Table 1. Shows the details of functional requirements categorized as constraints
Water Amount
Water amount was identified as a need through our conversations with Josh Parr. If our solution is going to replace the current water system for the wash pack station, which is a hose connected to city water while aiming to save money and resources then it would be pointless if it couldn’t support the water needs of the wash pack station. For this reason, we must ensure we can keep up with how much water they need a day when the wash pack station is in use.
Plan for Determining Specifications:
To determine the specifications of how much water is needed our team plans to speak with Josh Parr to determine the average daily water usage from the wash pack station. If Josh doesn’t know we plan to either place a water meter on the faucet being used or reach out to Lafayette’s Finance & Administration Division to find out how much is spent on city water at LaFarm and then compare with city water rates to get a volume.
Priority: 1
Water Sterilization
Due to the fact that the wash pack station is used to wash produce and from conversations with Josh Parr we identified a need for the water used at the wash pack station to be sterilized. This is based on regulations that require clean water to be used when washing produce intended for sale. Without this functional requirement, our solution would be unusable at LaFarm. The water that will be sterilized is coming from collected rainwater rather than city water.
Plan for Determining Specifications:
To determine the specifications for the sterilization of the water we plan to research both local and federal regulations to determine the requirements for sterilization at LaFarm.
Priority: 1
Winter Freezing Pipes
Josh Parr identified this need during our first meeting with him where introduced this problem to use. He stressed the importance of pipe bursts. Pipe bursts can occur in a variety of places: homes, sprinkler systems, irrigation systems, etc.
Plan for Determining Specifications:
To determine how much the pipes need to be drained we plan to do research into existing outdoor pipe systems and how they prevent damage to the pipes from freezing.
Priority: 1
Pipe Pressure
Our team identified a need for pipe pressure after our visit to LaFarm. Once we had a chance to see the farm we could identify how water could flow from one point to another. We noticed that based on the layout of LaFarm some parts of a pipe system could use gravity while others would need a pump to provide a pressure differential for the water to flow where we want it.
Plan for Determining Specifications:
To determine the specifications we plan to research required pressure differentials in similar outdoor pipe systems. We also plan to calculate based on the estimated pipe length, cross-section, and height difference to determine required pressure differentials.
Priority: 1