Posts by Daniel Hensel
March 12, 2009
Design Lab Presentation
Update on Status of the Solar Autoclave and Sterilization Indicator
On February 13th the new design team currently working on the solar autoclave system presented the status of the project to their sponsors. Among the attendees of the presentation were Executive Director Lori Hanna, myself (Director of Product Research, Daniel Hensel), longtime sponsor Dr. Margaret Pinnell, and the ETHOS field team accompanying me to Sabana Grande, Nicaragua this summer. The presentation provided a brief overview of the project, the status of what they are working on now, and their plans for the immediate future. The members of the design team, those who presented, are Staci Grey, Christopher McGuinness, Ryan Smolik, Corey Vossler and Kyle Zeller.
To begin with, Lori and I were impressed with how obvious it was that the design team had carefully read through our own team’s work the previous semester. They are carefully and constructively criticizing our work and finding ways to improve the product wherever possible. The design team has essentially split up into three teams: two working on testing and modifying the pressure vessel, two finalizing the sterilization indicator design, and one looking at improving the system as a whole including the solar box cooker.
The students working on the solar autoclave pressure vessel reported that they had repeated the pressure tests performed by our previous team. They noted that they had a similar problem as we did with hydraulic fluid leaking through an end cap, as well as showed that the butyl rubber seal broke at 10psi, ending the testing. After testing, the team reported noticeable deformation in the bottom of the coffee can used as the cylindrical pressure vessel. They plan to improve the seal of the solar autoclave pressure vessel, use aluminum end caps instead of wood, paint the can with the black paint that is already used in Sabana Grande, and use lock nuts on one stationary end of the pressure vessel to reduce handling and hassle.
The work on the sterilization indicator has produced a nifty hourglass design that utilizes Polywax 2000 to show whether or not the proper sterilizing conditions have been maintained, and thus whether or not the instruments are sterile. US Sterilization standards dictate that, to reach sterilization, 121 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) and 15psi must be held for 15 minutes. Therefore, the design team has devised an hourglass device that will contain an appropriate amount of wax such that when all the wax heats up, turns to a liquid and falls to the bottom chamber, the time and temperature have been reached. The team is working on mass balancing the design to determine the size and amount of wax needed, then testing can begin.
The team is on task and plan to order the materials needed for the final design and conduct testing, as well as manufacture the final sterilization indicator design. Lori and I reminded them that it is pertinent that we have a final working design by the end of this semester that I may take to Nicaragua with me for final testing and production rollout. I am urging them to try testing with water as well as to come up with a plan for testing that I may use while in Sabana Grande.
The design team will present again at their 2nd oral presentation Friday, March 13th at 8am. They will provide us with more updates and their plans for the remainder of the semester, and another update will be provided here on saluddelsol.org. Until next time!
La Paz y Salud,
Daniel J. Hensel
Director of Product Research
February 12, 2009
Director of Product Research Daniel Hensel took up the lead in entering the Solar Autoclave Design Team into a nation-wide medical invention competition, called the BMEidea. The competition is aimed at new medical innovations that can help the industry somehow. Most interesting, however, is that some mini-business plan is needed as part of the competition! This is where Salud del Sol comes into play. Through a selection process and as a reward for entering early, the Solar Autoclave project received a $500 stipend.
The competition is hosted by NCIIA, National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance. The team (consisting of Lori Hanna, Daniel Hensel, Matt Pittinger, Adam Ryba and Christopher Weiss) must complete a 20-page document detailing the product and its economic viability, then it will be judged by a panel. Winners will be announced June 13th, with first place earning $10,000.
For more information on the competition, please visit http://www.nciia.org/bmeidea/comp/time.html.
Thank you for your support, and wish us luck!
September 15, 2008
If you haven’t experienced UD’s power outage, you’ve been kept in the dark. The ’08 Blackout has been, in my five years of attending school here, one of the most interesting natural disasters to ever occur at UD. It might even beat out last winter’s freak snowstorm (remember the igloos and snowbars?). The experiences of this past Sunday have given me a few things to think about, and I even have a challenge to propose.
Let me start with the experience. Sunday afternoon, September 14th, during the high-activity period of the storm, all of campus was alive. Everyone was out doing what UD does best: celebrating. Talk was abuzz about “no class tommorrow” or “that gust blew my dog away” or “did you see the tree that fell on that house?” (My condolences to the girls of Irving and Lawnview).
Trees were downed everywhere; branches, black walnuts, and garbage littered the streets. Power lines were down all over, including behind Kiefaber and Lowes, and on Brown Street. Dust and sediment blew into peoples’ eyes at 20-40 miles per hour. Empty beer boxes played the tumbleweed, blowing down Evanston and Stonemill. Houses and power lines made nice little targets for the trees, especially in the case of Mr. Biology Professor, who is looking at quite some damage. In spite of it all, people were out on their porches, enjoying the lovely natural disaster. A few were even windsurfing throughout the Ghetto, with their sheets spread wide atop their longboards (you probably saw me).
Which brings me to my point. We have experienced a night of no television, no video games, and probably no music. So, let me ask you, what did you do instead? Now that you were forced to relinquish those habits, if only for one night (or, from the looks of it, several nights), did you go outside and talk with your house and your neighbors? Seeing that there was no electricity, perhaps you grilled outside with your community, being sure to consume those meats and beverages before they got warm. Maybe you stood in the ridiculous lines at Chipotle or Wendys.
As the night wore on, I saw friends gathered around candlelight, chatting. The guys on Lawnview made use of some leftover blue glowsticks – leftover from God-only-knows – to light their way. Hosts pulled out their lawn/luau torches. Marianist houses offered a place to sleep and be with others for the night. Those lucky enough to have power invited the unworthy over to catch up on the Bengals game. A group of 20 guys in tightie-whities carrying home-made torches went streaking through the quad, past the gymnasium.
Whatever the event, the community had come alive!
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July 24, 2008
These past few weeks, as I´ve explained, have fallen under Chapter 2: Lori´s Arrival. Now begins Chapter 3: Aftermath (Or, as Matt likes to think of it… Chapter 3: AfterMatt). This is the part where they fix all the damage we´ve caused.
Kidding! But we do hope to have left behind some projects and have made some impact on the community. As I sit and think about it, I am sure we have. We have taught them how to use computers and the Internet, both of which are huge. I taught the kids how to play Ultimate (I expect to see leagues when I return). Lori and I taught them how to properly set up tests and take data. Basically, Lori and I taught them the scientific method! Anna and Jessica have successfully started a new business at the Solar Center, called ACESol, which could really take off and create wonderful opportunities for the center. Matt built a cool cistern and gutter system to collect all the rainwater to use for the new gardens. Pete has been all over the place, providing help for everyone. On top of that, we all have pitched in to aid with all the other various projects going on here at the Solar Center. Yeah, I´d like to think we made a positive impact.
This past weekend I kind of took it easy, still just getting over my sickness. I went to ProFamilia, where I had an exam and consultation, and got some pills to kill off the parasites as I leave. I´m going to time my medication so that it carries over into as I´m getting home, so that I can be sure all the parasites are gone. I don´t want to be sick for 6 months after I get home like Lori was. I have been taking Cipro, which Matt described really well as the Atom Bomb to the war going on in your stomach… it takes out everything. In fact, I´ve been eating yogurt to get the good germs back into my stomach.
Actually, I feel that healthiest I´ve felt in… probably ever! I´ve lost a LOT of weight. I know it´s going to scare my mom because she´s going to think that I didn´t eat, but that´s not true. I ate more than I could handle at every meal, and just a few snacks here and there. The food isn´t exactly healthy, because a lot of things are fried. However, it helps that I had rice and beans, salads and soups, and heaps of fruit every morning for breakfast. Mostly, though, I think it was the controlled consumption of food. Rather than eating a lot of little snacks and meals, it was just 3 big meals a day, at 7AM, 12PM, and 7PM. Every once and a while I´ll get an ice cream or some chips in between meals, and I almost always have a coke or something too, but it´s still dramatically different than eating habits in the US. Finally, it helps that I have to walk 20 minutes every day to get to the Solar Center, then back for lunch, then back to work after lunch, then back home after work. Then, sometimes I´ll even return to the Solar Center after work, for various reasons, meaning I have to walk back home once again. It´s a lot of walking. And the work itself is excercising too. In conjunction, of course, is all the Ultimate and soccer I have been playing as well. Basically, I feel good.
Over the past week I have put together all my things that I am taking home, and given away my gifts and left the clothes that I am leaving to Tiende Verde. I am ready to go!
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July 18, 2008
As I write this, I have 6 more days in Nicaragua. My feelings are… mixed. As I´ve mentioned before, I certainly am excited to be back home, for many obvious reasons. But I am also going to miss Sabana Grande. Especially the people. And especially one person.
The timing has worked well, however. I have completed our goals for the summer successfully. In fact, not just our goals for testing, but our goals for all of our projects for Salud del Sol. A success. The details of the results of the testing are being worked out right now in report form, and we hope to present that soon.
As far as life goes, I have finally gotten sick. My time has come, I suppose. But hey, I was the last of all the volunteers to get sick, and I didn´t get sick until my 9th week, rather than my first or second. I´d say that´s something. I did have a pretty bad fever though. Today I went to ProFamilia in Ocotal to get tested for parasites. Of course I probably have them. At any given time, it is pretty certain that every volunteer has parasites… you just don´t know that you have them. They usually don´t cause much discomfort and don´t harm you. Of course, some are worse than others, and I might just be one of the lucky ones. But it´s OK, I´m going to let them accumulate, and then take the pills before I leave and wipe the suckers out. Lori says she was sick for several months after she got home, and it was probably because she never got checked for parasites before leaving. After this whole conversation (which we had, of all times, over lunch one day last week), going to ProFamilia shot straight up to high on my to-do list.
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July 10, 2008
As always, I sit here at the spanish keyboard, my fingertips tingling with anticipation, deciding what to type first. I have hundreds of things I want to share, and it´s a matter of what I decide to say first and in the hour that I have.
How about, first and foremost, the work. We have been testing consistently for the past two-and-a-half weeks now, working with various different set-ups. First, we put a pressure cooker (painted black) inside the autoclave, and placed the thermocouples all over, such as in the pot, on the pot, on the walls of the autoclave, or below the glass of the autoclave. Then we tested with nothing in the autoclave, just to see how hot it can get in the varying, uncooperative weather. Now, we are testing our dry heat set-up, using a lens and a glass bottle. Next, we will test the pressure cooker filled with water, in order to actually generate pressure. The idea in all these tests is to see how hot we can get, for how long. If we can meet the standards needed, we will experiment with moving ahead with a particular design. Unfortunately, I have only about 2 more weeks to do this, and there is a lot I hope to get done.
I have played another game with La Ceiba, and we won. It was close, 4-3, but one of their goals was actually scored by one of our own. Therefore, I actually see it as being 5-2, meaning it was an enormous victory. So that is two games I have played and assisted in winning (in all honesty, I feel that I played well, and even scored a goal). One game I missed, and they lost. Coincidence? I can´t say, but I am determined to aid my team in our next game this Friday afternoon.
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July 1, 2008
Please be sure to keep checking out the Salud del Sol blog here at www.saluddelsol.org, because there are many photos and articles that will probably be of interest to you. One of which, in fact, should be a series of articles written by me, detailing what it is I am working with and researching here in Nicaragua, and what my plans may be for the future. Exciting news is that I have gotten a lot of input and offers of help from people far and wide already, and that is what inspired me to write such an article, so that people will have a better idea of what I am doing beforehand, and will maybe generate ideas as to how they can help.
So you remember that Roberto has moved out. Well, the day I returned from Granada two weekends ago, I came home to two Canadians who have taken his spot, Matthew and Felipe. They are both great guys and I am glad to be living with them. We have a lot of fun every night with Skarleth, laughing and playing games. Matthew and Felipe are here with about 11 other Canadian girls, all from a different organization. Matthew (or, in French, Machew) and I enjoy singing songs together, dancing, playing soccer together, and generally causing a ruckus.
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June 21, 2008
Phew. Once again, so much has happened, and I feel that I don´t have enough space to describe everything.
Granada is the #1 tourist destination in Nicaragua. After being there, it´s easy to see why. It is a gorgeous city with an almost european feel. The buildings are all different bright colors, made of of adobe, with markets all in the streets. Parks and courtyards are littered everywhere. The city itself overlooks Lake Managua, which I believe is the second largest lake in Central America.
It is also the only lake in the world with real, legitimate sharks in it. They are bull sharks, fierce creatures that adapted to the fresh water back when the lake fed into the ocean. They were, and sometimes still are, such an epidemic that people do not swim in the lake whatsoever. Anyway, kind of a cool fact.
The city is abundant with hostels, where many other student backpackers stay and form a kind of dormitory atmosphere. Vince had joined us from Managua, and we all stayed in a dorm at Hostel Oasis. This was easily the best choice for a place to stay, and I think I payed about $40 for 3 nights, breakfast every morning, and beverages all day. Complete with real showers and bathrooms too! It had a garden/courtyard, which had at least 6 really comfortable hammocks hung throughout. In a second courtyard, sourounded by trees and the clouds (or stars) above was a really, really refreshing pool. I expect to be tagged in pictures on facebook, because I have none myself… and I need them.
June 12, 2008
We have finished the construction of the solar cooker! As I write, Pete is back in Sabana Grande, dutifully painting the thing blue. (I´ve asked why it´s blue and not black, and apparently it just has to do with the fact that blue and white are Nicaragua´s colors. But that´s ok, blue is pretty good). Our special cooker has a 10-inch clearance on the inside, rather than the usual 6 or so. This allows for several things, such as a stand for the pressure-vessel and instruments, or simply a pressure cooker. The focal point of the Fresnel lens is at about 7.16¨, so this allows for that too. Anyway, a big thanks to CJ and Peter for helping me so much with construction, and to Anna for doing most of the painting. It has turned out quite excellently, and everything fits like a dream.
I have found that I am quite the carpenter, and also that I am capable of working a lot. I have worked pretty hard, with few breaks, and even overtime, to try and get stuff done. Even when it come to other projects, such as digging the ditch, I found myself saying ¨Let´s do it right the first time so that we don´t have to do it right the second time,¨on at least 3 separate occasions. I´ve turned into my father. There must be something in the food here.
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June 8, 2008
Another half-week has come and gone. Unfortunately, I am not finished constructing the autoclave yet. Classes take up much of the morning, there are usually a few meetings in the afternoon, and the center (where we work) closes in the evenings and on weekends. We are close, though. We have created the frame, put in the installation, and attached the reflective material. So, essentially, the main part of the body is done. There is still much to do, however.
Tons of other progress has been made in its place. Friday, I was not able to work on construction because we were all asked to help dig a ditch behind the solar center. When it rains, which is a lot for a few hours every day, a large ¨river¨tends to form right next to the center, ruining some of the gardens. To combat this, we dug a very large, very deep ditch that diverts the water into a natural runoff. It was a long, hot day of difficult work. But, no sooner than were we done digging the last little bit of it than did it start to rain, and rain hard. We ran for cover under an overhang of the center, and then just sat outside because there was nowhere else to go. So we chatted and watched the rain. After about 5 minutes, Matt went to investigate our ditch, and yells ¨whoah!¨. We all went to check, and, sure enough, a very large, fast, strong river had formed in our ditch and was flowing exactly where we wanted it to go, and was diverting the water exactly where we wanted it to stay away from. We whooped and hollered around in the rain for awhile, and the girls next door were watching us crazy gringos. What can we say, it was a long day.
It was a success, and now my back hurts.
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