Spectra Sends Treatment Units to Army in Afghanistan
Spectra Watermakers Inc., of San Rafael, Calif., a provider of energy-efficient water treatment systems and energy recovery pumps, has delivered two of its Solar Powered Ultra Filtration Units to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, according to a March 17 press release.
These units purify contaminated fresh water while producing up to 5,000 gallons (20,000 liters) per day each. The unit, ideal for use in harsh and remote locations, is complete with a feed water pump, battery bank, controls, back-flushing pre-filtration, self-cleaning ultrafiltration and is powered by a tracking photovoltaic array.
Spectra's Land Based systems either purify contaminated surface and groundwater by fresh water ultra-filtration or they desalinate ocean water and brackish water from saline wells, river estuaries, or inland aquifers. The desalination units employ the reverse osmosis process to treat the water and Spectra's proprietary energy recovery pump technology enables the use of solar and wind to power them.
The company's new Pearson Pump energy recovery technology will be part of a new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) study and will also be an element of an Office of Naval Research project to improve Navy shipboard desalination.
The pump is a new high-pressure innovation that combines feed water pumping and energy recovery into a single unit. The "energy recovery" feature recycles energy entrained in the waste stream, recovering as much as 80 percent. The recovery technology enables the unit to operate on only 10 watt hours per gallon.