Underground Water Storage Grid With Sensor-Controlled Pumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
In arid climates, excessive rainfall can lead to water accumulation on the ground, posing hazards like mosquito breeding and requiring effective management to prevent long-term hazards and optimize water storage for future use.
Innovation Solution
A sensor-based grid system comprising wells, pumps, and sensors that communicate wirelessly to detect environmental conditions and control pump operations based on depth of water, rainfall, temperature, and wind speed, allowing for coordinated water storage in underground formations like aquifers and lost circulation zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pumps operate at high rates to store water quickly, then water storage capacity is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump operation rates are dynamically adjusted based on real-time sensor data including water depth, rainfall rates, temperature, and wind speed. The system transitions between high-rate pumping during storm events and low-rate or idle operation during calm periods, optimizing the balance between storage capacity and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors environmental conditions through sensors and uses this feedback to control pump operations. The computing system receives sensor data, processes it according to predefined criteria, and adjusts pump rates accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes energy usage while maintaining storage goals.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed to monitor environmental conditions, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is segmented into distributed sensor nodes deployed at multiple locations throughout the area. Each sensor monitors local conditions independently, and the data is aggregated by the computing system. This segmentation allows for comprehensive monitoring without requiring a single complex centralized system.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed with multi-functional capability, monitoring multiple environmental parameters (water depth, rainfall, temperature, wind speed) using a standardized sensor platform. This universality reduces overall system complexity by using identical or similar sensor types across multiple locations rather than requiring specialized equipment for each measurement.
3Productivity
If pump operation is controlled based on multiple sensor parameters, then water storage efficiency is improved, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses preliminary action by monitoring environmental conditions before they reach critical thresholds. Sensors detect upcoming storm events or changing conditions, and the control system proactively adjusts pump operations in advance, rather than reacting after problems arise. This improves storage efficiency while keeping control logic relatively simple through predefined response criteria.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system manages complexity by focusing on key parameter changes rather than continuously processing all sensor data. The computing system identifies significant changes in environmental parameters (such as sudden increases in rainfall rate or water depth) and triggers pump operation changes based on these discrete parameter thresholds, simplifying the control algorithm while maintaining efficient storage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently manages water storage by optimizing pump operations based on real-time data, reducing surface water accumulation hazards and ensuring water availability for future use, while minimizing environmental impact and operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
pumps, at least one of which is associated with each well to force water from the surface, through the well, into the underground formation
Data Source
AI summary
An example system is configured to manage the storage of water underground using a sensor-based grid system. The example system includes wells, each of which is between a surface and an underground formation capable of storing water received from the surface. The example system includes pumps, at least of which is associated with each well to force water from the surface, through the well, into the underground formation. The example system includes sensors, at least of which is associated with each well. The sensors are configured to communicate sensor data wirelessly. The example system also includes a computing system configured to receive sensor data from each of the sensors and to control operations of one or more of the pumps based on the sensor data.