Engineers Collaborate on Water Purification System

March 4, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

The open-source project, which resides on the ASME Communities of Practice web site (at www.asme.org), will be an ongoing vehicle for technical exchange through May 2008.

The project will culminate in the design of a practical and efficient water purifier for use in remote regions of the developing world, as well as locations affected by natural disasters.

The system will be portable and powered by human energy, such as pedal power.

Participants can contribute knowledge and insights on the various technical considerations attending water purification systems, including filtration, maintenance and use of solar and other supplemental sources of energy.

Monitoring the ASME site on a regular basis, the project design team will gather input from the global engineering community and consider the information for component design. The team is made up of engineering students from the University of Miami, New Mexico State University, Western Kentucky University, Lunds University (Skane, Sweden) and Simon Bolivar University (Caracas, Venezuela).

The engineering team will build and display the prototype water purification system at Western Kentucky University in May. The goal is to create a final design that is technically feasible and demonstrates the potential for practical use and commercialization.

The ASME open-source project provides an opportunity for engineers worldwide to help solve a critical problem. ASME is providing funding to Western Kentucky University, as well as each of the participating students.

The team designing the water purifier was selected from among students who participated in the 2007 ASME Student Design Competition in November.

Source: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).