Finite element modeling of flow through ceramic pot filters
Name
862816548-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
6.65 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
cb471fefb3c5bef0bb9dc2c9c2e0bfe3
Author(s)
Kelly, Anna C
Advisor(s)
Peter Shanahan.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Pure Home Water (PHW) is an organization based in Tamale, Ghana that manufactures and distributes ceramic water filters. While many ceramic filter factories manufacture flowerpot-shaped filters, PHW has transitioned from the flowerpot shape, to a paraboloid shape, and finally to a hemispheric filter shape. The PHW factory conducts flow-rate testing as part of their quality control process and has documented a wide range of flow rates for the hemispheric filter as compared to the global standard. This thesis uses finite-element groundwater-flow modeling software to develop models of flow through three different ceramic filter shapes: flowerpot, paraboloid, and hemispheric filters. A sensitivity analysis was then conducted for each filter shape by simulating flow through the filter for a range of hydraulic conductivities. It was found that the hemispheric filter shape produces a higher flow rate than the flowerpot filter for a given hydraulic conductivity, and that the flow rate through the hemispheric filter is more sensitive to changes in hydraulic conductivity.
Description
Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-55).
Subjects
Civil and Environmental Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
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