The focus of the design effort was on production and manufacturing processes for liquid oxygen and a custom solid propellant. The liquid oxygen manufacturing was modeled as a tonnage plant with a high-output capacity of liquid oxygen to meet market demand. The solid propellant design was modeled after a propellant researched by the UA student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. This propellant is made of ammonium perchlorate, aluminum powder, hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene and dioctyl adipate. The solid propellant was mixed and degassed under a vacuum, and cast in tubes for later use. It was validated through a static fire conducted with a single fuel grain on a remote test range. Data was collected with a pressure transducer and load cell to verify preliminary calculations for the specific impulse and thrust of the fuel. Economic analysis of the cost to build and operate both plants was completed to show economic viability.

A preliminary cost analysis comparing two different sludge-handling processes to conventional anaerobic digestion was conducted. The wastewater treatment plant consists of a primary clarifier, secondary clarifier, a two-stage biological nutrient removal process, and filtration and disinfection process. Team 18106’s plant design contains chemical and environmental engineering applications such as calculating mass balances, sizing equipment based on flow rates, filtration processes, disinfection processes and optimization. The final design was simulated through Biowin, a wastewater program commonly used in the industry. A detailed preliminary design, cost analysis, and 20-year life cycle cost have been completed for the best overall sludge-handling process and the wastewater treatment plant design.

A nonbiological process and scalable apparatus were developed using physicochemical and catalytic reaction to produce selected carbon-based sugar molecules using only carbon dioxide as a carbon source. The process consists of a multi-step reaction pathway in which carbon dioxide molecules are photochemically converted to formaldehyde, and then catalyzed via a formose reaction scheme to produce four to seven carbon sugars. Complex sugars such as D-glucose and six-carbon sugars (hexoses) are most useful to NASA, so the process includes a separation phase in which six-and seven-carbon chains are output as products and smaller molecules are recycled as substrates to the formose reaction to form longer carbon chains. Multiple design alternatives were evaluated to determine which reaction conditions produced the greatest yield and efficiency. The system was designed to have low power, mass and volume requirements, and to be feasible for future space missions.

Water reuse is being explored to meet increasing demand for sustainable potable water. Tucson, Arizona, already treats its wastewater, but releases it into the Santa Cruz river to replenish the natural reservoir. The city draws primarily from the Central Arizona Project to fulfill potable water demand.Social, economic and environmental impact analyses were performed to provide the best process. The facility designed in this project is optimized to treat Agua Nueva’s effluent with the latest treatment processes and computer modeling, and incorporates desalination and
advanced oxidation to lower salinity and trace organic compounds below drinking water standards. The removed contaminants are concentrated, separated from the water, and discharged from the facility.

The team designed and constructed a microbial fuel cell that harnesses the energy produced through the oxidation of glucose by E. coli. Experimentation involved two key parameters of the microbial fuel cell: optical density of the bacteria and the electrode material. Different optical densities were tested using different anode and cathode materials to find the optimal energy output for the cell. The selected design maximizes electron transfer between the microbes and the anode to produce the most electricity to power a 40-watt equivalent LED bulb.

Cold brew coffee is an emerging trend due to its comparably less bitter and acidic taste. Typically, cold brew coffee is made by immersing ground coffee beans in water and steeping them at or below room temperature for 12-36 hours.Team 18102’s design employs chemical engineering fundamentals to optimize extraction, filtration and chilling of the coffee. The machine reduces the steeping period, and adds some whimsy for users and onlookers. The machine is styled in the steampunk motif – a form of historical science fiction where fantastical machinery is powered by clockwork and steam – and features characteristics such as tarnished metal, glass and gauges. The team evaluated methods such as agitation in a stirred tank reactor, agitation by bubbler, gravity drip through a bed of coffee grounds, and steeping in a pressurized vessel. Filtration methods included mesh and paper, vacuum, and French press filtering techniques. Gel, ice and commercial refrigerants were explored for cooling media.

Hydronalix produces several unmanned surface vessels for civilian and military use. The sonar variant of its Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, or EMILY, is equipped with a Humminbird Helix-9 chirp transducer that transmits acoustic imagery for underwater surveying and recovery missions. For the transducer to generate accurate imagery, the vessel must travel below four knots. This project implements an autopilot that steers EMILY between waypoints through the Helix’s ground station interface. With this autopilot, the operator can plot and initialize a search track while maintaining the ability to take immediate control as mission conditions demand.The autopilot functions on a closed feedback loop by reading heading information from the GPS, determining heading error, then calculating the rudder deflection to correct course. An additional inertial measurement unit measures EMILY’s vertical accelerations, which the autopilot integrates to determine the sea state condition before transmitting the data to the operator. The autopilot runs on an Arduino processor chip and its algorithm is based on open source autopilot code libraries published by Arduino and Adafruit. The autopilot enables EMILY to autonomously complete a search pattern at speeds compatible with its sensor payload.

The far side of the moon is largely unexplored due to risk and cost.Team 18100’s CubeSat will land on Mare Moscoviense, a lunar sea on the far side of the moon, to conduct scientific research. The 24-kilogram CubeSat has custom software and advanced hardware to navigate from the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway at the second Lagrange point to the surface, including a star-tacking navigation system, an inertial measurement unit, and a mono-propellant system. During the 53-hour flight, the CubeSat will deploy solar panels to power the system. The landing legs –made from nitinol, a shape memory alloy that can be deformed for storage and deployed as the parent shape with a heat source –will secure and stabilize the craft for a soft drop from one meter above the lunar surface. After landing, the CubeSat will take pictures of the lunar surface and transmit its location back to the Gateway. A nanodrill will collect approximately 10 grams of soil from the surface, and the CubeSat will continue to transmit its location until all power systems eventually run out, shutdown occurs, and it awaits retrieval.

The proposed spacecraft will study the magnetic field properties on the far side of the lunar surface. The CubeSat will capture high-resolution images during lunar descent, and measure magnetic fields by magnetometer during descent and after touchdown. The CubeSat is made of aluminum and Kevlar, with aluminized Mylar blankets to reflect solar radiation. The guidance, navigation and control system will use a star tracker, an inertial measurement unit and reaction wheels to orient the CubeSat. A laser rangefinder will determine the distance from the moon’s surface, the camera will guide the CubeSat during landing, and two deployable solar panel arrays will convert sunlight into useful energy to be stored by the main battery.Four engine modules provide up to 24 Newtons of adjustable thrust for maneuvers and attitude control support, combined with a modular array motor system for lunar descent and eventual touchdown. Two on-board computers will house software to autonomously control the hardware and instruments on board. The data will be relayed to the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway via X band and ultrahigh-frequency transmission systems for analysis.

Airplanes have been used to create firebreaks to combat forest fires for many years, but many are older designs unsuitable for most airfields. Team 18098’s unmanned aircraft design is a blended-wing body with two forward-mounted turbofan engines. With a 73-foot wingspan, the unmanned aircraft can fly into the majority of registered airfields. The design features a gravity-fed dispersal system with a nozzle that reduces the chaotic spread of fire retardant.