Mobile Water Purification System for Remote Hydrocarbon Sites
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remote areas with makeshift housing for hydrocarbon production personnel lack reliable access to clean drinking water due to contamination risks during water transportation and storage, and existing solutions either fail to provide potable water or cause hygiene issues with excessive chlorination.
Innovation Solution
A mobile water treatment system housed in a cargo trailer that processes non-potable water, removing contaminants like bacteria, iron, sulfur, and total dissolved solids to produce US EPA-quality drinking water, equipped with filtration, reverse-osmosis, and ozone treatment, and includes an onboard control system for monitoring and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If water is trucked in and stored in open tanks for remote encampments, then water supply is provided to personnel, but the water becomes contaminated during transfer and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary purification by converting non-potable source water into potable water before distribution to encampments. The water treatment system processes source water through multiple stages (filtration, reverse osmosis, UV disinfection) to remove contaminants before the water is stored and distributed, preventing contamination rather than addressing it after occurrence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical open-tank storage system with a closed-loop distribution system. Instead of using open tanks that expose water to environmental contaminants, the system uses sealed storage tanks and closed piping with UV-C disinfection to maintain water quality throughout storage and distribution, eliminating the mechanical vulnerability of open storage.
2Reliability
If chlorine is added to disinfect water, then bacteria are killed, but excessive chlorination causes hygiene issues and health problems
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the disinfection parameter from chemical (chlorine) to physical (UV-C radiation). By using UV-C light at 254nm wavelength to disinfect water, the system achieves reliable bacterial kill without introducing harmful chemical residues. The UV-C system allows precise control of disinfection intensity without the risk of over-chlorination, as the effect is immediate and without residual chemical buildup.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs UV-C radiation as a strong oxidizing/disinfecting agent that accelerates bacterial destruction without chemical byproducts. UV-C light damages bacterial DNA and cell walls, providing rapid and reliable disinfection that eliminates pathogens without the harmful effects associated with excessive chlorine application.
3Reliability
If multiple treatment stages are implemented to ensure water quality, then potable water is produced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water treatment system is divided into distinct functional modules: pre-filtration stage (sediment filtration), main treatment stage (reverse osmosis membranes), and final disinfection stage (UV-C lights). Each module handles a specific aspect of purification, allowing the system to achieve high water quality through specialized sequential processing while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design and automated control.
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 effectively converts non-potable water into safe, potable water for human consumption, addressing contamination risks and providing a reliable water supply in remote locations, while also integrating features like emergency eye wash stations and ice delivery.
Implementation Method 1
reverse-osmosis, and ozone treatment
Implementation Method 2
reverse-osmosis, and ozone treatment
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile water purification system having a trailer, a pretreatment subsystem having a cyclonic separator, a filtering subsystem fluidly connected with the pretreatment subsystem, the filtering subsystem having at least one bedded filter; a reverse osmosis subsystem fluidly connected with the filtering subsystem, the reverse osmosis subsystem having a waste output and a product output; a collection tank fluidly connected with and downstream of the reverse osmosis subsystem; a distribution subsystem fluidly connected with and downstream of the collection tank; a source water inlet mounted to the exterior and fluidly connected to the pretreatment inlet, the source water inlet outside of the at-least partially enclosed space; and a discharge water outlet mounted to the plurality of sidewalls and fluidly connected to the pressure tank, the discharge water outlet having an outlet opening outside of the at least partially-enclosed space.