Modular Point-of-Use Water Treatment System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water treatment systems are inadequate for producing potable water from compromised municipal supplies or non-potable sources, particularly during civil emergencies, due to contamination risks and the presence of trace human-made chemicals like endocrine disrupting compounds.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained, modular, decentralized point-of-use fluid treatment system that employs multiple stages of filtration, adsorption, ion exchange, and UV disinfection, along with a chlorine disinfectant residual test kit, to ensure the production of safe drinking water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple stages of filtration, adsorption, ion exchange, and UV disinfection are employed, then water purification effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water treatment system is divided into multiple independent treatment stages (coarse filtration, fine filtration, adsorption, ion exchange, UV disinfection) that can be implemented sequentially. Each stage addresses specific contaminants, and the modular design allows the system to achieve comprehensive purification without requiring all components to be integrated into a single complex unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs nested filtration structures where finer filter media are placed within coarser filter housings, allowing multiple filtration stages to be compactly integrated. The frustro-conical filter elements are nested within matching housings, enabling space-efficient multi-stage treatment while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a self-contained modular decentralized point-of-use system is deployed, then adaptability for emergency use is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water treatment system is designed as a universal point-of-use unit that can function independently in various settings including homes, offices, and emergency situations. The system incorporates multiple treatment stages that address different contaminant types, making it adaptable to various water quality issues without requiring specialized infrastructure or complex installation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed as a self-contained unit that requires minimal external infrastructure or specialized maintenance. The modular design allows users to easily replace filter elements and maintain the system independently, reducing the need for complex manufacturing and installation processes while ensuring continuous operation during emergencies.
3Reliability
If trace contaminants and endocrine disrupting compounds are removed, then water safety is improved, but loss of water volume increases due to waste stream generation
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers and concentrates contaminants removed during treatment in waste streams that can be disposed of or recovered. By capturing these waste streams at each treatment stage, the system minimizes water loss while maintaining high purification effectiveness. The adsorption and ion exchange stages particularly benefit from this approach, as they concentrate contaminants in manageable quantities.
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 addresses contamination issues by providing a reliable and economical means to produce potable water, reducing the risk of waterborne diseases and eliminating trace contaminants, while also being adaptable for use in emergencies.
Implementation Method 1
the frustro-conical replaceable filter media element and the frustro-conical housing are constructed as an upwardly facing diverging environmentally open to the atmosphere primary inlet reservoir with a gravity induced converging fluid filtration of the raw fluid
Implementation Method 2
a fluid pump and motor combination with a fluid pump inlet that is in a third fluid communication with the fluid flow sensor outlet, the fluid pump also having a fluid pump outlet, the fluid pump is sized and configured to have a volumetric flowrate in the range of approximately ten percent to approximately twenty five percent of a batch volume of the raw fluid to operationally facilitate a selected empty bed contact time (EBCT) of the fluid as the fluid is processed therethrough
Implementation Method 3
a stage eight filtration being a first ultraviolet light module having a first ultraviolet light module inlet and a first ultraviolet light module outlet, wherein the first ultraviolet light module includes an integral flow switch that activates said first ultraviolet light module with fluid flow and deactivates said first ultraviolet light module without fluid flow
Data Source
AI summary
A self-contained modular decentralized point of use fluid treatment system apparatus disposed in an open atmosphere environment, the self-contained modular decentralized point of use fluid treatment system apparatus is for treating a fluid in going from a raw fluid state to a purified fluid state, the fluid treatment system apparatus includes an influent vessel, multiple stages of filtration for particulates, plus additional filters for activated carbon, anion exchange resin, cation exchange resin, ultraviolet light, mineral cartridge, further including a pump/motor combination, and a purified fluid container all being disposed within a structural framework.