Red Feather Solar Furnace
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Red Feather Solar Furnace Preliminary Proposal Nathan Fisher Leann Hernandez Trevor Scott 2020 Project Sponsor: Red Feather Development Group Faculty Advisor: Dr. Trevas Sponsor Mentor: Chuck Vallance Instructor: Dr. Trevas DISCLAIMER This report was prepared by students as part of a university course requirement. While considerable effort has been put into the project, it is not the work of licensed engineers and has not undergone the extensive verification that is common in the profession. The information, data, conclusions, and content of this report should not be relied on or utilized without thorough, independent testing and verification. University faculty members may have been associated with this project as advisors, sponsors, or course instructors, but as such they are not responsible for the accuracy of results or conclusions. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The NAU Capstone team is partnered with Red Feather to design a solar furnace. Red Feather is a non-profit organization that helps the Native American people with their housing needs on the reservation. The Native American people used to receive coal from a power plant, but it was recently shut down. In addition, coal is known to cause respiratory illnesses. The NAU Capstone team was tasked with designing a sustainable and lasting solution to their heating problems. A solar furnace was chosen due to these reasons. Multiple customer needs and engineering requirements were considered in designing the solar furnace. The final design was developed from a decision matrix and refined using both engineering computations, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the failure modes of the device. System heat loss, fan optimization, and solar technology were researched to better understand what materials and what configuration would be best for the solar furnace. Some of the materials of the final design include aluminum, a plywood base, a corrugated sheet, plexiglass, and more. A corrugated sheet will be used for the heat fins. Plexiglass will be used for the low cost and durability of the solar furnace. Wood will be used due to the cost and strength of the material. Only basic power tools will be needed to construct the solar furnace. Red Feather will be able to replicate the solar furnace to distribute to those on the Native American Reservation. The current cost of the solar furnace with testing is $477.71. The cost of the solar furnace not including the testing cost is about $439.73. Testing and building of the final design are scheduled for semester 2. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents DISCLAIMER .............................................................................................................................................. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. 3 1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Project Description ................................................................................................................... 1 2 REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................. 2 2.1 Customer Requirements (CRs) ................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Engineering Requirements (ERs) ............................................................................................. 2 2.3 Functional Decomposition ........................................................................................................ 3 2.3.1 Black Box Model ........................................................................................................ 3 2.3.2 Functional Model/Work-Process Diagram/Hierarchical Task Analysis ...................... 3 2.4 House of Quality (HoQ) ........................................................................................................... 4 2.5 Standards, Codes, and Regulations ........................................................................................... 5 3 Testing Procedures (TPs) .................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Testing Procedure 1: Cost ......................................................................................................... 6 3.1.1 Testing procedure 1: Objective ................................................................................... 6 3.1.2 Testing procedure 1: Resourced Required .................................................................. 6 3.1.3 Testing Procedure 1: Schedule .................................................................................... 6 3.2 Testing Procedure 2: Heat Generation ...................................................................................... 6 3.2.1 Testing procedure 1: Objective ................................................................................... 6 3.2.2 Testing procedure 1: Resourced Required .................................................................. 6 3.2.3 Testing Procedure 1: Schedule .................................................................................... 6 3.3 Testing Procedure 3: Heat Output............................................................................................. 6 3.3.1 Testing Procedure 3: Objective ................................................................................... 6 3.3.2 Testing Procedure 3: Resources Required ................................................................... 7 3.3.3 Testing Procedure 3: Schedule .................................................................................... 7 3.4 Testing Procedure 4: Weight ..................................................................................................... 8 3.4.1.1 Testing procedure 4: Objective ...................................................................... 8 3.4.1.2 Testing procedure 4: Resourced Required ..................................................... 8 3.4.2 Testing Procedure 4: Schedule .................................................................................... 8 3.5 Testing Procedure 5: Durability ................................................................................................ 8 3.5.1 Testing procedure 1: Objective ................................................................................... 8 3.5.2 Testing procedure 1: Resourced Required .................................................................. 8 3.5.3 Testing Procedure 1: Schedule .................................................................................... 8 3.6 Testing Procedure 6: Noise Level ............................................................................................. 8 3.6.1 Testing Procedure 6: Objective ................................................................................... 8 3.6.2 Testing Procedure 6: Resources Required ................................................................... 8 3.6.3 Testing Procedure 6: Schedule .................................................................................... 9 3.7 Testing Procedure 7: Install Time ............................................................................................. 9 3.7.1 Testing procedure 7: Objective ................................................................................... 9 3.7.2 Testing procedure 7: Resourced Required .................................................................. 9 3.7.3 Testing Procedure 7: Schedule .................................................................................... 9 4 Risk Analysis and Mitigation ............................................................................................................ 10 4.1 Critical Failures ...................................................................................................................... 10 4.1.1 Potential Critical Failure 1: Mounting Bracket Damage/Failure .............................. 10 4.1.2 Potential Critical Failure 2: DC Fan Failure ............................................................. 10 4.1.3 Potential Critical Failure 3: Solar Panel Damage/Failure ......................................... 10 iii 4.1.4 Potential Critical Failure 4: Thermostatic Controller ................................................ 10 4.1.5 Potential Critical Failure 4: Wiring ........................................................................... 11 4.1.6 Potential Critical Failure 5: Attachment Screws/Adhesives Failure ......................... 11 4.1.7 Potential Critical Failure 6: Paint Coating Deterioration .......................................... 11 4.1.8 Potential Critical Failure 7: Plexiglass Damage ........................................................ 11 4.2 Risks and Trade-offs Analysis ................................................................................................ 11 5 DESIGN SELECTED – First Semester ............................................................................................ 12 5.1 Design Description ................................................................................................................