Gwyr wins EESW award for Schaeffler cooling tower project 03 September 2014

A-level physics students from Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr School, in Swansea, has won the Airbus Award for Best Innovative or Adaptive Design, in the Engineering Education Scheme Wales (EESW) scheme.

The team developed an automatic detection and treatment system for bacteria in cooling towers at Schaeffler UK's Llanelli manufacturing plant in South Wales.

This is the eighth year that Gwyr has won an EESW award working with Schaeffler UK, and one of the EESW judges this year described the school's project as "the best project I've seen in four years of judging".

Schaeffler's Llanelli plant, which manufactures precision engine components for the automotive industry, acts as an EESW link company.

"This year we did things a little differently," says Derrick Lewis, technical manager at Schaeffler UK and contact for EESW projects.

"We decided to give the students a one-day on-site training course that included project management tools, a problem-solving exercise, followed by a MOVE [continuous improvement] challenge, where the students helped to streamline workflows and eliminate waste," he explains.

The students were then invited back to the plant and asked to choose from five possible projects – leading to the cooling tower project.

Lewis says that previous bacterial detection methods involved a technician using agar-coated dip slides and immersing these in water from the cooling towers, followed by laboratory growth checks.

"Derrick ensured that we spent time writing an accurate statement of requirements, using SMART [Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely] objectives, which made it easier for me to monitor our progress throughout the project," states team captain Nerys Griffith.

The team's solution involves a sensor system that measures the turbidity and attenuation of a water sample. The sensors were connected to a Raspberry Pi computer, which compares light levels to calibrated results.

If this indicates that bacteria are present beyond a threshold, the water is treated with biocide. A panel shows technicians the status of the system: if the water is being treated, or if biocide levels become low. Failsafe alarms were also written into the system to alert operators if treatment was unsuccessful.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Schaeffler (UK) Ltd

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.