SEA AID

Sensor-based Enhanced Alkalinity Autonomous Dispenser (SEA-AID)

SEA-AID is an autonomous alkaline material delivery system designed to mitigate ocean acidification. By receiving real environmental data (pH) from the SeaTongue monitoring buoy, the device releases controlled amounts of alkaline material to neutralize acidity.

Hardware Architecture

The system is built on a custom PCB featuring:

• Microcontroller: Handles sensor data processing and release logic.
• LoRa Module: Provides wireless communication.
• Battery & BMS: Integrated management for safe power delivery.
• Buck Converter and Linear Voltage Regulator: High-efficiency voltage regulation.
• Peristaltic Pump: Precise release of alkaline material.

Repository Structure

• /PCB: Contains KiCad design files, including schematics and PCB layouts.
• /sea-aid: Contains the ESP32 program for LoRa communication and pump control.
• /Testing: Contains the data files and Jupyter scripts used for system testing and data visualization.

Development Environment

The software program was developed using:

• Visual Studio Code
• PlatformIO extension
• ESP32 Arduino framework

Required Libraries

Install the following libraries in PlatformIO:

lib_deps =
    madhephaestus/ESP32Servo@^3.1.3
    sandeepmistry/LoRa@^0.8.0

Data Analysis Requirements (Python)

To run the Jupyter notebook in the /Testing folder, you will need Python and the following libraries:

pip install plotly pandas openpyxl

LoRa Configuration

The receiver listens on:

868 MHz

Expected packet format:

<pH>,<conductivity>,<tds>,<salinity>,<specific gravity>,<temperature>,<dissolved oxygen>,<turbidity>,<alkalinity>,<CO2>,<voltage_cell1>,<voltage_cell2>,<current>

Example:

9.025,549000.0,296498.0,84.0,1.137,8.653,263.437,0.0,2487,2099.548,3110.0,3114.0,-170.0

Only the pH value is currently used by the dispensing logic.

Building and Uploading the Firmware

1. Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url>

2. Open the project

Open the /sea-aid folder in Visual Studio Code.

3. Connect the ESP32

Connect the ESP32 board via USB.

4. Build the program

Using PlatformIO:

pio run

or use the Build button in the PlatformIO interface.

5. Upload the program

pio run --target upload

6. Open the serial monitor

The serial monitor is used for debugging.

pio device monitor

Baud rate:

115200