This set of documents is the full 1,2 and 3 assignments that are part of the unit 3 project module for BTEC Mechanical engineering. These assignments have all been accredited with a distinction mark and are of high quality. They provide excellent detail, highlighted structure of key areas to achiev...
Assignment title: Assessment 1 – Project identification and analysis
For the chosen project/problem in this assignment, I have chosen the topic of water purification
systems. I choose this as they are something which in today's world are becoming increasingly more
and more used by a vast network of both countries and individuals.
My goal with this project is to compare, evaluate and finalise differences in the varying types,
functions, mechanisms, and processes to purify bodies of water rendering them safe for human
consumption to then compute 3 possible solutions and select a finalized solution. This water
purification system is not only to be restricted for people in areas with naturally poor water sources
but for those travelling, camping, or living in remote areas in the world.
Project life cycle
There are a multitude of diverse ways to look at the project life cycle of a component. One way is to
split the project for a select solution or component up into 4 segments:
We shall begin with the Initiation stage of the project-
To begin any project, you must first outline a current issue which can add change and adaptivity to it.
This could sometimes require research needing to take place for the selected project you wish to
undertake. My chosen project was to either come up with or include a new adaptation towards
existing solutions to the problem given (Water purification). Usually, regular water purification is
processed on a commercially large scale through processes of thermal distillation or mechanical
filters. I began to research different not widely talked about areas of the process involving water
purification systems. I managed to add involvement in areas of different filtration systems both
industrial and chemical including compact user made versions to this problem, also.
A major issue with the current filtration technology provided was the energy consumption and
return of clean and safe drinking water on returns of that process. This water purification process is
not only very energy intensive, but it also doesn’t allow you a large return on clean water, it takes a
fairly long period of time to process the water and it produces a copious amount of wastewater
known as Brine which has a very high concentration of salt content rendering it undrinkable and
unusable for consumption. This was the reason for me wanting to collect comparative methods to
produce a greater replacement method for this current process.
Some key areas of design to produce a final solution could be to look at all areas of the current
process and try to either mitigate wastage of water or eliminate it if available. For instance, a
company called P&G water purification (Procter and gamble) utilise chemical processes with a 3-
stage cycle in it, this 3 stage cycle includes a Coagulant stage, Flocculant stage and a finalized
disinfectant stage. This process of purification is primarily used in small containers of water with 1
package of this product being able to purify upwards of 10 litres of water at a time. This allows for
,clean and safe drinking water to stay at the top of a container while undrinkable particulates remain
at the bottom of the container. This product is available to countries in poorly affected water
stressed areas such as Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria just to name a few. This product has
saved countless lives from the most common water born illnesses and diseases in today’s crisis.
Hence, this is why I believe it can be a valid replacement for current issues with some adaptations
included to it.
[Page 2]
A Key area of this current product would be too upscale the effectiveness of the purification scale.
Instead of the product only being able to cleanse a 10-litre container of water, possibly upscaling
could be implemented such as larger packages of this product being created allowing for more water
to be purified instead of 10 litres, a possible 30, 50 or even more. Or a secondary idea would be to
have purification stations in high water retained areas for aid of communities. Although these
packets are limited to only producing purification in small bodies of water the chemical science and
technology within them seems to be far greater than anticipated for upcoming work.
Although this product is very good and has its advantages some constraints do surface when trying
to upscale this product. These include things such as, cost of production, packaging, and distribution
to selected geo locations, waste material caused by company production, and upscaling the product
into a larger packet or having facilities to use this technology to process entire reservoir of water if
possible. These must all be accounted for during thorough research and testing of product additives
to allow for successful implementation.
Generating ideas for this type of purification system may require some sketches and prototypes or
further research to add on to existing solutions.
Coagulation which is used in the process of water treatment in the P&G product is currently used in
large quantities of water by manipulating electrostatic charges of particles suspended in the water.
This process introduces small, highly charged molecules into water to destabilize the charges on
particles, colloids, or oily materials in suspension.
The second process of the water treatment cycle is the flocculant stage, this stage is used currently
in larger quantities of water recycle… Common areas include, Stormwater treatment, wastewater
treatment, and in the purification of drinking water. This process is extremely effective at
distinguishing solids from larger clusters of dirt and debris and uses the help of flocs to capture the
large particles within the water and clump them into small arrays of balls which are 1cm in diameter
and fall to the bottom of the container that they’re in due to their density.
The final stage again included in the selected process is disinfectant. A process used in all water
purification processes for consumption.
Below are two prototypes I have produced rough ideas on and shall evaluate on as I go further
throughout this project:
, Above are my proposals/prototypes for my two new improvement systems. Page [3]
The second system is to be the one I shall choose to pursue.
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