Project 2 : analogue to digital converter unit (ADCU)

Abstract

Water—it is essential to life—water to drink, to clean, to play. Clean water is often taken for granted by people living in developed cities as it is always within reach. Today, large parts of the world still survive with insufficient water. Without water, crops are unable to grow properly—famine, poverty, despair.

Recent studies have shown that showering consumes the most amount of water in a typical household, and that a huge portion of it is caused by cold water wastage while waiting for the arrival of warm water. If a certain amount of the wasted cold water is saved, it could be diverted to other places for re-use, dramatically reducing water wastage.

A prototype Water-Saving System based on an electric tank water heater was designed and built to simulate actual showering conditions in a bathroom environment. The Water-Saving System reduces cold water wastage by automatically heating up the tank water to a user-specific temperature prior to showering and diverting clean cold water to storage for other future uses.

Results and data collected have shown that the Water-Saving System is able to save large amounts of water effectively and efficiently. It is capable to assist a family of four, showering twice a day, to save up to 500 litres of water per month. The Water- Saving System could potentially push the envelope in the fields of water conservation technology.