Sponsor:  David Francischelli

                         Medtronic, Inc.

                       Minneapolis, MN

Team Members:  Megan Keen

                                 Jamie Kowal

              Sudharshana Seshadri

Executive Summary

Tap water contains approximately 12 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved oxygen.  For the proper calibration of ultrasound equipment, water must contain less than 2 ppm of dissolved oxygen. 

The objective of this project was to design an easy-to-operate water degasser capable of degassing 60 gallons of water to less than 2 ppm of oxygen within 30 minutes. 

The final design includes a pumping system with a vacuum pump that pulls water from the source tank into a degassing column and removes dissolved oxygen before the water is evacuated from the column by a water pump.  The water surface area is increased and the device is easier to maintain as a result of this design. 

Total Cost of the Project = $1,077