BIOSPHERE 2 OCEAN WAVE GENERATOR

Abstract

Introduction: The Biosphere 2 Ocean is looking to upgrade the vacuum wave generator installed in 1980 when the Biosphere 2 was first built. The wave generator is a key piece of equipment that is part of the Life Support systems that helps circulate water to ensure the system is well mixed and there is no stratification. The Biosphere 2 is trying to breed and manipulate coral to be more resilient as the earth's climate changes. Coral is like “the trees in a forest" and plays an important role in the ocean yet almost half the world's coral has been lost. Our goal is to provide adequate schematics of upgrades to gates, actuators and coding to simulate the actual environment of the ocean to improve the reliability of the system with maintenance. The gate is the only custom made part on this project and all other parts are either purchasable from vendors or supplied by the Biosphere 2. We used Niagara Workbench to develop our GUI and a KMC controller to monitor the system and send feedback to the GUI. In addition, switching the pneumatic actuators the Biosphere currently has to electrical actuators was an essential step to make sure the GUI, controllers, and system integration went smoothly. We designed failsafe protocols as a precautionary measure when the water level reaches a dangerous height in the trough and when an actuator has stalled. The purpose of these failsafes are to prevent damage to the system.