Scientific Research Department

University of Technology And Applied Sciences - Sohar

Block Funding Program-Research Grant Proposal Template

Call No. 2023
Proposal Type : ☒ URG ☐ GRG ☐ RG

Title. Development and Fabrication of a Water Tank Cleaning Machine

Title (Arabic)
(Optional)
☒ Manufacturing
☐ Transport & Logistics
☐ Tourism
National Priority Area
☐ Fisheries
☐ Mining
☐ Other

☐ Culture Humanities and Basic Sciences (CBS)

☐ Education and Human Resources (HER)
☒ Energy and Industry (EI)
Sector
☐ Environmental and Biological Resources (EBR)
☐ Health and Social Services (HSS)
☐ Information Technology and Communication (ICT)

1-3: Knowledge Development (usually public organizations) e.g. basic

☐
research & lab-based experiments
Technology Readiness 4-6: Technology Development/Demonstration (public & private collaboration)
☒
Level e.g. prototype testing, advanced-stage research
7-9: Business Development (usually private sector) e.g. scaling up, clinical,
☐
commercialization, market launching
Executive Summary

Water is used for all daily tasks in Oman, where most of the population uses water tanks. In homes,
industries, and some other structures, water tanks are widely utilized. One of the biggest problems
people have is cleaning the water tank, which causes an accumulation of impurities that may
contain many harmful particles. The current water tank cleaning procedures take a long time and
require more work. Construction of an automated or user-friendly water tank cleaning machine is
required. In this regard, the main goal of this project is to design, develop and fabricate a
mechanical machine for cleaning cylindrical domestic water tanks. The mechanical device basically
consists of brushes, motors, shafts, batteries, PV cells, sensors and arms. Overall, the solar cells
deliver the power to the motor that rotates the shaft at a low RPM as the arms are in place, the
pump is turned on, and the brushes mounted on the arms begin to scrub the interior surface of the
tank with a high torque. The fabricated machine is then tested to see how it performs.

Applicants
Role Name and Position Affiliation Contacts
Principal Investigator
Co-Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator-1
Co-Investigator-2
Proposal
Introduction and Statement of the Problem / Project *

Problem Statement

Cleaning water tanks is a regular maintenance requirement for domestic water supply systems.
Tank cleaning is currently carried out manually, which is both ineffective and challenging. A water
tank cleaning machine must be designed, developed, and manufactured because there isn't an
automatic tank cleaning machine equipped with solar cells and automatically worked by sensors
available on the market.

Introduction

There is no automation-solar cell-based system used in overhead tank cleaning, which is

permanently installed in water tanks, according to recent studies. This is due to the erratic shapes
and varying heights of the tank locations. A different approach has developed a strategy for
resolving this issue. Individual use of Sintex tanks is about 71% in India [1]. Investigations produced
data that revealed numerous issues in the dark areas, including nonstop work, inconsistent
payments, and various causes. The main motivation behind this endeavor may also be the
persistent work and unexpected installment. We therefore came to the conclusion that treating
each of these issues can benefit from cleaning the overhead tank using a mechanical procedure.
We use the water in the tank every day for cleaning, bathing, mopping, washing clothes, and other
household tasks.

Cleaning the water tanks is a crucial chore for preserving the quality of the water that is being kept.
The traditional cleaning techniques, however, take a lot of time and effort. A design and
construction of a water tank cleaning device have been devised to address this problem.

The device is made to automate water tank cleaning, increasing its effectiveness and decreasing its
time requirements. High-pressure water jets and an adjustable brush head that can access every
part of the tank are just two of the features that the machine is outfitted with to ensure that the
tank is cleaned thoroughly. The creation of this device will surely increase the efficiency of water
tank cleaning, offering a useful resource for homeowners, building maintenance firms, and water
management and sanitation companies. Also, this development has the potential to make a
substantial impact on the provision of clean, safe water for human consumption, which is essential
for preserving public health and preventing waterborne illnesses.

Overall, with time, sediments, scale, and algae build up on the water tank's walls, roof, and floor.
This might cause pipes to clog. The resulting skin damage is not hygienic and will have an adverse
effect on health. As a result, water tank cleaning is crucial.
Literature Review and Analysis of Related Work *

According to Davis, J. and Lambert, R. [1], there are three traditional steps for disinfecting a water
tank. The tank is kept empty by cleaning. Activate the valve or tap socket and drain any leftover
liquid. Clean all interior surfaces. cleaning every internal surface of the tank with a solution of
detergent and water. Chlorine testing fill the tank back up with fresh water and let it stand for 30
minutes.

According to Ahmad [2], access to clean water is essential for maintaining human health. Water
storage tanks are used to distribute the water supply. The quality of the water that consumers use
will decline as sediment builds up in water storage tanks over time. Operators of water utilities or
companies offering tank cleaning services are required to clean water storage tanks once every
three years.

Computerize a robot to clean a water tank underwater, according to Pramod B. Jachaket [3].
Cleaning storage water tanks is a laborious task. The entire task must be completed manually,
which is a risky undertaking when manual labor is taken into account. Given the height of water
tanks, an oxygen shortage could be a serious issue. As a result, the necessity of using robotic
systems underwater has grown. They develop a program that allows the user to control the robot
remotely and observe various functions like washing, brushing, sucking, etc.

Cleaner Cylindrical Water Tank Design and Production by Shubham Srivastav [4]. The two main
mechanisms used to construct the mechanical system in this work are the reciprocate four bar
connection mechanism and the gear mechanism. Worm gear, which is used to reciprocate the
entire mechanical system up and down in accordance with the height of the cylindrical tank, is the
gear used.

Guha, M. Barron Ronald, and R. Balachandar, "Experimental and numerical analysis of the water jet
cleaning process. This paper used experimental, numerical, and theoretical methods to examine
the water jet cleaning procedure. Very high-speed water jets (80 80-200 m/s) are frequently used in
these cleaning operations [5].

"Design and manufacture of the drain cleaning system," Ms. Smitagourkhedeet In this work,
creating a drain cleaning mechanism is very straightforward, and the system's equipment
requirements are modest. Electric motor, bearings, belt, pulleys, and other small materials like
angular bar are the main components. This equipment helps clean the garbage a little bit by
removing it from the drains [ 6 ].
Objectives *
The walls, ceiling, and floor of the water tank accumulate sediment, scale, and algae over time.
Eventually, this clogs pipes. It is not good hygiene that causes skin damage and has negative health
effects. As a result, water tank cleaning is crucial. Consequently, the main objectives of this project
is:
• To mitigate the human efforts and to avoid the chemical effect that could harm on health of
a person entering the tank for cleaning.
• To reduce the risks associated with cleaning, such as oxygen deficiency, fire, explosion, toxic
gas exposure, and chemical and physical risks.
• The creation of an automatic tank cleaning device powered by solar energy that would
reduce the labor required for the cleaning of storage vessels.
• Automated water tank cleaning equipment offers high safety and efficiency while allowing
for time and financial savings.

Research Methodology [Describe your Implementation Plan,Time-line and Milestones] *

This section is used to discuss the approaches that are going to be used to design and fabricate the
machine. The following listed points will be discussed in this section:
• Customer needs and Quality Function Deployment to illustrate the parameters and product
specification.
• Concept generation required to show different proposed designs for the machine.
• Concept selection required to select the best design of the proposed machine.
• SOLIDWORKS required to show the 2D and 3D Views of the machine and to show the
simulation of the machine.
• Fabrication of the machine
• Conduct the test to get the required date and to check the performance of the fabricated
machine
• Record the obtained results from the test.
• Submit the report.
Expected Duration needed to achieve this project is– 12 Months (September 2023 to September
2024)

Stage 1: Sep 2023 - Jan 2024 – Conceptual Design, Design Calculations, SOLIDWORKS.
Stage 2: Feb 2024 - Instruments and Raw materials procurement.
Stage 2: March 2024 - June 2024 – Fabrication will start.
Stage 3: July 2024 –Testing and checking the performance of the fabricated Machine.
Stage 4: August 2024 – Obtaining and recording the required practical results.
Stage 5: September 2024 – Project Report Submission
Benefits to Oman *

The act of cleaning the tank is crucial to ensuring that the water inside the tank is clear and free of
impurities, residues, salts, worms, insects, and occasionally algae. If the tank were left uncleaned
for an extended period of time, it would become contaminated with a variety of microorganisms or
infections, which would make people ill. Muhammad Hardan, a bioresource engineering expert,
claims that 90% of people neglect to check their water tanks on a regular basis, which leads to
health issues. As a result, there will be detrimental effects like showering, washing produce,
clothing, and cooking with water, all of which put people at risk. Additionally, a company will spend
a lot of money cleaning the tank. This is why water tank cleaning equipment is used. Anyone will
use it because it is straightforward and simple to use.

The goal of this proposed project is to create an environment and culture that will support research
activities and the development of entrepreneurs, which is in line with the Sultanate of Oman's
Vision 2020–2040's research priority. By focusing on one of the international issues related to
"empowering youth," the proposed work enhances Oman's research contribution. this proposed
work follows; It might present a chance for the students to launch their own manufacturing
company. Could give students the self-assurance to think creatively and independently Encourage
and give students the tools they need to develop innovative engineering solutions that could
benefit Omani society.

Is this project going to result in a patent? *

Yes/No

Patent Review (e.g. any previous similar patents in literature, the potential of this project to result in a
patent)

Academic, Scientific and/or Innovation Significance Academic, Scientific and/or Innovation Significance *

There is a critical need for inventions that meet people's needs as the world is developing quickly
and moves toward the fourth industrial revolution. Since the process of making water tanks
washing machine has been a long-standing tradition, it must be modernized in order to export our
products and culture to the rest of the world. A machine that satisfies technological era
requirements will be designed academically, and it will also be equipped with solar cells.
References *

[1] Davis, J. and Lambert, R., [2002] “state there are three steps for conventional and disinfecting a
water tank”.
[2] Ahmad AthifMohdFaudzi, “Clean Water Supply is Important in Ensuring Good Health of people.
[3] Pramod B Jachaket “Computerized Underwater Robot to Clean Water Tank”. Volume:2, Issue:4,
201.
[4] Shubham Srivastav, “Design and Development of Cylindrical Water Tank Cleaner” Volume: 6,
Issue:1, January 2016.
[5] Guha, A., Ronald, M. Barron., and Balachandar, R., [2011] an experiment and numerical study of
water jet cleaning process. Journal of materials processing technology 610-618.
[6] Ms. SmitaGourkhede, “Design and Fabrication of Drain Cleaning Machine”.

Budget
[SHOULD REFLECT ACTUAL NEED]
Year 1 Year 2 Total
Expense Category Justification
(OMR) (OMR) (OMR)
Admin Cost Estimated Custom Tax 50 - 50
Data collection/ Analysis 50 - 50
Dissemination - 100 100
Equipment and Facilities Pump, Motors 400 - 400
Solar cells, sensors, Pipes, Mechanical
Materials and Supplies 850 - 800
fasteners, wipers Links and joints
Post Doc (Omani Only)
Research Assistants (Post Graduate)
Research Assistants (Technician)
Research Assistants (Undergraduate)
Travel (Conference)
Travel (Local) - 50 50
Non-TRC Fund
Total 1500

Summary
Project Duration (months)
 Deadline (Month)

List of Tasks 2023 2024

01- 01- 01- 01- 01- 01-
01-Feb 01-Jun 01-Sep 01-Nov 01-Jun 01-Jul
Jan Mar Aug Oct Nov Dec
Planning &
requirement
Analysis the
App
Design the
App
Develop the
App
Analysis the
Result
Lunching
the product
Overall Requested Funds (OMR)

Outcomes
Omani (No.) Non-Omani (No.)
Post-Doc
Technician (Bachelor Holder)
Postgraduate(Master Holder) 1
Postgraduate(PhD Holder)
Undergraduate 3
Summary
Institutional Collaboration
Category
Number Organization Omani Country Field Scope
Non-Omani
1
2
No. Expected Publications
1

No. Expected Patents

Additional KPIs
Mention here all expected KPIs that this research activity will achieve preferably as a bulleted list.