C LEAN W ATER 4 A LL Revolutionizing the way you view dirt.
Filter Design Bad Water Good Water Bad Water (Pressurized) D.E. Gravity Driven Slurry System Pressurized Sintered System
Slurry Progress Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade is too fine (<20 μm) Ordered pool grade, waiting for delivery. Sintering Progress We learned to make green bodies (un-sintered desired shape). And made several samples.
Sintering Progress Sintering Samples Temperature [°C] Time [min] Videos Preliminary Flow Tests Used 500 °C, 30 minute sample Flow rate ~0.6 mL/min
Scanning Electron Microscopy General Observations: Avg diatom size ~ 10 μm Avg pore size <1 μm Predominantly 1 type of organism (hair curler shape)- green algae? Not much visible difference between non-sintered and sintered samples
Sintering Effects Tried to see sinter neck in 500°C sintered sample, but couldn’t get a clear, magnified image
Sintering at Higher Temperatures Sintering at higher T causes denser packing
Sintering for longer times No striking difference between sintered sample for 30mins vs. 1 hour
Elemental Analysis Confirmed elements in diatomaceous earth: mostly silica
Next Up: Learn to Sinter Filter Grade DE Perform Sinter Temperature & time vs. Flow rate tests Perform Pressurized Flow Tests Slurry Flow rate Micro-sphere filtering testing
Sintering Tests: Filter Grade: More crystalline? Higher temperature sinter? Sinter Parameters vs. Flow: How does Temperature and time effect porosity and flow rate?
Flow Testing: Crank up the Pressure: Construct pressurized system and determine flow at 40 to 60 psi: where the pro’s do it Slurry II: Initial slurry system failed due to small particle size Revisit this method with filter grade Filtering Verification: Acquire proper solute particles to test filtering ability
Summary So far… Made green bodies and sintered Preliminary flow rate tests SEM imaging of samples Elemental analysis of food grade Next Steps Find optimal sintering temperature Measure flow rates more accurately Design pressurized system Wear testing Use solute particles to test filter ability Questions?