Siemens Student Awards 2011

SIEMENS STUDENT AWARDS 2011

MADINA TUs sAMA

(city of heaven)

BY

MUNHAL IMRAN & MAMOONA SHAMI

COLLEGE OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY PAKISTAN

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

The ever increasing population and expansion of cities has lead man to look beyond the options. The Deserts, with their high temperature variations and shortage of water pose a major threat. But its upto man whether he strives for a life in desert or be drowned in the sandy ocean.

Following is a compilation of various ideas that a man may adopt to save himself from the dreadful and creepy sand. The ideas are listed in the order as
FUTURE HOMES AND INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS RELIABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY QUENCHING THE LANDS THIRST MANEUVERING THE DESERT DESERT VEGETATION WASTE TREATMENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

FUTURE HOMES AND INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS:

In order to construct buildings that will enhance the comfort level of the residents and use the climatic conditions of a desert to its maximum, we have the following ideas: 1. Construction: Windows should be oriented so as to allow maximum ventilation at night and use it for cooling since nights in deserts are cold. The building can then maintain a moderate temperature during the day. The sun is lower in winters and higher in summers. The window openings should be oriented such as to admit solar radiations in winters and expel internal heat in summers. The roofs should be made dome shaped. This allows the hotter air to collect in the top and the rooms will remain cooler. The walls should be high so that the convection cycle becomes bigger and the cold air stays at the bottom.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

2. Providing Heat Protection: Heat reflective material to be installed on the walls and roofs. The material we suggest is a bubble material made of aluminium covered with a PE film. This materials reflectivity is 96-97% while thermal conductivity is just 0.034. Apart from thermal insulation and reflectivity, it is also water proof, provides protection and can be made fire proof as well. Link to the product:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/459491081/good_quantity_heat_reflective_material.html

We use foil to keep our food hot or cold. Why not foil our buildings? We introduce the concept of foiling for buildings to retain the temperature inside and to reflect heat radiations. It is cost efficient and maintains the temperature really well. We recommend TempShield Double Bubble Foil/Foil Insulation. The air space is kept three fourth of an inch which is ideal for insulation. It can be used for roof wrapping, side walls, metal buildings and for covering anything that needs protection. Variations in the product are also available. Official Link:
http://www.radiantbarrier.com/double-bubble-insulation.htm

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

RELIABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY:

THERMAL ENERGY: Since solar radiations are abundant in any desert, we wanted to devise a way where we could convert thermal energy directly into electricity without intermediate steps. This suggested thermionic energy conversion. Method: Thermionic energy conversion is a relatively simple process. There are two electrodes. One electrode heats up. The thermal energy is enough to let the electrode lose electrons to the colder electrode. In this way an electric current is established. The medium should be vacuum or plasma. Product: The main problem is of the medium so we thought of replacing it with some other material fulfilling our requirements. We came across Eneco Power Chip. This chip successfully uses the idea of thermionic energy conversion. The vacuum or plasma has been replaced by a semiconductor thermoelectric that is thick enough to support a significant temperature difference between the emitter and the collector in order to achieve efficiency. It doesnt take up much space. Moreover, this chip can perform dual functions. It converts thermal energy into electricity. It uses electricity to provide cooling up to -200 degree Celsius The efficiency of the chip is 30%. Power chips plc claim they will develop a chip with 50% efficiency in near future. We suggest that an array of these chips be installed on the roof to convert thermal energy into electrical energy. These chips will be connected to a storage unit of the building. A double row of these chips shall be installed in

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

the walls to provide cooling. These will be connected to the storage unit and use the energy stored by the power chips. i.e. Outside heatPower Chip (outer)electricityPower Chip (inner) Cooled inside HEATED WATER AND ELECTRICITY: Glass tubing running around the rooms filled with water should be used as a source of light. Water is used as a medium. The light is reflected from the molecules of water and spreads around. Mirrors are used at the corners to reflect the light at 90 degrees. At night the mirrors can be covered. The water is heated so we can use this water for domestic purposes as well. The heated water can also be made to run in a cycle and run a turbine to produce electricity. The merits are: Works as a direct light source The water maintains the rooms temperature The warm water may be used for domestic purposes The water can be made to run in the circular pipes (convection method of heat dispersal) and generate electricity

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

PRINTED SOLAR CELLS Solarcells are expensive to manufacture and thus the solarenergy didnt succeed much, but now the recent creation of printed solar cells is quite cheap. The printed solar cells, as the name says are cells printed on a material just like an inkjet printer prints a page with ink. These cells have the following advantages: Extremely cheap (equivalent to printing a page with ink) Works on variety of materials ( fabric, paper, plastic, etc) It can stand deformations in shape and work with same efficiency It works in dim ambient light and still produce 50 volts (enough to run everyday electronics and gadgets) Can be used 24/7 It can even be printed on used newspaper. So the paper is recycled into a reneawable source of energy

FLUORESCENT MATERIALS Fluorescent materials are to be used wherever possible. The daylight will be absorbed by them and at night they will illuminate the streets and houses. The signboards and other decorations can also be made for the public this way.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

NATURE INSPIRED: Schools of fish have shown engineers how to squeeze much more power from wind farms. A new wind farm designed to mimic a school of fish could exploit wind turbulence, and could dramatically improve power output. Familiar propeller-style wind turbines with large

sweeping blades have almost reached their limit of efficiency. But in a wind farm, they must be spaced widely apart to avoid turbulence from the other turbines. This has limited wind farm power output to around two watts per square meter of land at favorable sites. But redesigned wind farms could perhaps get up to 10 times more power from the same land. The fish aim to align themselves to optimize their forward propulsion and this can be adapted in a turbine array to maximize energy extraction. The new design uses closely-spaced pairs of counter-rotating turbines that funnel air to their neighbors, with little energy lost to turbulence. A wind farm of this closely-packed design could produce 20 to 30 watts per square meter of land, around 10 times that of current wind farms. The advantages don't stop there. At 10m high, the turbines used in this study were only around one tenth of the height of typical propeller-style turbines. This means that they are less intrusive in the landscape, less visible to air-traffic control radar and could be less harmful to birds and bats. The vertical-axis turbines are also "significantly more robust and probably less expensive.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

QUENCHING THE LANDS THIRST

The desert areas witness an extreme shortage of water, in the atmosphere as well as on ground. The underground water level is too low and its the main challenge posed to the desert dwellers.

The aim is to a) Increase underground water level b) Increase moisture in the atmosphere (leads to reduction in temperature fluctuations and also reduces the impact of sunlight and improves the rainfall) c) Provide uninterrupted portable water to the dwellers

These challenges can be effectively met by

a) Canals: Canals are to be dug from the nearest water bodies, especially the sea. This will give the uninterrupted supply and will help replenish the ground water level as well as the moisture in the atmosphere. This will also help creating water transport. The process initially requires tedious labor but once dug, additional energy wont be required. b) Karez: For longer distances and rough terrain with variable altitude, the underground canals i.e. the karez system shall be adopted. It will save water from being evaporated by the blazing sun and will help keeping the water temperature lower and

transporting it to longer distances. Wells and vertical passageways leading to the underground water system will help the above living dwellers facilitate from it.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

c) Pipelines: Where the creation of the above two is totally unfeasible, pipelines with solar powered pumps shall be used. d) Flooding the depressions: There are some places like the Qattara Depression (covering an area of 19,500 km2 present 133m below sea level in the Sahara desert) lying below the sea level. Giving a route to the sea and flooding up such depressions will improve the climatic conditions of not only the particular place but the desert areas adjacent to it will all be facilitated. e) Desalination Plants: The canals and karez will be providing saline sea water. This water shall be desalinated so the dwellers get the potable water for use. The desalination can be performed by solar or geothermal effects as both are quite abundant. Evaporating the water, collecting the vapors and condensing it in the way that the heat released is used to evaporate the next volume of water, the desalination process is quite feasible for providing the continuous freshwater. A device referred to as Delta T Device using geothermal energy has the ability to reduce the salt concentration from 35,000 ppm to 51 ppm operating between just 2 deg C & 100 deg C. f) Artificial rain: Once the moisture rises to the desired level, the process of Artificial Rain shall be adopted to make precipitation in the desert areas. The process involves the agitation of clouds and their seeding. The desalination process yields salts as

byproducts, dominantly the Sodium Chloride and some traces of Calcium chloride. These salts are to be used in the powdered forms to achieve artificial rain by firing salt filled rockets at the clouds.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

MANEUVERING THE DESERT

Highways and Outstation Travel: The transport system that links the desert to the far off cities shall be tube trains i.e. an encapsulated track like that of the English Channel Tunnel shall be used. Personal vehicles and water transport (reference: water section-canals) shall also be used. Cons: remain operative 24/7 sandstorm will not be blocking the passage the temperature inside the heat-resistant tube body can be easily controlled the air pressure created at the ends of the tube by the fast moving trains can be employed as source of wind energy

In City Travel: Within the city the new generation automobiles car-cumplanes shall be used. This will help the passengers avoid soft sand and blocked roads Official Link. http://www.terrafugia.com/

In vicinity/Neighbourhood: The water cooled pavements shall be made so that even in uncomfortable temperatures, the public can move freely. Large Umbrellas shall be erected to save the people from direct contact with the blazing sun. The same method is advised as is used at the Muslim Holy Places at Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

DESERT VEGETATION:
We suggest that useful types of plants be cultivated and used so that apart from their usual function as oxygen suppliers and greenery, city dwellers can benefit from them in other ways as well. The vegetation would also increase the moisture content in the atmosphere and provide a sound footing for the sand. Once settled, there will be less chance of a sand storm.

a. Desert Rhubarb: Its a self irrigating plant which can be used as a food as well. It tastes like spinach. It harvests water 16 times more than the normal desert plants. The deep and wide depressions in the leaves create a "channeling" mountain-like system by which the rain water is channeled toward the ground surrounding the plant's deep root. Other desert plants simply suffice with the rain water that penetrates the ground in its immediate surroundings. b. Opuntia: It is an edible type of cactus. It is already being cultivated in farms of North America. The fruit is used in salads. It is commonly known as prickly pear. c. Hylocereus: This genus of cacti is often referred to as the night blooming cactus. The specie has large edible fruits known as Pitaya or Dragon fruit.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

d. Saguaro: This tree sized plant is another type of cactus which needs less water. It conserves water like almost all the other types of cacti. The fruit is edible and the flowers, a beauty. The holes inside saguaro also serve as a nests for native birds thus by planting saguaro you have a bird house as well which is a feast for the eyes.

e. Date and Palm trees: No desert city is complete without date and palm trees. They provide shade and shelter. Dates are a food as well.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

WASTE TREATMENT

The waste is of many types. Separating the recyclable waste from the dump is the basic challenge. The public needs to be administered that they use environment friendly materials that are recyclable and shall dispose of the waste accordingly into the separate containers for each type. Once this practice is enforced the management becomes far easy.

The human/animal discharge as well as the other biological waste (dead plants) should be disposed off in landfills. Processing these landfills will help create humus which will be useful in desert vegetation. Biofuels can also be produced alongside. The paper, metal and thermoplastics shall be recycled The used water shall be filtered and harmful chemicals are to be removed. Then this water shall be fed to plants and soil. The practice of using recyclable materials shall be ensured so that the waste is minimum.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami

Siemens Student Awards 2011

EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT:

A 3D digital holographic map of the desert city shall be made. The public shall be provided with the GPS units and their motion shall be accessible to the central unit. This will be the most efficient system of running the security, paramedic facilities, firebrigade and other emergency reponse actions. The GPS units shall have dedicated specific buttons for the emergency response units.

The high temperatures of the desert reaching as high as 57C cause dehydration, sunburns and heat strokes. Alongside snakes and other poisonous reptiles and insects are also present. The medical facilities shall be made easily available to the public. The public shall be educated for first aid and self defense till the paramedic help arrives. Mobile Hospitals shall be created. The city will be divided into small units. Each unit shall have its own localized medical unit and basic facilities for people. In this way emergency facilities will be far more accessible and within reach for everybody. The city shall have a mega medical complex to treat greater and complex diseases.

Munhal Imran & Mamoona Shami