FAUCET GENERATOR

DETAILED DESIGN

Executive Summary
Faucet taps are ideal and convenient source to harness the power of water in the
household; with any generated power can be used for a range of appliances. An unforeseen
opening in this market is a perfect opportunity for us to design and create a unique faucet
generator that every household will want to have. For this design the targeted market is family
homes and college housing, including dorms and apartments.
Currently there are already water generators of small size in the market, but none of
which are specialized for household appliance use; others are for shower heads or outside water
taps. Through consumer surveys we identified this problem and set our design based on
requirements we deemed applicable. Our design will fill this role by being small, easy to use, and
efficient so that the consumer can power what they see fit.
Our design is all about simplicity and effectiveness. On the premise of simplicity we have
a straight flow line with which we placed an inline turbine. The planned power production is 1.5
volts over a 10 ohm resistor, providing a sufficient amount of power to run the attachment. The
entire unit is no more than 4 inches long from inflow to outflow, making it small and
undisruptive for the water flow. The housing for the entire model is durable, sleek and is
designed with transparent parts to be aesthetically pleasing for the consumer.
The aforementioned were all taken into consideration for the consumers use; but in
addition provide advantages for the production company. From the NPV analysis the true nature
of the opportunity presents itself. Production cost of the faucet generator is at $32.52 per part
with a set retail price of $50.00 which with predicted sales creating a net present value of 2.7
million dollars. Over a 4 year span the profit margin is considerable for the manufacturer.
With a powerful and relatively low-cost faucet generator to use, we foresee the market
will be very accepting. Even with other competitors coming into the market down the line, our
product will be the top of the line with good power output, sleek design and appropriate size set a
moderate price.

Table of Contents

Pg.

Executive Summary

1. Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement
1.2 Background Information
1.3 Project Planning

4
4
4
4

2. Customer Needs and Specifications

2.1 Identification of Customer Needs
2.2 Design Specifications

4-5
4-5
5

3. Concept Development
3.1 External Search
3.2 Problem Decomposition
3.3 Concept Generation
3.4 Concept Selection

6-8
6
6
7
7-8

4. Detailed Design
4.1 Non-editorial Changes
4.2 Overall Description
4.3 Detailed Drawings
4.4 Technical Analysis
4.5 Material Selection and DFE
4.6 Manufacture, DFM/A
4.7 Industrial Design
4.8 Cost analysis
4.8.1 Unit Production Cost
4.8.2 Economic Analysis
4.9 Safety

8-13
8
8-9
9
9
10
10-11
11
11-12
11-12
12
13

5. Prototyping and Testing

5.1 Alpha Testing
5.2 Beta Testing

13-14
13
13-14

6. Conclusion

14

7. References

15-16

8. Appendices
A. Project Management
A.1 Role Split Chart
A.2 Gantt Chart
B. Customer Survey and Reviews
B.1 Customer Survey
B.2 Customer Survey Results
B.3 AHP Ranking
B.4 PCCs Ranking
B.5 QFD Chart
C. Numerical Analysis

17-3##
17
17
17
17-20
17-18
18
19
19
20
21

C.1 Faucet Power

C.2 Nozzle Calculation
C.3 Pelton Wheel Calculation
C.4 Economic Analysis
D. Detailed Drawings
D.1 Assembly
D.2 End Plate
D.3 Mounting Plate
D.4 Faucet Hub
D.5 Housing
D.6 Pelton Wheel
E. Excel Plots
E.1 Efficiency
E.2 Current
F. Materials
F.1 BOM
F.2 NPV
G. Assertions

Pg.
21
21
21
21
22-27
22
23
24
25
26
27
28-29
28
29
30-31
30
31
32

1. Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement
A specialized power unit for household use is lacking in the market and a faucet
generator can fill this role perfectly. The key principle for a product is a device that is convenient
for the consumers as well as marketable and inexpensive for the manufacturers. In order to meet
these standards the faucet generator needed to be: at most four inches long; be self-contained;
undisruptive to the flow; under a cost of 60 dollars to produce; and yield 10 volts over 10 ohm
resistor. The design must also account for the concerns established through market survey of
potential customers. These characteristics create a market opportunity which has the potential for
100,000 units per year for four years.
1.2 Background Information
The key component to a faucet generator is the method by which is retrieves power
from the flow. The design can be broken down into 3 main systems, inflow, conversion, and
outflow. Inflow contains the connection from piece to faucet and any change in the velocity or
pressure of the water. Conversion is the turbine and generator. Outflow is the exit of the water
from the piece back out to the outside. For the design of this project a Pelton wheel was chosen
as the turbine. Pelton wheels are specifically designed to obtain energy from a high velocity flow
via a nozzle through which the water must go through, and this faucet generator employs such
devices. A generator is was converts the Pelton wheels mechanical energy into electrical
energy, in this instance a Jameco motor will be used as a generator, as they are inexpensive and
small. The housing for the entire faucet generator is what contains any components not directly
related to the water flow, such as the motor, resistors, and electrical wiring. The housings most
crucial task is to keep water out, accomplished by tight fittings along with rubber seals. The
goals and responsibilities of each team member is listed in Appendix A, table A.1 Role Split
Chart.
1.3 Project Planning
The future outline of the project is planned out to potentially maximize efficiency to
prevent overlaps and pauses from waiting for objectives to be completed. With this in mind the
next few weeks are planned out. Materials need to be selected for which the piece will be built
from. A DFE will aid in material selection. Also, a DFM/A assessment will be performed to
reduce potential costs and optimize final design. Next testing will take place.
To begin testing an alpha prototype needs to be built. The alpha testing can take place to
get real data. After the alpha testing phase a beta prototype will be built based upon the results of
the alpha stage. Simultaneously safety regulations and standards will be examined and applied to
the beta design to aid in progress.
In addition to all the testing there will also be other analysis going on such as an NPV
analysis and a write-up of a BOM. These processes will aid in ease of progression, reduced cost
and a potentially improved design. A rough plan in the form of a Gantt chart is located in
Appendix A.
2. Customer Needs and Specifications
2.1 Identification of Customer Needs
Customer input was obtained by interviewing various customers with different
backgrounds; including University professors, retailers, and students. A sample survey can be
viewed on on Appendix B.1.

The team began by generating and ordering the customer needs based on the survey
results of the 30 surveys used in the results. Customer inputs are listed on Appendix B.2. Results
from the surveys provided the following needs: high performance, low cost, appearance, ease of
use and safety, durability, and environmentally friendly. Pairwise Comparison Charts (PCCs)
were used in order to numerically rank the customer needs and use a matrix structure to compare
each customer need individually with each other to properly rank each need [2]. A full detailed
table can be viewed on Appendix B.4. Based on the results of the PCCS, the resulting matrix was
used to develop the weighted comparison matrix. The Analytical Hierarchy process (AHP) [2]
was used to prioritize the customer needs. In this matrix, the weighted number of each customer
need was the numerator over the weighted number of the other need. This process was repeated
for each cell unit until a final overall weight reaches a total of 1. A full detailed table can be
viewed on Appendix B.3. The customer needs are ranked according to their importance and the
numerical results are shown in Table 1 below.
Customer Need
High Performance
Low Cost
Appearance
Ease of Use/Safety
Durability
Eco-Friendly

Table 1 Ranking of needs Results

PCCs Ranking
1
2
5
2
4
6

AHP Weighting
0.30
0.20
0.14
0.20
0.14
0.02

2.2 Design Specifications

Following the customer needs assessment and data collection; evaluations produced the
required design specifications. The ideal values were created by referring to the problem
constraints. Based on all the customer needs and the design specification, a Quality Function
Deployment matrix (QFD) was created which reflects how each specification relates to the
customer needs. The QFD matrix can be viewed on Appendix B.5. From the QFD, customer
surveys, and constraints it was determined what design specifications were to be set for concept
generation phases, displayed in the Table 2 below with a 1 to 6 scale with 6 being the most
important and 1 being the least.
Table 2 List of Engineering Specifications
Metric
Importance
Units
Power Generation
6
Watts
$50 retail cost
4
Dollars
Efficiency
5
Percent
Vertical Discharge
4
Degrees
Time until attachment
3
Seconds
10 Ohm Load
4
Ohms
Visible internal working
2
Binary
One component
1
Binary
Safe / Nontoxic components
1
Binary
Positive Electrical Output
6
Volts (+,-)
Length < 4
3
inches
a 3/8-18 NPS internal pipe thread
2
Binary
Produce minimum of 1.5V
6
Volts

Ideal Value
>25 Watts
< $50
90%
90 Degrees
< 30 Seconds
10 Ohms
Yes
Yes
Yes
+
< 4 inches
Yes
>=1.5 Volts

3. Concept Development
3.1 External Search
One of the first steps in generating concepts after clarifying and establishing the problem
is to perform an external search. The search serves a purpose to set a standard of what already
exists in the market. This basis helps to better understand what technology exists, what people
want, and what is feasible to produce using modern materials.
The first task in an external search is using the results from customer surveys and
evaluations in order to focus research criteria for the actual research process. Patent searches
where the most generic searches, when undergoing this process the main goal is to find, in this
case, what patents relate to hydroelectric power and water accompanying machinery. Nine
patents emanated potential, including: mechanical systems of meshed gears, the Pelton wheel,
belt driven generators, magnetic coupling, helical turbines, and paddle wheels (patents 8-15).
Subsequently these six technologies became the focus of a concept generation and were divided
into two categories, turbines and connections. Turbines included the paddle wheel, Pelton wheel,
and helical turbine. With the connections including: meshed gears, magnetic coupling, and belt
driven generators. This phase of concept generation expresses its results within the three
concepts that were thought-out, detailed later in the report.
Baseline product comparisons were conducted against other products such as the
Ecolight, the H2O power radio, and Kohlers Moxie. By benchmarking other existing and
functional products to future designs and concepts, the project has an advantage by improving
upon what already exists. The EcolightTM produced by Sylvania was one of the ideal products of
the market, being innovative and powerful [1]. Other benchmarks include the H2OTM power
radio and Kohlers Moxie [1]. All of these designs extract energy from a water flow and provide
some entertainment such as music or light as a necessity. Setting a standard with competitive
products also go hand in hand with reverse engineering, which allows for any technology which
cant be improved and is a must for the design to be attained. Turbine technology from each of
the benchmarked products can be utilized and tweak since it is an established product. So, from
the products it was concluded that an inline flow turbine with a straight connection is the easiest
to do.
3.2 Problem Decomposition
In accordance with an external search, problem decomposition allows for the obtained
technology and ideas to be applied by breaking down the problem into its basic parts. A black
box model does this by dividing the entire action with which the faucet generator design
undergoes into three categories: energy, material, and signal. The materials category is divided
into two sub-sections: water and the machine. The machine component is further divided into the
inflow and outflow tubes and the turbine. The energy section is divided into the stages it will
experience as it travels along. At first the energy will be kinetic with some potential energy
emanating from gravity. After the water contacts the turbine it will turn and the energy will be
converted to mechanical energy, further
being converted by the generator into
electrical energy. The signal section is
simply divided into two subsections, the
on/off switch and the attachment of the
product to a flow source.
Figure 1. Black Box
Decomposition

Turbine

Inflow

Generator

3.3 Concept Generation

With and external search complete and design
specifications set, concept generation began. Using the KISS
method, keep it simple stupid, Concept 1 had its influences
based off simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Its square shape
and linear part setup allowed for an overall basic concept.
With a simple Pelton wheel design and direct attachment from
Pelton wheel to generator, the concept has potential for being
easily manufactured and being water seal tight. The picture
Outflow
depicts the concept, lacking a Pelton wheel, illustrating the
Figure 2. Concept 1
simplicity of such a design. The flaw behind this idea though
was it possibly being an unbalanced product, having its weight distributed over a wide volume.
Inflow

Turbine

Generator
Figure 3. Concept 2

Outflow

The second concept had its roots in innovation and

aesthetic appeal. Utilizing the TRIZ method, concept 2 was
benchmarked against EcolightTM, H2OTM power radio,
Kohlers Moxie, and relevant patents [1][4]. The generated
concept resulted with an inline turbine along with a sleek and
slim design. The advantage to such a vertical design was that
of inline turbine, providing a more efficient method of
extracting power from the water flow. The flaw with this
concept was its future manufacturing. Being able to make
and assembled this part could potentially spell disaster for a
system design.
Generator
Inflow

The third concept generated was an enclosed turbine which

was motivated by water seal effectiveness and rooted in previous
working devices. This concept was conceived through a post-it
note method, in which any idea that was thought-of would be
applicable to the design. The concept employs a basic paddle
wheel design which is inline in the flow and is offset directly next
to the generator using a magnetic coupling device. This set up
allows for the generator to be effectively sealed off form the water,
disregarding any problems with water sealing. The flaw to this
concept is its complexity and price associated with magnetic
Turbine
coupling.
Outflow
Figure 4. Concept 3

3.4 Concept Selection

From a decision matrix, placed below, and debate among team members determined that
concept 1 is the best for a faucet generator. It simplicity and in-expensive price give it a
meaningful edge in the market. Customer evaluation determined that cost would be significant in
product design specifications. It flaws with weight distribution can be more easily solved than
compared to the other concept flaws. It simplicity would also go hand in hand in the
manufacturing process, making this design a potential cost effective product to sell.

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Table 3. Decision Matrix
Water
Seal

Cost

Simplicity

Proven
Mechanisms

Aesthetics

Size/
Material

Total

Concept 1

+1

Concept 2

-2

Concept 3

4. Detailed Design
4.1 Non-editorial Changes
Since the completion of the alpha testing phase multiple modifications have been made to
the faucet generator. Most notably the mounting method of the motor, coupling of the Pelton
wheel to the motor, the Pelton wheel, rubber faucet insert, and housing have all been updated.
The updates were to raise the efficiency, the output voltage, and reduce the leakage. All of these
updates serve to simplify and fix issues that were unforeseen in the alpha design and have been
adapted for the beta and final design thus far.
4.2 Overall Description

Figure 5. Assembly Decomposition

The centerpiece to the faucet generator is the faucet hub which encompasses the Pelton
wheel and acts as a mounting fixture for the remaining components. Within the faucet hub just

below where the faucet insert sits is a built in nozzle. The endplates, mounting plate and housing
are fixed directly to the faucet hub and serve to seal the entirety of the faucet generator; both the
end and mounting plates are transparent as well. The mounting plate is where the Jameco motor
and Pelton wheel align with each other, with the Jameco motor secured directly to the mounting
plate. The Pelton wheel incorporates 12 spokes which line up directly with the nozzle to where
the outflow of the faucet hub is situated opposite of the nozzle.
4.3 Detailed Drawings
Within the appendices lie 3 view drawings of the components of the faucet generator that
will need to be produced; consisting of the Pelton wheel, end plates, mounting plate, housing,
and faucet hub. Additionally an assembled 3 view drawing of the faucet generator conveys a
relationship of overall size of the design. The detailed drawings are located in Appendix D.
4.4 Technical Analysis
To find the power generated by the motor the spinning speed of the Pelton needed to be
determined. The desired speed of the motor shaft is 1500rpm which is directly coupled with the
Pelton. The maximum power which can be obtained from the flow was 26.09 watts; using a
faucet flow rate of 1.5 gallons per min and pressure drop of 40psi with equation (1) Appendix
C.1.
(1) Power=(flow rate)*(pressure drop)
With a potential power of 26 watts and desired rpm of 1500 the torque generated by the water
hitting the Pelton was calculated using equation (2) Appendix C.2; with a desired torque of .166
N*m.
(2) Power=(torque)*(angular velocity)
Using equation (3) Appendix C.3, the desired speed of the water flow leaving the nozzle and
hitting the Pelton was determined to be 21.94 m/s.
(3) Torque=(mass flow rate)*(V2)*(radius)
With an assumption of the mass flow rate being constant throughout the system the nozzle radius
can be determined using equation (4) Appendix C.4; with the V1 and A1 being the flow from the
faucet and v2 being the determined velocity from equation (3). The desired radius of the nozzle
was calculated to be approximately .05 inches.
(4) V1*A1=V2*A2 V1*A1=V2*(pi*r^2)
With desired flow speed from the nozzle achieved with these calculations the output of the
motor. The Jameco motor 179463 will be the ideal motor for this faucet generator as this
designed speed will generate a decent efficiency 40 % and a current of around .01amps;
determined from examining the plots of rpm vs efficiency and rpm vs power figures 4.4A and
4.4B located in the appendix.
4.5 Material Selection and DFE

10

The faucet hub is the most critical piece in the entire faucet generator assembly, as every
component is fixed to it. Based off this it was determined that an aluminum body would be
sufficient and more than capable of holding the entire assembly tightly.This material selection
allowed for threaded holes on the faucet hub, making it easier to mount everything else to it. The
remainder of the components: endplates, mounting plate, housing and Pelton wheel would be
made out of plastic; as these components had design requirements that included transparency and
simple designs. The fixtures and miscellaneous parts such as the o-ring and bolts are just going
to be bought from a third party supplier.
A DFE chart placed in Table 4 was created in order to facilitate the design process in
regards to environmental concerns. Notable concerns lie within the use of plastic components
and the overall number of parts. Eco-friendly factors include a compact design that reduces
distribution and packaging concerns and reusing of metal leftovers from the production process
of the faucet hub.

Table 4 DFE Process

Set DFE
Agenda

Public image: eco-friendly by producing clean energy

Product quality: using materials that are both environmentally safe and
effective

Identify
Potential
Environmental
Impacts
Select DFE
Guidelines

Natural resource depletion due to metal use

Plastics ending up in landfills

Using minimum amount of resources where necessary in production and

manufacturing
Minimize packaging of product
Application of Thin end plates and mounting plate used to ensure minimum amount of plastic
used.
Guidelines to
initial product Faucet Hub spare material from production can be recycled for future parts
Compact design
design
Environmental All materials are chemically safe
Some materials can be recycled
Impacts
Future planning for beta to have a reduction in number of parts, possible
Refining the
product design material change.
4.6 Manufacture, DFM/A
The intuitive and simple design of the faucet generator greatly reduces the cost of
manufacturing as illustrated in a partial DFM process chart (Table 5). The manufacturing of each
part is kept a minimum, for example with only one size fixture being used drill manufacturing
time can be kept at a minimum, while the plastic components all share the same net shape size.
The assembly of this design is linear and intuitive, four holes on rigid components create a
symmetric assembly easily identify to the manufacturer and consumer on how to put it together.
Plastic components can be produced via ejection molding and the aluminum faucet hub can be
produced through casting and subsequently machined to insure quality.

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Table 5 Partial DFM Process Chart

Smaller pieces
Minimizing manufacturing process (ex. cuts, drills)
Keeping design to a minimum complexity
Standardized components-all plastic pieces of same shape/size
Assembly is linear and intuitive
Reduce costs
Minimal fixture placement used 4 bolts in corners
of assembly
Subassembly assessment
Considerations Simple and basic design overall aids in the reduction of costs for
manufacturing
Reduce costs
of components

4.7 Industrial Design

The key focus for the faucet generator during the design process was user interface,
aesthetics, and maintenance. Table 6 contains noted design requirements that were taken into
consideration. Of the most important were for the faucet generator to contain transparent and
similar parts. Both the end plate and mounting plate are the same exact design, with the
mounting plate containing two extra holes; this improves the production speed as there are less
unique parts to manufacturer even though there are many components. The faucet generator
comprises of design specifications that facilitate production and improve aesthetics

Table 6
Category
User Interface
Appeal/Aesthetics
Maintenance

Design Requirements
Light weight
Safe design
Transparent components
Metal piece gives impression of high quality
Adaptable parts
Easily repaired

4.8 Cost Analysis

4.8.1 Unit Production Cost
The BOM, listed fully in Appendix F, highlights the overall cost per unit manufactured
out of a lot of 100,000 units for the faucet generator. The most expensive part is the Faucet hub,
being made out of aluminum and its manufacturing time are contributing factors. The remainder
of the components are relatively cheap and inexpensive as they are plastic and can be produced
through injection molding. An abbreviated table is listed below showing the total unit cost for
each component in table 7.

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Table 7 Bill of Materials

Manufactured Parts
Component

Total Unit Cost

Faucet Hub
End Plate (x2)
Mounting Plate
Housing
Pelton Wheel
Vendor Supplied Parts
Component

21.60
.80
.40
2.80
3.02

Socket Cap Screws M3x6

Socket Cap Screws M3x35
Jameco Motor #179643
Epoxy
Total Cost

.70
.70
1.45
1.05
32.52

Total Unit Cost

4.8.2 Economic Analysis NPV

The faucet generator is a worthy and good investment due to its projected benefits. The
Net Present Value (NPV) is the sum of present values over a specific period of time. The NPV of
this project for a four year span with a 10% discounted flow rate is $2,700,482. Table 8 shows
the overhead costs of this project. The production cost for each unit is $32.52 and the product
will have a retail price of $50.00 which leads to a unit profit of $17.48. The NPV analysis was
carried out for a four year period split into four quarters. The development cost was determined
on a basis of 4 engineers each working at a salary of $75,000 per year. The table below shows
the overhead costs of this project. A full NPV table is located on Appendix F. This product
proves to be efficient economically and can benefit both the consumer and the manufacturer.
Table 8 NPV

Development cost
Ramp-up cost
Marketing and support cost
Production cost
Production volume
Unit production cost
Sales revenue
Sales volume
Period Cash Flow
Unit Price
Total NPV

-75000
-5000
-10000
-813000
25000
-32.52
1250000
25000
-1716000
50
$2700482

4.9 Safety
To meet safety expectations the faucet generator has built-in features that ensure the
consumers well-being. The aluminum in contact with water must be regulated in order to make
sure drinking water stays clean, in accordance with EPA Standards [16]. The Jameco motor and

13

electrical wiring for the power source are isolated from the terminal where the pelton wheel sits,
coincidently the water seals on that terminal are to be tight. Plastic components offer many safety
features, unlike other transparent materials such as glass which dont have long service life and is
brittle [17]. With any component, especially the aluminum faucet hub, all edges are to sanded
down to prevent collateral. The faucet generator incorporates well known safety features that
make this device safe to be used.
4.10 Actual Construction Process of Beta Prototype
Following the design printouts from the detailed design report multiple machine
processes were carried out. Most of the components where acrylic with two dimensional features
and therefore were laser cut to size, including the endplates, mounting plate, and housing. The
most detailed component was the main hub, which was cut to a near net shape from 6061
Aluminum with the OMAX abrasive water jet cutter. Followed by milling operations to achieve
threaded holes, a nozzle, and the in/out flow ports. The Jameco motor was then mounted directly
to the mounting plate followed by a permanent attachment of the final pelton wheel design onto
the motor shaft. Assembly of the faucet generator was fairly simple after production, as the linear
design requires a few bolts to be in place.
The endplate of the housing at the end of the beta construction was altered due to a limit
in bolt dimensions, therefore a tightfitting endcap was constructed which created an interference
fit between it and the housing , proving more effective than the original design. Additionally
glue sealant replaced the bolt fixtures in order to contain water leakage and fix the parts together.

Main Hub

Housing Unit

Assembled device

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5.1.1 Alpha Phase Testing

The alpha test phase resulted in crucial information that advanced the design of the faucet
generator. Modifications including the shaft coupling of motor to pelton wheel, pelton wheel
design and the motor mounting were conceived during the alpha prototype phase. The alpha
model consisted of a simplistic version of the faucet hub, consisting of two parts: one for the
faucet attachment and nozzle and the other part for retaining the pelton wheel. Table 9 highlights
the attention to certain details that were discovered during the alpha testing phase. The
experimental procedure was creating the parts previously mentioned that were consistent to the
dimensions of the detailed design drawing views; assembling the components; and then running
water through the entire model.
Table 9 Alpha Prototype Advancements
Actions
Discipline
Moved from using a couple to
Shaft Coupling
the direct connection of motor
stock shaft to pelton wheel
Without an o-ring water leakage
Water Sealing
was minimal, consequently the
adoption of an o-ring will
suppress worries of water
leaking.
Using the drill head of the wide
Nozzle
flow just ahead of the nozzle
intake to create a chamfer that
leads into the nozzle radius
Used a less complex pelton
Pelton Wheel
wheel design that was more
effective than anticipated

Benefits
Cost effective

Maintains safety and

water sealing

Saves manufacturing time

Reduces complexity of
pelton wheel

5.1.2 Beta Test Plan

The Beta phase will be a conclusion to the design process that aims to illustrate problems
with assembling components, overall rigidity, power production and water outflow. Special
attention will be directed at the outflow from the faucet generator as it is crucial for a substantial
stream to remain. Coinciding with outflow is the power production values as the beta test will
conclude the power output of the final design and determine whether any modifications need to
be made. The assembling and stiffness of the model will be also be explored to insure that
previous assumptions still stand. In addition tachometer data will be taken in order to examine
performance speed of the pelton wheel at various flows. The planned beta process is documented
in Table 10, highlighting the purpose, experimentation and level of approximation.
Table 10 Beta Prototype Plan
Assembly modification
Purposes
Rigidity of components
Outflow demonstration
Power Production

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Pelton Wheel Performance

Material selections
Level of
Approximation Faucet hub accurately depicted
Motor and pelton wheel direct connection
Pelton to accurate design
Construction of housing and subassemblies described in detailed design
Experimental
drawings
Plan
Measurements of power production and outflow
Tachometer
5.2 Test Results and Discussion
With tachometer data from the beta; pelton wheel speeds achieved a maximum of 850
RPM on learning factory faucet providing 1.54 volts over a 10 ohm load; therefore the major
concern for the design was water leakage and its effect on the pelton wheel performance. Even
though the pelton wheel speed proved to be adequate, the predicted RPM of the pelton was to be
around 1400 Rpm (Appendices C3). This Rpm of 1400 was achieved in the alpha testing phase
only because there was no water buildup around the pelton wheel due to the alpha main hub
design. This shortfall is present in the beta prototype because water becomes trapped within the
device, creating a vortex in the pelton wheel cavity that hinders its movement. Regardless of
water leakage affects the nozzle calculation for a radius of .05 inches was precise (Appendices
C2), illustrated by the alpha design reaching a maximum rpm of 1400.
In testing the beta prototype the bolt fittings for the end and mounting plate proved to be
a significant source of water leakage, on the other hand the easy assembly due to bolt fittings
save plenty of time in constructing the device. Surprisingly without an O-ring on the motor shaft
there was minimal leakage into the motor housing area. Most water leakage occurred on the
mating surfaces between the main hub and endcap and mounting plates. In response water
sealant was subsequently used in these locations to minimize leakage and it proved affective.
Unfortunately without this water leakage the water had to go somewhere else and it did leak into
the water housing on the high power faucet tests in Reber, but in the learning factory the device
proved very successful in containing the water.
Outflow of the device was not-adequate to the design specifications of 50% original flow
rate; the outflow stream observed was not uniform. During the design process it was unknown on
what design factors could maximize the outflow, consequently the neglecting of such
specifications led to a failure of design in regards to outflow.
6.1 Conclusion
The economic investigation into the product demonstrates that the adoption of such
venture will be beneficial and profitable. Manufacturing and material selections make the faucet
generator an easy to adopt product that can have industrial facilities easily adapt to produce in
mass quantities. The offering price for retail is set at the maximum threshold but the image of
quality that the faucet generator portrays along with its simple design will be its selling point.
6.2 Recommendations
Qualities for improvement include removal of all bolt fittings and replacing them with
glued surface fixtures. This will be two fold, the sealant property of the glue will greatly improve
water leakage as the uneven tightening of bolts causes gaps between mating surfaces allowing

16

for water to leak. In addition this will drastically reduce production time by removing the
processes of drilling and tapping.
A major improvement that needs to be considered is that of the outflow, in how the
outflow port can be designed to achieve a smooth laminar flow that is ideal for the customer.
A drastic change that can be made is to replace the main hub with a plastic component
instead, though this may prove troubling and might eventually lead to an overall design change.
The benefits would be noticeable, for example production costs would be cut by more than half
as there is no aluminum machining or cutting to perform. Unfortunately the built in nozzle in the
main hub will have to be relocated within the faucet generator, as it is dependent on the
aluminum main hub.
6.3 Knowledge Gained
An understanding of the relationship between designs on paper and their subsequent
manufacturing was gained, vital to an engineering career. Somewhat simple designs can prove to
be a hassle in building or manufacturing, emphasizing the idea of design for manufacturing.
Team work was crucial to the overall success of this project; learning how to deliberate tasks,
communicate and coming to an understanding with each other was a difficult hardship to
overcome in the beginning of the project. The importance of every tasks role in this design
process was also demonstrated, if any task were to be neglected this would have a negative
impact on the design process further on. This project introduced the basic goal of engineering; to
create a design product from qualitative results and quantitative calculations. The small nature of
this project illustrated how complex building a faucet generator can be and how later on projects
for companies or research will be exponentially harder, emphasizing every piece of knowledge
gained from this project.

17

7. References
a) Benchmark Products

[1] "Ecolight: LED Water Powered Shower Light." Assets.sylvania.com. Sylvania, n.d. Web. 3
Mar. 2014.
[2] "Moxie Single-Function Showerhead with Wireless Speaker." KOHLER | K-9245 | Moxie
Single-Function Showerhead with Wireless Speaker, 2.5 GPM. Moxie, n.d. Web. 3 Mar.
2014.
[3] "Water Power Radio by H2O: Home." Water Power Radio by H2O RSS. H2O, n.d. Web. 3
Mar. 2014.
b) Customer Needs Analysis
[4] Dym, C.L. and Little, P., Engineering Design: A Project-Based Introduction, 2nd Edition,
New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2003.
[5] Saaty, T.L. Axiomatic Foundation of the Analytical Hierarchy Process, Management
Science, vol. 32, no.7, pp. 841-855, 1986.
[6] Saaty, T.L. Highlights and Critical Points in the Theory and Application of the Analytical
Hierarchy Process, European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 74, pp. 426-447,
1994.
[7] Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications by Yunus A. engel and John M. Cimbala,
3rdb Edition, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
c) Patents

[8] Hatakeyama, Makoto, Masahiro Kuroishi, Naoyuki Onodera, Tomoko Sato, and Takeshi
Shimizu. Power Generator for Faucet. Makoto Hatakeyama, assignee. Patent WO
2008026537 A1. 6 Mar. 2008. Print.
[9] Kullmann, Donald J. Magnetic Coupling. Badger Meter Mfg Co, assignee. Patent US
3248583 A. 26 Apr. 1966. Print.
[10] Kuroishi, Masahire, Naoyuki Onodera, and Tomoko Sato. Faucet Hydroelectric Generator.
Toto Ltd, assignee. Patent US 8461705 B2. 11 June 2013. Print.
[11] Kuroishi, Masahiro, Naoyuki Onodera, Tomoko Sato, and Takeshi Shimizu. Faucet
Generator. Toto Ltd., assignee. Patent EP 2293420 A1. 9 Mar. 2011. Print.
[12] Looke, Richard B. Paddle-wheel. Patent US 21892 A. 26 Oct. 1858. Print.
[13] Meazza, Gianpiero, and Brizzi M. Rovaro. Process for Manufacturing Hydraulic Turbine.
Voith Riva Hydro S.p.A., assignee. Patent EP 0892173 A1. 20 Jan. 1999. Print.
[14] Park, Jin-Soon, Ki-Dai Yum, Kwang-soo Lee, Sok-Kuh Kang, Jae-Youll Jin, and Woo-Sun
Park. Power Generation System Using Helical Turbine. Korea Ocean Research And
Development Institute, assignee. Patent US 8308424 B2. 13 Nov. 2012. Print.

18

[15] Pigozzi, Gian M. Gearbox with Permanently-meshed Gears. IVECO FIAT S.p.A., assignee.
Patent EP 0253782 B1. 9 May 1990. Print.
d) Additional references
[16] "Drinking Water Contaminants." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
<http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/>.
[17] "Glass vs. Acrylic: a Comparision." Hydrosight. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.hydrosight.com/glass-vs-acrylic-a-comparision/>.

19

8. Appendices
Appendix A Project Management
A.1 Role Split Chart
Persons
Skills
Christian Gobert Solidworks, Matlab

Strengths
Hard-working, logical

Weaknesses
Passive, Busy

Peter Baldwin

Solidworks, Microsoft

Dedicated, Perfectionist

Indecisive, Conservative

Ghassan Sendi

Microsoft, AutoCAD

Reliable, Devoted

Picky, Often Late

A.2 Gantt Chart

A.2 Gantt Chart
Task
Alpha Prototype
Alpha review
Beta Prototype
Beta review
Production unit build
Final Report

Date

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Appendix B Customer Needs Analysis

B.1 Customer Survey
Gender:
Male
Female

-------------

Degree of importance:
Very
Important
Performance
Cost
Appearance
Size/Weight
Durability
Reliability
Ease of use

Important

Moderate

Not
important

Dont Know

20

Water
Discharge
Related Questions:
1) What is your current field or field of interest?
2) What do you desire in an ideal faucet power generator?
3) What do you think us the acceptable price for a power faucet generator?
4) Do you have any knowledge or preferences about this product?
B.2 Customer survey results
Question
Customer 1
(1)
(2)

(3)
(4)

Customer 2
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

Customer 3
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

Statement
I am the store manager of Home
Depot at State College.
I would expect to a vertical
discharge and efficient power.
I would pay up to $65
I would like it to be easy to use and
install, be durable and not leak; also I
would like it to have an acceptable
design that will not get on my way.
I am currently studying Mechanical
Engineering at Penn State.
I would expect to save electricity and
produce a consistent water flow.
I would pay $60
I would like a light on the front, and
that it is easy to use and
environmentally friendly.
I am a Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at Penn state University
Three things; high performance and
efficiency, low cost, and durability.
I would pay $55
I would definitely want a good
design that will make the most of the
turbine and produce consistent water
flow and most importantly not
complicated to use.

Note: 30 different surveys

were generated and were
included in the overall
results; however only the
top three survey results were
selected as references.

21

I would definitely want a good

design that will make the most of the
turbine and produce consistent water
flow and most importantly not
complicated to use.

(4)

B.3 AHP Ranking

A

Total Rank

-1

-1

-1

-1

-2

-1

-1

-1

-1

-2

-1

-1

-1

-1

-1

-5

The customer needs were placed into a screening matrix to compare

the importance of each customer need. The ranking of the customer
needs can be defined from 1 to -1 ((1) weight more important, (0) as
important, and (-1) less important).
B.4 PCCs Ranking
A

Total

Weight

6/4

6/3

6/4

6/3

6/1

13

0.30

4/6

4/3

4/4

4/3

4/1

8.34

0.20

3/6

3/4

3/4

3/3

3/1

0.14

4/6

4/4

4/3

4/3

4/1

8.34

0.20

3/6

3/4

3/3

3/4

3/1

0.14

A
B

High
Performance
Low Cost

Appearance

D
E

Ease of
use/Safety
Durability

Eco Friendly

22

1/6

Power
Generation

1/4

1/3

Efficiency

B.5 QFD Matrix

1/4

$50
retail
cost

1/3

Time
to
install

Vertical
Discharge

1.32

Length
<4

0.02

Visible
internal
working

Produce
minimum
of 1.5 V

One
Component

Positive
Electrical
Output

Non
toxic
Components

a 3/818 NPS
internal
pipe
thread

Closely
Sealed

23
High
Performance

Low Cost

Attractive
Appearance
Easy to
Install

Does not
delay Faucet
function

SelfContained

Safety and
Function
Reliability

Ease of
Maintenance

Eco Friendly

Appendix C Numerical Analysis

C.1 Faucet Power
Power Analysis variables

Values

Faucet Flow rate

1.5gpm=9.463*10^-5 m^3/s

Flow pressure

40psi=275790.29 Pa

24

Power=flow rate*pressure drop

(9.463*10^-5 m^3/s)*( 275790.29 Pa)=26.099 Watts

C.2 Nozzle Calculation

Nozzle Calculation variables
Diameter of faucet
Area of faucet head=A1
Volumetric flow rate=V1*A1
From Bernoulli equation
Equal mass flow rates

Values
3/8=.009525m
Pi*(.009525)^2
V1=.33203m/s
V2=23.48m/s
Radius of nozzle=.001133m=.0446in

C.3 Pelton Wheel Calculation

Pelton Wheel Calculation Variables
Torque=mass flow rate*V2*r
Power=torque*angular velocity

Values
.1777 N*m
Angular velocity=146.871 rad/s=1394.2RPM

C.4 Economic Analysis

Monetary Analysis
Main Hub
Motor Jameco #174693
Front Endcap
Rear Housing
Machine Screws
Nozzle
Pelton Wheel
Total Price

Appendix D Detailed Drawings

D.1 Assembly

Values
$4.55 per part
$5.00 per part
$2.00 per part
$30.00 per part
$1.00 per set
$1.41 per part
$10.22 per part
$54.18 per faucet generator

25

D.2 End Plate

26

D.3 Mounting Plate

27

D.4 Faucet Hub

28

D.5 Housing

29

D.6 Pelton Wheel

30

Appendix E Excel Plots (Source: William the TA)

31

E.1 Efficiency

Efficiency
80

70

60

50

238473

40

206949

Efficiency %

238465

30

Series4
174693
20

2120461

10

0
0
-10

1000

2000

3000

4000

Shaft Speed (RPM)

Figure 4.4A

5000

6000

7000

32

E.2 Current

Current
1

0.8

0.6

0.4

238473
206949

Currnet (Amps)

238465

0.2

Series4
174693
2120461
0
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

-0.2

-0.4

Shaft Speed (RPM)

Figure 4.4b

Appendix F Materials

5000

6000

7000

33

F.1 BOM
Table 4.8.1A Bill of Materials
Manufactured Parts
Component
Material Cost

Processing

Assembly

Quantity

Total Unit Cost

Faucet Hub
End Plate
Mounting Plate

2.25/part
.25/part
.25/part

19.35/part
.15/part
.15/part

1
2
1

21.60
.80
.40

Housing
Pelton Wheel

2.55/part
.67/part

.25/part
.85/part

1.50/part

1
1

2.80
3.02

Assembly

Quantity

Total Unit Cost

Vendor Supplied Parts

Component
Cost
Socket Cap
Screws M3x6

.10/part

.30

.70

Socket Cap
Screws M3x35

.10/part

.30

.70

Jameco Motor
#179643

1.15/part

.30

1.45

Epoxy

.05/part

1.00

1.05

Total Cost

F.2 NPV

32.52

34

35

Appendix G Assertions
Christian Gobert- I focused my writing on the Introduction and System Design Sections of this
proposal. For the system design I took charge due to my heavy involvement with Solidworks in
developing the proposed design. In addition I worked with Ghassan Sendi in annotating the
Appendices and Peter Baldwin on the conclusion. For the DDR, I did the CAD drawings,
detailed analysis, the changes since the project proposal, and built the prototypes. For the FPR I
complete the beta prototype and discussed test results and the manufacturing of its design.
Ghassan Sendi- I was responsible for the customer need analysis data. 30 surveys were created
that included face to face interviews. Various customers were surveyed and provided detailed
feedback. The data gathered created the weighting of customer needs (PCCS, AHP, and QFD)
and listed all the design specifications to start the concept development process. In addition I
worked with Christian Gobert in formatting and writing the Appendices. For the DDR, I did the
economic analysis and the NPV chart, also, recorded testing data for alpha. For the FPR I
completed the beta prototype and assisted with the conclusion.
Peter Baldwin- I dealt with all of the methodology revolving around section 3 of the proposal
and the conclusion. In addition I was in charge of making sure the entire report was in sync and
formatted appropriately, along with figures and pictures. I also completed the references for all
sections of the report as well. For the DDR, I revised the project proposal, worked on the safety
and industrial design sections and finalized/compiled the report. For the FPR I reviewed the
entire report, correcting all mistakes, and wrote about the recommendations.

By signing this document we all attest that it provides an accurate representation of our
individual efforts in the completion of this work.
Date:_____________
Member Name Printed: _________________________
Signature:_____________________________
Member Name Printed: _________________________
Signature:_____________________________
Member Name Printed: _________________________
Signature:_____________________________

36

Appendix H Poster Presentation