Spectra Watermakers Inc. (Spectra Watermakers) has supplied two solar powered ultra filtration units to the US Army in Afghanistan. The new water treatment units purify the contaminated fresh water while producing up to 5000 gallons per day each. The new unit is suitable for use in the harsh and remote locations and consists of feed water pump, battery bank, controls, back-flushing pre-filtration, self-cleaning UF. The new water treatment unit is powered by tracking photovoltaic array.
Spectra Watermakers produces various products that are used globally for the disaster relief, military, NGO, and the village-level water supply applications. The company’s Land Based systems either purify the contaminated surface and the ground water by fresh water ultra-filtration or they desalinate the ocean water and brackish water from saline wells, river estuaries, or inland aquifers. The new desalination units employ the reverse osmosis process to treat water and new energy recovery pump technology allows the use of solar and wind to power them.
During the aftermath of natural or manmade disaster, the installment of life-saving supplies needs a high logistical effort, and a huge amount of fuel, time, and manpower is allotted to water transport. The military and relief agencies commonly airlift bottled water, tanker-truck to the point of need, or use the inefficient diesel generator powered treatment plants. Spectra Land Based can offer mobile water treatment units that are more energy-efficient, independent, and onsite, while saving the valuable resources.
The solar panels are working great, stated Jeffrey O’Sandnick, in an email from Afghanistan, regarding a Spectra water unit.
The US military also funds the research and development of essential life-saving technology like the water purification. Through Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company is participating in the ongoing need to increase better equipment for military and civilian use. The new Pearson Pump energy recovery technology will be part of new DARPA study and will also be a significant element of an Office of Naval Research project to enhance Navy shipboard desalination. Recently SOUTHCOM participated with Chilean military that tested a mobile solar and wind powered water desalination unit offered by the company. This program culminated with Western Hemisphere Information Exchange (WHIX).
Spectra Watermakers’ Pearson Pump is a new high-pressure pump that has been developed for the energy-efficient reverse osmosis desalination of sea water and brackish water. The new Pearson Pump is a breakthrough enhancement of the reciprocating pump design. This new pump system integrates feed water pumping and energy recovery into a single unit.
The Energy Recovery feature of the new Pearson Pump recycles energy entrained in waste stream which is normally discarded, recovering as much as 80% of energy wasted in a conventional system. This fact significantly increases company’s efficiency, bringing energy needs down to an impressive 10 Watt Hours per Gallon for an important savings in fuel and fuel transportation cost.
Spectra Watermakers is a US-based manufacturer of reverse osmosis desalination systems.