SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXTRACTING AND PURIFYING WATER FROM GROUNDWATER SOURCES
Systems and methods for water extraction and purification are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a system includes at least one water lifting unit that fluidly communicates with a groundwater source, and a gas generator that is fluidly coupled to the at least one water lifting unit to generate a gas that buoyantly moves water from the groundwater source to a water consumer.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/488,206, filed Jul. 18, 2006, which application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to water extraction and processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for extracting and purifying water recovered from a groundwater source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAlthough water occupies a substantial portion of the Earth's surface, a relatively small portion (approximately about one percent) of this water is fresh water. Of that portion, even less is immediately suitable for human consumption. In most cases, the available fresh water must be recovered and suitably processed in order to eliminate dangerous water borne pathogens that may be present. In most developed nations of the world, water treatment and pumping plants are generally available to recover the water from surface or subterranean sources and to suitably treat the water so that it is safe for human consumption. The water treatment and pumping plant may then provide the suitably treated water to a distribution network so that safe drinking water is supplied to various water consumers over a widespread area.
In contrast, in the developing nations of the world, safe drinking water is typically unavailable due to economic as well as climatic reasons. For example, constructing and maintaining suitable water treatment and pumping plants is not economically obtainable in most cases due to the relatively high cost associated with these plants. Moreover, since many portions of the developing world are typically arid, the only suitable water is available from deep groundwater sources that are relatively expensive to exploit, due to the relatively deep well that must be drilled, and the large pumping plant that is required to extract useable volumes of water. Consequently, most drinking water is locally obtained from any available water source. Typically, relatively shallow groundwaters are extracted from boreholes or shallow wells to provide useable amounts of drinking water. Unfortunately, water obtained from shallow groundwater sources is generally of a low bacteriological quality (e.g., having a relatively high bacteriological concentration).
Accordingly, many persons in the developing world do not have access to adequate amounts of safe drinking water, which has adversely affected the state of public health in these regions. For example, drinking water of substandard quality has significantly contributed to infant mortality in the developing world. According to recent estimates, infant mortality rates in the underdeveloped world range between approximately 160 and 180 deaths per one-thousand live births, as compared with approximately five to seven deaths per one-thousand live births in the developed world. One factor that significantly contributes to the high infant mortality rate in the developing world are the various waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, gastroenteritis and others that are frequently present in drinking water.
There is therefore a distinct need to provide an apparatus and method that provides potable water in sufficient quantities. At present, approximately one in three children on the African continent are affected by drinking contaminated water. As a consequence, more children die due to diarrhea contracted from contaminated drinking water than from any other single cause. Since a child suffering from diarrhea necessarily consumes resources than are not required by ordinary, healthy children. For example, caring for the sick child requires intravenous fluids, sterile set-ups and a nurse and/or physician who can administer them. Sterile intravenous set-ups and nurses and/or physicians to administer them are all too scarce in rural Africa. In severe cases, the child may require a hospital or clinic. This is often very difficult, or even impossible since transporting the sick child through rural areas of African countries may not be possible. Still further, since babies dehydrate so quickly, the child often will die while being transported to the hospital or clinic. Accordingly, in the unlikely event that the child survives by receiving adequate care, the child may become infected again quite soon, if a new source of clean water is not found.
In most of Africa, the primary contaminant in the ground water is bacteria. At present, to obtain relatively uncontaminated water, wells are dug very deep, often to depths of more than 200 feet. The cost associated with establishing deep wells is very high, often in the range of approximately about $20,000 (USD). Moreover, deep wells further require powerful submersible pumps to extract water from the well. Accordingly, large amounts of electrical power are required, which is generally scarce in underdeveloped regions. Suitable submersible pumps further require engineering support to install and maintain the pump, and to make certain that it has an adequate power source to operate the pump. Obviously, the necessary engineering support is generally also unavailable in underdeveloped regions, such as rural Africa.
What is needed in the art are systems and methods for extracting and purifying water so that relatively contaminated water sources may be used to provide useful amounts of safe drinking water.
SUMMARYThe present invention comprises systems and methods for water extraction and purification. In one aspect, the invention includes at least one water lifting unit that fluidly communicates with a groundwater source, and a gas generator that is fluidly coupled to the at least one water lifting unit to generate a gas that buoyantly moves water from the groundwater source to a water consumer.
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.
The present invention relates to systems and methods for extracting and purifying water recovered from groundwater sources. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in
The gas generation unit 14 is operable to provide a compressed gas at a predetermined pressure and flow rate to the water transfer and treatment unit 12. In one specific embodiment, the gas generation unit 14 includes any self-contained compressed gas source, such as a pressure vessel configured to contain the compressed gas, and a suitable pressure regulation device coupled to the pressure vessel that is configured to provide the predetermined pressure and flow rate to the water transfer and treatment unit 12. In another specific embodiment, the gas generation unit 14 is a mechanical gas compression device, such as a mechanically driven diaphragm compressor, which may be coupled to a suitable pressure vessel to store the compressed gas. One suitable diaphragm compressor is available from KNF Neuberger, Incorporated of Trenton, N.J., although other alternatives exist. In another specific embodiment, a chemical gas generator may be used to provide the compressed gas. The chemical gas generator provides the compressed gas through a chemical reaction between selected reactants. Alternately, the reaction may involve a reactant that is exposed to a selected catalyst, so that the compressed gas is generated. For example, the reactant may include hydrogen peroxide that is exposed to a transition metal catalyst, so that steam and oxygen are evolved from the reaction.
In any case, the gas generation unit 14 also includes a water purification device (not shown in
Still referring to
Still other devices may be used to supply electrical energy to the gas generation unit 14. For example, in another specific embodiment, the power supply 16 may include a manually operated electrical generator (or alternator) that is suited to receive a power input from a human or an animal locomotive source. Alternately, the electrical generator may be coupled to a prime mover, such as a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, or other known prime movers. The power supply 16 may also include a fuel cell device, such as a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) device that generates an electrical current in response to the oxidation of methanol in the presence of a catalyst. One suitable DMFC device is the SFC A50 DMFC, available from SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, of Germany, although other alternatives exist.
The gas emitter 30 may be comprised of a generally porous material having a selected porosity that permits a gas supplied to the gas emitter tube 28 to be released into an interior portion of the lift tube 22. Accordingly, the gas emitter 30 may be formed from a metal, such as bronze, or other similar metals that is sintered. Alternately, the gas emitter 30 may be formed from a fused granular material such as silica sand, or other similar granular materials. Still other materials may be used to form the gas emitter 30. For example, the gas emitter 30 may be formed from a fired, non-glazed porcelain material. The gas emitter 30 may also be formed from a polymeric material having a desired porosity. Although
The water transfer and treatment unit 12 may include a filter device 32 configured to be received by the second end 26 of the lift tube 22 that is operable to prevent undesired solid material from entering the lift tube 22 when water is introduced into the lift tube 22. Accordingly, the filter device 32 may include a screen formed from a woven material having a desired open area to exclude the solid material from the lift tube 22. Alternately, the filter device 32 may also include a filter matrix comprised of a relatively dense network of fibers that is operable to trap and retain relatively small solid materials that may be present in the water. Although
Still referring to
The foregoing embodiment advantageously allows greater volumetric flow rates to be transferred than is generally achievable using a single lift tube. Further, since the foregoing embodiment provides more than one lift tube 46, the water transfer unit 40 will continue to pump water to the water collector 42 when one or more of the lift tubes 46 become inoperable due to clogging of the tube 46, or by failure of the gas emitter 30, or due to other reasons. Still other advantages are apparent in the foregoing embodiment. For example, since the lift tubes 46 may be independently controlled (e.g., by separately controlling a gas flow rate and/or pressure delivered to the gas emitter 30), the volumetric flow rate of the water transfer unit 40 may be selectively adjusted to provide a desired volumetric flow rate.
The foregoing embodiment advantageously allows water to be extracted from wells and/or bore holes having at least a moderate depth by serially coupling water transfer units to form a unitary pumping stack. The pumping stack also desirably permits the water purification agent to reside in the water for a prolonged time period, thus enhancing the water purification effect.
In addition to other advantages previously described, the foregoing embodiment advantageously allows water to be extracted along more than a single pumping path, thus affording greater flow control while also providing at least one redundant water flow path so that the overall reliability of the apparatus is enhanced.
While various embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, embodiments may be combined without significant modification to yield still further embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the various embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A groundwater pumping and purification apparatus, comprising:
- a pumping stack configured to fluidly communicate with a groundwater source at one end, and to provide purified water to a water consumer at an opposing end; and
- a gas generation source coupleable to the pumping stack and configured to provide a gas to the pumping stack to buoyantly move the groundwater within the pumping stack, the gas including a water purification agent that purifies the water as the water is moved from the groundwater source to the water consumer.
2. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the water purification agent comprises a water sterilization agent, further comprising at least one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based compound.
3. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pumping stack comprises a plurality of water transfer units that are configured to extend from the groundwater source to the water consumer, the plurality of water transfer units defining a pumping path extending from the groundwater source to the water consumer.
4. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 3, wherein the pumping path comprises a first parallel pumping path and a second parallel pumping path, each of the first parallel pumping path and the second parallel pumping path extending from the groundwater source to the water consumer.
5. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 4, wherein one of the first parallel pumping path and the second parallel pumping path comprise a redundant pumping path.
6. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 3, wherein the pumping path comprises a plurality of serially-coupled water transfer units.
7. A groundwater pumping apparatus, comprising:
- a pumping stack including at least one water transfer unit configured to fluidly communicate with a groundwater source at one end, and to provide purified water to a water consumer at an opposing end, the water transfer unit further comprising:
- a water collector having a closed bottom that is configured to sealably retain a volume of water and having an open top;
- a lift tube sealably extending into the volume through the closed bottom that is configured to transport water from the groundwater source into the volume; and
- a gas source configured to provide a gas to the lift tube to buoyantly move the groundwater within the lift tube.
8. The groundwater pumping apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gas source is configured to introduce a water purification agent into the water transported in the lift tube.
9. The groundwater pumping apparatus of claim 8, wherein the water purification agent comprises at least one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based compound.
10. An apparatus, comprising:
- a pumping stack configured to extend to a groundwater source and operable to buoyantly move water from the groundwater source to a water consumer, the pumping stack having a plurality of serially-coupled water lifting units, wherein a water lifting unit comprises:
- a sealed water collector configured to retain a volume of water therein and exposed to an ambient atmosphere; and
- at least one lift tube sealably extending through a lower portion of the water collector and configured to buoyantly lift the water into the water collector.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising a gas source configured to be coupled to the at least one lift tube to buoyantly move the water within the lift tube.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the gas source is configured to introduce a water purification agent into the water transported in the lift tube, the water purification agent comprising at least one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based compound.
13. A system, comprising:
- a gas generation source configured to provide a pressurized gas that includes a water purification agent;
- at least one water lifting unit coupleable to the gas generation source and configured to extend from a groundwater source to a water consumer, the lifting unit further comprising:
- a water collector configured to retain a volume of water and having a sealed bottom and an open top; and
- at least one lift tube sealably extending through the sealed bottom of the water collector and configured to buoyantly lift the water into the water collector when the gas is introduced into the at least one lift tube.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the gas generation source is coupleable to a water purification unit that provides the water purification gas to the compressed gas, further wherein the water purification gas includes at least one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based compound.
15. The system of claim 13, comprising a power supply coupleable to the gas generation source that provides energy to the gas generation source, the power supply including at least one of a storage battery, a photovoltaic device, an electrical generator and a fuel cell.
16. The system of claim 13, comprising a gas emitter positioned within the lift tube that is configured to introduce the gas into the lift tube.
17. A method of extracting and purifying water recovered from a groundwater source, comprising:
- extending at least one water lifting unit to the groundwater source;
- providing a compressed gas to the at least one water lifting unit that includes a predetermined concentration of a water purification agent; and
- buoyantly transporting and purifying water as the water moves upwardly from the groundwater source to a water consumer.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein extending at least one water lifting unit to the groundwater source comprises:
- coupling a water collector configured to retain a volume of water to at least one lift tube configured to buoyantly lift the water into the water collector, the sealed water collector having a sealed bottom portion and an open top portion; and
- distributing the compressed gas to the at least one lift tube through a gas emitter positioned within the at least one tube.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein providing a compressed gas to the at least one water lifting unit comprises providing at least one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based compound.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein extending at least one water lifting unit comprises providing one of a parallel water lifting path and a serial water lifting path.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 7, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 2, 2008
Inventors: Michael J. Harrington (Bellevue, WA), Katherine Reinleitner (Bellevue, WA)
Application Number: 11/936,310
International Classification: C02F 1/76 (20060101); C02F 1/68 (20060101);