Technical Report #Draft 1
Personal
statements
Keith Chua
|
I
personally feel that working on the modifications for this product is crucial
as the Seabin has so much potential to be the most efficient micro plastic
filtering device on the market. However, due to some limitations and
constraints in its design, the product is unable to deliver its effectiveness
to more parts of the world.
|
Chua Jarl
|
During
my final year in Temasek Polytechnic, I worked on a final year project with
two other students. The project’s main focus was to improve the waste
collecting systems that are currently deployed in the rivers and lakes. I
have learnt a lot from that project work and I am hoping to use this report
to further improve the conditions of the water bodies in the world.
|
Jonathan Chan
|
I find
this project especially meaningful to me as I love all sorts of water sports
like surfing and diving. By improving the ocean cleaning devices available in
the market, I can do my part in conserving the marine environment for the
future generation.
|
Background
As stated in the Seabin Project website (n.d.), the main purpose
of the V5 Seabin is to accomplish the goal of the Seabin team, which is to live
in a world where water pollution is non-existent. The primary function of the
V5 Seabin is to remove waste from calm water bodies. By teaming up with various
ports such as Poralu Marine and Safe Harbour Marina, the Seabin team was able
to rapidly distribute its product to all corners of the earth (Seabin Project, n.d.).
The Seabin is a microplastic-filtering device that is deployed
mainly in marinas and ports to remove waste from the water body. It is a device
“considerably smaller than the average municipal garbage bin” and can hold a
maximum of 20 kg of waste (Hicks, 2018). A submersible water pump that is
attached to the Seabin sucks water in from the surface and as water passes
through, any waste larger than 2mm is left behind in the device’s catch bag.
Additionally, the Seabin requires little attention to maintain it as the catch
bag only needs to be emptied as needed. According to the Seabin Project under
its Frequently Asked Questions, the coating of the device also uses a “non toxic and highly durable anti-fouling system” reducing its cleaning interval to a period of
six to eight weeks.
However, when it comes to the problem of marine
and micro plastics pollution in water bodies, the main complication that
directly affects the ecosystem develops when the wildlife in the waters ingest
micro plastics, one of the three main categories of plastic pollutants. These
micropollutants can rapidly climb up the food chain and be eaten by humans as
well. As the Seabin is currently situated where wildlife is minimal (Seabin
Project, n.d.), its effectiveness in tackling the main problem of micro plastics
is vastly limited.
Seabins are currently limited to marinas and ports because of its
power source. According to the Seabin’s website (n.d.), the Seabin has to be
plugged into a constant power supply of 110/220V and that the “Maximum distance to an electric energy supply point is 6
meters”. The current Seabin is limited to areas where a wired power source is
located within the product’s vicinity like marinas and ports. With that said,
by implementing modifications to the power supply of the Seabin, the Seabin
Project can bring its product offshore to rivers or seas where it can have the
highest impact on reducing pollutants on the earth's waters.
An ideal microplastic-filtering device is equipped with an
underwater turbine to make use of the tidal motion to power the suction
mechanism and pull micro-pollutants into an in-built filter, preventing the
pollutants from spilling back out into the waterbody.
Problem statement
However, one of the most viable products currently in the market,
the Seabin, still needs to be permanently plugged into a 110/220V power outlet
to power its suction mechanism (Seabin Project, n.d.) and is thus confined to
places where electricity is readily available such as marinas and ports. With
the implementation of an underwater turbine, the suction mechanism in the
filtering device can be sustained as long as there is a constant current flow
in the water body, allowing devices such as the Seabin to be brought offshore
to remote water bodies in the world.
Purpose statement
The
purpose of this report is to advise the Seabin Project team to integrate the
recommended modifications to their products as it will play a crucial part in
strengthening the adaptability of the Seabin.
Current and Proposed Solution
Current
The existing Seabin has to be connected to an electric energy
supply point of 110/220V, 500W to operate (Seabin Project, n.d.). The default
Seabin comes with a 6m long electrical cable and any extension needs to be
modified by the user manually. This limits the Seabin to ports and marinas and
vastly reduces its effectiveness. There have also been trials on adapting Solar
panels onto the Seabin to allow the product to be implemented offshore as seen
in Image 1 (Calleja, 2019).
However, factors like shading, instability, battery infrastructure (Ahmad,
2016) and occupancy space make this solution cumbersome and suboptimal in the
long run.
Proposed
A hydro
turbine produces electricity with the help of the natural tide of the water
(Donev, J. et al, 2018). As the Seabin is deployed in the water, changing the
source of power to a hydro turbine instead of a power socket would be the ideal
solution. Hydro turbines come in a myriad of sizes and variations, which makes
finding a compatible hydro turbine challenging. The best plan for the Seabin
team would be to design a small prototype, test it and develop it. The final
design would be able to produce 110/220V, anchor the Seabin and run
effortlessly without any major issues. One product that the Seabin team can
take reference from while building their hydro turbine is the SeaUrchin Tidal
Turbine, shown in image 2.
Image 2:
SeaUrchin Tidal Turbine
Benefits
The
incorporation of an underwater turbine as a power source replacement will
significantly increase the Seabin’s adaptability as it will allow the device to
be brought out of marinas and ports and into seas and other water bodies.
For
starters, having an underwater turbine means that the device will not have to
rely on a power socket to power its suction mechanism. Rather, it will take
advantage of its environment and use the water body’s tide to generate its own
self-sustaining energy. Drawing energy from the water is also more dependable
compared to other natural sources of energy like solar energy, which is affected
by the sun’s positions, and wind energy, which is unpredictable especially if
the device is deployed in places with no open space. Water is also denser than
air, allowing the underwater turbine to generate the same amount of energy as a
windmill “but at slower speeds and over less area” (Clark, n.d.).
Secondly,
the underwater turbine powering the Seabin is of a small scale and does not
require as much space as a solar panel or windmill as the suction mechanism
only requires “2.5amps @ 500 watts” (Seabin Project, n.d.), making its
deployment in remote locations more convenient. In addition, the small space
taken up by the underwater turbine could allow for multiple devices to be
installed in the same location, increasing the filtration’s area of the effect
greatly.
Limitations
The main challenges of adapting a hydro turbine onto the Seabin
are the increase in weight, cost and the corrosive seawater environment (Ahmad.
2016). The addition of a hydro turbine with the required power rating would add
approximately 57kg (Kojima,
2014) onto the product and as the Seabin operates at the surface of the
water, the increase in weight would require the Seabin to increase its buoyancy
devices in order to remain at the surface of the water.
One of the main challenges faced by all hydro energy power sources
is the harsh sea condition and environment. Seawater, which is very corrosive,
is constantly exerted onto the moving parts of the hydro-generator like the
turbine blades causing the components to corrode and rust rapidly (Ahmad,
2016). Particles like sand carried in the water also quickly erode the
components in the hydro turbines. The adaptation of hydro turbines onto the
Seabin will definitely increase the cost of the product. This is because hydro
turbine components are relatively expensive as they have to be durable enough
to withstand the harsh sea conditions.
Research Methods
Methodology
The team
decided to use secondary research to source information that is crucial and
relevant for the report.
Secondary Research
To begin
with, the team decided to use the information found in the Seabin project
website as a reference for elaborating on the benefits and functionality of the
Seabin. Following that, the team used the google search engine to find sources
regarding any modification made onto the Seabin. This would help to show the
efforts made by the Seabin team to improve the current model. Lastly, along
with google search engine, ScienceDirect was also used to find online technical
reports and articles regarding hydro turbines and its benefits.
Conclusion
As the dangers of micro plastics continue to grow and with micro
pollutants finding more ways to enter our water bodies, the micro plastic
filtering products on the market have to be just as adaptive as well. Even
though the Seabin does not have an area of effect as large, or the adaptive
ability as complex as other micro plastic filtering products, it is still one
of the most cost effective devices on the market. With the Seabin’s endless
modification possibilities, it’s potential to grow is also immense.
Improvements in engineering composite materials like carbon fiber
will help tackle the challenge of the corrosive seawater conditions and allow
underwater turbines to operate even in low tidal currents, increasing the
Seabin’s operational ability once the turbine has been incorporated into the
Seabin’s design. Although this modification would result in a price increase
for the Seabin (estimated 1.5 - 2 times of its current cost), the operational
cost of the device as a whole, which currently runs at 3USD per day (Seabin
Project, n.d.), would be significantly reduced. Additionally, the Seabin would
still remain as one of the most affordable marine cleaning devices available on
the market.
The team believes that with the incorporation of the underwater turbine,
the Seabin will not only be a groundbreaking micro plastic filtering device but
a key solution to the world’s water pollution problem.
References
Clark, J
(n.d.). How can the moon generate electricity?
Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/moon-generate-electricity1.htm
Calleja, C. (2019, August 9). Europe's first solar-powered
seabin is cleaning up Spinola Bay. Retrieved from https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/europes-first-solar-powered-seabin-is-cleaning-up-spinola-bay.727784
Hanania, J., Le, C., Reed, R. W., Stenhouse, K.,
Donev, J. (2018). Hydro Turbine Retrieved from https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Hydro_turbine
Kojima, K. (2014, March 9). Award-winning Portable,
High-Efficiency Hydroelectric Generator Now on the Market. Retrieved from https://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id034740.html
Seabin Project. (n.d.).
Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from
https://seabinproject.com/the-seabin-v5/faqs/
Sleiti, A. K. (2016, November 21). Tidal power technology
review with potential applications in Gulf Stream. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116308991
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