Blog Posts

Hello February

Published:February 11th, 2023

Welcome back and happy February! Here in Gainesville, we’re back to mid-70° weather, a couple of humid rainy days, and the yellow pollen that sticks to your windshield. Ahh, spring.

Anyway, I’m here to report that EvapoGATOR has continued our progress this week by:

placing a third purchase order for components
beginning assembly of the phase separator tank with parts we’ve received
confirming the lead time of the frame welding from our liaison Dr. MacIntosh and his colleague in the IFAS Agricultural department
creating more detailed testing plans for the system’s thermocouples, valves, and pressure gauges
developing solutions to a problem that arose with the system’s natural circulation

We’re happy to report that we have most of our parts purchased now and are waiting for them to arrive. Additionally, the stainless steel rods and caster wheels for the frame have arrived and are currently being welded with a lead time of ~0-3 weeks. Hopefully, we will have the frame sooner rather than later and can begin assembling the system. Until then, we have to work with the parts that we have, so our team began assembling the phase separator tank and will continue testing that unit and the others.

A moderately sized problem we encountered this week was the risk of the evaporator heat exchanger (HEX) not functioning properly in the current design. Our liaison engineer brought up this concern in our weekly meeting, and the team decided a good solution would be to buy a new, longer HEX that would ensure the system’s natural circulation remained intact. We have researched, completed calculations, and compared the heat exchange properties of our options with the data we know from the original part. With this, EvapoGATOR feels we have found a good solution and are finalizing that design edit into our full system CAD model and bill of materials (BOM).

With all of this progress, we know the grind doesn’t stop because we’re now preparing for QRB2 on 2/28. Here are some plans we have for next week:

continue assembling the phase separator tank and other subassemblies as parts come in
continue/finish placing purchase orders for system components
finalize CAD model and BOM
continue HEX testing on the condenser and evaporator
construct and begin testing thermocouples — create calibration curves to add to QRB2 presentation
work on a draft of ASEE paper and complete literature review

As we go into the week of Valentine’s Day — spread love, not hate. Here’s a picture of Emily loving this project, as all of EvapoGATOR does.

Emily assembling the phase separator tank in the pilot plant 2/10/23

Tagged as: BOM, CAD, FSHN, HEX, phase separator, QRB2

Qualification Review Board 1 (QRB1)

Published:February 5th, 2023

Category:Spring Semester

Hello friends and welcome back to another update on EvapoGATOR!

This week, we had the first presentation/check-in to review our progress this semester in the form of QRB1. Our team tried to include enough meaningful and relevant information to convince the judges that we are on the right track with this project. For example, in the presentation, we included:

a list of parts already purchased (specifically, three main process units)
observations from initial testing on units
the progression of the vacuum evaporator’s CAD model
an up-to-date Bill of Materials (BOM)
plans for assembly and testing
possible risks and their accompanying mitigation strategies

With this solid amount of information, EvapoGATOR believes we made a strong case with our progress and detailed plans for finishing the project on time. The judges gave feedback on a few things, and our team immediately addressed those concerns.

So QRB1 was the main event of the week, but we completed some great milestones too! This week, EvapoGATOR also:

worked on part sourcing the 200+ components for the new system
placed a purchase order for 50+ components
continued integrity testing on the main process units
finalized the outsourcing of the frame welding job (one of the concerns from QRB1)
created a solution for the condenser connections

With all of this good progress, our team will continue testing the parts we have, planning for future assembly/testing, and finalizing the BOM and CAD model in February. Now we are preparing for QRB2 on Feb. 28, at which point we want to have received/tested most (if not all) individual components. Additionally, we plan for the frame to be welded, and we want to have the main process units attached. EvapoGATOR thinks these would be appropriate milestones to have achieved and to share during QRB2.

Until next time, please enjoy a selfie of our team with the purchased phase separator tank.

EvapoGATOR selfie with phase separator tank in FSHN lab.

Tagged as: BOM, CAD, QRB1, QRB2, vacuum evaporator

Prepping for QRB1

Published:January 30th, 2023

Category:Spring Semester

Hello lovely readers, and welcome to the countdown to QRB1 (T-50 hours)!

EvapoGATOR has been getting stuff done this week! Here’s a list of some of our accomplishments:

received condenser and phase separator
ordered additional smaller components from Bill of Materials (BOM)
conducted preliminary testing on main process units
added to the draft of the lab manual
reached out to outsource frame manufacturing

Additionally, the team has been preparing content for QRB1. On Tuesday 1/31, we will present an update on our progress this semester to a panel of IPPD coaches; these coaches will assess our work and offer feedback.

Here are some of the highlights we will be sharing:

since SLDR, we have purchased/received the three main process units
the team has begun initial testing on the individual components
we started a draft of the lab manual and crafted a plan to add to it periodically
we’ve made plans for the stainless steel frame to be manufactured

After QRB1, EvapoGATOR plans to finish purchasing, continue testing, and begin assembling. More to come on that.

For now, here are some pictures of the beautiful main process units that were purchased for the system.

Condenser purchased for vacuum evaporation system.

Tagged as: BOM, condenser, evaporator, phase separator, QRB1, testing

The Week We Started Testing

Published:January 21st, 2023

Category:Spring Semester

Hello friends! We hope everyone has had a great week and is settling into the new year.

EvapoGATOR has no time to ease into the new semester because we’ve been busy:

ordering the main process units for our system
testing the evaporator that was delivered over winter break
preparing for QRB1 at the end of this month

For QRB1, our team will have a presentation exhibiting all the work we’ve accomplished since SLDR when we presented our final design to coaches, liaisons, and our peers. This semester, we are focusing on building and testing the system, and QRB1 is just the first checkpoint to make sure we’re on the right track.

In the next 10 days, we will prepare for QRB1 by:

completing testing on the evaporator
choosing three new phase separator options
creating a detailed project plan for the rest of the semester
working on a PowerPoint for the presentation
finalizing the CAD assembly model
purchasing smaller components for the system
purchasing square tubing and having it welded

EvapoGATOR intends to make good progress on building our vacuum evaporator system and testing the specific parts by this first milestone.

Additionally, our team is excited to share that we submitted an abstract about this project to the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) with the help of our coach, Dr. Philip Jackson, and it was accepted! This means that we will work together on a research paper that will highlight the importance of our project and its impact on students’ educational experiences in the FSHN department. EvapoGATOR is grateful for this opportunity and ready to get started with compiling the work we’ve completed so far with the data we get this semester.

Okay, this has been a bit of a long blog post, so now please enjoy a picture of us in the lab with the evaporator we were testing!

Tagged as: ASEE, CAD, FSHN, QRB1, vacuum evaporator

Beginning of Spring Semester

Published:January 16th, 2023

Category:Spring Semester

Hello all, happy spring semester!

This week, EvapoGATOR is getting back in the swing of things and planning the rest of our project. In class, we completed an assignment that:

mapped a critical path for the semester
broke down our plan for January
considered risks with accompanying mitigation strategies

Our team’s biggest takeaway from this exercise was that we have to purchase the rest of the parts this upcoming week so we can start to test and assemble the vacuum evaporator. By the end of this month, and the first Quality Review Board assessment on January 31 (QRB1), EvapoGATOR wants to have received all parts and have them individually tested.

At this point, the team has purchased the evaporator and has done research to purchase a condenser and phase separator tank. Below are pictures of these main process units we have/are planning to purchase.

Tagged as: condenser, evaporator, phase separator, QRB1, risks, vacuum evaporator

SLDR Week

Published:December 9th, 2022

Category:Fall Semester

Hello lovely people, and happy finals!

Just kidding, nobody is happy right now.

Except for EvapoGATOR because we’re very proud of our SLDR presentation! This week, the team presented our solution to completely redesign and build a new vacuum evaporator for UF’s Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) department.

On Tuesday 12/6, we had the fantastic opportunity to network with other coaches, liaison engineers, and peers before listening to a keynote speaker and sharing our SLDR presentation.

During our presentation, we explained the uses/process of vacuum evaporation, detailed the problems with the current system, presented our design solution, and proposed the next steps to follow in the coming semester. From all of the work we put into the design process, EvapoGATOR is confident we presented a logical, budget-friendly, time-appropriate solution to assemble a new machine in the spring.

To finish the semester, we have been coordinating with our liaison, Dr. MacIntosh, to purchase the main process units for the system: the evaporator, condenser, and phase separator tank.

When we return from winter break in January, we will begin testing those components and coming up with a detailed plan to assemble the system.

Until then, our team wanted to share some of our favorite moments from the fall semester:

Emily: “My favorite part was getting to know the other teams and understanding how to work with a variety of people.”

Ryan: “My favorite part was networking during the SLDR event.”

Alli: “My favorite part was working with my team to design something meaningful and adding skills to my engineering toolbox.”

Happy holidays everyone! See you in 2023!

We forgot to take a picture at SLDR, so we got one with the vacuum evaporator in the FSHN pilot plant.

Tagged as: FSHN, SLDR, vacuum evaporator

Week of PR SLDR

Published:December 1st, 2022

Category:Fall Semester

Happy December, friends! EvapoGATOR hopes everyone had a fun, relaxing time with their families and friends during Thanksgiving!

We did not post last week because of the holiday, but we were still getting a lot done. For example, we finished the SLDR draft! It was a lot of work to format the sections, figure out which components fit where, and explain our project and plans in a concise, clear way.

On Tuesday of this week, we gave our SLDR presentation to our peers and received some great feedback. We’ve been working on this project for about 4 months now, so sometimes it’s hard for us to remember that understanding the vacuum evaporator is difficult and even took us a while. Because of that, we’re trying to calculate the perfect balance of explanation for people who have never heard about our project before.

Next week, EvapoGATOR will present our SLDR. To prepare for that, we will jazz up our presentation and finalize all of our concepts.

Below is a picture from the PR SLDR.

Tagged as: SLDR

Prototype Inspection Week

Published:November 21st, 2022

Category:Fall Semester

Hello everyone, I’m happy to report that we successfully made it through Prototype Inspection Day (PID)!

For PID, we showcased the progress of our vacuum evaporation project with a rough prototype of 3D-printed parts and CAD models. We labeled these parts with a poster, explained their functions, and presented physical representations of each. With these devices, our team could adequately describe that the old vacuum evaporator is outdated, faulty, and has irreplaceable parts; then, we put forth our plan to completely redesign and build a new system for the FSHN lab.

Up to this point, EvapoGATOR has reverse-engineered the vacuum evaporation system and compiled a list of every necessary component for the new apparatus. With this list, we have broken the system into three main process units: the condenser, the evaporator, and the phase separator; a few other important parts include the frame, pressure relief valves, piping connections, and pressure gauges. The team broke these components up and individually researched designs, materials, and other technical specifications for each.

For PID, we were hoping to (and did) get meaningful feedback on a few components: the condenser, phase separator, and frame design. By explaining their functions and showing both digital and physical models of our proposed concepts, the team gave judges an opportunity to ask questions and give opinions on our designs. We are very grateful for all of the judges’ input because it gave us some considerations we had not thought of, and they offered helpful, professional insight into the next steps of our project.

From here, EvapoGATOR will solidify our design decisions and present them in the System Level Design Report (SLDR), due at the end of the semester. This report will contain everything we have done in this project up to this point. We plan on editing our Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with the addition of more information in previous sections, our prototype plan, and a solid strategy for completing this project next semester.

Below, I’m adding some pictures of a few new concepts we’re considering.

Tagged as: 3D printing, CAD, FSHN, PDR, PID, prototype, SLDR, SolidWorks, vacuum evaporator

Pre-PID (Hurricane Week, part 2)

Published:November 12th, 2022

Category:Fall Semester

Hello!

Welcome back to our EvapoGATOR blog! I must preface this post with the fact that we had a short week here at UF again. Classes were canceled on Thursday 11/10 for Hurricane Nicole and Friday 11/11 for Veteran’s Day. Yay for a long weekend! Nay for campus being closed when we needed to 3D print :/

Despite a few classless, rainy days, the grind doesn’t stop. Our team has been very productive this week while preparing for Prototype Inspection Day (PID) next Tuesday. This week, we have:

Completed a SolidWorks assembly of the system
Met with Dr. Mac to discuss our progress
3D printed components for the PID
Created and printed a table placemat for PID
Started a PowerPoint and script for PID

Everything this week is centered around our prototype and progress. We are excited to present to the judges and receive feedback that will help us through the next steps of our project.

While there are some components we do not need help with, there are a few we would like to present for feedback. We are still not 100% sure which designs we will choose for our condenser, phase separator tank, and frame. We have 3D printed these components and will present them to the judges for their thoughts.

Until Tuesday, have a great weekend, and go Gators!

SolidWorks assembly of shell and tube heat exchanger (condenser)

Tagged as: 3D printing, condenser, Hurricane Nicole, phase separator, PID, SolidWorks

Preliminary Prototyping

Published:November 4th, 2022

Category:Fall Semester

Hello lovely people!

This week, EvapoGATOR has started planning for the upcoming Prototype Inspection Day (PID). This activity includes all teams in the class compiling a rough prototype of their projects to display and receive feedback on. Our team is very excited to begin this creative journey of visually showing the progress and next steps for our project.

The team is brainstorming the best ways to explain the current vacuum evaporation system and its functions, break down the main problems with the current apparatus, and showcase our ideas for creating an entirely new system. From the Preliminary Design Report (PDR), we believe we have an adequate description of the current system and its flaws, so the main thing we want to focus on for the PID is our proposed solutions for a new vacuum evaporation system.

While the system is composed of many parts from major process units like the condenser to smaller additives like the thermowell, EvapoGATOR has been deciding the best way to upgrade each.

Components We Don’t Need Help With:

Evaporator/steam jacket
Thermocouples/thermowell
Buchner flask
Flow meters/rotameters
Pressure gauges
Pressure relief valves

Components We Do Need Help With:

Condenser/calandria
Phase separator tank
Geometric layout of the system
How many flowmeters, valves, thermocouples, and gauges

When it comes to choosing components, some decisions are easier than others. For example, we know we’re going to buy the evaporator off-the-shelf, so we just have to search for a suitable part whose technical specs meet our needs. On the other hand, the team is planning to design and manufacture a condenser that has a major visibility component for teaching purposes, so we have to do all the heat transfer calculations for a shell and tube condenser, research materials, finalize a design, order parts, manufacture, etc. which is a much more involved process.

This will not, of course, be a functional prototype, but EvapoGATOR is hoping to deliver realistic visual representations of the components. We plan to do this by 3D printing some components of the system while also utilizing a PowerPoint presentation with visual aids.

Next week, the team will finalize our prototype plan for PID and begin our 3D prints. Our liaison, Dr. MacIntosh, has also been kind enough to allow us to showcase some parts from his lab to assist in visually representing the system.

Screenshot from 3D printer software Prusa Slicer of tri-clover connection.

Tagged as: 3D printing, PDR, PID, prototype, vacuum evaporator

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