Endress Hauser tasked our group with designing and building a portable, fun, and interactive demonstration unit that displayed the functions of their Micropilot (level sensor); Ceribar (Pressure sensor); and Picomag (flow sensor). This unit needed to appeal to a wide audience, ranging from experienced adults to elementary school kids. A main element in the design they requested was it to be easily portable, which was accomplished by making the entire unit disassemble and fit into a Pelican case. It also needed to run off a standard wall outlet (110V), be free of leaks, easy to clean, and most importantly display the sensors in a fun and interactive way.
We accomplished this by building a two-tank unit, the main tank housing a pond pump and most of the water. The pump will direct the water through the flow sensor into the bottom of the auxiliary tank, where it can overflow back into the main tank via the ramp located on top of it. The whole basis behind this project is the valve located below the auxiliary tank, which allows the user to quickly dump the water from the auxiliary tank into the main tank, showing an increase in height on the level sensor and an increase in pressure on the pressure sensor. There also is a pulse width modulator wired into the pump, allowing the speed of the pump to increase and decrease with a turn of a knob. This in turn can increase or decrease the flow rate through the flow sensor, and giving all sensors included a variable that can be changed by the operator.
The unit is also fitted with CPC quick disconnect fitting for ease of assembly and disassembly, as well as push-connect style bulkheads to accomplish this as well. The water lines used are 3/8” PEX, making it inexpensive but also sturdy and reliable, and the whole unit is made from Acrylic so it can be easily cleaned and there will be no worries about it cracking or breaking like glass.
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