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Prototype graphic, CAD assembly, and Mission Statement

MISSION STATEMENT:

This site is dedicated to documenting the progress of our Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Project at the University of Notre Dame. The project aims to create a potable water still driven by a human power input. Such a system is designed for emergency situations in which the consumer has no access to drinkable water or a power supply.

While our guidelines are based on the 2007 ASME Design Competition, our group's specific goal is to assess the feasibility of converting human power to produce sufficient heat to boil water. With 60 minutes to pedal, if the prototype produces any level of boiling of the original 200 mL of 'polluted' water, the project will be deemed a success. The prototype itself consists of a pedaling system that drives a generator. The generator then powers a heating coil system that will raise the water to boiling temperature, where it will evaporate and then recondense as purified water.

 

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