Title:

Flowrate of RAS System #2, With Five Times per Day

Author:
Gabby Greaney
Honors Science Research 1
Mod 3
March 5, 2018
Abstract:
In this experiment I was to find the flowrate, turnover time, and the standard deviation of my
RAS System which is Tank #2. We did this lab over a course of 5 days taking 5 times each day so
by the end we had a total of 25 times. Along the way my group and I discovered that our results
are nowhere where they should be. We then found out that it was okay that our times didn’t
meet the recommended because our system is so complex. Finding the times for the flowrate
calculations we needed to fill a gallon bucket from the end of our pump and time how long it
took to fill. We observed from our data that day 5 was the fastest day with an average time of
5.65 seconds and that day 2 was the slowest day with an average time of 9.18 seconds. Our
highest turn over time was day 5 with a 0.7 hour turn over time, the lowest day 2 with a 0.5
hour turn over time.
Introduction:

During this lab I created and ran an investigation to determine the flowrate and turn over time

of tank #2. Going into this we had already found out the total number of gallons (853 gallons) of

water our whole system could hold, which we needed to know in order to find flowrate. The

ideal flowrate for our tank’s system was 2,559 gallons per hour. Our flowrate was 500 gallons

per hour. Our pump is an “Eco Pump 478470”, its maximum head is 13 feet and has a flowrate

of 900 gallons per hour. Will our tank reach the recommended three times per hour turn over

time? If our tank system, used our pump, meant to move 900 gallons per hour, then our tank

will not reach the recommended three times per hour turn over time. This will not happen

because our tank is so complex and dependable on all parts not just the pump.

Materials/Method:

The materials need for this lab are a tank, a gallon bucket or container, a stopwatch, and at

least 2 people.

Procedure:

Finding the times Procedure:

1. Get a 1 gallon bucket or container.

2. Move the pipes in the tank to lower the water level.

3. Locate entry point for the pump water to the tank.

4. Place the bucket in the water without tank water entering.

5. Put directly under water entry point from the pump to the tank.
 6. Have someone time from when you put the bucket under to when it is completely full.

7. Repeat this 5 times to that you have a total of 5 numbers.

8. Record your data.

9. Find the average time for the day. You will do this for 5 days total so you will have 25

times.

10. Use the average time to calculate the flow rate for each day.

Calculating the Flowrate Procedure:

1. Find the average for the day (add all 5 times together and divide by 5).

2. Calculate the flowrate by multiplying the number of gallons you used to measure (we

used a 1 gallon bucket) and the number of seconds in one hour (3600), then divide this

by the average time for the day times 1 hour. The final answer should be in gal/hr.

3. Calculate the turn over time by dividing the flowrate by the number of gallons in the

tank (tank 2 is 853 gallons).

4. Find the standard deviation using excel.

Results:

After completing this lab, we observed from our data that day 5 was the fastest day with an

average time of 5.65 seconds and that day 2 was the slowest day with an average time of 9.18

seconds. Our highest turn over time was day 5 with a 0.7 hour turn over time, the lowest day 2

with a 0.5 hour turn over time.

Data Tables and Graphs:

Day 1 Trial Number and Time

7.82 for Day 1
7.25 8

Time (seconds)
6.97 7.5
7.25 7
7.18 6.5
1 2 3 4 5
Trial Number

Day 2
8.11
9.47 Trial Number and Time
9.45 for Day 2
9.38
15
Time (Seconds)

9.47
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5
Trial Number

Day 3
7.05 Trial Number and Time
6.72 for Day 3
6.55
7.5
6.53
Time (Seconds)

7
7.07
6.5
6
1 2 3 4 5
Trial Number

Day 4
7 Trial Number and Time
6.99 for Day 4
7.26
7.5
6.38
Time (Seconds)

7
7.05 6.5
6
5.5
1 2 3 4 5
Trial Number
 Tial Number and Time
Day 5 for Day 5
5.23 6.5

Time (Seconds)
5.62 6
5.5
6.04 5
5.67 4.5
5.71 1 2 3 4 5
Trial Number

Calculations:

Day 1:

Mean (average): (7.82+7.25+6.97+7.25+7.18)/(5)= 7.29 seconds

Flowrate: (1 gal x 3600 sec)/(7.29 sec x 1 hr)= 500 gal/hr

Turn Over Time: (500 gal/hr)/(853 gal)= 0.6 hr turn over time

Standard Deviation: 0.315642

Day 2:

Mean (average): (8.11+9.47+9.45+9.38+9.47)/(5)= 9.18 seconds

Flowrate: (1 gal x 3600 sec)/(9.18 sec x 1 hr)= 400 gal/hr

Turn Over Time: (400 gal/hr)/(853 gal)= 0.5 hr turn over time

Standard Deviation: 0.665492

Day 3:
Mean (average): (7.05+6.72+6.55+6.53+7.07)/(5)= 6.78 seconds

Flowrate: (1 gal x 3600 sec)/(6.78 sec x 1 hr)= 500 gal/hr

Turn Over Time: (500 gal/hr)/(853 gal)= 0.6 hr turn over time

Standard Deviation: 0.26264

Day 4:

Mean (average): (7.00+6.99+7.26+6.38+7.05)/(5)= 6.94 seconds

Flowrate: (1 gal x 3600 sec)/(6.94 sec x 1 hr)= 500 gal/hr

Turn Over Time: (500 gal/hr)/(853 gal)= 0.6 hr turn over time

Standard Deviation: 0.329439

Day 5:

Mean (average): (5.23+5.62+6.04+5.67+5.71)/(5)= 5.65 seconds

Flowrate: (1 gal x 3600 sec)/(5.65 sec x 1 hr)= 600 gal/hr

Turn Over Time: (600 gal/hr)/(853 gal)= 0.7 hr turn over time

Standard Deviation: 0.288669

Percent Error:

Actual Flowrate: 500 gal/hr

Ideal Flowrate: (3)(853 gal)=2,559 gal

% Error: ((2,559-500)/(2,559)) x 100= 80.46%

Discussion:

My hypothesis was supported because we did not reach the recommended turn over time per

hour which is three times. We didn’t reach whole numbers for our turn over time. I think this is

because we have so much water in many different places throughout our system, and because

of this complexity the water just simply can’t travel that fast. The pump can cycle up to 900

gallons per hour but I believe it is not sufficient enough to move as much water as we have in

all of our tanks combined. The fastest flowrate we got was 600 gallons per hour which was on

day 5, but on average we had 500 gallons per hour. There were sources of error. The biggest

was probably the fact that we had to move the standing pipes in the tank everyday which

wasn’t accurate because they would be moved differently each time. This would affect our data

because they controlled the water level and how we could get under the pump with the gallon

bucket to measure the times. Another source could be that maybe we didn’t start and stop at

exactly the time we needed to. That could affect because the times would be inaccurate. This

could be fixed by making it easier to move the water level down in the same spot every time we

measure.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, our tank system did not reach the recommended 3 times per hour turn over

time. This was because of the size of our RAS system. In the future we should investigate how

we can try and make this system meet the recommended times while still keeping the

complexity of it.