Project Overview

Sponsor: PISCES LAB within UCSD’s Center for Energy Research (CER)

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Problem Definition

• Current TDS system is brought to atmospheric pressure to exchange samples
• Limited number of samples tested per day

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Project Objective:

• Design a sample loading system
• Test at least 5 samples per day

(Saul)

1

Current Testing Chamber

Heater

Quartz Tube

Final Design

(Brayden)

2

Quartz Tube

Port Aligner

Sample Transporter

Storage Actuator

Door

Gate Valve

Bellows

Thermocouple Actuator

Sample Testing Chamber

Connection to TDS System

Sample Loading Chamber

Sample Movement Process

(Jamie)

3

Sample Retrieval from Elevator

Delivering Sample

Key Design: Sample Holder

(Ethan)

4

• Material: Quartz
• 38.1 mm x 38.1 mm x 6.35 mm
• Holds samples on the lip in a loose fit hole
• Unpolished quartz is cut out
• Sample face remains untouched
• Can be manufactured for different sample sizes
• Adjust hole size/shape

Sample Holder CAD

Acrylic Sample Holder

Key Design: Grabber

(Brayden)

5

• Material: 304 Stainless Steel
• Attaches to 2DOF horizontal actuator
• Linear movement
• Twisting of inner shaft opens and closes grabber
• Outsourced to ProtoLabs

Grabber CAD

3D Printed Grabber

Grabber Animations

Key Design: Sample Pedestal

(Jamie)

6

• Material: Quartz
• Holds sample plate during TDS testing
• Quartz rod at the end to attach pedestal to system
• Keeps pedestal in the same place at all times

Pedestal CAD

Pedestal

Quartz Rod

Shaft Collars

Stainless Steel Rods

Key Design: Storage Elevator

(Leo)

7

• Material: SS 304
• Attaches to storage actuator
• 8 sample slots
• Modular Design

Elevator CAD

Final Elevator Assembly

Elevator Modular Pieces

Key Design: Thermocouple Manipulation

• Thermocouple wire held with two 304 Stainless Holders

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• Allows for simple movement of thermocouple wire

(Ved)

8

Thermocouple Movement

Thermocouple Attachment

Testing Conditions

• Validating sample loading capabilities
• No heating or vacuum pressures
• Unable to get all finalized parts due to long lead times:
• Sample Transporter
• Used actuator with same DOF, but with linear travel of 610 mm (24 in.) instead of 1 m
• Quartz Tube
• Used an acrylic tube in its place
• Sample Holders
• Used an acrylic sample holder

(Jamie)

9

Acrylic Sample Holder

Acrylic Testing Chamber

Hardware Demonstration: System Assembly

(Saul)

10

Hardware Performance: Grabber

• Originally, aluminum rods (for the grabber prototype) were used to keep the entire grabber from rotating
• Switched from aluminum to steel rods
• Imperfect manufacturing from ProtoLabs

3D Printed Grabber Closing

Sample Transporter DOF

3D Printed Grabber Extending

(Brayden)

11

Hardware Performance: Thermocouple

• Thermocouple wobbles slightly
• 3D printed model bends too much, stainless attachment will not have this issue

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(Ved)

12

Stainless Attachment

3D Printed Attachment

Hardware Performance

• Still work to go with the grabber
• Stainless grabber needs to be adjusted and implemented into the system
• Need to practice more with the manual sample exchange
• Limited visibility when retrieving samples from the elevator

(Ethan)

13

Remaining Questions and Concerns

Ease of Use

• Manual use is somewhat difficult

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Grabber

• Grabber was designed for finalized sample transporter
• Cannot test grabber on finalized sample transporter, will not be able to refine grabber

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Thermocouple

• Thermocouple tends to wobble, might not touch down in the same place each time it is lowered

(Saul)

14

Recommendations for the Future

• Automate the sample loading system
• Add method to stop rotation of the elevator
• Mark locations on the storage actuator locations to stop
• Ensure grabber slides easily into sample holder slot
• Add quartz rod to add rigidity to the thermocouple wire

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(Leo)

15

Thank you!

Any Questions?

Budget

• Spent: $20,087.16
• IdealVac: $4,337.17
• Kurt J. Lesker: $3,530.09
• Ferrovac: $7,197.00
• ProtoLabs: $2,379.80
• Technical Glass: $705.14
• McMaster-Carr: $85.15
• Table Components: $2,643.00

• To Be Ordered:
• Main Actuator: $5,965.00
• Quartz Tube: $2,610.75
• Quartz Pedestal: $640.00

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• Projected Spending: $29,507.88