Energy Efficient Housing
For this project we had to make a design a device that uses solar energy to heat water. We learned lots about heat transfer and that most of it comes from the sun. Our heater starts with a shoe box and has many other materials like soft copper tubing. We had to know which materials had better thermal conductivity and thermal resistance. Our goal was to heat up water with our design only using the suns energy in a certain amount of time. First, my group started to brainstorm. We can up with the idea to let the water sit in the copper tubing and let it heat up. Our group collected our needed materials and after drawing our sketch, we started to build. We used plastic tubing to transfer the water, copper tubing to hold the water, water container that stores the water, aluminum foil that collects radiate waves from the sun, cardboard box which is our base, plastic sheet that reflects the sun for sunlight, and cotton balls for our insulation. The water would come down from the water container into the plastic tubing. It will enter the box, that had a greenhouse effect and sit in the copper tubing. The plastic tubing will not allow heat to escape and our insulation would also keep the heat in. Our tin foil would reflect the light all over the greenhouse. We would collect all the extra water droplets and keep adding them back in. At the end of 30 minutes, we collected our water and the temperature increased by 12 degrees. Our total heat gain was 6,279 J.
Concepts
Conduction- transfer heat through solid (ex. pan and stove)
Convection- transfer heat through liquid (liquid, gases)
Radiation- transfer of heat through waves/particles/rays (ex.sunlight)
Insulation- bad at conducting (opp. of conducting) resistance to transfer heat
Thermal Conductivity- rate at which a material transfers heat
Thermal Resistance- ability of materials to resist transforming heat
Conduction- transfer heat through solid (ex. pan and stove)
Convection- transfer heat through liquid (liquid, gases)
Radiation- transfer of heat through waves/particles/rays (ex.sunlight)
Insulation- bad at conducting (opp. of conducting) resistance to transfer heat
Thermal Conductivity- rate at which a material transfers heat
Thermal Resistance- ability of materials to resist transforming heat
Solar angles and how it changes during seasons
Because all of the sites are on the San Marin campus, they all have the same angle of the sun. This graph shows sun elevation in the sky during all the different seasons. As you can see, in mid-June the sun reaches its peak in the sky at 75 degrees in the sky. Then in late december, the sun is at its lowest point which is only 28 degrees above the horizon. This is because in June, the Northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun so it appears higher in the sky while in December, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun which makes it appear lower in the sky. The tilt in the rotational axis and resulting angles of the sun causes seasons. In winter there slanted light and in summer there is vertical light. This graph shows very important information and is very precise for us students to learn from.
Daylighting Design and Techniques
For this next activity we had to design a 1000 ft. cardboard house for us to know more about daylighting techniques. Our goal was to design a prototype and use as much sunlight as possible without using hours of unneeded electricity. My group first started to brainstorm and came up with a precise sketch of what we wanted. Our house had to have a solar tube, light shelf and sky lights with many windows. We had a master bedroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, and a bathroom. It was a total of 725 ft. design. Our calculated energy savings was a total of 8.28 kw/hr. Things we could of done better in our design was having a better south window. This would have helped in the winter because it would have been way more useful by collecting most of the sunlight that the house wouldn't have gotten from the other windows.
Required lighting and time Daylighting techniques
Living Room - 4 bulbs on for around 3 hours 1) Skylights- They a giant windows on the roof of a house to
Kitchen - 3 bulbs for around 3 hours provide a huge amount of sunlight especially at noon.
Master bedroom - 3 bulbs for around 2 1/2 hours 2) Light shelves- They are like shelves on a window to
Bedroom - 2 lights for around 2 hours reflect and distribute light from outside into inside ceiling.
Bathroom - 2 bulbs for around 1 1/2 hours 3) Clerestory windows- They are placed high up on side of a
Hallway - 3 bulbs for around 2 hours wall and is good at catching light in the morning & evening.
Total energy savings - 8.28 kw/hr 4) Solar Tubes- these are giant tubes/pipes placed into a
roof onto a homes ceiling. It catches light and distributes it
all around the house.
Living Room - 4 bulbs on for around 3 hours 1) Skylights- They a giant windows on the roof of a house to
Kitchen - 3 bulbs for around 3 hours provide a huge amount of sunlight especially at noon.
Master bedroom - 3 bulbs for around 2 1/2 hours 2) Light shelves- They are like shelves on a window to
Bedroom - 2 lights for around 2 hours reflect and distribute light from outside into inside ceiling.
Bathroom - 2 bulbs for around 1 1/2 hours 3) Clerestory windows- They are placed high up on side of a
Hallway - 3 bulbs for around 2 hours wall and is good at catching light in the morning & evening.
Total energy savings - 8.28 kw/hr 4) Solar Tubes- these are giant tubes/pipes placed into a
roof onto a homes ceiling. It catches light and distributes it
all around the house.
SITE SELECTION
In this project, we had to take data on at least three sites on the San Marin campus. We had to rank the selected sites from a scale; my group did it from 1-3 (one being the least efficient, two being average, and three being an amazing and efficient location). The site that was thought the most efficient, we would build our structure(house) on. Here is what my group and I ranked the three sites we selected on, and beside them are our ratings for the site we chose to build on:
1.) Space~3 6.) Noise~2
2.) Accessibility~2 7.) Visibility (not too hidden)~2
3.) Sun/Shade~2 8.) View/Elevation~2
4.) The sun throughout the day (plentiful)~3 9.) Disruption to others~2
5.) Privacy~2 10.) Temperature (too hot/cold)~2
In this project, we had to take data on at least three sites on the San Marin campus. We had to rank the selected sites from a scale; my group did it from 1-3 (one being the least efficient, two being average, and three being an amazing and efficient location). The site that was thought the most efficient, we would build our structure(house) on. Here is what my group and I ranked the three sites we selected on, and beside them are our ratings for the site we chose to build on:
1.) Space~3 6.) Noise~2
2.) Accessibility~2 7.) Visibility (not too hidden)~2
3.) Sun/Shade~2 8.) View/Elevation~2
4.) The sun throughout the day (plentiful)~3 9.) Disruption to others~2
5.) Privacy~2 10.) Temperature (too hot/cold)~2
Materials Testing Lab
For this lab, we had to find out which building materials is the most efficient "conductor" or "insulator " of heat. We tested the materials listed below. The first procedure was to place 1 ft of testing material 12cm below a 60 watt inefficient bulb. Then place tested material on cardboard to insulate from the counter top. After, take initial temperature, turn of light bulb and keep taking the temperature for every 5 min for 20 min. When 20 min is up, turn bulb off and take temperature again for 20 min. Find total temp gain and total temp loss for each material. When everyones done we compared materials and analyze data. My groups material was different types of wood and OSB had the greatest gain of temp at 3 degrees.
~ sand ~rubber
~ water ~terra cotta
~ dirt ~white paint
~ brick ~ yellow paint
~ aluminum ~white paint
~ copper ~black paint
~ steel ~magnetic paint
~ nails ~ saran wrap
~ screws ~glass
~ plywood (thick) ~two layers of saran wrap
~ plywood (thin) ~rigid foam
~ OSB ~spray foam
~ 2x4 ~fiberglass
~ sand ~rubber
~ water ~terra cotta
~ dirt ~white paint
~ brick ~ yellow paint
~ aluminum ~white paint
~ copper ~black paint
~ steel ~magnetic paint
~ nails ~ saran wrap
~ screws ~glass
~ plywood (thick) ~two layers of saran wrap
~ plywood (thin) ~rigid foam
~ OSB ~spray foam
~ 2x4 ~fiberglass
WIND TURBINE LAB
In this lab, we had to design and build a turbine powered by wind to generate the electricity needed for our house. We studied two different types of turbines: VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine) and HAWT (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine). We learned that HAWTs were more common, and were easier to use, because the wind is pushing them from only one direction. VAWTs, on the other hand, were more inconvenient due to the way their blades spin horizontally. This makes the wind push them on two sides, making it hard for the VAWT to start moving.
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Horizontal Axis wind Turbines
In this lab, we had to design and build a turbine powered by wind to generate the electricity needed for our house. We studied two different types of turbines: VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine) and HAWT (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine). We learned that HAWTs were more common, and were easier to use, because the wind is pushing them from only one direction. VAWTs, on the other hand, were more inconvenient due to the way their blades spin horizontally. This makes the wind push them on two sides, making it hard for the VAWT to start moving.
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Horizontal Axis wind Turbines
Ways of generating energy
Solar Reflector panels and Cold Frame design
All the projects above eventually led to this project: our building design. We had to build a cold frame to allow plant growth during the winter for the San Marin garden, and design a reflector for the north window on the passive solar home that the 2017 STEM class built last year. After designing them, we had to create a scale model of them[the designs] and explain the key features, list the materials and why we chose them, their costs and the source links, and create blueprints. Here are both of the presentations:
Reflection
Over the last two months or so, I had been working with very unique group members. Most of the time we were doing something productive but them we were just totally out of it. I have to say we had a very good plan of how we were going to make our "mini" project until we had to face the big project. We all had our parts of this project and all cooperated pretty nicely. Some of the things my group and I have to keep working on is time management. It seems like every project we always deal with this happening. Its crazy but the only to get better is to keep practicing and having a good game plan. The last pit was just keeping on task for the last couple of weeks. We were on our own a lot and it was had keeping on task for the whole entire time. This project was definitely a new one and a very different one. We had different tasks that we weren't used to and new information to deal with. I felt like I also improved on a few life skills while we did this project. I was able to definitely able to improve on my patience. When a few members of my group were getting off task, I was able to take give them some work to do, so no one was left doing nothing. Everyone would then get back on task without any conflict. I also felt like I was able to improve my leadership skills too. Overall it was a successful project and a very exciting one for me and my group members.
CONCEPTS
Heat~ a form of thermal energy, usually from light; the measure of movement in molecules (more heat=more movement)
Absorb~ to take in and hold energy
Reflect~ when light is neither absorbed or transmitted to another substance, but is bounced directly off of it.
Temperature~ the property that tells you whether they have heat or not (hot or cold)
Thermodynamics~ 0th law.) explains temperature "if two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in equilibrium with each other 1st law.) the conservation of energy "energy is neither created or destroyed; heat is a form of energy"2nd law.) entropy increases "disorder increases; over time, everything becomes the same temperature" 3rd law.) temperature can never get to absolute zero "heat always exists"
Specific Heat~ a constant for a substance, measures how slowly an object heats up; how well it holds heat high specific heat- warms up slowly and holds heat well
Pressure~ force per unit area; the greater the area, the more pressure (the deeper the water, the more pressure)
Buoyancy~ the weight of water after it's displaced; when an object is submerged in water, the upward force is the opposite of gravity and is called the buoyant force.
Evaporation~ the cooling process that takes heat from water, and cools water down
Archimede's Principle~ an immersed object is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces (boat weighs 10,000 lbs, displaces 10,000 lbs of water)
Bernoulli's Principle~ if a speed of a fluid increases, the pressure decreases
Over the last two months or so, I had been working with very unique group members. Most of the time we were doing something productive but them we were just totally out of it. I have to say we had a very good plan of how we were going to make our "mini" project until we had to face the big project. We all had our parts of this project and all cooperated pretty nicely. Some of the things my group and I have to keep working on is time management. It seems like every project we always deal with this happening. Its crazy but the only to get better is to keep practicing and having a good game plan. The last pit was just keeping on task for the last couple of weeks. We were on our own a lot and it was had keeping on task for the whole entire time. This project was definitely a new one and a very different one. We had different tasks that we weren't used to and new information to deal with. I felt like I also improved on a few life skills while we did this project. I was able to definitely able to improve on my patience. When a few members of my group were getting off task, I was able to take give them some work to do, so no one was left doing nothing. Everyone would then get back on task without any conflict. I also felt like I was able to improve my leadership skills too. Overall it was a successful project and a very exciting one for me and my group members.
CONCEPTS
Heat~ a form of thermal energy, usually from light; the measure of movement in molecules (more heat=more movement)
Absorb~ to take in and hold energy
Reflect~ when light is neither absorbed or transmitted to another substance, but is bounced directly off of it.
Temperature~ the property that tells you whether they have heat or not (hot or cold)
Thermodynamics~ 0th law.) explains temperature "if two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in equilibrium with each other 1st law.) the conservation of energy "energy is neither created or destroyed; heat is a form of energy"2nd law.) entropy increases "disorder increases; over time, everything becomes the same temperature" 3rd law.) temperature can never get to absolute zero "heat always exists"
Specific Heat~ a constant for a substance, measures how slowly an object heats up; how well it holds heat high specific heat- warms up slowly and holds heat well
Pressure~ force per unit area; the greater the area, the more pressure (the deeper the water, the more pressure)
Buoyancy~ the weight of water after it's displaced; when an object is submerged in water, the upward force is the opposite of gravity and is called the buoyant force.
Evaporation~ the cooling process that takes heat from water, and cools water down
Archimede's Principle~ an immersed object is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces (boat weighs 10,000 lbs, displaces 10,000 lbs of water)
Bernoulli's Principle~ if a speed of a fluid increases, the pressure decreases