The Pet Waterer FluiDivas Lindsey Ehinger, Laura Mar, Stephanie Wedekind, Kimberly Wilson CEE 454 Design Project

Objectives Produce a constant head Maintain a constant flow Allow the operator to change the flow rate to achieve the desired rate of flow Function independent of the application Materials should be compatible with chemicals like chlorine and alum, etc. Simple to use and maintain

Our Inspiration: Pet Self-Waterer Holds 3L of water Airtight seal Maintains constant supply of water in the dish for pets when the owner is away! When the water in the dish rises to the level of the feedhole, flow stops.

Design Goals Constant flow into and out of the waterer to make refilling the tank easy Connect the tank to an elevated raw water supply Allow the water in the dish to feed vertically downward into the desired POU system Maintain a vacuum inside the tank

Our Design Two additional holes drilled into the tank. One hole controlled by a valve that will allow water from the elevated storage tank to refill the water tank. The air hole will let air out of the tank when the water tank is being refilled. A third hole drilled into the bottom of the dish. Small flexible tubing equipped with an IV drip roller feeds out of this hole. The IV drip roller provides constant and adjustable flow into a POU system of interest. Plugs inserted at the feed hole and the air hole to maintain vacuum inside the water tank during refill

Dimensions

Operation Filling tank up – Place plug in feed hole – Open air plug and valve – Close valve and air plug when water level in tank is a couple centimeters from the top – Remove plug from feed hole – Wash hands when finished

Maintenance Particles will clog the IV and reduce the flow Unclogging the IV valve—every 1-2 hours – Open and close the IV valve until water is flowing out of the tubing – Re-open the IV valve to the correctly marked place and adjust to a flow rate of 13 mL/min

Maintenance Cleaning the system – Make sure valve is closed – Detach pet waterer system from storage tank – Remove pet tank and wash with clean water to remove sediment – Wash trough with clean water – Reassemble system – Wash hands with clean water

Experimental Procedures Goal: – Determine if there was a constant flow rate – Effect and time of clogging Clean and dirty water trials Measured flow rate over several hours Flow was measure using a watch and a graduated cylinder – Accurate enough for application – Used in practice – Simple

Clean Water Trial Ran 2 trials. Results similar. In longer second trial (130 minutes) flow rate fluctuated between 0.18 to 0.16 ml/sec Decrease not significant

Dirty Water Results Cayuga Lake sediment and tap water (~ 100 NTU) Trial 1: 23 hours, start with clean system Trial 2: 2 hours, no cleaning Significant Decrease over Time

Design Benefits Control flow by maintaining a constant head Easy to use Little maintenance: cleaning requires moving roller to clear the tube of any obstructions Materials: common, inexpensive, durable, one time cost. Prototype: $32.44 Flow is adjustable – Increase Demand – Varying Influent Characteristics Flexibility of the system – Alum/Chlorine Feed

Design Flaws Need for refilling every few hours IV roller has no quantifiable settings – Changes in the roller setting and the location of the roller on the tube both affect the flow rate How will the user measure and maintain a constant flow rate? – Suggest marked container and stop watch

Recommended Modifications Build a similar device using the same principles but different materials – a large plastic bucket attached to a paint tray with an IV Use a large pet waterer as originally designed Neither device requires refilling

Further Research Use filtration screen or cloth to prevent clogs More data needed to determine rate and method of clogging Determine how often IV roller should be adjusted to maintain constant flow Determine how often system requires cleaning

Conclusion With a few slight modifications, our design is a simple, effective device that provides a constant flow rate for a variety of applications