Fall 2013 to Spring 2014
University of Florida - Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD)
I was part of a six-person, multi-disciplinary design team (Stack Acid Sensing (SAS)) that developed a prototype sulfuric acid mist measuring/detection device for Mosaic Fertilizer. The production of fertilizer requires large quantities sulfuric acid. When malfunctions occur in the sulfuric acid manufacturing process, excess sulfuric acid mist can cause damage to downstream equipment. The prototype that we created is designed increase the accuracy and efficiency of the sulfuric acid mist measuring/detection process. I worked primarily on the mechanical design/manufacture and electrical implementation of this project.
Project Details
Currently, the concentration of excess sulfuric acid mist is measured by inserting an eight foot long wooden stick across the diameter of the sulfuric acid production tower. The stick is removed from the tower after a brief period of time. The stick is visually inspected for the presence of sulfuric acid burns in order to determine the approximate amount of excess sulfuric acid present in the tower. The stick is also checked for marks caused by the presence of sulfur trioxide gas. Our device automates this visual inspection process.
Technical Details