Automated Sprinkler - Essay Example

Automated Sprinkler By Hydraulic engineering, as a branch of civil engineering, is concerned with theflow and conveyance of fluids (Bar-Mehr 2013, p.12). The mechanism of conducting fluids through pipes ensures that water moves from one point to another, to facilitate the processes it is required for. In the commercial sector, this branch of engineering has proved vital in irrigation systems and supplying homes with water. In beauty and landscaping sectors, hydraulic engineering principles are vital in building water sprinklers, to water, plants, flowers or lawns. Advancements in technology have allowed the process to be automated, such that the process can be triggered remotely, and at regular intervals as desired. In the real world, there are no bounds to the application of technological principles in getting the job done. As numerous as there are engineering problems, accordingly, engineering principles have to be construed accordingly to meet the evolving demands (Amadei 2014, p.8). Thus, engineering design process helps engineers and other problem-solvers to come up with creative solutions to everyday problems. Through the application of ingenious engineering principles, engineers offer solutions to the many day-to-day challenges that require engineering knowledge. Agriculturalists, especially botanists, plant seedlings in nurseries before transferring them to farms. While in the nursery, the plants require specialized care and nurture, in order to grow healthy. One of the specialized care such plants need is regular watering. Depending on the age and type of plants involved, watering has to be supervised so as not to be too little or too much. Too little water will see the plants wither and eventually dry up. On the other hand, too much water will clog the roots and leaves, ultimately killing the plants. Under specialized supervision, this problem does not emerge. However, in the absence of a qualified supervisor, it calls for other mechanism to ensure that the process is not flawed. An automated sprinkler will solve the problem of watering. However, due to the specific requirements of the seedlings, a number of modifications will be made to the system so as to provide the optimum conditions. The plants need to be watered four times a day, with pretreated water of about 27 degree Celsius. The hand sprinkle makes it easy to preheat the water and treat it before sprinkling. However, a general automated sprinkler usually conducts water from a central reservoir to the nursery. Owing to the intricate nature of the plants, the system must be customized to meet the specifications. An automatic sprinkler will work even when you are away for days The customized system will be fitted with a heating system, a treatment chamber, and a volume-flow regulator. Overhead solar panels will provide the energy to heat the water (Worcester Bosch Group 2015, p.1). Four solar panels will provide enough energy to heat the water-to-water 4500 plants. Just like a normal solar water heating system, the system will use the converted heat energy to heat coils, which will in turn heat the water to the requisite temperature. To ensure that water does not overheat, the system will use a thermostat to regulate the temperature (Rheem Technical Service Department, p.2). As the heating progresses, the thermostat will be recording the temperature changes up to the required scale of 27 degrees Celsius. When the optimum temperature is reached, the thermostat will send a signal to the circuit breaker to prevent further heating of the coils. The circuit breaker is temperature regulated, meaning that a decline in the water temperatures will automatically trigger further heating so that the water temperatures are maintained at a constant level. Once the optimum temperature is achieved, the excess energy from the sun will be converted into electrical energy and stored in batteries. The energy stored in batteries will act as a backup to complement the solar energy when the solar intensity declines due to cool weather or at night. Thus, the heating system utilizes a dual connection system, regulated by an ammeter. The ammeter detects decline in the flow of current, which initiates the dual conduction mode to utilize energy stored in the batteries (Taylor 2015, p.1). Through this method, the system ensures that at any given time, the water temperatures do not fall below optimum. Automatic soil temperature sensor Once the water has been heated to the optimum temperature, it is conducted into the treatment chamber. It should be noted that aside from ensuring temperature levels, the heating process also helps to kill some microorganisms that would affect the plants. In addition, the heating helps the chemicals to mix well with the water. However, heating alone is not sufficient to kill all the microorganisms in the water. Further, the treatment process uses chemicals that would kill pathogens in the air, water, and soil; to prevent infections from diseases. Sachets containing anti-fungus and anti-viral medicine will be used for this purpose. Additionally, the treatment will involve addition of a culture solution that contains essential mineral salts, essential for the healthy growth of the plants. From the overhead heating tanks, water is conducted into an underground treatment facility, through pipes, aided by gravity flow. In order to ensure that the water does not overflow from the underground storage tank, the system is regulated by valves in the tank (Zhu & Islam 2015, p.3). The underground storage tank has a storage capacity of 4600 liters of water. This quantity of water is sufficient to water all the seedlings in the greenhouse for a single session. It is estimated that each seedling will require about a liter of water. Thus, the 4500 liters are enough for 4500 seedlings. The excess space of 100 liters is air occupied. The valves are controlled by a floater system that checks on water volumes. When the tank is empty, the floater lies at the base of the tank. The floater is connected to the valves, in a way that, as the floater rises, the valve openings decrease in size. Eventually, when the floater lies horizontal to the valve, the opening would have closed completely (Nesbitt 2007, p.45). As water volumes increase, the floater keeps raising until it final rests at the horizon position. At this point no more water enters into the storage tank. The space above the water level in the storage tank is connected to chemical capsules, all of them 96 in number, resonating with the number of days I will be away on vacation. The capsules are interconnected to the system of the valves, such that as the valves open, the process triggers a lever mechanism that capsizes a capsule at a time. This capsule has enough chemical mix to treat the water. The propulsive force if provided by the gravity flow of water from the overhead heating tanks (Cengel & Cimbala 2010, p.33). This process ensures that during each session, the water is adequately treated. At the base of the treatment tank is a pump that will pump the water into the sprinklers connected to the plants in the greenhouse. After the trial process, it was discovered that after each sprinkling session, it takes approximately 6 hours for the entire cycle of treatment to be completed. The electric system of the pump is connected to an alarm system that goes off after ever six hours. This alarm triggers the electric mechanism, which upon completion of the circuit triggers the pump to start pumping water into the conduct pipes of the sprinkler in the greenhouse (Brain 2015, p.1). A timer that controls water flow Through this mechanism, the plants are watered after every six hours, four times a day, as required. The system works without any supervision. The examination shows that there are only two possible errors that may cause a malfunction in the system. All these errors are attributable to an electric malfunction and failure of the valve system (Singh 2014, p.67). An electric failure may result in the alarm not going off at the appropriate time, leading to failure of the pump to conduct water to the sprinkler. The outcome of this incident could be catastrophic to the seedlings. To mitigate this risk, the electric system to the pump was connected to both the mains electricity system and the reservoir energy from the batteries. This way, the system will have a constant supply of electric energy to run the system. Secondly, failure of the valve system, due to friction between the moving parts and the level system, will cause an overflow or failure of the lever system to capsize the chemical capsule. This will inhibit the treatment mechanism, which could portend a risk to the health of the seedlings. In order to mitigate this risk, a plastic valve and level system was used, as it is not susceptible to frictional force (Woodford 2012, p.1). This way, the system will work just fine. References Amadei, B. 2014. Engineering for Sustainable Human Development: A Guide to Successful Small-Scale Community Projects. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Press. Bar-Mehr, G. 2013. Basics of Fluid Mechanics. Chicago. Brain, M. 2015. How Oscillating Sprinklers Work. Retrieved from: home.howstuffworks.com/sprinkler.htm Nesbitt, B. 2007. Handbook of Valves and Actuators. Butterworth-Heinemann. Cengel, Y. & Cimbala, J. 2010. Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, 2nd ed. McGraw Hill. Rheem Technical Service Department. How An Electric Thermostat Works. Available at: www.rheem.com/docs/FetchDocument.aspx?ID=c468a4e6-d7d6-448d-9ec5- 5615734c2fa3 Singh, V. 2014. Entropy Theory in Hydraulic Engineering: An Introduction. ASCE Press. Taylor, S. 2015. How Does an Ammeter Work? Available at: http://www.ehow.com/how- does_4963680_an-ammeter-work.html Woodford, C. 2014. Valves. Retrieved from: www.explainthatstuff.com/valves.html Worcester Bosch Group, 2015. How do solar water heating panels work? Retrieved from: www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/mobile/solar-water-heating/how-do-solar-water-heating-panels-work Zhu, D. & Islam, R. 2015. Selective withdrawal of two-layer stratified flows with a point sink. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 05015002. Available at: http:/dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001011 Read More