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Founders Lab Thesis: Saving Water with a Shower

Description

This thesis project has been conducted in accordance with The Founder’s Lab initiative which is sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business. This program groups three students together and tasks them with creating a business idea, conducting the necessary research to bring the concept to life, and exploring…

This thesis project has been conducted in accordance with The Founder’s Lab initiative which is sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business. This program groups three students together and tasks them with creating a business idea, conducting the necessary research to bring the concept to life, and exploring different aspects of business, with the end goal of gaining traction. The product we were given to work through this process with was Hot Head, an engineering capstone project concept. The Hot Head product is a sustainable and innovative solution to the water waste issue we find is very prominent in the United States. In order to bring the Hot Head idea to life, we were tasked with doing research on topics ranging from the Hot Head life cycle to finding plausible personas who may have an interest in the Hot Head product. This paper outlines the journey to gaining traction via a marketing campaign and exposure of our brand on several platforms, with a specific interest in website traffic. Our research scope comes from mainly primary sources like gathering opinions of potential buyers by sending out surveys and hosting focus groups. The paper concludes with some possible future steps that could be taken if this project were to be continued.

ContributorsRote, Jennifer Ashley (Co-author) / Goodall, Melody (Co-author) / Lozano Porras, Mariela (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Sebold, Brent (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Effluent-dominated waterways in the southwestern United States: advancing water policy through ecological analysis

Description

Over the past century in the southwestern United States human actions have altered hydrological processes that shape riparian ecosystems. One change, release of treated wastewater into waterways, has created perennial base flows and increased nutrient availability in ephemeral or intermittent channels. While there are benefits to utilizing treated wastewater for…

Over the past century in the southwestern United States human actions have altered hydrological processes that shape riparian ecosystems. One change, release of treated wastewater into waterways, has created perennial base flows and increased nutrient availability in ephemeral or intermittent channels. While there are benefits to utilizing treated wastewater for environmental flows, there are numerous unresolved ecohydrological issues regarding the efficacy of effluent to sustain groundwater-dependent riparian ecosystems. This research examined how nutrient-rich effluent, released into waterways with varying depths to groundwater, influences riparian plant community development. Statewide analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of effluent generation and release revealed that hydrogeomorphic setting significantly influences downstream riparian response. Approximately 70% of effluent released is into deep groundwater systems, which produced the lowest riparian development. A greenhouse study assessed how varying concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, emulating levels in effluent, influenced plant community response. With increasing nitrogen concentrations, vegetation emerging from riparian seed banks had greater biomass, reduced species richness, and greater abundance of nitrophilic species. The effluent-dominated Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona, with a shallow groundwater upper reach and deep groundwater lower reach, served as a study river while the San Pedro River provided a control. Analysis revealed that woody species richness and composition were similar between the two systems. Hydric pioneers (Populus fremontii, Salix gooddingii) were dominant at perennial sites on both rivers. Nitrophilic species (Conium maculatum, Polygonum lapathifolium) dominated herbaceous plant communities and plant heights were greatest in effluent-dominated reaches. Riparian vegetation declined with increasing downstream distance in the upper Santa Cruz, while patterns in the lower Santa Cruz were confounded by additional downstream agricultural input and a channelized floodplain. There were distinct longitudinal and lateral shifts toward more xeric species with increasing downstream distance and increasing lateral distance from the low-flow channel. Patterns in the upper and lower Santa Cruz reaches indicate that water availability drives riparian vegetation outcomes below treatment facilities. Ultimately, this research informs decision processes and increases adaptive capacity for water resources policy and management through the integration of ecological data in decision frameworks regarding the release of effluent for environmental flows.

ContributorsWhite, Margaret Susan (Author) / Stromberg, Juliet C. (Thesis advisor) / Fisher, Stuart G. (Committee member) / White, Dave (Committee member) / Holway, James (Committee member) / Wu, Jianguo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)

Created2011

Feasibility Study of the Integration of Asphalt Heat Energy Power Generation for Heat Mitigation Purposes at Arizona State University

DescriptionThe heat island effect has resulted in an observational increase in averave ambient as well as surface temperatures and current photovoltaic implementation do not migitate this effect. Thus, the feasibility and performance of alternative solutions are explored and determined using theoretical, computational data.

ContributorsCoyle, Aidan John (Author) / Trimble, Steven (Thesis director) / Underwood, Shane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)

Created2014-05

Design of a Gravity-Fed Hydrodynamic Testing Tunnel

Description

The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of a water tunnel designed to meet certain constraints. The project goals are to tailor a design for a given location, and to produce a repeatable design sizing and shape process for specified constraints. The primary design goals include a…

The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of a water tunnel designed to meet certain constraints. The project goals are to tailor a design for a given location, and to produce a repeatable design sizing and shape process for specified constraints. The primary design goals include a 1 m/s flow velocity in a 30cm x 30cm test section for 300 seconds. Secondary parameters, such as system height, tank height, area contraction ratio, and roof loading limits, may change depending on preference, location, or environment. The final chosen configuration is a gravity fed design with six major components: the reservoir tank, the initial duct, the contraction nozzle, the test section, the exit duct, and the variable control exit nozzle. Important sizing results include a minimum water weight of 60,000 pounds, a system height of 7.65 meters, a system length of 6 meters (not including the reservoir tank), a large shallow reservoir tank width of 12.2 meters, and height of 0.22 meters, and a control nozzle exit radius range of 5.25 cm to 5.3 cm. Computational fluid dynamic simulation further supports adherence to the design constraints but points out some potential areas for improvement in dealing with flow irregularities. These areas include the bends in the ducts, and the contraction nozzle. Despite those areas recommended for improvement, it is reasonable to conclude that the design and process fulfill the project goals.

ContributorsZykan, Brandt Davis Healy (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Middleton, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)

Created2014-05

Generating Electricity from Kinetic Energy in Gym Equipment

Description

As society's energy crisis continues to become more imminent many industries and niches are seeking a new, sustainable and renewable source of electricity production. Similar to solar, wind and tidal energy, kinetic energy has the potential to generate electricity as an extremely renewable source of energy generation. While stationary bicycles…

As society's energy crisis continues to become more imminent many industries and niches are seeking a new, sustainable and renewable source of electricity production. Similar to solar, wind and tidal energy, kinetic energy has the potential to generate electricity as an extremely renewable source of energy generation. While stationary bicycles can generate small amounts of electricity, the idea behind this project was to expand energy generation into the more common weight lifting side of exercising. The method for solving this problem was to find the average amount of power generated per user on a Smith machine and determine how much power was available from an accompanying energy generator. The generator consists of three phases: a copper coil and magnet generator, a full wave bridge rectifying circuit and a rheostat. These three phases working together formed a fully functioning controllable generator. The resulting issue with the kinetic energy generator was that the system was too inefficient to serve as a viable system for electricity generation. The electrical production of the generator only saved about 2 cents per year based on current Arizona electricity rates. In the end it was determined that the project was not a sustainable energy generation system and did not warrant further experimentation.

ContributorsO'Halloran, Ryan James (Author) / Middleton, James (Thesis director) / Hinrichs, Richard (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)

Created2014-05

Characterization of Helicopter Blade Wake Phenomena

Description

The purpose of this investigation is to computationally investigate instabilities appearing in the wake of a simulated helicopter rotor. Existing data suggests further understanding of these instabilities may yield design changes to the rotor blades to reduce the acoustic signature and improve the aerodynamic efficiencies of the aircraft. Test cases…

The purpose of this investigation is to computationally investigate instabilities appearing in the wake of a simulated helicopter rotor. Existing data suggests further understanding of these instabilities may yield design changes to the rotor blades to reduce the acoustic signature and improve the aerodynamic efficiencies of the aircraft. Test cases of a double-bladed and single-bladed rotor have been run to investigate the causes and types of wake instabilities, as well as compare them to the short wave, long wave, and mutual inductance modes proposed by Widnall[2]. Evaluation of results revealed several perturbations appearing in both single and double-bladed wakes, the origin of which was unknown and difficult to trace. This made the computations not directly comparable to theoretical results, and drawing into question the physical flight conditions being modeled. Nonetheless, they displayed a wake structure highly sensitive to both computational and physical disturbances; thus extreme care must be taken in constructing grids and applying boundary conditions when doing wake computations to ensure results relevant to the complex and dynamic flight conditions of physical aircraft are generated.

ContributorsDrake, Nicholas Spencer (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Squires, Kyle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)

Created2014-12

The Issue of Small Format Recycling and a Possible Solution

Description

Currently, recycling is a major issue found throughout the world; however, one of the main issues, small format recycling, is still yet to be solved. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the issues surrounding recycling in general and more specifically small format recycling in order to…

Currently, recycling is a major issue found throughout the world; however, one of the main issues, small format recycling, is still yet to be solved. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the issues surrounding recycling in general and more specifically small format recycling in order to develop a solution that can solve the problem. Working with InnovationSpace and people in industry, interviews were conducted in order to determine the best course of action to address the need of the sponsor, The Sustainability Consortium. After extensive research and interviews, it was determined that implementing a new MRF attachment to circulate small format back to the main residual stream would be the best course of action. This attachment would be modular for a MRF and could be implemented in order to gather more material while also producing higher quality recycled goods. This has major implications for the recycling industry and could help in making recycling profitable once again.

ContributorsSullivan, Neal (Author) / Kuhn, Anthony (Thesis director) / Heller, Cheryl (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Validating a New CFD Algorithm by Finding the Drag Coefficient of a Sphere

Description

A novel CFD algorithm called LEAP is currently being developed by the Kasbaoui Research Group (KRG) using the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) to describe complex geometries. To validate the algorithm, this research project focused on testing the algorithm in three dimensions by simulating a sphere placed in a moving fluid.…

A novel CFD algorithm called LEAP is currently being developed by the Kasbaoui Research Group (KRG) using the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) to describe complex geometries. To validate the algorithm, this research project focused on testing the algorithm in three dimensions by simulating a sphere placed in a moving fluid. The simulation results were compared against the experimentally derived Schiller-Naumann Correlation. Over the course of 36 trials, various spatial and temporal resolutions were tested at specific Reynolds numbers between 10 and 300. It was observed that numerical errors decreased with increasing spatial and temporal resolution. This result was expected as increased resolution should give results closer to experimental values. Having shown the accuracy and robustness of this method, KRG will continue to develop this algorithm to explore more complex geometries such as aircraft engines or human lungs.

ContributorsMadden, David Jackson (Author) / Kasbaoui, Mohamed Houssem (Thesis director) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Studying the Effect of Model Input on Output Accuracy Using an Automated CFD Tool

Description

This project aims to study the relationship between model input parameters and model output accuracy of the Tool for Automation of Computational Aerodynamics of Airfoils (TACAA). The input parameters of study are Mach number and Reynolds number, and inputs are tested through three flight speed regimes and from laminar to…

This project aims to study the relationship between model input parameters and model output accuracy of the Tool for Automation of Computational Aerodynamics of Airfoils (TACAA). The input parameters of study are Mach number and Reynolds number, and inputs are tested through three flight speed regimes and from laminar to turbulent flow. Each of these input parameters are tested for the NACA 0012 and SC-1095 airfoils to ensure that the accuracy is similar regardless of geometric complexity. The TACAA program was used to run all simulation testing, and its overall functionality is discussed. The results gathered from the preliminary testing showed that the spread of variable input data points caused data gaps in the transonic regime results, which provided motivation to conduct further testing within the transonic region for both airfoils. After collecting all TACAA results, data from wind tunnel testing was compiled to compare. The comparison showed that (1) additional testing would be necessary to fully assess the accuracy of the results for the SC-1095 airfoil and (2) TACAA is generally accurate for compressible, turbulent flows.

ContributorsKuang, Joyce (Co-author) / Stickel, Hannah (Co-author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Duque, Earl (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

Ciel, Smart Vent Solutions

Description

This product was completed under the guidance of LG Electronics and the InnovationSpace team. This report describes the development of a revolutionized idea for smart ventilation referred to as Ciel. Ciel is a smart home comfort device that provides the user with a smart, energy efficient, and easy-to-use way…

This product was completed under the guidance of LG Electronics and the InnovationSpace team. This report describes the development of a revolutionized idea for smart ventilation referred to as Ciel. Ciel is a smart home comfort device that provides the user with a smart, energy efficient, and easy-to-use way to regulate the room temperature of their home. The planning documentation, problem comprehension, design, functionality, and device specifications are outlined and illustrated within this report. And the discussion and analysis look into the benefits of the technology, outline the prototyping plan and process, look into the materials necessary for construction, and production safety considerations.

ContributorsBeauvais, Cara Marie (Co-author) / Beauvais, Cara (Co-author) / Shin, Dosun (Thesis director) / Hedges, Craig (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-05

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