Week 3 Updates

ENGR 103 - Spring 2014

Freshman Engineering Design Lab

“Reducing Automotive Air Pollution”

Project Design Proposal

Date Submitted: April 17, 2014

Group Members: Elena Nasto, en342@drexel.edu 

                                Soumya S. Iyer, ssi25@drexel.edu 

                                Sherika Gordon, sag336@drexel.edu

                                Josue Manjarrez, jdm377@drexel.edu

Technical Advisor: Dr. Fred Allen, fdallen@drexel.edu

Abstract:

Global Warming is happening now and it is primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. According to the EPA, CO₂ accounted for about 82% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, particularly from motor vehicles [11.] Air pollution from cars and trucks are harmful to human health because poor air quality increases respiratory illnesses such as asthma as well as overburdens the health care system with considerable medical costs. Therefore, the motivation behind this project is that if vehicle pollutants are reduced, then air quality can be significantly enhanced and public health will be improved. Additionally, a considerable amount of  health care costs will be saved and importantly, there will be a decrease in Earth’s  global average temperature. Hence, the primary goal of this project is to design a mechanism that can convert the harmful greenhouses gases (particularly CO₂) released from cars to cleaner gas: oxygen, which is very essential to human life. This design will be a physical prototype that consists of two parts. First, a miniature greenhouse which will host English Ivy plants in a glass material, and second is the greenhouse gas mechanism that will connect a portion of the muffler of a toy Jeep Wrangler to the mini greenhouse via a tube. The technical challenges and major tasks that one expects to face with this design are simulating the greenhouse gas mechanism in 3D, and designing the experiment in such a way so as to determine the amount of CO₂ that is absorbed by the plant as well as the amount of O₂ released in a given time. In spite of the expected challenges, computer models of the parts will be designed, tested and modified accordingly to ensure a complete successful design of the project. With that said, the final deliverable will be the physical prototype of the automotive greenhouse device.

1. Introduction

Many scientists, researchers, and environmentalists have expressed their concern about the climate changes that are occurring on earth. These professionals believe that these dramatic climate changes are due to  human pollution, resulting in global warming of the atmosphere. Global warming refers to an increase in the overall global temperature and is believed to be caused by greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO₂). There are many signs that global warming is happening such as  the rise in sea level and temperature. In a study done by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration they noticed that the sea level globally has risen about 6.7 inches in the last century. However it has nearly doubled that in the last decade. 

2. Deliverables

At the conclusion of the project, a physical prototype of the automotive greenhouse device will be made. This prototype will be attached to a toy Jeep Wrangler for visualization of the product on an actual car. The prototype will be two parts attached together. The main part is the mini greenhouse, which will encase the English Ivy plants in a clear glass material.  The second part is the greenhouse gas mechanism, which will be a tube attached to a portion of the muffler and brought to one of the sides of the mini greenhouse.

3. Technical Activities

The purpose of the project is to create a miniature version of a greenhouse for use in any automotive vehicles. To successfully execute this design, some experiments must be created and conducted to study the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the English ivy, a mechanism must be devised to allow for easy flow of gases to the plants, and the miniature greenhouse must be made to the vehicle’s and the plant’s convenience.

4. Project Timeline

5. Facilities and Resources

           Over the course of the project, the group expects to use multiple resources for a successful completion of the design. These resources include: use of machine shop tools, faculty research space and equipment and Drexel’s Environmental Department. Also, 3D printing/machining as well as basic tools (hand tools) will be utilized in the simulation development and lab testing of the miniature greenhouse.

6. Expertise

There are a few skills necessary for the completion of this project. Familiarity with any 3D modeling software such as Creo Parametric or Autodesk Inventor is necessary. Software usage will be important for visualizing the design and for simulating movement. Also, basic knowledge of scientific processes such as photosynthesis is necessary for understanding the process of converting automotive gases to Oxygen.

7. Budget

Work Cited