Project Readiness Package Rev 7/22/11
Introduction:
The primary objective of this Project Readiness Package (PRP) is to describe the proposed project by documenting requirements (customer needs and expectations, specifications, deliverables, anticipated budget, skills and resources needed, and people/ organizations affiliated with the project. This PRP will be utilized by faculty to evaluate project suitability in terms of challenge, depth, scope, skills, budget, and student / faculty resources needed. It will also serve as an important source of information for students during the planning phase to develop a project plan and schedule.
In this document, italicized text provides explanatory information regarding the desired content. If a particular item or aspect of a section is not applicable for a given project, enter N/A (not applicable). For questions, contact Mark Smith at 475-7102, .
Administrative Information:
· Project Name (tentative): / “Waterbelt”: An aerostatic flutter hydro-power generator for small streams· Project Number, if known: / P12461
· Preferred Start/End Quarter in Senior Design:
Fall/Winter / Fall/Spring / Winter/Spring· Faculty Champion: (technical mentor: supports proposal development, anticipated technical mentor during project execution; may also be Sponsor)
Name / Dept. / Email / PhoneFor assistance identifying a Champion: B. Debartolo (ME), G. Slack (EE), J. Kaemmerlen (ISE), R. Melton (CE)
· Other Support, if known: (faculty or others willing to provide expertise in areas outside the domain of the Faculty Champion)
Name / Dept. / Email / PhoneDr. Mario Gomes / ME / / 585-475-2148
· Project “Guide” if known: (project mentor: guides team through Senior Design process and grades students; may also be Faculty Champion)
· Primary Customer, if known (name, phone, email): (actual or representative user of project output; articulates needs/requirements)
Sarah Brownell, 585-330-6434 or 585-730-7541,
· Sponsor(s): (provider(s) of financial support)
Name/Organization / Contact Info. / Type & Amount of Support CommittedMark Smith
Project Overview: 2-3 paragraphs that provide a general description of the project – background, motivation, customers, problem you’re trying to solve, project objectives.
Background: This project centers on utilizing the phenomenon of aerostatic flutter—generally considered a problem to avoid in engineering designs of bridges and airplanes—for the positive purpose of creating electricity. An aerostatic flutter wind generator called the “Windbelt” was developed by MIT engineering student Shawn Frayne in 2009 and is considered a breakthrough in wind harnessing technologies (figure 1). Frayne is currently developing another invention and is not working on the Windbelt. The Windbelt is patented but the patent does not cover non-commercial use, and he is interested in having the technology developed for use in the developing world (personal communication). A kit can be purchased to build a simple Windbelt for about $50.
Figure 1: Shawn Frayne and two windbelt applications.
Windbelts have a simple design and are scalable for low power applications. In contrast, turbines, the usual method for harnessing wind power, are not scalable for low power applications and consist of moving parts that can break during operation. Decentralized low-power needs in developing countries are generally served by solar panels, which are expensive and need batteries to store power for night use (lighting) or during rainy weather. The Windbelt could plausibly be designed to be less expensive than an equivalent solar panel. The Windbelt could also be redesigned for use in water where it may not require a battery to store power if it is installed in a continuously flowing stream.
The commune of Borgne, Haiti is mountainous with many small streams and rivers and one of the densest rural populations in the world. Most people do not have electricity at their home. A majority of families have a cell phone that they pay to charge periodically from a generator. There is a need for lighting in the evening for general activities and to allow students to have more hours to study. Many people use kerosene lanterns for lighting. The lanterns break easily, release greasy smoke into the house, and cause fires if tipped over or placed too near curtains. Individuals and/or communities could potentially take advantage of the energy embodied in the moving water of the streams to generate “free” electricity for cell phone charging and lighting with LEDs.
The Waterbelt Project: For this project, the team will design a device that uses aerostatic flutter generated by the flow of water in a small stream to provide power to charge a cell phone or power LED lights. The device will be designed for users in the rural sections of Borgne, Haiti. In this PRP, the proposed device/system will be referred to as a “waterbelt”. (The team should feel free to rename the device!)
Associated MSD Projects: This project complements ongoing micro hydro power projects such as the P11454 Micro Hydro Generator project.
Detailed Project Description:
The goal of this section is provide enough detail for faculty to assess whether the proposed project scope and required skills are appropriate for 5th year engineering students working over two quarters. The sequence of the steps listed below may depend on your project, and the process is usually iterative, so feel free to customize. Emphasis is on the “whats” (qualitative and quantitative), not the “hows” (solutions), except for the section on “potential concepts,” which is necessary to assess the appropriateness of required skills and project scope. Not all of the information in this section may be shared with students. (Attach extra documentation as needed).
· Customer Needs and Objectives: Comprehensive list of what the customer/user wants or needs to be able to do in the “voice of the customer,” not in terms of how it might be done; desired attributes of the solution.
Objective: Power simple personal devices using the kinetic energy of a streamImportance Weight
Need # / Customer Needs / low = 1, moderate = 3, high = 9
Need 1 / The waterbelt provides power to charge a cell phone (4 V, 0.2 W) or light a LED / 9
Need 2 / The waterbelt operates in small/shallow streams / 9
Need 3 / The waterbelt uses standard connectors to personal electronic devices (ex. USB, cigarette lighter, 2 prong plug, etc.) / 9
Need 4 / The waterbelt is easy to ship and transport to the installation location (by person, donkey or motorcycle) / 3
Need 5 / The water belt is inexpensive to purchase, install and maintain / 9
Need 6 / The waterbelt is easy to install / 3
Need 7 / The waterbelt is easy to remove / 3
Need 8 / The waterbelt is easy to maintain / 3
Need 9 / The waterbelt resists damage from flooding (highflow rate and water level) / 3
Need 10 / The waterbelt resists environmental damage (debris carried by stream (wood, rocks), dust, insects, sediment, etc) / 9
Need 11 / The waterbelt protects user safety / 9
Need 12 / The waterbelt does not inhibit fish migration / 3
Need 13 / The waterbelt protects wildlife from injury/death / 3
Constraint: / The waterbelt generates power using aerostatic flutter
· Functional Decomposition: Functions and sub-functions (verb-noun pairs) that are associated with a system/solution that will satisfy customer needs and objectives. Focus on “what” has to be achieved and not on “how”it is to be achieved – decompose the system only as far as the (sub) functions are solution independent. This can be a simple function list or a diagram (functional diagram, FAST (why-how) diagram, function tree).
Power simple personal devices using the kinetic energy of water in a streamBasic Functions / First Level Sub functions / Second Level Sub functions
Support generator / Secure generator in stream / Secure generator to the river bed
Accommodate varying water levels in stream
Allow quick removal
Resist damage from flooding
Resist damage from debris in stream
Provide support for electrical components / Protect components from impact/forces
Protect components from water
Protect components from dust
Protect components from insects
Support aerofoil in generator / Hold aerofoil
Channel Water Flow / Accept water
Streamline flow
Transport water
Pass flow over aerofoil
Expel water
Extract kinetic energy / Create sustained vibration / Orient aerofoil in flow
Provide tension
Allow adjustment of tension
Create pressure difference
Provide damping ?
Transform kinetic energy of vibration to electrical energy / Generate electromagnetic field
Generate current in wires
Condition electrical output / Convert to DC
Stabilize voltage
Provide an outlet for the power when devices are not connected.
Signal user that power is available / Sense acceptable voltage
Sense acceptable amperage
Signal user that power is available
Interface with user's electrical devices / Transfer energy to desired location (house?)
Provide connection to personal electrical devices
FAST Diagram:
WHY <------> HOWPower personal devices using stream flow / ------> / Convert kinetic energy to electrical energy / Generate flutter oscillation / Direct water flow over aerofoil / <------ / Water flow
| / | / |
Provide structure for components / Support aerofoil in stream / Accept Water
| / | / |
Protect components from environment / Generate pressure difference / Transport Water
| / | / |
Generate electro-magnetic field / Provide tension / Streamline water?
| / | / |
Generate current / Allow tension adjustment / Expel water
| / | / |
Condition electrical output / Provide damping ? / Accommodate varying water levels in stream
| / | / |
Transfer power to user / Allow easy removal from stream / Protect wildlife
| / |
Protect user safety / Resist damage from flooding
Functional Diagram
· Potential Concepts: Generate a short list of potential concepts (solutions) to realize the system and associated functions. This may involve benchmarking or reverse engineering of existing solutions. For each concept and its associated function(s), generate a list of key tasks or skills needed to design and realize the function(s), and identify which disciplines (ME, EE, CE, ISE, …) are likely to be involved in the design and realization of the function(s). See the “PRP_Checklist” document for a list of student skills by department. Potential concepts, skills, and tasks should not be shared with students.
Potential concepts:
· Specifications (or Engineering/Functional Requirements): Translates “voice of the customer” into “voice of the engineer.” Specifications describe what the system should (shall) do in language that has engineering formality. Specifications are quantitative and measureable because they must be testable/ verifiable, so they consist of a metric (dimension with units) and a value. We recommend utilizing the aforementioned functional decomposition to identify specifications at the function/ sub-function levels. Target values are adequate at this point – final values will likely be set after students develop concepts and make tradeoffs on the basis of chosen concepts. Consider the following types of specifications:geometry (dimensions, space), kinematics (type & direction of motion), forces, material, signals, safety, ergonomics (comfort, human interface issues), quality, production (waste, factory limitations), assembly, transport/packaging, operations (environmental/noise), maintenance, regulatory (UL, IEEE, FDA, FCC, RIT).
Needs / Specifications / Units / Ideal / Marginal1 / Output voltage / VDC / >12 / >4
1 / Power output / W / >4 / >0.5
1 / Fluctuation in power output / %
1 / Fluctuation in voltage / % or V
1 / Frequency / Hz
2 / Aerofoil tension is adjustable to flow rate (how much range?)
3 / Uses standard connectors to interface with cell phone or LED / binary / yes / yes
2 / Minimum water depth / m / <0.3 / <1
2 / Variation in water depth possible / m / +>1.5 / +>0.5
2 / Minimum water flow rate for desired minimum power output / m/s / <0.5 / <1.5
2 / Variation in flow rate / m/s / >5 / >2
2 / Maximum water flow rate (without damage) / m/s / 10 / 5
4,6 / Length (shipping) / m / <1 / <1.5
4 / Girth (shipping) (2w + 2h) / m / <1 / <1.76
4,6 / Packed Weight / kg / <22 / <35
5 / Manufactured Cost / $ / <70 / <250
5 / Installation Cost / $ / <30 / <100
5 / Operating Cost / $/year / <10 / <20
6 / Installation requires only basic hand tools / binary / yes / yes
8 / Frequency of maintenance / times per year / <=2 / <=6
8 / Time for maintenance / min per year / 120 / 720
7, 9 / Time to remove device from river / min / <20 / <40
9,10 / Submerged components resist impact (need to define forces) / N / ? / ?
10,11 / Wires resist pulling forces / N
10,11 / Electronics protected from rain/splashing / binary / yes / yes
10,11 / Largest hole in electrical enclosure / mm / <2 / <4
12,13 / Completely blocks river flow / binary / no / no
12,13 / Spec related to protecting wildlife (size of intake port)
11 / Meets UL safety requirements / binary / yes / yes
· Constraints: External factors that, in some way, limit the selection of solution alternatives. They are usually imposed on the design and are not directly related to the functional objectives of the system but apply across the system (eg. cost and schedule constraints). Constraints are often included in the specifications list but they often violate the abstractness property by specifying “how”.
The project team must use aerostatic flutter as the method of extracting energy from the flowing water.
· Project Deliverables: Expected output, what will be “delivered” – be as specific and thorough as possible.
Working prototype (potentially scalable)
Bill of Materials
Opportunities for scaling
Manufacturing and assembly plan
Test Plan
Test Results
Estimated production costs
Technical paper
Poster
· Budget Estimate: Major cost items anticipated.
ItemsTest stand (or locate appropriate test site) / $300
Electrical system / $150
Structural components / $150
Aeronautical Experimentation / $200
TOTAL / $800
· Intellectual Property (IP) considerations: Describe any IP concerns or limitations associated with the project. Is there patent potential? Will confidentiality of any data or information be required?