2/3 Weekly Brief

Design

• Hydrology
• Researching current trash rack systems that are feasible considering locations and materials available
• Assessed feasibility of designing silt basin
• For next week, need to determine geological composition of the area
• Contacting creator of watershed delineation from 2010
• Geotechnical
• Researched information: the current system in place to deliver electricity from the hydraulic turbine consists of aluminum conductors hung from Eucalyptus poles. The base of the poles are treated and set in the ground, held in place by large volcanic rocks and back filled with soil.
• Important factors to consider are the declining availability of Eucalyptus in the area and the relative density of the soils used to secure the poles. The relative density controls the mechanical properties of the soil and thus highly influences the effectiveness of the pole foundations.
• Questions to consider:
• What is the relative density of the volcanic rocks used and the soil?
• Are all the poles spaced out evenly? (or) What is the average spacing of the poles?
• Is any material other than Eucalyptus available or used at all?
• How heavy are the wires/aluminum conductors (per ft or m)?
• How large are the rocks at the base of the poles?
• Where can more information about landslides be found?
• What is the total distance that the lines will be carried for?
• What tools are available?
• What is the void ratio and porosity of the soil?
• What is the average rainfall per month?
• Who owns the property where the lines will be run through? How do the owners feel about it?
• Mechanical
• Reached two sources to get recommendations on how to design the desired Electronic Load Controller (ELC): Professor Galen King from the Mechanical Engineering department and Zhu Xiongfeng, a former teaching assistant for ME 475 (Automatic Control Systems)
• The recommended feedback control is the proportional-integral-derivative controller (PID); this type of controller involves tree constant parameters that are associated with the error between the reference signal and the measured value. These parameters will regulate the present errors, the accumulated past errors, and the predicted future errors. The weighted sum of these errors is then converted in a command sent to the control element.
• The angle of the teardrop regulator will be controlled through stepper motor, dc motor, or a hydraulic mechanism
• Modern Control Engineering by Katsuiko Ogata will be used as the guide in designing the team desired feedback control.
• Objectives for next week include developing a better understanding of PID controller and beginning to write the code for PID controller
• Completed conversion of all 3D parts from the 2013 prototype to 2D orthographic drawings with annotated dimensions
• Separated runner assembly manual into the following sub-assemblies
• Runner
• Cover
• Turbine
• Questions to consider:
• What is the standard utility frequency in the village of Bangang?
• What is expected from a data acquisition system, automatic voltage regulator, and electronic load controller?
• Power distribution
• Developing order of tasks needed to be done
• Identifying information needed to calculate energy demand
• Identifying ways to reduce energy losses
• Identifying ways to improve distribution map

Assessment

• Environmental Impact
• Questions to consider:
• Are there any examples of the most appropriate EIAs?
• Are there any EIA resources from years past?
• What is the name of the body of water upon which our project is based? Is it fresh water or salt water?
• Approximately how many people get their water from the river system that feeds our turbine?
• Is it used for fishing or just obtaining water or is it used at all?
• Social Impact
• NA
• Economic
• NA
• Construction Management
• NA