Capsular Water Container with Hollow Fibre Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and complexity of infrastructure required for delivering clean drinking water to remote communities, especially in difficult terrains, make existing solutions impractical and unsustainable, and existing water filtration technologies are not effective in providing safe drinking water on a large scale.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained, hand-operable bulk water container equipped with a nano-filtration system that processes large volumes of water using a filter cartridge with hydrophilic capillary hollow fibre membranes, capable of retaining 99.999995% of bacteria, cysts, parasites, and 99.999% of viruses, and can be pressurized manually without electrical energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If national pipeline infrastructure is installed to deliver clean drinking water, then reliable water supply is achieved, but installation cost and complexity become prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the water filtration function from the centralized pipeline infrastructure and places it at the point of water source. Instead of filtering water centrally and distributing it through complex pipelines, the system installs standalone filtration units directly at water sources, eliminating the need for extensive pipeline networks while maintaining reliable water supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention divides the centralized water supply system into multiple independent, decentralized filtration units. Each unit operates autonomously to treat water locally, replacing the monolithic pipeline infrastructure with distributed, modular systems that are easier and cheaper to install and maintain.
2Ease of operation
If pipelines are laid over long distances to reach remote communities, then water delivery is enabled, but maintenance difficulty and vulnerability to damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the vulnerable pipeline component from the water delivery system and replaces it with localized filtration units positioned at water sources. This eliminates the need for long-distance pipelines that are susceptible to damage from landslides, earthquakes, and other environmental factors, while maintaining the ability to deliver clean water to remote communities.
3Device complexity
If water is stored in bulk for community distribution, then infrastructure requirements are reduced, but bacterial growth risk increases in stagnant water
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements continuous filtration and water turnover through the bulk storage system. Water is constantly circulated through the filtration membranes, preventing stagnation and bacterial growth while maintaining bulk storage capabilities. This continuous action ensures that even large volumes of stored water remain safe for consumption without requiring complex infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses hydrophilic capillary hollow fibre membranes with specific pore sizes to create a physical barrier against bacteria while allowing water passage. These porous materials enable bulk water storage to remain safe by preventing bacterial contamination and growth, eliminating the trade-off between storage volume and water safety.
4Use of energy by moving object
If hand-operated filtration is used to avoid electrical energy, then energy independence is achieved, but processing speed and volume are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs hydraulic pressure generated by manual pumping to drive water through the filtration membranes. This pneumatic-hydraulic mechanism converts simple hand operations into high-pressure flow that can process large volumes of water rapidly, achieving both energy independence and high productivity simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the pressure parameter dynamically during operation. Manual pumping generates variable high pressure that increases water flow rate through the membranes, allowing the system to process large volumes of water quickly without requiring electrical energy. The pressure parameter adjustment enables the system to overcome the typical speed limitation of manual operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a cost-effective and sustainable means of delivering safe drinking water to communities by processing large volumes of water efficiently, reducing the need for extensive infrastructure and energy consumption, while maintaining high filtration efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
a filter cartridge comprising a plurality of hydrophilic capillary hollow fibre membranes
Implementation Method 2
capable of retaining 99.999995% of bacteria, cysts, parasites, and 99.999% of viruses
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~2a
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention provides a bulk liquid container (1) for the storage and distribution of water to a community as drinking water. The container comprises a container housing for holding water, the housing having a substantially capsular form; an output valve (2) arranged to release water from the container; a water filter (101) arranged to filter water passing from the internal volume of the container out of the container through the output valve, the filter comprising one or more membranes and comprising a plurality of sub-groups of hollow fibres (61) which are effective to pass water in preference to air under the influence of a pressure differential; and a pump for raising the internal pressure of the container. The invention further provides a filter (101) for use in the container.