Demonstration of a Compact Miniature Desalinator for a One-Man Survival Kit

A lightweight portable water purification device has been long sought by the US military for use in survival kits. Mainstream has been working hard at developing such a lightweight purification device since 1989, and has finally developed the configuration for a small portable device that will meet or exceed all the performance requirements of this AF solicitation. This device, which uses a patent-pending configuration is discussed in this proposal. At 12 ounces dry-weight, this device can easily produce more than two gallons of purified water per day with drastic reductions in the necessary exertion. The proposed membrane configuration includes an integrated disinfection capacity. Phase I includes the fabrication and demonstration testing of this lightweight water purification device, which includes the capability to produce 2 gallons of safe potable water from sea water in about 2 hours. Mainstream has been developing this technology for many years and the tremendous commercial potential for this technology is well established. Phase I will allow a full demonstration of the concept's feasibility, and provide performance comparisons to alternative approaches. The Phase II effort will address DoD field testing, and prototype refinements for an actual AF survival kit application.