Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Design And Development Of Scalable Solar Powered Water Purification Systems For Developing Nations, Shavin Pinto

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis presents the design and development of solar powered water purification systems. The systems were designed to meet specific customer requirements that were established from the experiences gained after the installation of five water purification systems in various Haitian communities. The systems are scalable and are able to supply 10,000-20,000 gallons of clean drinking water per day. The design consists of a three-stage filtration system with a disc-type sediment filter, a 0.1 micron ultrafiltration membrane, and an ultraviolet light for disinfection. The backwash cycle extends the life of the ultrafiltration membrane to 4-7 years before a new filter is …