The
Water Assessment and Purification (WAsP) toolkit is a product designed to
filter, purify, and test water. The WAsP toolkit is packaged within a backpack,
providing soldiers a portable, efficient, and compact means of water assessment
and purification. WAsP uses commercial off-the-shelf reverse osmosis filters
for water purification and a 12-volt pump that can operate for six to seven
hours on solar and/or wind-rechargeable batteries. The toolkit also includes an
electro-chlorination cell that can produce 2% bleach from a solution of salt
water in 15 minutes. The product water flows through a suite of sensors, which
gauge the physical water quality in terms of pH, temperature,
oxidation-reduction potential, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and turbidity.
The data is logged and is displayed to the user in a graphical user interface. The
system was designed and developed by researchers at the Geospatial Research
Laboratory (GRL) in Alexandria, Virginia.
Problem
Water
requirements vary widely during combat, training, and humanitarian
assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) operations. Sources and availability of
water can have significant impacts on these operations. Existing water
purification equipment used by the U.S. Army is significantly larger and does
not meet the size, mobility, manpower, maintenance, or water production
requirements for smaller operations. Currently, many personnel rely on
commercial-off-the-shelf systems, which are not specifically built for the military
and are not necessarily optimized for the soldier’s needs. The capabilities
provided by the WAsP toolkit allow for increased responsiveness by allowing
units and commanders to react to changing environments without concern for
water re-supply.
Technology
The
system draws water from any local source, then filters the water through a
standard reverse osmosis system. The water is then pumped through a series of
sensors that log the quality data and then relay that data to the user.
Benefits
The WAsP toolkit is designed
to meet water demands at the point of need for small-footprint operations while
ensuring that water surveillance parameters are being met. Since mission
environments can change with respect to the political environment, mission
requirements, or issues related to terrain and weather, the capability provided
by the WAsP toolkit allows for increased responsiveness. This allows units and
commanders to react to these changing environments without concern for water
resupply. From the standpoint of economy, the WAsP toolkit allows for less
reliance on host nation bottled water purchases and distribution channels.
Specifications/System
Requirements
Reverse
Osmosis
- 12 L/hr with a
fresh water source
Electro-chlorinator
- Bleach is produced within the WAsP toolkit as water is being made
- >15 min, 350 mL 0.8wt% NaOCl (bleach) from brine (Salt solution)
- >Critical for water sanitization or other decontamination efforts
Communication
-
Wired output: Ethernet/USB
-
Wireless Output:
-
Bluetooth
-
WIFI (802.11 b/g)
-
Cellular 3G/4G
-
JTRS (Rifleman
Status
The WAsP toolkit is customized
for each group. To request a demonstration, please contact Dr. Clint Smith or
Dr. Andmorgan Fisher.
ERDC Points of Contact
Questions about WAsP?
Dr. Andmorgan R. Fisher, office: (703) 428–6128, email: Andmorgan.R.Fisher@usace.army.mil
Dr. Andrew Madison, office: (703) 428-8203, email: Andrew.Madison@usace.army.mil
Dr. Clint B. Smith, office: (703) 428–6789, email: Clint.B.Smith@usace.army.mil