Miniaturized Dehumidifier Integrated with Acetone Breathalyzer

In this article, we are targeting on simulating human breath test on acetone breathalyzer. As increasing amount of literature shows that breath acetone has strong links with human metabolism, health and diets such as nutrition related ketogenic diet. Normal individuals has breath level ranging from 0.5 ppm to 2 ppm. People doing ketogenic diet would increase up to 40 ppm. However, multiple studies point out the acetone sensor response diminished while testing under high humidity level conditions. Therefore, the designed thermoelectric dehumidifier is applied on acetone sensor to remove moisture. The results compared with and without input dehumidified system on acetone concentration tests show that dehumidified process can precise the concentration to 1ppm level at 90 % relative humidity. For miniaturized dehumidifier to portable size, we introduced SU-8 negative photoresist to create microchannel. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material contains inert, non-toxic and optical clear properties which dominates the material choices on microfluidic devices. The PDMS microchannel dehumidifier not only reduced humidity levels but minimized dehumidified devices volume

Experimental investigation of a high efficiency electric heater and dehumidifier prototype unit

In this paper the principle of operation and preliminary laboratory measurements of a prototype of a high-efficiency electrical air heater unit is presented. Unlike conventional heaters, which apply Joule-heat formed by electrical resistance, the developed device uses thermoelectric modules for heating ambient air. Just like in case of resistance heaters, most of the heat is produced as a result of the internal ohmic resistance of the thermoelectric module (resistance heating), however, in case of appropriate air conditions our device is capable of transforming the latent heat of the air moisture into heat energy. In case of condensation mode, some of the moisture condensates on the cold side of the module while its latent heat is transferred to the hot side of the module where it heats the dried air. In this mode, the heating efficiency of the device (e.g., the ratio of the heat added to air and the consumed electricity) is over unity. Following the idea and basic equations of the operation of this device, the results of the laboratory measurements in a climate test chamber is presented

Controlling the operating conditions in an Operating Room

In this paper, we describe the development of a module capable of controlling environmental conditions, personnel movement and management of other important parameters for an operating room (OR) or surgery block. The base of assembly uses a real-life small scale model trying to simulate the systematic functionality of an OR as well as its crucial components. These include the regulation of environmental parameters, logging of entries and exits by the staff, management of pharmaceutical drugs and diseases, and the statistical analysis of several acquired data. The project integrates different types of technologies, such as the microcontroller Arduino, a bidirectional communication interface between this device and a computer, a web based user interface for dynamic interaction, as well as database concepts for data management.N/

The Drier Dryer

With our product, The Drier Dryer, we aim to increase the efficiency of clothing dryers. This report contains an indepth look at the design approach we are taking to create our product. Our design utilizes a thermoelectric cooler combined with heat sinks and heat pipes to efficiently cool air to its dew point temperature and then reheat the air prior to sending it into a clothes dryer intake. Cooling the air to dew point temperature allows moisture to be removed from the air consequently decreasing the relative humidity. Throughout our design process we obtained simulation results providing a theoretical temperature the air needs to be cooled down to in order to remove moisture based on various design conditions. Our results showed that for conditions of 27 °C (80 °F) and 80% relative humidity, based on a design state of Hawaii, we require at least a 4 °C temperature difference across the cold side heat sink. Results from experimental testing in Santa Clara, CA on our two iterations of prototypes yielded a maximum temperature difference of approximately 2 °C. After applying our future plans to further idealize our prototype design as well as incorporating design conditions based on our simulation results, we aim to further increase our temperature difference allowing us to prove our theoretical results experimentally

Experimental investigation of a high efficiency electric heater and dehumidifier prototype unit

In this paper the principle of operation and preliminary laboratory measurements of a prototype of a high-efficiency electrical air heater unit is presented. Unlike conventional heaters, which apply Joule-heat formed by electrical resistance, the developed device uses thermoelectric modules for heating ambient air. Just like in case of resistance heaters, most of the heat is produced as a result of the internal ohmic resistance of the thermoelectric module (resistance heating), however, in case of appropriate air conditions our device is capable of transforming the latent heat of the air moisture into heat energy. In case of condensation mode, some of the moisture condensates on the cold side of the module while its latent heat is transferred to the hot side of the module where it heats the dried air. In this mode, the heating efficiency of the device (e.g., the ratio of the heat added to air and the consumed electricity) is over unity. Following the idea and basic equations of the operation of this device, the results of the laboratory measurements in a climate test chamber is presented

Review of Humidity Effect on Humid Air-to-Water Condensation by a Cooling Surface for Atmospheric Water Harvesting

Many atmospheric water harvesting technologies have been produced to mitigate water scarcity as an auxiliary source of water. These technologies may be described as direct and indirect water collection techniques. The direct method is to induce a phase-change turning from vapor to liquid on a cooling surface and generate condensate without interim processes. On the other hand, the indirect method has absorption or adsorption processes to take water from humid air before producing water. This paper focuses on the direct methods and discusses the effects of humidity and surface temperature on water generation rates and condensate droplet formation patterns in a macro-and micro-view with previous experimental data. In the view of water harvesting, the generation rate of condensate showed a dependency on the temperature difference between a dew point and a surface temperature. As a result of analyzing droplet formation behaviors considering the importance of the subcooling effect in the macro-view, it was investigated that droplet formation rates and the growth regimes of the condensate also had strong relationships with the humidity of air and the surface temperature. This review would be useful for further research on the modeling of condensate droplet formation and condensation enhancement for thermally driven water generation systems

SkyPort: payload: medical cooler for the skyport UAV

Access to basic healthcare is a major persisting problem around the globe, especially in rural parts of the world. One of the many facets of this problem is access to vaccine treatment. The transportation and storage of vaccines at the proper temperature is an issue that is still being solved and improved upon today. One of the common solutions to this problem is the use of passive coolers such as ice packs and other refrigerants. The potential issue with passive cooling is that the temperature cannot be actively controlled. This is evident, as many vaccines are wasted due to incorrect storage temperature. Additionally, these products are generally bulky in size. In order to solve both the issue of transportation and storage, we designed an active cooling system using thermoelectric modules that keep vaccines and blood samples at the proper storage temperature range of 2-8°C. This device was designed to be transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and is equipped with a temperature control system as well as a battery pack. This delivery system was conceptualized and fabricated by the SkyPort social enterprise project, a group of mechanical engineers split into teams to focus on different aspects of the system. As the team responsible for the payload, we developed a device that stores up to 6 vaccine vials and 3 blood sample vacutainers at a temperature of 5°C. The payload operates with a feedforward loop, controlled by the temperature of the chamber and environment. Our design operates in ambient temperatures of 40°C for over 10 hours. The SkyPort UAV is a viable and innovative alternative to vaccine delivery because it does not rely on ground transportation infrastructure. In addition, the temperature control system maintains the vaccines and blood samples at the required temperature range, ensuring that they remain safe during transport. This is still a proof-of-concept design and can be improved upon further to produce a refined product. The device can be improved in terms of efficiency and manufacturability in addition to user interface

A NEW SYSTEM TO INCREASE THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF OPTICAL DISCS. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT WITH A DEDICATED EXPERIMENTAL SETUP.

Negli ultimi decenni si \ue8 registrata una crescita esponenziale per quel che riguarda l'uso di supporti digitali per l\u2019archiviazione dei dati informativi. Tuttavia, l\u2019aspettativa di vita di questi supporti \ue8 inadeguata rispetto alle necessit\ue0 delle istituzioni che si occupano di archiviare e preservare, ad esempio, il patrimonio artistico, storico, e culturale. Sulla base di questa problematica, pi\uf9 volte sollevata dall\u2019UNESCO [1,35], proponiamo un approccio innovativo che la degradazione chimico-fisica dei dischi ottici in modo da aumentarne l\u2019aspettativa di vita. Gli obiettivi di questa tesi sono quindi la progettazione e la messa in atto di una nuova strategia intelligente, volta ad aumentare l'aspettativa di vita dei dischi ottici. Diversi apparati sperimentali sono stati sviluppati al fine di studiare i meccanismi della degradazione chimico-fisica dei dischi tramite test di invecchiamento accelerato che simulano le condizioni operative di utilizzo del disco. Nei dischi sono state identificate aree critiche, nelle quali la degradazione cresce statisticamente pi\uf9 velocemente della media, e delle aree sicure, dove la degradazione cresce invece pi\uf9 lentamente. Due apparati sperimentali sono stati costruiti. Il primo \ue8 una camera climatica in grado di indurre invecchiamento artificiale sui dischi. Il secondo \ue8 un sistema robotico in grado di rilevare la quantit\ue0 di errori in ogni blocco di dati, prima della fase di correzione degli errori effettuata dal codice "Reed Solomon" (prima e dopo la fase di invecchiamento artificiale, senza polveri, e in un ambiente con controllo di temperatura e umidit\ue0). L'analisi dei dati cos\uec raccolti ha permesso di identificare le gi\ue0 citate aree fisiche in cui i blocchi di dati hanno un numero di errori che si avvicina o addirittura supera la capacit\ue0 di correzione dei dati propria del codice Reed Solomon standard. I risultati di queste analisi hanno portato allo sviluppo di un "Codice Reed Solomon Adattivo" (codice A-RS), che consente di proteggere le informazioni memorizzate all'interno delle aree critiche. Infatti, il codice A-RS utilizza un algoritmo di redistribuzione che viene applicato ai simboli di parit\ue0. La ridistribuzione della ridondanza \ue8 stata calcolata tramite una funzione di degrado, a sua volta ottenuta fittando gli errori rilevati nella fase sperimentale. L'algoritmo di redistribuzione sposta i simboli di parit\ue0 dai blocchi di dati nelle aree sicure ai blocchi di dati nelle aree critiche. Inoltre, \ue8 interessante sottolineare come questo processo non diminuisca la capacit\ue0 di memoria dei Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs) e dei Blu-ray Discs (BDs). Questa strategia consente quindi di evitare la dismissione anticipata dei dischi ottici, dovuta alle possibili perdite di dati.The past decade has witnessed an exponential growth in the use of digital supports for big data archiving. However, the expected lifespan of these supports is inadequate with respect to the actual needs of heritage institutions. Stemming from the issues raised by UNESCO [1, 2], we address the problem of alleviating the effects of aging on optical discs. To achieve this purpose, we propose a novel logical approach that is able to conteract the physical and chemical degradation of different types of optical discs, increasing their life expectancy. In other words, the objectives of this thesis are the design and the implementation of a new intelligent strategy aimed at increasing the life expectancy of optical discs. An experimental setup has been developed in order to investigate the physical and chemical degradation processes of discs, by means of accelerated aging tests that simulated the operational disc-use conditions. Critical areas are identified where disc degradation is statistically faster than average, while in safe areas the degradation is relatively slow. To collect the needed data, two experimental devices have been built. The first is a climatic chamber, which is able to induce artificial disc aging. The second is a robotic device, which is able to detect the amount of errors in each data block prior to the \u201cReed Solomon\u201d error correction stage (before and after the accelerate aging stage, without dust and in an environment with controlled temperature and humidity). The analysis of the data allows to identify the aforementioned physical areas where data blocks have a number of errors that approaches or exceeds the data correction capability of the standard Reed Solomon code. The results of these analyses have led to develop an \u201cAdaptive Reed Solomon Code\u201d (A-RS code) that allows to protect the information stored within the critical areas. The A-RS code uses a redistribution algorithm that is applied to parity symbols. It is calculated from the fitting of the experimental errors obtained through the \u201cdegradation function\u201d. The redistribution algorithm shifts a certain number of parity symbols from Data Blocks in safe areas to Data Blocks in critical areas. Interestingly, these processes do not diminish the memory capability of Digital Versatile discs (DVDs) and of Blu-Ray discs (BDs). This strategy therefore avoids the early dismission of optical discs, due to possible losses of even minimal parts of the recorded information

Water Harvesting Methods and the Built Environment: The Role of Architecture in Providing Water Security

Two prototype thermoelectric atmospheric water generator (AWG) devices were constructed and evaluated for their performance in collecting water. The devices consisted of two Peltier thermoelectric cooling (TEC) modules connected to a heat sink and a condensing surface. The TEC/heat sink assembly was anchored to an air-well constructed of extruded polystyrene and 3D-printed frames, and a fan was installed to draw in surrounding air. The condensing surfaces were either copper or aluminum and featured a surface area larger than the cold side of the TEC. The performance of aluminum and copper surfaces were compared by measuring condensate collected after a test period of 5 hours (300 minutes). Relative humidity, ambient temperature and dew-point temperature were recorded at 15 minute intervals. Tests were conducted in Las Vegas, Nevada and Oceanside, CA. Oceanside featured a much higher average relative humidity than Las Vegas (65.3%) and overall, the average condensation collected was higher than condensation collected in Las Vegas, 11.8 mL versus 0.4 mL. Aluminum performed the best, with average condensate of 5.9 mL, suggesting thermal conductivity is not an essential measure of performance. The highest observed condensate collected was 26.9 mL in Oceanside, CA with a 68.4 in2 aluminum surface. T-tests were utilized to compare mean values between datasets to determine significance. Comparisons suggest that in arid environments air inside the air well is significantly colder than ambient temperature (~2°F), however there is no significant difference in humidity. Regression analysis was performed on the data to characterize the relationship between environmental variables. The highest R2 values were associated with relative humidity and the ratio of sensible heat to latent heat. Calculations suggest that large numbers of these devices could generate a large amount of water on-site. The applications to architectural systems are discussed along with the significance in reducing water consumption in buildings