The tests are evolving! Friday afternoon found Nate, Will, and Abe in the Griffith Lab doing another round of tests on the injector. Despite an injector print with no top and a few construction workers milling about, the test was a success.

The injector hung from a plywood-and-8020 cantilever held together by that giant C clamp. A machined panel of acrylic lay flush to the misprinted top to prevent backspray. Pressurized water ran from a 5-gallon jug (located in the makeshift closet in the back corner) through the tubes and past the acrylic shield. A barrel borrowed from the teaching lab caught the outlet water, and our camera sat a safe 20 feet away to prove we were there.

To avoid the possibility of our water jug exploding, a computer regulated the pressure in the hose and that information was screen-cast to Abe. Will manned the pump and Nathan watched the camera.

When the valves were opened and the pump switched on, Abe stepped us through pressure testing up to 44 psi. The water came whooshing, we only got a little wet, and the injector performed wonderfully.

Chalk this test up as a victory — Nathan analyzed the video file and found appropriate atomization. All without causing a big boom and a gush of water from our tank! After sufficient congratulations, we tore down and cleaned the lab up for classes and other senior design teams over the weekend.

Stay tuned for more exciting injector updates!