Work and learning process
During the course, we have been learning to maintain a working method and to improve it based on our mistakes. We started by investigating different physical and chemical processes that can occur with water, also different forms of use as well as different existing prototypes.This gave us the inspiration to start experimenting and testing water distillation and desalination systems.
Our first prototype helped us understand the water distillation process and locate the main problems.
This device's effectiveness depends in great measure on the amount of heat it can receive, in hot weather it will certainly evaporate quickly and purify water, but it can only collect a small amount because of it's size and capacity. In greater necessities we would need much more water, besides, we noticed that the system could be improved in several ways.
Thanks to the research of other prototypes, we learned what features significantly increase efficiency and we studied how to incorporate these improvements into our own project.
After having advanced a bit in the understanding of water processes, we needed to specify and define the environment in which our project is going to develop. Based on the knowledge of the area, we thought that a suitable place for our device would be the Colombian region of La Guajira. The problem of drought in the place and its climate characterized by high temperatures throughout the year, as well as its peninsular shape, made us choose it as the ideal place.
We learned that it is important to decide why and under what conditions we develop our project, as it helps us to concentrate on what is really effective for our case. At the moment we decided on our place of action, we made progress in learning about the place, its culture and the ways in which we could help and benefit with our project.
Next, we
continue experimenting trying to improve the previous device, with
easier materials and introducing the concept of surface increase and
temperature difference.
From this
prototype we learned that the increase of surface through the fabric
significantly improved the amount of evaporation and therefore the
efficiency. Our main problem was still the small amount of water obtained to become useful for a person.
At this point, we try to introduce part of the culture and means that the place provides us. We designed a prototype that incorporates local craft materials as well as typical construction methods.
With
this prototype we learned that we must verify that the process on which
we base our device can work in practice. We made
a homemade prototype to check its effectiveness, but we discovered that
it did not resemble our design enough and that we needed to improve its
quality.
After this last experimentation, we felt blocked and it was difficult to find a way to improve. Finally,
with the support of the teachers, we find a way to inspire ourselves
and observe the best of two existing systems and incorporate the
knowledge into our own.
With
this we verify that the incorporation of the sponges is a great
improvement in the efficiency of the prototype, although we did not
obtain the results that we would have wished, we believe that it is due
to a bad execution of the homemade prototype and to the lack of
temperature difference.
As a
conclusion, this subject has helped us to learn about the way to develop
a project in a correct way and to improve our knowledge about the needs
and processes that involve water. We have
faced the advantages and difficulties of teamwork and we have learned
not to give up when we feel blocked or think something has no solution. We think that we have managed to advance and recognize that sometimes it is necessary to take a step back.
We are ready to continue advancing and improving the device and our knowledge.
