CaptaHydro

Mechanical Engineer | 2017-2018
I led the engineering efforts of two new machine platforms - an automatic water gate control device and a hydroelectric turbine generator for rural farmers in Chile.
After graduating from college, I worked at CaptaHydro - a company in Chile working to connect rural farmers to affordable electricity and water management systems.

I oversaw the design of the next-generation water level control devices, which required creating system-level specifications and features, mechanical design (powertrain, housing, and user mechanisms) of the devices, part sourcing, and manufacturing.
The Problem: Existing Water Control Solutions
Most gates controlling water flow to different farms in Chile (and worldwide) are currently simple screw mechanisms that require people to manually adjust the amount of water allowed through the gates by turning the control wheel. Not only is this difficult for farmers to do, but it also leads to inaccurate water level management. As water becomes a more critical global resource, CaptaHydro is creating products that help conserve this essential natural resource.

While there, I led the development of automatic water control devices at CaptaHydro. I developed a strategy that allowed us to size different water gates for any application automatically, ran physical feasibility studies, predicted performance and cost, and sourced the major components required for the series of products.

By the end of my time at CaptaHydro, I had completed the final design, analysis, and DFM for the standard three models of watergates currently being built across Chile.
Capitalizing on Water: Hydroelectric Turbines
My other main project at Captahydro was evolving their current hydroelectric turbine design. I recreated the structure to make it cheaper, lighter, and faster to set up in the field. This redesign was driven by our market research, where we discovered security and fast installation were often more important than performance. 

I created this product's initial design, modeled it in Autodesk, performed various FEA studies, and worked with a prototyper to bring an initial version to life.
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