The Pet Waterer

FluiDivasLindsey Ehinger, Laura Mar, Stephanie Wedekind, Kimberly Wilson

CEE 454 Design Project

Objectives

Produce a constant head Maintain a constant flow Allow the operator to change the flow rate to

achieve the desired rate of flow Function independent of the application Materials should be compatible with

chemicals like chlorine and alum, etc. Simple to use and maintain

Our Inspiration: Pet Self-Waterer

Holds 3L of water Airtight seal Maintains constant supply

of water in the dish for pets when the owner is away!

When the water in the dish rises to the level of the feedhole, flow stops.

Design Goals

Constant flow into and out of the waterer to make refilling the tank easy

Connect the tank to an elevated raw water supply

Allow the water in the dish to feed vertically downward into the desired POU system

Maintain a vacuum inside the tank

Our Design

Two additional holes drilled into the tank. One hole controlled by a valve that will allow water from the elevated storage tank to refill the water tank. The air hole will let air out of the tank when the water tank is being refilled.

A third hole drilled into the bottom of the dish. Small flexible tubing equipped with an IV drip roller feeds out of this hole.

The IV drip roller provides constant and adjustable flow into a POU system of interest.

Plugs inserted at the feed hole and the air hole to maintain vacuum inside the water tank during refill

Dimensions

Operation

Filling tank up– Place plug in feed hole– Open air plug and valve– Close valve and air plug when water level in tank

is a couple centimeters from the top– Remove plug from feed hole– Wash hands when finished

Maintenance

Particles will clog the IV and reduce the flow Unclogging the IV valve—every 1-2 hours

– Open and close the IV valve until water is flowing out of the tubing

– Re-open the IV valve to the correctly marked place and adjust to a flow rate of 13 mL/min

Maintenance

Cleaning the system– Make sure valve is closed– Detach pet waterer system from storage tank– Remove pet tank and wash with clean water to

remove sediment– Wash trough with clean water– Reassemble system– Wash hands with clean water

Experimental Procedures

Goal:– Determine if there was a constant flow

rate– Effect and time of clogging

Clean and dirty water trials Measured flow rate over several hours Flow was measure using a watch and a

graduated cylinder– Accurate enough for application– Used in practice– Simple

Clean Water Trial

Ran 2 trials. Results similar.

In longer second trial (130 minutes) flow rate fluctuated between 0.18 to 0.16 ml/sec

Decrease not significant

Clean Water Trial 2

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Time Elapsed (minutes)Fl

ow R

ate

(ml/s

ec)

Dirty Water Results

Cayuga Lake sediment and tap water (~ 100 NTU)

Trial 1: 23 hours, start with clean system

Trial 2: 2 hours, no cleaning

Significant Decrease over Time

Dirty Water Trial 1start with clean system

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Time Elapsed (hours)

Flow

Rat

e (m

l/sec

)

Design Benefits

Control flow by maintaining a constant head Easy to use Little maintenance: cleaning requires moving roller to clear the

tube of any obstructions Materials: common, inexpensive, durable, one time cost. Prototype: $32.44 Flow is adjustable

– Increase Demand– Varying Influent Characteristics

Flexibility of the system– Alum/Chlorine Feed

Design Flaws

Need for refilling every few hours IV roller has no quantifiable settings

– Changes in the roller setting and the location of the roller on the tube both affect the flow rate

How will the user measure and maintain a constant flow rate?– Suggest marked container and stop watch

Recommended Modifications

Build a similar device using the same principles but different materials– a large plastic bucket attached to a paint tray with

an IV Use a large pet waterer as originally

designed Neither device requires refilling

Further Research

Use filtration screen or cloth to prevent clogs More data needed to determine rate and

method of clogging Determine how often IV roller should be

adjusted to maintain constant flow Determine how often system requires

cleaning

Conclusion

With a few slight modifications, our design is a simple, effective device that provides a constant flow rate for a variety of applications