Designing and Developing a Shower - Essay Example

Objective: To design and develop a shower to help overcome worker’s exposure to radiation Initial Concept: The initial concept would be to devise a portable shower that would elevate a slow-release sealed canister with a total mass of 1kg to at least 10 feet from the floor and let it assume its position on the floor as soon as the shower of neutralizing ions is over. Intermittent gas lift would be using periodically repeated cycles, with accumulated liquid columns (neutralizing ions in this case) would be physically displaced to the surface by the high-pressure lift gas injected below them.

During the intermittent period, well fluids will be allowed to accumulate above the operating gas lift valve and after which lift gas will be injected through the valve and below the liquid column. [ Gábor Takács,2005]The concept would be to use a well of dimension 400x400x400mm, with a compressor attached to it and fitted with a foot valve. The user would press the foot valve to start the flow in the shower when required. This way the device lift will be activated by a start action and the device will remain in the lowered state until activated.

The canister would be placed inside a cylinder (cubicle in this case) of dimensions 400cm x 400cm x400cm. The cubicle would extend to a height of 10 feet and is closed from the top to increase the pressure in the cylinder.[Michael]Literature ReviewIn his book, Water Wells and Pumps, Michael describes various devices to lift water from wells. He describes the reciprocating pump as a pump having a piston or plunger working in a close-fitted cylinder. The movement of the piston/plunger displaces the water in the well and through the outlet.

Reciprocating pumps can be either lift pumps that are designed to lift water to the spout, generally at a height of 2’-3’ from the ground, or force pumps that are designed to lift water to greater heights from wells. This principle is used in supplying water to overhead tanks in the domestic water supply. Because the top of the cylinder is closed in a force pump, water can be pumped to higher levels. In a single-acting plunger-type pump, the pump body consisting of the cylinder and plunger attached to a valve is located at ground level.

The plunger when moved up and down by the movement of the pump rod displaces air through the cylinder through the nonreturn valve at the bottom. On the downward stroke, the bottom valve closes and water passes through a second nonreturn valve in the plunger. On the next upward stroke, this water is forced out of the spout. In a deep well lift pump, the principle of drawing water is the same, though it is pushed to a greater height with the help of an external force, either a pump or a motor. However, the current project requires pumping water to a greater height than a spout and would thus require the installation of a device that could increase the pressure of the water to help it reach a height of 10 feet.

According to the manual Gas Lift, the surface system required in a gas-lifted field includes the compressor station, the gas distribution, and the fluid gathering systems. The advantage of using gas lifting systems is that it offers a high degree of flexibility. The use of wireline retrievable equipment allows this service to be economically viable.[ Gábor Takács]. How Literature review helped me complete the project though we had a rough idea about the requirements for the project, it was only by going through various articles, journals, and research projects posted on the internet that we were able to finally come up with a concrete idea for the project.