Facilities & Equipment

The Facility

The WET Lab is located on the Central Oregon Community college campus in classroom 101 of Ponderosa Hall. The WET Lab also has access to MIME workshop and the next door tool room which is utilized for experimental setup fabrication. Additional facilities and equipment that could be accessed for lab work include a laser cutter, welding equipment (TIG, MIG, and arc welding), and Brazing and Gas Cutter facilities, etc.

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Wet Lab Location

3D Printer

A 3D printer is used to manufacture three-dimensional objects from a digital file. The object is created using an additive process where successive layers of material are added until the object is completed. The WET Lab can print objects made of PLA, CPE+, PVA, breakaway, and Nylon. 3D printing increases the speed that parts can be mocked up as opposed to a traditional manufacturing process and can be used to check the dimensions and fit of a part before it is sent to be machined or can be used in the assembly as a plastic part. 3D printers also have minimal waste when printing as they only print what is required whereas a traditional practice may have waste left over from the raw material.

3-d printer

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Data Acquisition (DAQ) System

DAQ systems provide the interface between a sensor that measures physical phenomenon and a computer. DAQs smooth real-world signals into easy to measure forms that can accurately be interoperated by a computer. Analog inputs from the sensors are converted to digital data by a DAQ so that it can be manipulated by a computer. Multiple DAQs can be connected to a single computer through a computer bus using  USB, PCIe, or Ethernet cables. The WET Lab utilizes two data acquisition systems for recording and manipulating experimental data. National Instruments (NI) is used in the swirl tube and humid streams experimental set ups pictured below. Agilent provides the other DAQ system that is used in the WET Lab in the perforated plate atomizer experimental set up.

 

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DAQ Equipment

Milling machine

The lab has the Grizzly G0759 milling machine which is equipped with a dovetail column, variable 1HP speed motor and a R-8 spindle with digital readout. For more information please check out this link.

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Ultrasonicator

These can be used to prepare homogeneous solutions of chemicals and nanofluids etc. It can also loosen particles that have adhered to surfaces to remove them.

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Microscope

A Microscope is an optical instrument that is used to show enlarged images of small objects. It uses a combination of lenses with different optical properties to provide a detailed picture of the object in question. The OMAX Digital Binoculars used by the WET Lab combines traditional lenses with a built in camera to operate on either standard and digital principles. The WET Lab uses this microscope for a variety of purposes including the study of surface morphology of salt particles formed during desalination.

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High-speed camera

A high-speed camera can capture images or videos with over 250 frames per second. It is used to capture images of fast-moving objects such as water droplets. The WET Lab has two high speed cameras a Phantom v310 and a Proton FastCam Super 10k. A video created in the WET Lab using the high speed cameras for atomizer testing is found at the following link.

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cameras

DC power source

A DC power source converts the incoming AC power into electrical power at a steady voltage with either a positive or negative polarity. DC power supplies are used to power DAQs and measurement instruments that require a steady DC voltage to operate correctly. The WET Lab has a Keysight N8924A 5000W DC power supply that has an output rating of 750V, current: 0-20A, Power 5000W, with an input voltage requirement of 208V.

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Coriolis flowmeter

Coriolis flowmeters are capable of measuring mass flow rates and densities of a fluid by comparing the vibration frequency between 2 different coils placed in 2 separate channels with known dimensions. The vibration of each coil caused by the fluid's interaction with it induces a voltage to flow in the coil that creates a sinusoidal signal. The time difference between the two signals produced by each coil can be measured by a DAQ and is directly proportional to the mass flow rate of the fluid. The WET Lab has access to several different brands of coriolis flowmeters that are used for the precise measurement of both liquid and gas streams in lab experiments.

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Hand Tools and Component inventory

The component inventory is a collection of water and air fittings and valves as well as electrical wiring parts that are available to all research personnel to be used in experimental setups. The collection of commonly used parts is intended to save ordering and shipping time when experimental apparatuses are being constructed.

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Hand tools