Project Timeline
The project timeline outlines the steps of the engineering process.
The design portion for this project took place in the fall of 2015. The client, Chris Allender, requested a device to test the viability of extracting water from air in various environments. It was to be portable, cheap, and compatible with a 120v power source.
To condense the water, the team intended to use an off-the-shelf cooler with an insulated refrigeration system. Then, an air-to-air heat exchanger would be built to cool down the ambient air to its dew point. Next, a pump would extract the runoff from the bottom of the cooler and move it to be measured and stored. Finally, a microcontroller would regulate the airflow, control the pump, and collect sensor readings for analysis.
Fall 2015 Gantt Chart (click to enlarge)
Construction began in spring of 2016 and is comprised of three main tasks.
First, the air-to-air heat exchanger inside the cooler; Second, a replacement lid that allowed for airflow piping and the electronics to control the system and log the data; Lastly, the housing for the electronics.
The team was split into three groups, one for each of these parts. The final design is expected to be finished on March 29th so testing can begin.
Spring 2016 Gantt Chart (click to enlarge)
