Water at the Point of Need

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Advanced Materials; Biotechnology OBJECTIVE: The U.S. Army requires the production of a portable, compact, and lightweight means to produce potable water at the point of need from salt, brackish, and freshwater sources to sustain small Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) teams for an extended durations in austere environments. Developing a lightweight potable water production capability located at the point of need would significantly reduce the logistics tail of the warfighter and support current distribution shortfalls. DESCRIPTION: The proposed system will use an innovative approach to provide potable water to meet the daily consumption requirements of up to 12 Soldiers. This approach will produce water that is immediately available for consumption (including product water disinfection), operate while secured to a vehicle, and utilize onboard vehicle power as the primary power source to produce 50 gallons per hour (GPH) of potable water from a freshwater source, and at a reduced flow rate commensurate with the water quality from brackish, salt, and CBRN-contaminated sources while weighing no more than 100 pounds total weight (not including CBRN purification components). The system will be designed to produce water rapidly (10 minutes or less) once it arrives at the water source, be ready to displace from the source when needed (10 minutes or less) and be able to intake water with a minimum of 10 feet of vertical lift and 50 feet of horizontal pumping. The system will allow for operation while secured on a vehicle or when placed on the ground. Ideally, the system can also be powered by alternative power sources (e.g. solar or wind) and military standard generators. Additionally, the system will produce water immediately available for consumption including product water disinfection. The disinfection system shall also provide a residual to prevent contamination during storage and distribution. Meeting the disinfection requirements will require novel disinfection technology or a hybrid approach using multiple disinfection technologies. Additionally, achieving the desired water production rate while remaining lightweight and utilizing onboard vehicle power will require an innovative approach. PHASE I: This topic is only accepting Phase I proposals for a cost up to $250,000 for a 6-month period of performance. Develop concepts for WPON-Squad Level systems that meet the requirements described above. Demonstrate the feasibility of the concepts in meeting Army requirement and establish the concepts can be developed into a useful product for the Army. Feasibility will be established by theoretical analysis and analytical modeling, as appropriate. Provide a Phase II development plan with performance goals and key technical milestones that addresses technical risk reduction. PHASE II: Develop a prototype WPON-Squad Level systems for evaluation to determine its capability in meeting the performance goals defined in this proposal. Demonstrate technology performance through prototype evaluation and modeling over the required range of parameters. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into an initial design that will meet Army requirements; and for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment approved by the Government. Prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Army use. The technology should reach TRL 5 at the conclusion of this phase. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid: Can be deployed in disaster-stricken areas to provide clean drinking water to affected populations Space Exploration: Consumable water for long duration missions Agriculture: Sustainment of crops and livestock without tapping into freshwater reserves Arid and Remote Region Sustainment: Long-term water sustainment in remote/arid regions Industrial Water Treatment: On-site water treatment in manufacturing and processing applications. REFERENCES: 1. Technical Bulletin Medical (TB MED) 577 (01MAY10) 2. AR 700-136 Tactical Land-Based Water Resource Management (05JUN09) 3. Capability Needs Statement (CNS) for Small Unit Water Purification for the Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFAB) Memorandum 4. Army Water Planning Guide (20MAR23) KEYWORDS: Water, Production, Lightweight, Portable, Purification, Filtration, Freshwater