WORKS IN PROGRESS
Capstone Project
My group project is focused on air pollution, specifically revolving around smoke coming from chimneys. We are currently working on a solution that significantly cuts down the smoke emitted in the air from wood-burning fireplaces, while also remaining under a reasonable budget.
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An idea that has floated around amongst the group is creating a cost-effective smoke filter, which would be placed inside the chimney crown. Reconfiguring the crown design might be necessary in order to insert a replaceable filter system.
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We also have a mentor from the UCLA staff, Pablo Saide. He works for the physical sciences college and focuses specifically on atmospheric and oceanic sciences. Since he is well-versed in the realm of air quality and the atmosphere, he will be very helpful to us regarding questions that we have about particle pollution from smoke.
PROTOTYPE DESIGN SKETCH:
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We first sketched out our full idea, along with all of the components and their measurements. ​This drawing is an annotated with the different parts to our design, complete with labels, dimensions, and notes.
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PROTOTYPE CAD MODEL:
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​This is a PDF of our prototype. It contains three pages, the first being a side view, the second a front view, and the last page is elevations and plan sections of the inside of the fire box and filters. The design is labeled, dimensioned, and the scale is 1 ½”=1’.
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COST ANALYSIS:
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This is a PDF of our cost analysis, which shows each component of our design, as well as the cost of each individual part.
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PROTOTYPE & MATERIALS:
After searching for cost-effective and size-appropriate materials, we've finalized our list and have remained well under the budget! Our current estimated price is slightly over $140. The tools that we need are relatively easy to acquire, and the building process is simple. We've ordered some extra filters in order to run some tests on the prototype, mainly focusing on the functionality of the filter and fan combination. If our design eliminates the visible smoke leaving the prototype, increases in weight after using it, and causes zero backdraft, then we'll deem it a success.
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We started the construction process, and so far it's going very well. We're trying to figure out how to safely attach the filters and fan to the chimney, but we have some ideas and are ready to test them out.
