been advertised. The
advertisement of this product has been going on since 2011 just before the project started
and about 1700 pond owners showed interest in purchasing this produce. Thus the
awareness percentage is (1700/4600) 36.96% of the market.
17
Trial: implies that the aware customers who actually decide to purchase the product to try
it out. Looking at the amount of aware customers, lets say in the worst-case scenario, 30%
will actually try the product.
Availability: Relates to the ease with which the purchaser can find the product to
purchase. This is directly related to the number of channels (retail stores, internet, etc.) that
are available to the purchaser. This product will be marketed and distributed by
unconquered sun, which is located in Windsor Ontario. Local gulf courses will be able to
access this product easily than out of province gulf courses who might have to wait for a
while before they get their ordered product. Judging by this, the availability percentage of
this product is about 70%.
Repeat: Means that the trial was successful. In the case of convenience items, the
purchaser has decided to make repeat purchases. For one-time shopping goods, or specialty
goods purchases, repeat may mean recommending the product to a friend.
This product can be a convenience item for the golf course owners who own at least two
ponds and may re-purchase the product if the trial was successful. For ordinary pond
owners, they might recommend the product to their friends or relatives. My perception
form the standing and progress of this project, a 50% repeatability probability is a fair
assumption.
Assuming the market size for our new product is 4600 units as explained above. The
ATAR model applies as follows:
Year 1
Percentage of potential purchases that become aware of the product:36.96%
x Percentage of the aware purchasers that decide to try the product: 30%
x Percentage of the purchasers that are able to find the product: 70%
x Percentage that like the product and decide to buy a second one: 50%
The percentage of the market that will adopt the product in year 1 is: 36.96% x 30%
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x 70% x 50% = 0.0388% (179 units)
This process is repeated for each year of the 10-year adoption period. In applying the
model it should be kept in mind that each element is still an assumption, and is therefore
subject to uncertainty.
It is important to remember that the product is in the pre-production stage during the
first year or two. As this is a testing stage, the adoption rates during this stage will be
limited.
2.2 Phase 2: Product Design And Improvements
After the product planning stage once we have gathered all the information regarding the product
we move onto the product design and the improvement stage. In this phase we have discussed all
the design aspects of the product and the design methodologies we have applied to get them.
2.2.1 Design Brainstorming
The decision-matrix method, also Pugh method is a quantitative technique used to rank
the multi-dimensional options of an option set. We have implemented it in our product
engineering for making design decisions. We have created our decision matrix by
establishing a set of criteria upon which the potential options can be decomposed, scored,
and summed to gain a total score which can then be ranked. Importantly, the criteria are
not weighted to allow a quick selection process.
The advantage of this approach to decision making is that subjective opinions about one
alternative versus another can be made more objective. Another advantage of this method
is that sensitivity studies can be performed.
19
The results of our pugh matrix was that our PVC pipe design (option 1, option 2) and
zodiac floats design (option 4) concepts ranked on the top , which helped us in
streamlining our design process more towards these design variants. (Refer to Appendix
# A 2.1)
2.2.2 Design Variants
After the completion of our Pugh matrix we finalised on our 2 selected design upon
which we decided to proceed further. The 2 selected designs were:
1. PVC Pipe structure: in the PVC pipe structure we will be using the 6in dia metre
PVC pipes as the material for our flotation. The reasons for using the PVC pipes is
because it is buoyant, inert to water, and other contaminants in water and has a long
life. To add to that it is also readily available which makes it a very attractive feature
for making our initial prototype? PVC pipe structure is our selected design for
prototype, as it is easy to work with, is readily available and cost effective. (sketches
in the appendix # 2.3) (Refer to Appendix # A 2.2)
2. Foams Structure (Pontoon) design As part of our 2nd
design variant we have chosen the
zodiac boats shaped floats design. This is our recommendation to the company for adding
another design variant to their product line. The pontoon design is attractive for a number of
reasons and has similar characteristics as the PVC Pipe structure. The pontoon design is a
hybrid of PVC pontoon box and EPS floats foam housed in the pontoon. The PVC pontoon
will be made by thermoforming the shape shapes of the floats. These provides a better
buoyancy to the product, can be easily assembled and provides the same chemical inertness to
water and its surrounding and thus preventing any kind of contamination. To add to that it has
a much better aesthetic appeal to it, which makes it very attractive to the potential buyers.
(Sketches in the appendix #A 2.2)
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2.2.3 FMEA
Failure Modes and Effects and Analysis (FMEA) is a procedure used widely in
product development. It is used for analyzing the potential failures modes within a
system for classification by the severity and the likelihood of the failures. We
selected the functions from the functional Requirements charts (appendix # A1.1)
and brainstormed about the potential failures modes and potential effects of these
failures. Following this we identified the causes of those failures. Those failure
modes were ranked based on their potential occurrence levels, severity and
detection. Following the identification of the potential failure modes we
calculated the risk priority numbers of every failure. Based on our findings we
discussed the potential actions paths which would prevent these failures before
manufacturing (during the prototype build) and in turn decreasing the severity
rates significantly.
(Refer appendix # A2.4)
2.2.4Prototyping of PVC Pipe Structure
This is the prototype building initiation stage of our project. Based on our selected PVC
pipe design we will be divulging further into the subparts of the protype building starting
with the material selection stage, material procurement , prototype building, design
troubleshooting, design test analysis, build completion, environmental design impact and
finally ending with the rapid prototyping of our proposed design variant. We start off
with the Material selection stage.
2.2.4.1Material Selection
Material selection is the heart and soul of any product design stage. The material
was selected in conjunction with the functional requirements of the product and
the list of constraints that was prepared in advance to the prototype building.
Some of the products used in our aerators were not common products and for that
21
we had to go through extensive product search and in some cases had to contact
the manufacturers to gather more information and make an educated decision
based on the expertise of the manufacturers. The conversations with the
manufactures have been tabulated in our log book which represents the decision
making process that went before our material selection. The materials selection is
described in detailed in the technical attribute section, engineering specifications
section and the bill of materials.
(Refer to Appendix # A2.5, A1.4 and A 1.5)
2.2.4.2 Material Procurement
After the material selection was done we moved onto the procurement stage. This
was an unexpectedly lengthy and cumbersome process. For this purpose we first
made the bill of materials to tabulate the materials that we required, and the exact
specifications of the materials. The material procurement took us cumulatively 4-
5 months, sometimes because of the lengthy delivery times of the specialized
ordered products and sometimes because of the unexpected material requirements
that came up during the prototype construction and troubleshooting stage. As this
was our first tryst with the product development, we did not anticipate the
unexpected behaviour of material procurement, which sometimes resulted in
delays in the prototype building. All the details for this have been tabulated in the
bill of materials (see the appendix # A 2.5).
2.2.4.3 Prototype Building
The prototype was build with the help of engineering technicians in Essex hall,
University of Windsor. Students were involved in every step of the build and
troubleshooting approach was applied to produce the working prototype.
The steps of build are included in appendix. Refer: Appendix # A2.6
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2.2.4.3 A – PVC Structure Design Build
The PVC structure was built by the operations of joining the pipe
structures. The pipe structure was divided in five main sections. Pipe
diameter = 6 inch
Section 1 and 2 are identical and include the foam cylinders. See Sketch in
appendix # A2.3 and A2.6b
Section 3 is the cross joint attached with pipe cuts. Section 4 is Tee
joint attached with pipe cuts. Section 5 has Pipe # P1, which has a 14”
long cut-section for pump housing. That cut-section is covered is covered
with Pipe # P2 which is 16” long semi-circular (arc cut) which look like a
semicircular hollow cylinder. P2 serves as a gasket cover as a sheet of
gasket material is glued to inner surface of P2. P2 is tightened upon P1 by
6” diameter hose clamps and gasket sheet get tightened, preventing water
from getting into pump’s house.
Figure 8: Pump Housing Cover System
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PVC Pipe Structure
Component Type Length Component Type Length
P1 Pipe Cut 52” P9 Pipe Cut 6”
P2 Gasket Cover 16” P10 Pipe Cut 6”
P3 Pipe Cut 64” P11 Pipe Cut 6”
P4 Pipe Cut 64” P12 Pipe Cut 6”
P5 Pipe Cut 6” P13 Pipe Cut 6”
P6 Pipe Cut 6” P14 Pipe Cut 6”
P7 Pipe Cut 5” P15 Pipe Cut 6”
P8 Pipe Cut 5” Tee Tee-joint 12”x9”
Cross Cross-joint 12”x12” L1 El-Joint 9” x 9”
L2 El-Joint 9” x 9” L4 El-Joint 9” x 9”
L3 El-Joint 9” x 9” L5* El-Joint 9” x 9”
PL 1 Pipe plug 1” PL 2 Pipe plug 1”
E 1 End cap 3” GC1 Gasket Clamp 5.5”
GC2 Gasket Clamp 5.5” GC 3 Gasket Clamp 5.5”
GC4 Gasket Clamp 5.5” GC 5 Gasket Clamp 5.5”
GC 6 Gasket Clamp 5.5”
The pipe plugs PL 1 will be joined between P1 and P7.The pipe plugs PL 2 will be joined between P1 and
P8.
Section 1 = P12 + L2 + P3 + L1 + P13
Section 2 = P14 + L4 + P4 + L3 + P15
Section 3 = L5 + P11 + CROSS + (P8 + PL2) + P9 + P10
Section 4 = TEE + (P7 + PL1) +P5 + P6
Section 5 = P1 + P2
All five section were put together with rubber clamp gaskets and the PVC structure gets
ready to float.
2.2.4.3 B - Hose network(steps to build hose network and specifications)
Refer Appendix # A2.3 and A2.6b
The hose network is built to put in Section 3, Section 4 and Section-5 of PVC
structure.
Section -3: contains
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1. The E1 i.e. end cap was taken and hole (diameter 4”) was cut into it by
technician so that the lower part of rotor-flush filter can be set into E1 and
glued with strong chemical-viscous hardening material to seal it.
2. The rotor-flush filter was than connected to pump’s inlet hose (grey in
diagram) and back-flow hose (R1 - red in diagram) from pump to rotor.
Section-5: contains
1. The Hose H1 (grey hose) was connected to inline strainer and strainer was
further connected coil hose; C2. The C1 connected to H2 which is further
connected to Pump.
2. The water outlet of pump was connected to hose H3 further connecting C2
and then H4. The H4 was connected to Tee junction, which is flow controller.
The flow controller is connected to back flow hose (R1-red in diagram) and
hose H5; which is further connected to sprinkler. The flow controller has a
knob which was used to controls the flow to sprinkler and back flow to rotor
of rotor-flush filter.
Section-4: contains
1. H4 connecting galvanized iron pipe (G1). G1 passing through pipe plug PL1
(with hole 1) and through other end of TEE joint (with hole 2). The hole(s)
size is 3/4” in diameter through which the hole passes. Both holes were
aligned with calibration scale; by technician.
Notes:
1. Inlet Hose network = H1 + Inline strainer + C1 + H2 Pump
2. Outlet Hose Network = Pump H3 + C2 + H4 + Flow Controller + H5 + G1
Sprinkler.
3. Back Flow = Flow controller + R1 + rotor of Rotor-flush filter.
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4. Every connection of hose network was clamped with hose clamps. The joints
were sealed.
5. The hose network(s) Inlet, Outlet and backflow; were tested with water flow
10 GPM with pressure of 70 PSI. Result – No leakage.
6. The coiled hoses C1 and C2 (extendable) were used so that the pump can be
taken out easily any time through opening in P1. The pump is mounted to P2
with mounting plate with four ¼” screws.
7. The Gasket clamps connecting Section 3, 4 and 5 allows to take hose network
out at any time for checking, study or repair.
8. The hoses H1, H3 and H5 were little longer than size calculated. By can be
cut down to optimized length. No significant effect on flow due this reason.
2.2.5 Troubleshooting
After the initial design completion trouble shooting of the design was our next biggest
hurdle. After the theoretical calculations were done, we implemented the design in
practice. The gap between theory and practical was wider than we anticipated. Various
under mentioned issues were uncovered during the structure construction and they have
been mentioned in the descending order of their severity.
2.2.5.A Pump Housing:
Housing the pump was our biggest hurdle during the prototype construction. The
6 in diameter PVC pipe gave us very less room to pay with in respect to housing
the pump in a stable manner. The pump is the most sensitive and single most
expensive part of our product and we had to take extra care for its installation. We
had to take precautions regarding the insulation of the pump, so that if there was a
case of water entering the PVC pipes, it should not reach the pump under any
condition. Also we had to make a wooden base onto which we had to balance the
26
pump. During our design stage we took extra measure to house the pump in a user
friendly manner, meaning that we constructed the pump housing in such a way
that if required, the pump can be taken out easily and replaced if necessary. As
pump is the heart of the product, almost all the parts are connected to it, and thus
the pump housing was constructed in alignment with all the other parts of the
product.
2.2.5.B Hose Network Issues
We have a number of hoses running through the PVC pipe structure , which we
describe as the hose network of our product. The hoses can be related to the blood
vessels in our body which connects all the parts of the body with the heart. The
water from the pond to the sprinklers is carried via the water hoses that we had
placed inside our PVC pipes.
The alterations and evolution of our final design, meant that we had to
constantly alter the lengths of our hoses.
The other issue with the hoses was the different hose joints that were
required to join different pieces of hoses, in an efficient manner.
The majority of issues with the hose network arose from our dedication
to design a user friendly prototype. Since we designed the pump
housing in a way that it can be taken out of the PVC pipes, we had to
design the hose network in a way that it provides the pump with
sufficient room to be taken out, without kinking or stretching the hoses
too much.
To provide the hoses the flexibility to absorb the elongation we came up
with the spiral hose design solution, wherein the hoses would coil
together in a small space, but at the same time can be extended in the
scenario when pump is taken out.
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2.2.5.C Rotor Flush Housing
Refer to Appendix A2.6b
Housing the rotor flush was a big hurdle for our prototype construction.
The rotor flush is an indispensable part of our product, as this is the
filtration system, which prevents any kind of impurity from entering the
hose network. We experimented with a few locations to place the rotor
flush, but all of them gave some or the other kind of issues. the major
issues we faced while pump housing are mentioned below:
The mouth of rotor flush has to be inside the water, because it has to
extract water from there. But at the same time we had to make sure the
PVC pipe in contact with water should be sealed in such a way that no
water comes in except through the mouth of the rotor flush. For this we
used the extra strong sealant that is used for construction purposes.
2.2.5.D Flow Rate Issues:
Once our pump, hose network and the rotor flush contraption was completed, we
had to balance out the flow rate of the water coming out of the sprinklers, because
that is the essence of the water aeration process. Our objective was to provide
maximum water to the sprinkler, but at the same time maintain at least 1.3 gm
flow to the rotor flush, for its optimal performance. For this we incorporated an
inline flow controller in the hose going from the pump to the rotor flush, so that
we can control the water flow going from the pump to the backflow of rotor flush,
and divert maximum amount of water to the sprinkler system.
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2.2.5.E Mounting of Solar Panel
The mounting of the solar panel was an issue that we tackled at the last. Once the
prototype was completed, we placed the solar panel on top of the structure to see
where the solar panel would be fixed. After that we designed 4 90 deg metal
brackets which would hold the solar panel onto the PVC pipes rigidly, and not
provide it mush space to shaft from its location. We had some radical ideas like
putting hinges on one side, so that in the event of taking the solar panel apart, we
can just lift it up, much in the same way as opening a door. But that idea did not
bring fruit, as the hinges proved to be a much weaker joint than the stationary
metal brackets.
2.2.6 Test Analysis
In this section we detail the tests that were performed during the prototype
building to assess the functionality of our different parts. The following tests are
mentioned in the chronological order in which they were performed.
Refer to Appendix # A4.2
2.2.6.A Floatation Test
Objective: To assess the flotation of the weight loaded PVC pipes in water to see
if it can sustain enough weight and still float.
Setup: We required:
6 inch diameter PVC pipe structure
Total 70 pounds of weight ( Workout weights 5 and 10 pounds)
Swimming Pool or Water Pond
Procedure: we performed the following steps for this experiment
29
We dry joined the PVC pipes together to make the structure.
We placed 2 wooden planks on each end of the PVC pipe structure for
equal distribution of weight.
We loaded the wooden planks with 35 pounds of weight on each end.
Then we put this contraption in water.
Observation and Result:
The structure floated smoothly and was evenly under water.
It was observed and measured that the pipes under water was
approximately 3”.
Therefore it can state that the structure can easily sustain 140 lbs.,
when fully submerged in water.
Actual weight to be put on this structure = 9lb (pump) + 40 lbs. (solar
panel) + 10 lbs. inner water hose network = 60 lbs. approx.
2.2.6.B Foam Test
Objective: To determine the buoyancy of the PVC pipes with and without the
foam rollers inside.
Setup:
We have a 6 inch diameter PVC pipe
6 inch diameter foam rollers.
We used the bath tub filled with water to perform the flotation test.
Procedure:
We took PVC pipe, capped its end and submerged in water.
Then we took the same piece of PVC pipe and inserted the foam rollers inside
and submerged in water.
Then we took the readings for both the scenarios.
30
Observations:
Average Difference = 0.19 in (not significant)
Assumed significant difference = ¼ in
If foam filled pipe can sustain 4 lbs. and fully under water, then the empty pipe
can sustain 4lb and partially under water. In other words, there is not much
difference in buoyancy in both pipes.
Result:
Upon submerging both the set of pipes in water we noticed that there not a
significant difference in the buoyancy of the PVC pipes and the PVC pipe + foam
rollers. This signifies that foam does not add any extra weight onto the PVC
structure and thus does not affect the buoyancy of the PVC structure.
So filling the pipes to prevent sinking in case of breakage can be taken into
account by following the results and logic proved in experiment.
2.2.6.C Pump and Sprinkler System Test (without Rotor-Flush filter)
Refer to Appendix A2.6a
Objective: To determine the pressure exerted by pump and working of two
sprinklers.
Formula: Power = Voltage x Current (P = V * I)
Setup:
Two “Rainbird Rotor Sprinklers”; Model # 32 SA (Nozzle Size = 1.0)
connected to Tee junction with two ‘1 m’ long hoses (hose inner diameter =
½”) and third (middle) end of tee junction was connected to pump’s outlet ‘2
31
m’ long hose (hose inner diameter = ½”). An inline pressure meter was
connected to 2 m long hose for pressure readings.
The pumps inlet 1.5 m long hose (hose inner diameter = ½”) was connected to
(compulsory) inline strainer. The strainer was dipped in tub full of water.
The Two adapters which converter house-hold AC current into 12 V DC.
These two were connected in series so that can provide 24 V DC current.
Adapters further connected to pump wires. Pump’s Max. Current = 6 A
Procedure:
The setup was then initialized by switching on the pump.
The pressure reading was taken.
The flow rate was measured (in GPM) by putting the nozzle of one sprinkler
in 4 litre beaker and time was noted. This action was repeated two times more.
Time was counted with stop watch.
The sprinkler was set on ground to check it maximum length of sprinkling.
Observations:
Voltage = 24 V (Set up)
Current reading = 6 A (measured with multi-meter)
Power = 24 V x 6A = 144 Watts (calculated)
Flow Rate through 1 sprinkler = 6.72 LPM x .2642 = 1.77 GPM
Total Flow (Pump’s outlet) = 3.54 GPM
Sprinkling Radius = 11’ approx.
Pressure through outlet hose = 50 PSI
Length of hoses (not more than two meters) had no significant effect on
pressure in hose.
Results:
Rotor Sprinklers worked very effectively
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If Rotor-flush filter connected to inlet system, it requires back flow of
minimum 1.3 GPM. Therefore, 3.54 – 1.3 = 2.24 Total GPM. One sprinkler
will have 1.12 GPM.
1.12 GPM for each rotor sprinkler is no enough, because 32SA with nozzle
size = 1.0, requires minimum flow of 1.2 GPM
More over in less sunlight conditions, will not work effectively. As pump is
drawing less power (<144 Watts).
The idea of using rotor-sprinklers was dropped.
2.2.6 D - Rotor-flush Filter + Pump + Single Impact Sprinkler Test
Objective: To determine the pressure exerted by pump and working of impact
sprinkler.
Setup:
The current setup is same as in “2.2.6. D” experiment.
The hose network was made same as discussed in section “2.2.3.3. B”
The Rotor-flush filter was dipped in transparent container to observe its
working.
The Rotor-flush filter was placed in 4 l beaker and backflow readings were
taken. Time was counted with stop watch.
Procedure:
Similar procedure as in “2.2.6. D” experiment
First the rotor-flush’s back flow was adjusted with flow controller of hose
network. So that its filter-rotor (self-cleaning mechanism) works at its
minimum required level and also works in harmony with impact sprinkler.
Then the flow rate of filter was measured.
Observations:
Flow to filter–rotor = 1.51 GPM
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Flow through Sprinkler = 7.8 LPM = 2.1 GPM
Results:
The total flow = 1.5 +2.1 = 3.6 GPM, very close to 3.5 GPM measured in
previous experiment (without Rotor-flush filter). This means Rotor-flush filter
do not pose any bad effect in pump’s water suction.
The impact sprinkler has uniform flow under its maximum sprinkling radius
i.e. 12’ approximate. Moreover, the radius can be decreased or increased by
changing the setting of sprinkler.
Uniform water sprinkling was observed i.e. water was sprinkled from
minimum radius to maximum radius at the same time.
The sprinkler and rotor-flush filter was working on only one setting of flow
controller. There was no low medium or high setting. In order to have those
setting, a smaller impact sprinkler can be installed. Unfortunately, that kind of
sprinkler can be custom made which was not possible in remaining time
period of the project. The low medium or high setting will help in making the
product work in low medium and high sun intensity, respectively. (Linear
Current Booster – Usage is Valid)
2.2.6.E - Final product test (DO level test)
Objective: To run the pump with solar panel and observe outcomes and measure
dissolve oxygen in pond water after sprinkling water after designated periods of
time. In brief, the objective was to determine the aeration done by the product and
observe product’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Setup and Procedure:
34
Take an oxygen meter to measure the dissolved oxygen. The oxygen meter
works on DC current. Its has a probe which was dipped in water for every
time the reading was taken.
The product was left stationary so that the sprinkling effect mostly covers the
coast of pond. And reading can be taken easily.
Results:
Significant increase in dissolved oxygen in water.
Validate the logic that of sprinkling action helps in aeration.
This product is now ready for optimization.
Limitation:
Need more experimentation and testing and date analysis to make the product
as effective aerator.
The more experimentation, optimization and analysis will be done in future.
(Summer 2012), as this is a summer season product.
2.2.7 Comparative Design Analysis
Based on the final designs of the 2 structures we have prepared a comparative analysis table to depict the
differences between the 2 designs.
PVC Pipe Structure Design Foam Floats Structure Design
Cumbersome to assemble and disassemble Easier to assemble/disassemble
The buoyancy of the PVC structure is compromised due to the circular shape
Floats have better buoyancy because of the flat base structure
Has a very intricate hose design network Has a very simple hose design network
Pump housing is very delicate and intricate, because of less room to play inside the PVC pipes
Pump housing is very simple, as the pump is housed in the pump box
Rotor Flush Housing is very intricate and complex Rotor flush is housed with the pump inside the pump box
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Solar panel mounting is cumbersome and is done on the circular shape PVC pipes
Solar panel is easily mountable on the floats, with the help of wooden/metal brackets.
2.2.8 Environmental Impact of PVC design:
Assessing the impact this product will have on its surrounding environment is a very critical and
central part of the products success and its acceptance by the consumers. To that end we have
analyzed and tabulated the impact this product will have.
The sprinkling effect of the product provides aeration to the water body, thus making it
clear and free of algae.
It improves the aquatic life of the water body.
The PVC material used, is inert to water and thus does not react with it and has no side
effects to the water.
The pump and the rotor flush are properly sealed in the and does not come in contact
with water for it to react with it.
The pump is very efficient and quiet and does not produce any excess noise.
Phase 3: Process Planning
3.1 BUY/MAKE MATRIX
At this stage of product development the biggest question that popped up was, should the
whole product be custom made or based upon commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)
products? While it may seem like a simple decision to make, determining the right
solution approach is a complex process.
Although it was totally up to Unconquered Sun to determine, the team took the
responsibility of making sure that the right decision was made. There were several factors
that were considered to arrive at a concord decision with unconquered sun that the
product’s components should be based upon COTS products. Taking into consideration
36
(account) the company’s core business requirement, strategic goal, required system
support for custom made solution, it was a an optimal
First, Unconquered Sun is mainly in the business of business of manufacturing solar
panels, although they are looking into investing in solar products, they are not ready to
neither dedicate a large amount of resources nor permanently configure their facility for
the manufacturing of these products. This reason because, these products are in there
birth or development stage and there are no enabling technologies out there for now that
can support this production. Also, a fix facility is very difficult to change to incorporate
new technologies that will eventually evolve.
Accessing their in-house skills to support a custom solution, Unconquered Sun is a small
company and has limited personnel with proper skill sets. It takes many skills to design
and deploy a business solution that is both scalable and extensible (Dan Oliver, 2002). If
they decide to build their own solution, they will be confronted with expenses for facility
setup, replacing technology, extending functionality, training or recruiting personnel with
the necessary skills and experience and retaining technology resources with the skill sets
to develop the custom solution. The capital cost of this project cannot be overestimated as
per if a mould and/or thermoforming facility is to be built for making the PVC material
instead of outsourcing it.
The short-term total cost of implementing the COTS-based Solution from the bill of
material in the (appendix# A2.5) is significantly less than a custom solution that may cost
Unconquered Sun millions of dollars to implement. One might think the custom solution
will provide the best ROI over the long term but this might not be true looking at the
market sector of the product (aerator) and the inability to determine the long-term
profitability using Markov Chain. The short-term cost saving from COTS products gives
a higher ROI. These points are summarized in the SWOT analysis table in the appendix
The Build or Buy decision matrix below compares the two criteria based on set standard.
The highest score represents the best alternative and in this case is the Buy option
justifying the decision to outsource the entire products component apart from of course
the Solar panel.
37
Based on our decision to outsource these components and the experience of building the
prototype as described in details in phase 2, the processing plan flow chart for both
design was made as it is in the (appendix # A3.1) the processing steps were revised and
shorten to eliminate unvalued adding activities so that the manufacturing process will
take a maximum time of about 10 hour (worst case scenario)
Since the materials and manufacturing process is the same for both design a single job
Shop facility Layout was designed to accomplish this processing steps. This layout was
simulated with Flexsim to determine the amount of machine and manual labourers
needed for producing a single of the aerator.
Flexsim is a simulation software that is used to study a manufacturing system or any kind
of system, analyze the situations, create and test new ideas without actually building the
model to
Using the macro processing plan chart, the four main activities in that will be taking place
in the facility are cutting, milling/drilling and manual assembly. The facility is designed
in such a way that it has four workstations. Keep in mind that the total processing time
of10 hours an educated guess.
38
The table below gives information about these stations.
Workstation Machine /Tools Processing time Deliverables
Cutting Station Band Saw
Machine
3.5 hours Cut to size PVC pipes, hoses and
brackets.
Milling/Drilling
Station
Multi-purpose
Lathe
3 hours Holes on brackets, PVC, solar panel
and pump cover.
Hose system
Assembly
station
Hand saw, hand
drill, adjustable
wrench, hole
saw.
2 hours Completely assembled and tested
Hose System
Complete
Assembly
station
Hand drill, hand
screw and
adjustable
wrench
1.5 hour Housed hose system, assembled
PVC pipes and Mounted Panel.
The Flexsim is used to model these stations. To determine the number of machines and
manual labour needed, the model was first ran for 10 hours with just one machine/ human
at each station. With this scenario, production was not met on time and the
machines/human were fully utilized. Then, we added more resources with several run to
reach a point where the production was met with reasonable utilization of the resources.
The required resources are below.
Workstation Machine /Tools Number of
machines/Human
Cutting Station Band Saw
Machine
1 machine + 1
operator
Milling/Drilling
Station
Multi-purpose
Lathe
2 Machines + 1
operator
Hose system Hand saw, hand 2 Operators
39
Assembly
station
drill, adjustable
wrench, hole
saw.
Complete
Assembly
station
Hand drill, hand
screw and
adjustable
wrench
All 4 Operators in
the previous
stages.
The final facility layout model with Flexsim is represented in the appendix # A3.2
The actual layout Unconquered Sun allocated for the manufacturing is about 2107 Square
Feet, which is between the 7,870 and 4,15 Square Feet warehouse. The facility layout
design done by the team is a replica of the optimum layout simulated on Flexsim and is
attached in the (appendix #A3.3).
2.4 Phase 4: Process Control
Unconquered Sun will be responsible for creating proper measures to ensure that the end
product meets the required and set industrial standard. In a manufacturing process there are
several factors that affects the quality of the end product, these factors includes personnel,
machines, raw materials, and the actual manufacturing process.
By personnel, we are not only referring to the manual labour used for making the product. This
includes the management, marketing and sales division, suppliers, technicians, supervisors,
manual labour and distributors. These are the people directly involved in the supply chain to
ensure that the customers get the right product at the right time, at the right place and in the right
condition. Hence, it is important that these people work concurrently with a clear understanding
of the company’s strategic goal to achieve an overall quality.
40
The production machine on the other hand is a key factor that can determine the quality of the
end product. It is advisable that Unconquered Sun invests in the suggested high standard and
certified machines for its production, keeping in mind that the value of the return in investment
(ROI) is a good trade-off. The individuals (manual labour) working with/on the machines must
be properly trained and certified to handle the machines and the production process too.
Having decided that most of this product’s component will be outsourced, this stage is going to
be considering the quality control of the incoming components and the quality control of the
assembling process.
The only component that will not be outsourced is the Windsor series 245 Solar Panel which is
made in-house by Unconquered Sun. Obviously, the manufacturing process for making this solar
panel has in-built controls set by Unconquered Sun to meet the required industrial standards.
These panels are of high quality and are certified by TUV Rheinland.
During the material search and selection stage, the team aggressively sought and selected
amongst all, suppliers who are reputed for quality and reliable products and services. This was
seriously and sincerely done because most of these suppliers are going to be Unconquered Sun’s
future suppliers who will be handling the basis components of this product right from the
manufacturing to the shipping of these components. If these components are not manufactured
and properly, unconquered Sun will be affected greatly. A defective part/component procured
and integrated in the aeration system may result to a faulty product. Also, a bottleneck in the
manufacturing processes may be encountered if any component is not delivered as scheduled for
production. Therefore, it is important to avoid these possible future catastrophes by proper
planning and selecting thus controlling the source from this initial stage.
The team thought that it was a good strategy to personally contact those suppliers in other to
establish a relationship them or build a good foundation with those supplies to whom
unconquered sun would potentially be losing some of its products proprietorship.
Some of these Suppliers are international and a few home based recognized and confirm by
major engineering firms, unconquered sun itself and university of Windsor technicians. The PVC
supplier, Underground Specialist is Windsor based highly trusted suppliers of PVC pipes. The
pump, which is the heart of the product, is made by thermo-dynamics Inc. a Canadian certified
company that is a world leader in research, development, production and distribution of Solar
41
technology and equipment. The filter is made and supplied by rotor flush a UK based company
and other micro-components of the product are on the shelf found in hardware stores like Lowes,
Canadian tire and Home Hardware.
The production process involves all activities and steps used in making the product. These
activities include processing, material handling, inspection and transportation. The processing
steps as enumerated in the prototyping phase provided a base for creating an efficient
manufacturing process and facility layout, one that reduces the material handling time and
backtracking. The manual workers will be adept with these processes with time and this will
result in an overall reduction in production time.
In a manufacturing process, inspection is the most important quality assurance checkpoint.
Inspection will be carried out in every workstation to check for accuracy and confirm the actual
work done matches the set specifications. That is, for example after drilling the hole or cutting
the material, the workers must double-check its accuracy. This is because of the tight tolerance in
the dimensions of the parts and the ease of being susceptible to human labour. If these controls
are evicted (overlooked), the errors will all add up and the anticipated structure of the product
may not be attainable at the end of the production. This fact is based on observations during the
prototyping phase.
The functionality of the product is the most important area for inspection. This has to do mainly
with the products nervous system. By nervous system, we mean the hose network connecting the
pump to the filter and sprinkler. Extra care should be taken when constructing the hose network
to make sure the hoses are of the specified length and in the appropriate position. Mixing up the
hoses will pose a major difficulty in the pump housing stage. After building the hose network,
the flow rate along the network should be tested, analyzed and compared with standard 3.8gpm
flow rate of the pump. When the hose network is housed, the pump, sprinkler and filter
performance with the Solar Panel should be inspected as well. Again, these measures come from
circumstances that were encountered during the prototyping stage.
42
Results and Conclusions
Upon the completion of our project we had the following conclusions:
We were successful in creating a functional prototype of our product.
The material selection is the most compatible and optimum in terms of the cost,
durability, functionality, manufacturability with minimum failures modes.
We were able to utilize a number of IE tools for our project with the help of which we
performed our data collections and found the results of our experiments. The results are
tabulated in the appendix.
Future work: As this is an ongoing product development, there will be numerous optimization cycles,
before this product is ready for market.
We will be passing on this project to the mechanical student capstone group, who will
do further testing on the product and improve its efficiency, and remove the
shortcomings.
Suggested:
As our pump only draws 144 watts of power from the our solar panel which has
the capacity to produce 245 watts of energy, we can use the surplus energy to
power a propeller motor that can be beneficial in providing our product a
deterministic motion.
More effective sprinklers can be designed to get the optimal aeration level.
43
APPENDIX
Appendix A.1.0
44
Timeline
45
Phase 1:
A 1.1Functional Requirements Charts
Lege
nd:
Prim
ary
Seco
ndry
Nee
d - R
esea
rch
STUD
YN
eed
- Dat
a
FLO
ATA
TIO
NW
ATE
R
INTA
KE
DIS
TURB
AN
CE
IN W
ATE
RAE
RATI
ON
CON
TRO
LLED
MO
TIO
N
SOLA
R PA
NEL
WA
TER
PUM
PM
ATE
RIA
LFI
LTER
SYST
EM
TYPE
S O
F
DIS
TURB
AN
CE:
TYPE
:
SPRI
NKL
ING
MA
TERI
AL
PON
DCO
VERA
GE
ARE
A O
F
PON
D
DES
CRIP
TIO
N:
DC
PUM
PW
EIG
HT
SYST
EM T
YPE
TOP
LAYE
R
DIS
TURB
ANCE
WAT
ER F
LIG
HT
BREA
KAG
EPO
ND
TYP
ESPE
RCEN
T CO
VERA
GE
DRA
WIN
GS
WH
Y N
OT
AC ?
SHAP
E (D
ESIG
N)
HO
W IT
WO
RKS
?
FRO
M M
OTI
ON
OF
UN
IT
WAT
ER P
RESS
URE
NO
N -
BRIT
TLE
PON
D S
IZE
/ D
EPTH
MU
ST H
AVE
PATT
ERN
MAT
ERIA
L IN
FO.
GPM
DU
RABI
LITY
COM
PON
ENTS
DIS
TURB
AMCE
BEN
EATH
TO
P LA
YER
APAR
TURE
OF
HO
SEN
ON
- PO
ISO
NO
US
CHEM
ICAL
SAn
chor
ed O
r NO
T ?
LIFE
EXP
ECTA
NCY
VOLT
AGE
WAT
ER R
ESIS
TAN
CESP
ECIF
ICAT
ION
SSP
EED
(GPM
)N
ON
- RE
ACTI
VE T
O
PEST
ICID
ES
MIC
RO
ORG
ANIS
MS
OPE
RATI
ON
AL
ANAL
YSIS
WEI
GH
T U
V RE
SIST
ANT
CAU
SES
OF
BLO
CKAG
E
UV
- RES
ISTA
NT
SUSP
END
ED
PART
ICLE
S
ELEC
TRIC
AL
SPEC
IFIC
ATIO
NS
SIZE
BUO
YAN
CYW
ATE
R PU
MP
HEA
T
DEC
IPAT
ION
PUN
CTU
RE
RESI
STAN
CEW
ATE
R PU
MP
LESS
NO
ISE
SUCT
ION
HEA
T CA
PACI
TYSU
CTIO
N
NO
LEA
KGE
GPM
CHA
RGA
BLE
BATT
ERY
ELEC
TRIC
AL
SPEC
IFIC
ATIO
NS
OPE
RATI
ON
NO
LEA
KAG
E
SHO
CK P
ROO
F
Line
ar C
urre
nt B
oost
er /
Pum
p
Dri
ver
DATA
+ R
ESEA
RCH
DATA
+ R
ESEA
RCH
+ BE
NCH
MAR
KIN
G
ACTI
ON
PLA
N A
S PE
R
FUN
CTIO
NAL
REQ
UIR
EMEN
TS
POW
ER S
OU
RCE
CON
TAM
INAT
ION
Pow
erSo
urce
-Su
mee
tFl
oata
tion
-OFY
, Aer
atio
n -A
BHAY
Cont
amin
atio
n -A
BHAY
, Con
trol
led
Mot
ion
-Sum
eet
Back
up P
ower
-O
FY
46
A 1.2House Of Quality
47
A 1.3List of Constraints
Full Product
Concerned Areas Constraints/Constraining Factors
Solar panel, pump, and circuitry Needs to be Shock Proof
Disassemble/Re-assemble Should be easy to assemble and disassemble,
for manufacturability and from an end
consumer point of view
Compliance with Federal/Provincial laws of
safety
Should adhere to all the Health and safety laws
of the provinces in which the product is going
to be sold.
Components List of Constraints
Concerned Areas Constraints/Constraining Factors
Solar Panel
1. Size of Solar Panel a. 64.7 inch long and 38.2 inch wide; Model-
Windsor 245
2. Solar Panel Efficiency b. Based on the electrical specifications of the
Windsor 245 Solar Panel
Maximum Power Output: 245 Watts
Maximum Output Voltage: 30.1 V
Maximum Output Current: 8.75 A
Pumping System
1. In-line Pressure must be 20 psi or more, forthe rotor-flush and sprinkler
will function
48
2. Flow rate must be more than 4 GPM
3. Maximum projectile distance At least 2.5 m
4. Pump a. Must be a surface Pump
b. Must be a DC Pump
c. Must be a self-cooling Pump
d. Must be a self-Priming Pump (Ability to run
dry)
5. Rotor Flush (Filtration System) Minimum Flow to rotor (of Rotor-flush) = 1.3 GPM
Filtration System
1. Inline Filter The pump has a minimum requirements for a 100
mesh filter (125 Microns)
2. Maintenance of Filtration
System
The Filtration System should be self-cleaning, with
close to no maintenance required
3. Pump and Rotor Flush
Compatibility
The pump should provide at least 1.3 GP to
function properly.
Flotation Material
Buoyancy of Flotation Material Should support = 70-80 Lbs. of weight.
Floating structure should have ease of
movement
The structure should provide least
hindrance during its flow in water
Floating material should be puncture resistant
Contamination should be: inert to sunlight, inert to
UV rays, shouldn’t react with water.
Should have high heat capacitance Expansion/contraction shouldn’t make it
brittle over a warranted period of time.
A 1.4Technical Attributes
Whole Product:
Refer voice of Engineer – House of Quality (Appendix A 1.2)
Components:
Pump - Thermo-dynamics Ltd. (Pump # P118330)
a) Self-Priming; i.e. the pump can run dry without any damage.
49
b) The pump can run for long period (such as 12 hours) of time without stalling.
c) Life expectancy of over 20 years. Comes with built in “Linear Current Booster”
d) Ten years limited warranty. Similar to the warranty of solar panel!
Solar Panel – Windsor 245
a) Starts generating power at very low light levels.
b) Can support the selected pump and filter in low sunlight (cloudy) conditions
c) Surface material is tempered glass, very hard
d) Aluminum frame keeps it light weight
Sprinkler - P5R: Professional Grade Plastic Impact Sprinkler
a) Plastic impact sprinkler!
b) These impact sprinklers are crafted from high-impact, heavy-duty polymer to provide years of
reliable watering use.
c) These polymer impact sprinklers lead the industry in engineering and design innovation.
d) Durable high-impact polymer and stainless steel construction.
e) Full circle (360°) or part circle (20° to 340°) coverage, with infinite pattern adjustment.
f) Water-Saving and prevents side splash onto solar panel.
g) Weighted arm for slower rotation and better watering coverage.
h) Straight through flow for superior performance in dirty water conditions.
i) Spacing from 24 to 45 feet
j) Removable bayonet nozzle for easy cleaning.
Rotor-flush Filter
a) Self-cleaning Mechanism – Takes water from pump as back flow
b) No Maintenance
c) Can be used for very long period in dirty pond water conditions
d) Low price and light weight
PVC pipe
a) Good candidate for floating structure, very buoyant if closed.
b) Non contaminant to water and UV resistant (do not get brittle)
c) Hard material, puncture resistant
Selected Water Pump dimensions
50
Selected Pump Performance Graph
51
A 1.5ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION SHEET:as per product’s component.
52
Specification Gathered from Suppliers
1. SOLAR PANEL– Model Name: WINDSOR 245TM
Maximum Power Output 245 Watts
Maximum Output Voltage 30.1 V
Maximum Output Current 8.75 A
Length 1.644 m = 64.72 in
Width 0.972 m = 38.27 in
Monthly Power Generation :
At left, is the total monthly generation
figures in MWh for One Unconquered
Sun 245 Watt Poly Panel for Windsor,
ON. Remember, due selling this product
in other regions, it is important to note
that the amount of electricity generated
will differ.
(The power generation in regions having
more sunlight than Windsor will be good
for Aerator being used in summer time)
Month Daily solar
radiation -
horizontal
Electricity
Generated
kWh/m²/d MWh
April 4.61 0.031
May 5.41 0.037
June 5.91 0.038
July 5.90 0.038
August 4.96 0.033
September 3.60 0.024
2. SELECTED COMPATIBLE PUMP - 24V DC; Thermo-dynamics Ltd. (Pump # P118330) Refer
Appendix – 1.2
Reference: http://www.thermo-dynamics.com/solar_pumps.html
Serial Gallons Per
Minute
Pressure (Provided to flow) Watts consumed Expected Level
1 4.2 GPM 21 PSI 115 Watts Normal
2 3.6 GPM 17 PSI 80 Watts Minimum
3 3.9 GPM 10.5 60 Watts N/A
Serial Specifications International Units US Units Image
1 Length 324.5 mm 12.77 in
2 Width 127.0 mm 5.00 in
3 Height 119.5 mm 4.71 in
4 Weight 4.3 kg 9.5 lbs
3. FILTRATION SYSTEM (Water Intake): Rotor-flush Self Cleaning pond filter:
Reference:
http://rotorflush.com/index.html
Contact: Jim Hosford, Rotorflush Filters - email: [email protected]
Email attached in appendix
Serial Specifications International Units US Units Image
1 Maximum Flow of filtered water 30 L/min 7.93 GPM
2 Minimum back - flow to rotor 5 L/min 1.32 GPM
3 Approx. Diameter 110 mm 4.33 in
4 Approx. Height 150 mm 5.90 in
5 Approx. Weight 0.2 Kg 0.44 Lbs.
53
4. PVC pipe and joints (PVC STRUCTURE)
Serial Specifications PVC pipe Joints Image
1 Internal Diameter
2 Outer Diameter
3 Thickness
5. IMPACT SPRINKLER:
Refer: Impact Sprinkler suggested -
http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/impacts/2045PJmaxiBird.htm
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/impacts/AG5-MaxiPaw.htm
Reference:
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/impacts/P5R.htm
Serial Specifications US Units Image
1 Min Flow Rate 2.5 GPM
2 Pipe inlet. ½ in male
54
A 1.6 Product structure tree (PVC model)
55
Phase 2:
A 2.1 Pugh Matrix
56
A 2.2 Design variants (PVC Design)
Design Variants (Floats Design)
57
Foam Float Model - CAD
58
59
60
A 2.3 PVC Detailed Design
61
62
63
A 2.4FMEA
64
RPN = S x O x D
A 2.5Bill of Materials
Occurrence Severity Ratings Detection
1 No known occurrence 1 No effect 1 Certain –fault will be caught on test
2/3 Low 2 Very minor 2 Almost certain
4/5/6 Moderate 3 minor 3 High
7/8 High 4/5/6 Moderate 4/5/6 Moderate
9/10 Very High 7/8 High 7/8 Low
9/10 Very high 9/10 Fault will be undetected
65
66
67
A 2.6 Prototype Building
A 2.6 a - Pictures of Testing
PVC pipe structure
Test: 2.2.5.A Floatation Test
1.
2
3
3a.
Test: 2.2.5. C - Pump and Sprinkler System (without Rotor-Flush filter)
4
5
6
6 a
68
Test: 2.2.6. D - (Rotor-flush Filter + Pump + Single Impact Sprinkler)
7
8
69
A 2.6 b - Pictures of build
PVC pipe structure
2.2.3.3 A – PVC Structure Design Build
1.
2
3
3a
2.2.3.3 B - Hose network
4 5 6
70
7
8
9
10
11
12
Full Product
13
71
14
Phase 3:
A 3.1 Macro Process Plan
Macro process plan (Float Design Product)
72
Floatation Suppliers Pump Box Suppliers
Solar Panel Suppliers
Sprinklers Supplers
Place the EPS floats in the Pontoon Shell
Join the 2 halves of EPS foam together
to make Floats
Sonic weld the 2 halves of the
Pontoon shells together
Flotation structure completed
Perform finishing on the floatation
structure
Installing the pump+ inline filter in
the box
Installing the rotor flush in the box
Connecting the pump with the
rotor flush with the water hose network
Closing the pump box and provide finishing touches
Aluminum Rods Suppliers
Pump box assembled
Weld the Al. rods together to make
the frame
Apply finishing touches on the Al frame Structure
Al frame completed
Drill Holes on the Solar PVC frame
Procure the Sprinklers
Mount the Sprinklers on the Al
Frame
Assemble the pump box and the frame
together
Mount the frame+pump box+ sprinklers on the
Flotation structure
Mount the Solar Panel onto the
flotation Structure + frame
Do final inspection of the product
Make It ready for shipment
Macro Process Plan – PVC Design Product
73
A 3.2 Flexsim Layout Plan
74
A 3.3 Warehouse Layout Plan
75
76
A 4.1 Tool Chart – Industrial Engineering Tools Used
77
A4.2TEST DATA Tables:
PHASE - 1
Code - A PHASE - 2
PHASE - 3
PHASE - 4 √
X
SERIAL: Status
1√
2 √
3 √
4 √
5 √
6 √
7 √
8 √
9 √
10 √
11√
12 √
13 √
14√
15 √
16 √
LEGEND
100% DONE
Not Started
Tool # 10 QFD_House_of_Quality.pdf (http://www.ciri.org.nz/downloads/Quality%20Function%20Deployment.pdf)
References:
100%
Dropped
100%
100%
100%
Code - B
Date Created - Last Modified - 02/21/2012
%
Completion
PHASE - 1
PHASE - 1
PHASE - 1
PHASE - 2
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
In-Process
100%
100%
Not Essential, can be
used
PROCESS MAPPING (MS VISIO) Macro Process Plan PHASE - 3
Project PhasesPRODUCT PLANNING
PRODUCT DESIGN AND
IMPROVEMENT
PROCESS PLANNING AND
DESIGN
PROCESS CONTROL
TOOL / TEMPLATE CHART
CAPSTONE PROJECT
Essential
MS Project - Gantt Chart (Timeline)
SWOT Analysis - (Strength, Weakness,
Opportunity, Threat)
Functional Requirements Chart
Tool / Template NAME IMSE COURSES PHASE
MAKE V/S BUY Decision Chart
(Course - System Analysis and Design ) Course -
Mfg. Product Design)
(Course - System Analysis and Design )
Co-Relation Matrix Functional
Requirements
List Of Constraints
Techanical Attributes (Specification Table)
Product Structure Tree
ATAR Model
PUGH MATRIX
QFD - House Of Quality
QFD (Quality Function Deployment) All Phases
All Phases
All Phases
Self Prepared
(Course - System Analysis and Design )
(Course-Mfg. Product Design)
(Course-Mfg. Product Design),
(Course - System Analysis and Design )
Self Prepared
(Course-Mfg. Product Design)
Self Prepared
QFD_House_of_Quality.pdf
PHASE - 1
PHASE - 1
PHASE - 1
FLEXSIM Analysis Flexible Mfg. Systems + Simulation
PROCESS CONTROL Self Prepared PHASE - 4
PHASE - 2,3Mfg. Product Design
(Course-Mfg. Product Design)
FMEA (Potiential
Faliure Mode Effective Analysis of Product)
PHASE - 2 , 3
100%
100%
PHASE - 3 and 4
100%
100%
100%
78
Foam Test
Diagram
Diameter = 4”
Length = 50 cm
Weight (empty) = 900 gm
Empty Closed Pipe Foam filled Closed Pipe
Measures (Average)
W 1 W2 Length Under Water
W 3 W4 Length Under water
1. 1 lb 1 lb 0.9 in 1lb 1 lb 1.1 in
2 2 lb 2 lb 1.9 in 2 lb 2 lb 2.0 in
3 3 lb 3 lb 2.8 in 3 lb 3 lb 2.9 in
4 4 lb 4 lb 3.65 in 4 lb 4 lb 4.0 in
Pump and Sprinkler System Test (without Rotor-Flush filter)
Beaker’s Volume Time to fill beaker Flow in one sprinkler
1. 4 Liters 35.8 Seconds LPM
(Liters per Minute) 2. 4 Liters 35.7 Seconds
3. 4 Liters 35.9 Seconds
Average 4 Liters 35.7 Seconds 6.72 LPM
(Rotor-flush Filter + Pump + Single Impact Sprinkler) Test
Flow Rate measurement: Back flow to filter
Beaker’s Volume Time to fill beaker Flow in one sprinkler
79
1. 4 Liters 41.9 Seconds LPM
(Liters per Minute) 2. 4 Liters 41.7 Seconds
3. 4 Liters 42.1 Seconds
Average 4 Liters 41.9 Seconds 5.72 LPM
Flow rate measurement: Impact Sprinkler
Beaker’s Volume Time to fill beaker Flow in one sprinkler
1. 4 Liters 30.6Seconds LPM
(Liters per Minute) 2 4 Liters 30. 8 Seconds
Average 4 Liters 30.7 Seconds 7.8 LPM
Final product test (DO level test)
Wind Speed = 20 km/hr
(both days)
Sprinkler
Working
Reading Time
(min)
Air Temperature Water
Temperature
DO level
Day 1 (Cloudy)
1 No 00 12.2Degree C 7.9 Degree C 4.6
2 No 20 12.1Degree C 7.7 Degree C 4.5
3 Yes 40 11.9 Degree C 8.0 Degree C 6.4
4 Yes 60 12.3 Degree C 7.6 Degree C 7.1
5 Yes 80 12.2 Degree C 7.7 Degree C 7.8
Day 2 (Sunny)
1 No 00 12 7.5 4.8
2 No 20 11.8 7.8 4.9
3 Yes 40 10.9 7.4 6.5
4 Yes 60 11.1 7.9 7.2
5 Yes 80 11.4 7.8 7.9
80
A4.3 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Hello
We made this questionnaire to help us assess the market; assess your interest in Solar energy, your level
of inclination and most importantly your likes and dislikes. This questionnaire is modeled to invite you,
educate you and discuss new and exciting ways to harness solar energy. It would be our privilege if you
would like to participate in this questionnaire. Both questionnaires are modeled on the premise that “you”
are our primary customer, and we are designing the product for you. We encourage you to answer this, as
the answer sheet will hardly take one page to fill (use as much space you want).
1. How do you perceive solar energy? (Tick any)
A. Will become more useful in coming future.
B. It is stable source of energy.
C. It is good but has a long way to go.
D. It is a future prospect that doesn’t interest me.
2. Please state any myths or concerns you might have regarding the solar energy.
3. Are you someone who would be interested in looking at Solar Energy as a long term solution in
exchange with short term financial investment? (Tick any)
A. Yes
B. No
C. Maybe, depending on the offer
We are developing a product which will aerate pond water by sprinkling water on the surface of pond
(like a fountain). It will help pond water to look clear and clean. It will reduce the algae growth in pond. It
will use solar energy. One of our partners is a Windsor based company, Unconquered Sun who
manufacture high quality and efficient Solar panels.
4. Do you have a pond? If “yes” please see the following questions.
A. How big is your pond (long/ wide) and how deep?
B. Where is your pond? (What are its surroundings, such as pond adjoining a lake, man made lake,
behind your house, in a golf course, etc? What do you use your pond for?
C. If you are a fish farmer, does Aeration helps in improving fish life?
5. Does the algae growth alter the aquatic habitat (fish, lobster etc.) of the pond?
6. Apart from algae, are there any other impurities in the pond that concern you?
7. How do you tackle the above situations?
8. What are the means of removing algae; used by you? Any Chemicals?
9. Do you use any aeration systems like floating fountain, air pipe diffusers, etc.? Name it?
10. What was the initial investment made on your current aeration system? How much it cost?
11. How much money and time do you spend in a month or year for the upkeep of the pond?
12. Are the issue you have informed us shared by your fellow pond owners?
13. In choosing an aerator, what factor is most important to you?
A. Price B. Safety
C. Cost saving D. Environmental friendly
E. Efficiency F. All of the above
81
Bibliography
1. Retrieved from http://www.enge.vt.edu/:
http://www.enge.vt.edu/terpenny/Smart/Virtual_econ/Module2/pugh_method.htm
2. Retrieved from SRAC.TAMU.EDU:
HTTPS://SRAC.TAMU.EDU/INDEX.CFM/EVENT/GETFACTSHEET/WHICHFACTSHEET/183/
3. Retrieved from www.epa.state.il.us: http://www.epa.state.il.us/water/conservation/lake-notes/lake-
aeration.pdf
4. Retrieved from www.sunandclimate.com.
5. Retrieved from http://photovoltaics.sandia.gov:
http://photovoltaics.sandia.gov/docs/PVFEffIntroduction.htm
6. Retrieved from http://www.wmo.int/:
(http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/IMOP/publications/CIMO-
Guide/CIMO%20Guide%207th%20Edition,%202008/Part%20I/Chapter%208.pdf
7. Retrieved from inventors.about.com: http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines/a/Photovoltaics.htm
8. http://www.blog.thepondguy.com.
9. http://www.thermo-dynamics.com/solar_pumps.html.
9. Khan, K. B. New product forecasting: an applied approach.
10. www.pondandgardenwholesalers.com.
11. www.unconqueredsun.org/Panels--Instructions--Warranty.html. Retrieved from
www.unconqueredsun.org.