Tiếng Việt

Achievements

A Surprising Invention by DTU Students: Toilet Mini Generator

How to keep lighting in public toilets to provide better service for passers-by? Nguyen Cong Tin of class K18 EVT of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Nguyen Thi Thanh of K21 UIU of Duy Tan University in Danang answered that question by successfully creating a mini electric generator using the power of water in household supply systems and a battery generating electricity from urine. 
 
 V?i h? th?ng máy phát di?n mini và pin t?o di?n t? nu?c ti?u, Tín và Thanh xu?t s?c giành ch?c vô d?ch cu?c thi Go Green City 2017.
With the “Toilet Mini Generator” project, Tin and Thanh outstandingly won the champion’s cup of Go Green City 2017 and the 7th national finals on June 16 in HCM City organized by global energy management and automation group Schneider Electric

Three months of research 

Every day Tin and Thanh pass by public toilets in Danang, which are always full of passers-by during the day. When darkness falls, however, many public toilets have no lighting systems and very few needy dare to use the toilets. “With such a large water discharge quantity, why don’t we use it to generate some electricity?” Tin explained how their innovation came to be.

Then, Tin and Thanh have been visiting public toilets and households to study daily wastewater discharge. And they found that, on average, public toilets use 8 to 9 m³ per month, while households (of 4 people or more) use 12 m³ per month - some use up to 15 m³ per month. After having these survey data, they started conducting their project, which lasted for three months. 

For the generator, the idea is to put a rotor with motor in the water pipes, such that the water would make the rotor turn and the motor would generate power. The device can be fitted to any water pipe, tap, or sink. The urine battery is a device using urine as the main material to generate power, in the same way as chemical batteries, except that it can be used immediately and continuously. As public toilets are in continuous use, the urine will be unceasingly replaced, and the batteries will never run out. The electricity these two devices generate can be stored and used for lighting in public toilets without electric lighting. 

Tin and Thanh are now perfecting their project, increasing the power output, and computing large-scale efficiency. These two devices are expected to be sold at the cheap price of 350,000 dong. 

(Media Center)