Project Proposal and Feasibility Study
Team 11: Travis Befus
Josiah Dobson
Brett Nicholson
December 9, 2011
1
Team 11: Water 2 Ecuador
Executive Summary
Water 2 Ecuador is a team of senior engineering students at Calvin College. The team is working with HCJB Global (Heralding Christ Jesus' Blessings), a mission organization in Ecuador, to develop an elevated water storageand distribution system that will be implemented in two rural villages—Iniayua and Washintsa, located in the south-east region of Ecuador. The goal is to meet the needs of these sites and provide HCJB with a design versatile enough to be implemented in any village in Ecuador.
There are several challenges to the design. The water towers must withstand, with limited maintenance, the area’s harsh weather conditions. The tower must also be designed with adequate storage capacity to provide for each community’s daily usage demands. Towerconstruction will be limited to locally available materials or materials that can be flown in using small single engine aircraft. The structure mustalso be simple to construct with local labor and without the use of electricity. Last, the pump failures HCJB are experiencing with current systems must be analyzed and resolved.
Water 2 Ecuador is proposing a 20ft tall modular, steel tower with a 5000L collapsible storage tank to meet each site’s demands. The tower will be fabricated at the HCJB base in Shell and flown in 6ft sections to be constructed at each location. The system will include a Grundfos 2.5SQF solar pump and four 80W solar panels. Pressure for the distribution system will be provided by the elevated reservoir and the system will consist of 10 cm diameter PVC pipe to each household.
The approximate cost for the tower and storage tank is $2,700. This price includes the tank, steel, concrete, transportation, and installation costs. The pump and solar panels are $5,300 and the piping distribution system is $500 for a community the size of Washintsa. Total cost for a complete system is approximately $8,500. Prices will vary depending on the local market, site location, material availability, and current import taxes levied on the tank and pumping components.
The team will travel to Ecuador in January 2012 to meet with the communities and collect site specific data for the design. A prototype of the system will be constructed and presented in May, 2012 at the Calvin College Engineering Design Night. The final design will be submitted to HCJB for construction in the summer of 2012.
Table of Contents
Table of Figures
Table of Tables
1.Introduction
1.1Team 11
1.2Team Bios
1.3HCJB Global Hands –Clean Water Projects
1.4Problem Statement
1.5Project Description
1.5.1Stage One
1.5.2Stage Two
1.5.3Stage Three
1.6Project Management
1.6.1Team Organization
1.6.2Schedule
1.6.3Budget Management
1.6.4Design Approach
1.7Design Objectives
1.8Design Norms
2.Design Requirements and Constraints
2.1Tower Structure
2.1.1Functional Requirements of Tower
2.1.2Design Requirements of Tower
2.1.3Constraints on Tower Design
2.2Distribution System
2.2.1Functional Requirements
2.2.2Distribution System Modeling
3.Pump Design
3.1Pump Problems
3.2Power Source
3.3Tank
3.4Water Demand
3.5Solutions
3.5.1Sand
3.5.2Maintenance
4.Design Alternatives
4.1Tower Alternatives
4.1.1Alternative 1 – Steel Structure
4.1.2Alternative 2 – Timber Structure
4.1.4Alternative 4 – Polymer Construction
4.2Tank Alternatives
6.Preliminary Design
7.Trip to Ecuador
8.Project Budget
9.Conclusion
10.Acknowledgements
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Team 11 (from left): Josiah Dobson, Brett Nicholson, Travis Befus
Figure 2: Image of Iniyaua's current tower that needs replacing
Figure 3: Map showing locations of Iniayua and Washintsa (Google Maps)
Figure 4: Location of Shell, Iniayua, and Washintsa in Ecuador (Google maps)
Figure 5: Image of the aircraft used to transport materials
Figure 6: Water Demand Curves for Iniayua
Figure 7: Drop in tank water level throughout the day using Demand Pattern 1
Figure 8: Drop in water elevation using Demand Pattern 2
Figure 9: Steel Tower Design
Figure 10: Wood Tower Design
Figure 11: 3000L Open Collapsible Tank
Figure 12: Collapsed Size of 10,000L Tank
Table of Tables
Table 1: Polymer Properties
Table 2: Decision Matrix
Table 3: Budget Summary
1
- Introduction
Water 2 Ecuador is a project focused on providing clean water to rural communities in Ecuador through the design of an elevated water storage reservoir and distribution system. The team of Calvin College senior engineering students is working with HCJB Global (Heralding Christ Jesus’ Blessings), a mission organization dedicated to providing clean water and health care to the people of Ecuador. The design will meet the specific needs of two communities in southeast Ecuador, Iniayua and Washintsa, but will be adaptable for any village setting throughout Ecuador.
1.1Team 11
The team members, Travis Befus, Josiah Dobson, and Brett Nicholson, are all engineering students in the civil and environmental concentration. Each member brings a unique set of skills and experiences to create a well-equipped team capable of producing a quality design. All three of the members have spent extensive time living and serving in mission settings in developing nations. The combined experiences are ideal for the international and mission aspects of the project. The team members are committed to utilizing their education in providing a better way of life for impoverished communities.
Figure 1: Team 11 (from left): Josiah Dobson, Brett Nicholson, Travis Befus
1.2Team Bios
Travis Befus
Travis Befus was born in Costa Rica and lived in Mexico where his parents served as missionaries. He currently lives in Wisconsin and is planning to find a jobupon graduating from Calvin in May.This summer, Travis interned with Clearwater Construction.
Josiah Dobson
Josiah Dobson spent the first 18 years of his life in Turkey, where his parents served as missionaries. His life passion is ministry and mission work andhe is planning on attending Moody Seminary in Chicago after graduation. He currently works as an engineering intern for the city engineer of Kentwood providing storm water and drainage system analysis. Josiah will be graduating in engineering with a concentration in civil and environmental engineering and a math minor.
Brett Nicholson
Brett Nicholson was born in Ontario, Canada, but grew up in Papua New Guinea where his parents have been serving for the past 25 years with Mission Aviation Fellowship. This summer, Brett worked as an engineering intern and construction supervisor for InterOil Corporation in Papua New Guinea. He will be graduating with an engineering degree in the civil and environmental concentration and a business minor. His plan is to gain experience with InterOil in the oil exploration industry before pursuing a master’s degree in petroleum engineering or geophysics.
1.3HCJB Global Hands –Clean Water Projects
HCJB Global Hands is the Ecuadorian division of HCJB Global that is committed to improving rural healthcare and community development. The Water Projects teamconsists of engineers and healthcare professions that teach better hygiene practices, design and construct water systems, and educate communities on the importance of sanitation and safe drinking water. The key to Water Projects involvement is in teaching the communities to take responsibilityof their own sanitation and health.
For HCJB, clean water projects and community development go hand in hand. A community must be fully committed to taking responsibility for improving their healthcare and hygiene before HCJB will get involved. Experience has shown that without the community’s involvement in the project, there is no responsibility and the clean water systems are not maintained. When the community unites together and supplies the majority of the labor and resources, there is a pride in the finished project and a desire to maintain the system.
The method usually employed in a water project is that HCJB will be approached by a community desiring a water system for their village. HCJB conducts a preliminary feasibility study of the community and provides training on basic sanitary practices. If the community is fully committed to take responsibility of the project, HCJB completes all engineering design work for the system and supervises construction of the project. The system is built, maintained, and managed by each community.
1.4Problem Statement
The fundamental problem to be addressed is common for many rural communities in Ecuador;there is limited access to a regular supply of clean water. Waterborne diseases due to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation habits lead to high infant mortality rates throughout Ecuador. Many villagers must carry water by hand to their homes. Children cannot attend school since they retrieve water during the day and often the water collected from the open springs is contaminated.
Thanks to HCJB, some communities do have a pumping system and water tower to provide clean water to each home in the community. Unfortunately, these systems experience multiple problems. The first is that the pumps regularly fail for unknown reasons. The pumps are solar powered pumps that are submerged in the spring collection basin and pump water into the elevated reservoir for distribution to the community. Possible causes to the failures are high levels of sand being pumped through the system and electrical component failures resulting from inadequate voltages from the solar panels.
The second problem is that the tower reservoir structures do not withstand the weather conditions. High temperatures and rainfall limit the lifespan of the wood structures. The reservoirs also do not meet the daily demand requirements of the villages. The towers have a maximum capacity of 2,200L while daily demands regularly exceed 10,000L per day.
Two communities, in particular, are in need of assistance. Washintsa is a 15 home community with no pump, reservoir, or distribution system in place. Water is transported by hand from the spring up to the village. Iniayua is a 25 home community with a pumping system in operation. Their water tower is on the verge of collapse, does not provide adequate capacity, and their solar power pumps regularly fail. The tower is a safety hazard to the community and the people cannot afford to regularly replace the solar pumps. Figure 2 is a current photograph of the tower in Iniayua.
Figure 2: Image of Iniyaua'scurrent tower that needs replacing
1.5Project Description
There are three stages to the project. Stage One, occurring during the fall and interim semesters, includes all preliminary research, design, and fundraising. The second stage is the trip to Ecuador in which the team will visit both Washintsa and Iniayua to meet with the communities and collect data. The third stage will take place during the spring semester and will include finalizing the designs and constructing the prototype system.
1.5.1Stage One
Contact was made with HCJB and a problem statement was defined. The team determined the key objectives that HCJB wants met and the requirements and constraints for the project. Preliminary research has been conducted on pumps, materials, sites, and construction techniques. Design alternatives were considered and compared based on the different materials, costs, ease of construction, and durability.
1.5.2Stage Two
Stage two of the project will be travelling to Ecuador to complete site surveys of Washintsa and Iniayua. Information must be gathered on wind loads, topography, and seismic data for the locations. Soil types will be analyzed as well as the population and water demands for each community. The current water systems of the communities will also be evaluated as well as all system components costs in Ecuador. The team is planning to travel to Ecuador in January, 2012.
Washintsa is a 15 home community with a population of approximately120 people. It is located approximately2 km north of the Pastaza River in the Pastaza province at latS-2.171, longW-77.486.Washintsa has an elevation of 1900 meters above sea level (msl). Iniayua is larger with a population of 200. It is located in the Morona-Santiago province 25 km east of the town of Macuma. Iniayua has an elevation of 1600msl and is located at latS -2.041, longW-77.569. The two sites are 20 km apart, but are separated by dense jungle and the Pastaza River. Each community has a small airstrip that is used to bring in supplies and materials. The flight is 25 minutes from Shell, where HCJB is based. Figure 3 and Figure 4display local and overview maps of the locations.
Figure 3: Map showing locations of Iniayua and Washintsa (Google Maps)
Figure 4: Location of Shell, Iniayua, and Washintsa in Ecuador (Google maps)
1.5.3Stage Three
The third stage will take place during the spring 2012 semester. The team will analyze the data collected and make any site specific adjustments to the design. The team will construct a working prototype of the water tower to determine all the construction requirements and to make further adjustments to the design. The team will need to identify all the maintenance and construction issues that the villagers would face and develop a maintenance program that addresses those issues.
1.6Project Management
1.6.1Team Organization
Each team member has a specific role on the team and is in charge of one third of the overall project. All members will work together on all parts of the project with the respective group member leading the other members when working on their section.
Travis is in charge of the pumps, topography, geography, working with water distribution analysis, and will be sharing the task of e-mail communication with Brett. In addition to his role in communication, Brett will be responsible for the structure, design, and materials in the water tower. Josiah is the project manager and is designing the water distribution system including but not limited to the flow, pipe sizes, head loss, and computer modeling. He will also be developing a design for the wood tower, the team website, a feasible budget, and is in charge of the managing that budget.
Team meetings are conducted between four and six times a week. These meetings are usually at least half an hour and can run as long as five hours, depending on the nature of the meeting. The meetings are conducted either during designated class periods or upon request of one or more of the team members. A team meeting consists of the group meeting at Team 11’s workstation, in the Engineering Building, where the first order of business is generally an oral progress report from each member. The next task on the agenda is to discuss the topic that the team member(s) who initiated the meeting wanted to talk about. Any other questions regarding the team are asked after this and the team will then decide whether any tasks must be done as a group. If the group has group work to do then the team either agrees on a future time to meet and complete the task or, if each member’s schedule permits, completes the task while everyone is still gathered for the meeting. The meeting is concluded when the team unanimously decides to disperse.
All documentation including, but not limited to, meeting minutes, research notes, test results, major reports, presentations, important email, contact lists, schedule, budget, schedules, web site information, etc. are stored on Google Docs. A simple word document with html links embedded within it make the documents easy to navigate to by simple opening an internet browser and pasting the following link into the in the search tab.
1.6.2Schedule
Effective scheduling is critical to project success. The team will attempt to get any major assignment done at least a week in advance to leave room for editing, miscommunication, technical issue, etc. Each team member submitted their schedule to Josiah. Josiah then posted the schedules to Google Calendars. Google Calendars was selected because of its unique feature; like Google Docs the document or schedule can be manipulated and viewed by any group member who has access to the internet. This also allows Josiah, who is accountable for scheduling, to update the schedule with ease because Google Calendar’s only requirement is the internet. In the case of any member of the team falling behind the team simply has a meeting and determines what the problem is. If the work load is too great for the group the tasks are split up into more manageable tasks, this allows the other members to assist each other more readily. If the group as a whole is behind schedule, the team has a meeting, revises the schedule, and if the problem is internal the group meets with Professor Wunder and discusses ways to get on schedule. On average, the team works between 13 and 15 hours per week per person, work load varies slightly depending on each student’s schedule for the week.
1.6.3Budget Management
Team Ecuador requires a larger than average budget due to the costs associated with traveling to Ecuador and construction costs associated with modeling. The team israising money through applying for grants. The budget is managed by Josiah; nevertheless each member has a crucial role in the budget. Josiah is the financial manager, Travis is in charge of fund raising and Brett is in charge of the money and helps asses were the team stands financially. In this way, the budget is managed by the entire team and can be viewed or updated at any time through Google Docs. This gives any member of the team the opportunity to revise any aspect of the budget; upon revision the entire team is notified via e-mail. Using this method the budget acts as a powerful management tool because it gives the team a sense of what can be accomplished with the funds available, helps the team understand what aspects of the project are the most important, helps the team value the opportunity they have, and mostly helps the team act as good stewards of the funds God has provided them. When budgeting issues arise, the team discusses ways in which they can raise money. If the funds simply cannot be acquired the team considers less expensive and or different alternatives.
1.6.4Design Approach
The approach used for design work is an attempt at finding a method that is efficient, resistant to seismic activity, economical, meets HCJB constraints, and is feasible for present demand and can fulfill demands for the projected fifty year design life. The first step to acquiring a design is compiling all of the constraints placed on the tower by HCJB, nature, and the budget. This allows the team to make a decision matrix that takes into account the different materials and designs used on the system. Initially the team narrows down the task of research by considering the design constraints and monetary barriers. Research becomes more specific and comprehensive as the team specifies design material, structural plans, and details of the distribution system. To effectively complete the project, communication is vital. For these reasons it is important that the team maintains transparency with each other and the clients.