MIXED-BED ION EXCHANGE DEVICE FOR WATER PURIFICATION

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF MANUFACTURING A POTABLE WATER PURIFICATION DEVICE CONTAINING MIXED-BED, ION EXCHANGE, SEPARATORY MATRIX. THE PROPOSED DEVICE WOULD BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WATER TO 1 MEGAOHM CONDUCTIVITY WITH A MINIMAL CAPACITY OF 1 GRAM OF SODIUM CHLORIDE IN A FIELD SETTING. THIS DEVICE WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN ANY ORIENTATION WITHOUT THE GENERATION OF INTERNAL CHANNELS, WHILE MAINTAINING A UNIFORMITY OF FLUID FLOW THROUGH THE SEPARATORY MATRIX. THESE OBJECTIVES WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH INCORPORATION OF STATE-OFTHE-ART, PROPRIETARY DESIGNS INTO THE PROPOSED DEVICE. SEPRATECH HAS RECENTLY RECEIVED A U.S. PATENT FOR A DESIGN FULFILLING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME REQUIREMENTS AS DESCRIBED IN SBIR SOLICITATION A90-186 AND REFERENCED IN TECHNICAL REPORT 8814 (AD-A207 411). THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF ANALOGOUS ION EXCHANGE DEVICES, CURRENTLY MANUFACTURED BY SEPRATECH, ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH SEPARATORY MATRIX WELLING AND CONTRACTION, I.E. MATRIX COMPACTION AND CHANNEL FORMATION. THESE DEVICES ARE EQUALLY FUNCTIONAL IN ANY ORIENTATION. THE DESIGN ALSO ENABLES ENHANCED SEPARATORY POTENTIAL ABOVE THAT OF TRADITIONAL SEPARATORY COLUMNS WHILE REDUCING THE TIME REQUIRED FOR SEPARATION. THE DEVICES ARE MANUFACTURED FOR CLINICAL USE, THEREFORE, ARE MANUFACTURED ASEPTICALLY AND ARE EASILY STERILIZED BY SEVERAL METHODS.