Milestone 1 was finalized with the completion of Task 6: Deriving Flow/Time relationship equation and Task 1 ,2, and 3 of Milestone 2. These tasks have to do with the finalization of our 3D Model as well as calculation of necessary flow needed to bring about our proposed goal. Currently we are working on Tasks 4,5, and 7 which deal with the final analyses of our 3D model using SolidWorks Simulation Flow; these will include analysis of the expected flow going through the device and how it is impeded/promoted.
Our final design will have the overall appearance of a regular vent register when installed in the ceiling. Some notable differences from common vents when installed will be a thicker profile (~1” extra) and the lack of vent adjuster on the side. When uninstalled is where the key features of the design can be seen. Most notably will be the two 158 CFM rated fans stacked behind the adjustable vents. Both of these will be used for the purpose of manipulation the airflow through the register. Another feature that may be seen is the linear servo motor tucked into the gap between the vent opening and the outer edge of the device. That will be what opens/closes the adjustable vents. Finally there is the remote controller which will be used to operate all of the components listed previously.
Currently we have a derived equation using the energy balance equation from our heat transfer course that describes and proves the validity of our main project goal. This equation as seen in one of our figures, gives us the correlation between the flow and the time it takes for temperature change to occur. Using this we were able to prove that as we increase the airflow entering a room, we are simultaneously decreasing the amount of time it takes for that room to change temperature. We are also currently working on flow analysis of our SolidWorks 3D model, which will be another reinforcement of our project's functionality.
Our preparation will consist of ordering all the electrical components we have decided will be in our final design. This will be done during the winter break to maximize the team we have during the semester to work on assembling the device. We will also begin looking for a room to validate our device. Since this room has to meet the requirement of 50 - 250 CFM of air coming through the register, we may have to limit the amount of flow coming through the register of a normal working AC system instead of finding a suboptimal one.
We’ve gotten progress in terms of advancing our knowledge of Flow modeling in Solidworks Flow Simulation.
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