Heather Svec, Katie Thompson, Joey Bonavita, and Nate Lisbin

The objective of the design project was to design a filtration system to provide Caprivi, Namibia with clean drinking water. In order, to provide clean drinking water for this village, we plan on implementing a slow sand filtration system. Our slow sand filtration system will cost less than $200 and the filter will be able o to be assembled in two days or less. We decided on a slow sand filtration method because it is the most effective filtering system. We have also decided to include an ultraviolet light in the holding tank to eliminate any microorganisms that could be possibly left in the water. With this filtering system, we will bring clean, uncontaminated water to the village of Caprivi, Namibia.

Feature to Improve Contradiction Principles Design Solutions for Principles

Durability Volume of Stationary Object

35 Physical or chemical properties34 Recycling (rejecting and regenerating)38 Strong oxidants

1. Replace the type of plastic used in the tanks and the type of material used in the pipes

2. Use biodegradable materials3. Use a material that will not rust, or break

within a short amount of time

Stability of Object Manufacturability 35 Physical or chemical properties19 Periodic action

1. Use a different type of plastic to make it stronger and more sustainable

2. Be sure to scrape off the sand each week to remove the microorganisms

Reparability Adaptability 7 Nesting dolls1 Segmentation4 Asymmetry16 Partial or excessive action

1. Make the filter collapsible and portable2. Create three different size tanks

accordingly3. Make each tank the same size4. Create a filter for each and every

household

TRIZ Contradiction and Solution Chart:

  ReliabilityCost

Efficient

Easy Assembl

y

User Friendly Total Weighting

Reliability 1.00 0.50 0.50 5.00 7.00 0.29

Cost Efficient

2.00 1.00 1.00 4.00 8.00 0.34

Easy Assembly 2.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 7.00 0.29

User Friendly 0.20 0.25 0.33 1.00 1.78 0.07

Pairwise Comparison Chart for Main Objective Categories

Abstract and Problem Statement:

Water is retrieved from Zambezi River

Water is poured into the

first tank

The water goes through the

sand and microorganisms are filtered out

Water passes through gravel

for farther filtering

Water enters the moderator

tank

After draining from the

moderator tank, the water

enters the holding take

with a UV light

Once the water is in the holding

tank, the UV light kills any

remaining contaminants

TRIZ: Figure 5.1 Functional EMS Model

Sustainability Report Above is the cross section of our slow sand filter. We implemented a two tank filter system, consisting of gravel and sand. Above the sand is a diffuser so that the water can be spread evenly across the sand.

To the right is our final product. The top tier is the actual sand filter. Connected by PVC pipe, the second tank is the moderator tank. The final tank is the holding tank where all of the filtered water is held. There is also a UV light in this tank to eliminate any left over microorganisms.