3D Autocad rendering

Front view

Side view

 Top view

Rationale

I designed four alternate solutions for the water flow system in the Simulated Horseshoe Crab Habitat project. These solutions all must fulfill the task of filtering all dangerous or unwanted objects from the water, pump the saltwater throughout the tank at a constant rate, and control the temperature, oxygen level, and salinity level inside the tank environment. The final design will be integrated with the architectural design of the tank that will be provided by Miss Synek, and will allow for a group of 100 six month-one year old Horseshoe Crabs to live in this environment for six months.

            The first solution that was designed involves a pipe and drainage system in the tank that leads down a pipe underneath the actual tank. Inside the drainage pipe lays a layer of small gravel rocks which is supported by a small net. These rocks will allow for the water to filter itself naturally while moving through the gaps, and will stop any large pieces of debris from flowing down the drainage pipe into the reservoir tank. The remainder of the filtering system is located within the reservoir tank. A fine mesh net is placed a half inch under the rim of the tank, but is still above the water. This will allow for easy access to clean the net when required. The water will flow down to the bottom of the reservoir tank, where a pump will push the water through a pipe system that will deliver the water to each part of the tank. A bacterial solution will be circulated through the water to get rid of any harmful pollutants that are left over at the end of the process. Air stones will be placed in each compartment to allow for an acceptable amount of oxygen, and a water chiller will be attached to the tank in order to keep the temperature at 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

            The next solution contains all of the elements required for filtering inside the actual drainage pipe. A gravel net is located near the bottom of the drainage pipe, with a fine mesh net attached directly to the end of the pipe. In this solution, no bacterial solution will be introduced to the water, so this solution is less efficient than some of the others. The newly filtered water enters the reservoir tank, where it is delivered to the rest of the tank in the same way that was used in the previous solution. The environmental control features will also be the same in this solution.

            In the third solution, the drainage pipe has been kept clean of any additional equipment and all filtering takes place within the reservoir tank. This change was made so that there less of a chance for blockage to occur in the narrow spaces of the drainage pipe. The same gravel and mesh net combination will still be used, however this process will take place in the reservoir tank, where there is more space and maintenance would be simpler. The pump would send the water from the bottom of the reservoir tank to the rest of the tank through the same pipe systems. Environmental controls features will still be the same in this solution.

            My final solution involves filtering equipment in both the drainage pipe and the rest of the tank as well. Inside the drainage pipe, a single mesh net will be placed at the end of the drainage pipe. This change was made because this net will catch the same pieces of debris that the gravel layer would have caught, except this would require less material. While, this change would also mean more maintenance would have to be performed to clean the single filter more frequently, the benefits outweigh the consequences. The water flows from the drainage pipe into the reservoir tank, where the pump will take the water from the top of the reservoir tank to be delivered through the pipe system. A bacterial solution will be introduced into the water, which will clear out any harmful pollutants in the water. As with the other solutions, the environmental control features will be the same in this solution.

Design Matrix

	Design 1	Design 2	Design 3	Design 4
Aesthetic appeal	3	4	3	4
Amount of maintenance	3	3	2	4
Quality of filtration	4	3	3	4
Integration with tank	3	2	3	3
Chance of blockage	2	2	3	4
Energy required	3	4	3	4
Total	18	18	17	23

Reflection:

            The content of my presentation was to show to the audience how my part of the Simulated Horseshoe Crab Habitat project would supply the Horseshoe Crabs with saltwater as well as how it would keep the tank’s water at an acceptable oxygen level, temperature, and salinity. My focus was to point out the tank’s pump system and filter system, which were depicted in all of my alternate solutions, as the two systems are essential to the overall success of my part in this project.
             Although a large part of my presentation was hindered by my nervousness, I was still able to present some parts of the project well. My background information for the project accurately portrayed how I went about researching the information that I needed to design my systems for the project, and my introduction explained exactly why this project is so important. My design brief, both the personal and the group ones, properly depicted what the total project is all about, as well as how my systems fits in to this project.

            The strongest part of my presentation was when I showed the background information for this project. The background information is a crucial aspect of a project because without this piece of information, the reader does not know why the project is important. In my background information, I spoke about why my partner and I were doing this project and how the horseshoe crab population was steeply declining. While I said that the main reason for the recent decline was from humans destroying the habitats that the horseshoe crabs live in, I did not neglect to mention that many are also eaten by the Red Knot, a type of bird that feeds on horseshoe crab eggs to give them the nourishment that is required for their long migration. Due to the large amount of information that I provided with my background information, I believe this to be the strongest part of my presentation.

            Given the chance, I would definitely improve almost every aspect of my presentation. The rubric stated that I should be dressed to impress, however, I accidentally left my suit in the room from the day before, and did not realize this until after my presentation. I most likely lost points for not being dressed up, so next time I would make sure that I have my suit with me the night before I present. Another part of my presentation that I would like to improve are my alternate solutions. When I presented these solutions to the class, they resembled brainstorming sketches more than any kind of formal drawing. These drawings also lacked any detail regarding how I would control the environment's temperature, oxygen level, or salinity, which also took points off of the total grade. While watching the video that Reuben Keller took of my presentation, I also noticed a problem in the way that I presented. I kept my eyes on the projection throughout almost all of the presentation instead of making eye contact with the class,  and my speech was full of "Uhms", "Uhhs", and long pauses, including when I accidentally exited out of my blog. Overall, I believe that my presentation could have been significantly better had I taken more time to look over what had to be done.
            The weakest part of my presentation, as stated in the previous paragraph, was my lack of preparation. I believe that I was lulled in to a false sense of security by the fact that this presentation was not going to be graded and that I was under the impression that I understood by project well enough to present at any time. While I did know enough to talk about everything that was required, I lacked information on some of the finer details of the project, and my lack of preparation led to pauses in my speech and a flood of "Uhh"'s. Had I prepared more for this presentation, I would have practiced my speech enough to go through the whole presentation without pausing, and consequently would have realized that I lacked some of the finer details of the project.
            As I have mentioned in my previous paragraphs, I will be preparing much farther in advance for my next presentation. By preparing more than I did for my first presentation, I can learn from my mistakes and provide data for all of the areas in which I was lacking during the first presentation. I can also practice saying my speech in front of a mirror, so that I memorize parts of the speech and would no longer have to rely on pauses to get my thoughts together.
            From watching my presentation on the video that Reuben Keller took, I noticed one very important fact. Instead of standing confidently in front of the class, I tended to stand behind a desk or a chair, and lean on that. The way I was standing made my presentation feel significantly less formal, and made me look unprofessional. I also noticed that my hands tend to shake while I am presenting, so for my next presentation, I may choose to not hold anything in my hands, so that this is not as noticeable.
            Overall, I feel that this first presentation was a learning exercise for me. While this presentation could only be described as "decent", my failure in this presentation showed me how important proper preparation is for the success of a presentation. Had I not gone back and watched the video from my presentation, I may not have realized these facts for a while, and my next presentation could have turned in to a repeat of my first presentation. This reflection has given me the opportunity to fix my mistakes so that my future presentations will be better as a result.

 

Log entry 9/30/13-10/4/13:

Monday: Re-designed alternate solutions to fit with new tank solutions.

Tuesday: Researched time that water would take to fully run through different filter systems. Fixed outline for presentations.

Wednesday: Started writing out testing procedures. Investigated possible alternate solutions for controlling oxygen level other than air stones. Air stones found to be most efficient. Presented in class

Thursday: Started drawing top, front, and side views of alternate solutions and detailed pipe and water flow system. Spoke with Alex Van Heest after school to talk about aerating systems as well as possible mentor contacts.

Friday: Discussed alternate solutions with Alex Van Heest. Compared filter systems and salinity measuring devices. Created log #3

Alternate solutions:







In this solution, the drainage pipe leads directly to the reservoir. A fine mesh net filters out all detritus coming through the drain, and bacteria in the reservoir tank rids the water of unwanted microorganisms. The pump will bring the water out from the top of the reservoir tank to be delivered to the rest of the tank through the pipe system.


In this solution, the drainage pipe leads down in to the reservoir tank. Upon entering the reservoir tank, the water runs down a layer of gravel, which filters out the larger pieces of debris. The water then flows through a fine mesh net, which filters out the remaining smaller objects. The water delivery pipe system is located at the bottom of the tank in the scenario so that the filtered water on the bottom is transferred to the rest of the tank.
















In this solution, the filter is placed in the actual drainage pipe. The water is sent through a layer of gravel as well as a fine mesh net. The gravel blocks all large pieces of debris while the mesh net filters out the smaller objects. Once the clean water enters the reservoir tank, it is sent through the pipe system using the pump to be delivered to the rest of the tank.


In this solution, the filter is placed in the drainage pipe as well as in the reservoir tank. The filter in the drainage pipe is made of a layer of gravel, to filter out the larger objects. A fine mesh net as well as a bacteria culture are in the reservoir tank to filter out smaller pieces of debris and to get rid of unwanted microorganisms. The water delivery pipe system is located at the bottom of the reservoir tank to make sure that only clean water is sent to the tank.