Progress 09/01/14 to 10/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Micronic has been pursuing broad outreach to connect with a target audience of potential customers and communities of interest through the help of a nonprofit consulting firm. As part of this effort, Micronic has contacted and visited key individuals and organizations in a range of markets including: corporate and educational components within the agricultural industry concerning issues with water contamination from agricultural runoff; the coal industry over acid mine drainage concerns; public service authorities and wastewater treatment facilities about water purification needs; companies in the oil and gas industry about water purification and reuse at sites with fracking operations; and landfill operations about leachate issues. As a result of theprimary and secondary researchto identify Micronic Technologies most advantageous market entry, the non-profit specifically recommended Water Treatment Companies and Engineering, Procurement, Construction firms be targeted. The reason being that these entitiespursue opportunities across industrial and municipal markets; have an international business development; they understand the technology and competitive landscape; participate in initiatives to promote technology development and commercialization; and seem motivated to identify more efficient brine concentration technologies. Therefore, the Company intends to engage with them to offer meaningful test results for competitive comparison, identify pilot opportunities to validate the technology, and pursue relationships to go to market in their sales channel. Additionally, a near term high growth market coincident with current processing capabilities (estimated at 50-100 gallons per day) has been confirmed by the consulting firm. Minimal and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) is a rapidly growing requirement for water processing for three markets; potable water production, municipal, and industrial/fracking waste streams for the purpose of concentrating process waste to minimize or even eliminate discharge back to the environment. Concentration of brine (high salt/solids containing waste streams) lacks a currently available technology that offers a package of energy efficiency and solids separation that can economically satisfy user and regulatory demands. The differentiator for MicroEVAPTM is its strength in concentrating high waste streams by to a mere 5-10% of its influent. The opportunity for Micronic to compete in this market is to continue design implementation that will replace the evaporative and forced circulation crystallizer processes of today. Changes/Problems:The name of the product was changed to MicroEVAPTM (from MicroDesalTM) to better represent the broad spectrum of the water evaporation and wastewater concentration system. The tornadic action to evaporate clean water vapor from a waste stream has been established as highly effective and the spectrum of contaminants that it can remove from water continues to expand and its ability to concentrate brine continues to be validated. As stated previously the elimination of the separate condenser subsystem to vapor compression took considerable engineering effort and time to integrate it with the MicroEVAPTM evaporator, since no such system has ever been built before. However, the recent test results from the field pilot demonstrate that the design changes to make MicroEVAPTM energy efficient have been successful. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Excel and PowerPoint Training for Employees HAZWOPER 40 Hour Training for Employees Akron Water Conference Water Conference 2.0 conferences VDH/VT Water Workshops Contaminants of Concern Workshop Virginia Rural Water Association- Sustainable Management of Rural and Small Systems Workshop Worker's Compensation Workshop Appalachia Funders Roundtable at Micronic Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing (SVAM) Teachers Tour of Micronic SVAM Exposition United Way Youth Career Expo Supply Chain Leadership Workshop How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Micronic has continued to disseminate the latest results of the pilot development effort through presentations, exhibits, conferences, expos, teleconference meetings, website updates, and hosting site visits. For example, results have been widely shared with faculty and students at the University of Virginia at Wise, Virginia Tech, the University of Akron, West Virginia University, and Penn State University. There has also been broad outreach to communities of interest including visits and presentations to potential industrial partners, agricultural concerns, the coal industry, wastewater treatment facilities, and landfill operations. There have also been six technical papers published (see previous reports) describing the technology and its application for treating a wide range of polluted water. Finally, this year Virginia Tech published a study conducted on the removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC). It now serves as the basis for briefings and training by Virginia Tech. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the previous reporting period, development efforts focused on three main areas. First, the component characterization effort transitioned from flow bench implementation and model development to sensor implementation, data acquisition, and component characterization and modeling. Second, once characterized, the components were transferred to the pilot assembly effort. Third, possible pilot field test sites were reviewed and a preliminary candidate site was selected. To accomplish the first of these focus areas, the transition of component modeling to characterization, the laboratory flow bench was fully instrumented with a range of sensors. One of the key tests of the component/process characterization testing effort focused on the amount of heat needed to bring down the air vapor mixture to its saturation temperature. It was determined that the integrated evaporation/condensation cycle would require an additional heat transfer element to enhance the potential water production rate capable with the current system design. Accordingly, the system design was modified to support an additional pair of water-to-air intercooler components. These two intercoolers transfer heat using a pumped liquid transfer, which is isolated from the main vapor flow, supporting only a thermal interface to the flow. As would be expected, the need for the intercoolers changed the final design of the system. Two water to air intercoolers were located in the system, running a working fluid in a closed loop between them. Essentially, the heat removed at the output of the blower is returned into the system at the outlet of the condenser, where the flow is expected to be cool and moist. For this to be possible, the temperature of the working fluid leaving the first intercooler must be at a higher temperature of the airflow coming out of the condenser. The second focus area, component transfer to the pilot assembly effort, was accomplished after the components/processes were characterized on the laboratory flow bench. This effort entailed removing the characterized components from the flow bench and integrating them into the pilot system. The key components transferred included; the evaporator/condenser pod, secondary heat exchanger, separator, and intercoolers. A commercial blower and diesel engine, which weren't tested on the flow bench, were added to the design. Since these are commercial components, detailed system specifications were available from the manufacturer and incorporated into the pilot system. The third focus area entailed a review of possible pilot field test sites. Initially, the MicroEVAPTM field pilot site selected is in Wise County at a mine drainage site that was deployed in September 2017. In addition, several additional candidate sites have been established. Acid mine drainage from a site in Lee County, VA will be processed by MicroEVAPTM to further validate that market. Two additional candidate sites are planned; one at the Virginia Tech farm/research center in Blacksburg, Virginia and the second at the farming facilities at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Currently, with the completion of the field pilot prototype, Micronic is now focused on field performance. The main engineering goal over the past few years was to conduct engineering development of the system and to make it more energy efficient. After considering a number of options, eliminating the separate condenser subsystem and using a process known as vapor compression to condense the water around the outside of the evaporator, was pursued. This simultaneously eliminated powering the condenser subsystem and kept the energy absorbed during evaporation within the system significantly reducing overall energy usage. While vapor compression is a well-known engineering process, it took considerable engineering effort to integrate it with the MicroEVAPTM design, since no such system has ever been built before. Recent test results from the field pilot demonstrate that design changes to make MicroEVAPTM energy efficient have been successful. Dr. Don Jordan issued a letter in this regard (attached). Data measured from the system while condensing clean water matches the modeling calculations, indicating that the system is now operating as designed. Additionally, these results demonstrate conclusively that vapor compression can be achieved with the blower alone and there is no need to add a separate device to produce vapor compression. In other words, redesigning the system to perform vapor compression added no further complexity or moving parts and the fundamental simplicity of MicroEVAPTM remains intact. MicroEVAPTM was already effective at cleaning water and with this recent development, is now well along he path to energy efficiency. While the recent results firmly establish the viability of MicroEVAPTM, more engineering is needed to perfect overall performance and scale to a larger size. In the near future, experiments are planned to demonstrate near zero liquid discharge operations, which represents an important market opportunity for Micronic. Data measured from the current field studies will continue to be used to determine the engineering strategies for further improvements in gallon per day production rates and energy efficiency, as well as tune the accuracy of the engineering models. The measured data, modeling, and engineering analysis will be used to inform the design of larger scale MicroEVAPTM systems. In summary, in light of the recent test results, any significant technical risk of the MicroEVAPTM system has been eliminated. While there is still engineering work remaining to be done, the nature of this work is aimed more at productivity and manufacturing, than exploratory and developmental, and the major questions regarding technical viability have been settled.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
http://bjournal.com/micronic-technologies-creating-a-ripple-effect-in-southwest-virginias-workforce/
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
http://vincentcaprio.org/2017/02
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
https://issuu.com/uva-wise_development/docs/mag_s16
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcTWpmAvs64
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
http://www.virginiabusiness.com/news/article/wise-county-company-makes-wastewater-clean
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
http://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2016/08/30/uptick-women-led-companies-ag-innovation-showcase/89586990/
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+HJ344
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
http://www.larta.org/media/annual-report/2015/index.html
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/22/fact-sheet-working-together-build-sustainable-water-future
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
https://www.micronictechnologies.com/micronic-pharmaceutical-removal-rep
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
https://www.statoil.com/en/news/winners-innovation-challenge.html
|
Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:As mentioned previously in the dissemination section of this report, Micronic has been pursuing broad outreach to connect with a target audience of potential customers and communities of interest throught the help of a nonprofit As part of this effort, Micronic has contacted and visited key individuals and organizations in a range of markets including: corporate and educational components within the agricultural industry concerning issues with water contamination from agricultural runoff; the coal industry over acid mine drainage concerns; public service authorities and wastewater treatment facilities about water purification needs; companies in the oil and gas industry about water purification and reuse at sites with fracking operations; and landfill operations about leachate issues. Micronic anticipates that all of these communities are potential customers for the water treatmenttechnology being developed. Changes/Problems:Due to a new partnership with Virginia Tech, Micronic will be conducting the field pilot under this grant at a VT agriculture location either in Virgnina or Pennsylvania. The pilot will be based on storm water runoff. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Since August 2016 training and professional development for Micronic employees has included: Water 2.0 Conference- August 3rd SVAM Expo- August 9th EPA Drinking Water Workshop- August 23rd- 25th Contingency Planning Advanced Manufacturing in SWVA-Sept. 14th Karen Speaking - UNITE SWVA- Oct, 18th Dawn Riley(Kentucky Agriculture) Visit to Micronic-Oct 25th Lead VA (Started in August,- one weekend a month for a year) Virginia Tech Crop and Soil- Environmental Science Department Visit to Micronic for Pharma Sampling Process-Jan. 13th, 2017 Dawn Riley and Mark School(Ag Consultants) Visit to Micronic- Jan. 27th, 2017 New HR Laws Workshop(SVAM)- February 14th, 2017 Grant Workshop at Virginia Tech- February 22nd-23rd, 2017 SHRM(Society of Human Resource Management) Chapter Meeting -March 9th, 2017 Workers Compensation Workshop(SVAM)- March 14th, 2017 Water Chemistry Course- March 15th, 2017 Active Shooter Training- April 5th, 2017 Tim Kaine Roundtable Discussion- April 13th Water Model Development and Its Use-April 19th Water 2.0 Conference- April 25th Water Contamination Plan Workshop- May 2nd, 2017 2017 SWVA Economic Forum- May 10th, 2017 Ocean Exchange Symposium- May 16th, 2017 Principles of Coagulation and Flocculation in Drinking Water Treatment Workshop-May 17th, 2017 USA Water Conference- June 1st SVAM Tour of Micronic- June 6th, 2017 Active Shooter Training for Micronic Team(InternallY)- June 7th, 2017 Modernization: A Case Study of the NRV Regional Water Authority Treatment Plant- June 21st, 2017 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As noted in previous reports, Micronic has continued to disseminate the latest results of the pilot development effort through presentations, exhibits, conferences, expos, teleconference meetings, and site visits. For example, results have been widely shared with faculty and students at the University of Virgina at Wise, Virginia Tech, the University of Akron, West Virginia University, and Penn State University. There has also been broad outreach to communities of interest including visits and presentations to agricultural concerns, the coal industry, wastewater treatment facilities, and landfill operations. There have also been six technical papers published (see previous reports) describing the technology and its application for treating a wide range of polluted water. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During this reporting period, the MicroEVAPTM field pilot unit was completed. On site dry and wet testing are currently being conducted. The date collected from this testing will verify system performance before being place for field-testing. While at the site, a range of performance data will be gathered including water quality and throughput rate, energy efficiency, maintainability, operational cost and durability. Based on this data, a commercialization plan including an ROI analysis will be conducted. It is planned that some of the market analysis background for the commercialization plan will be completed in parallel with the field pilot demonstration.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Work during the previous reporting period focused on assembling a laboratory "characterization" flow bench which was implemented to assess the various performance characteristics of the individual components of the pilot system. This work included the acquisition/fabrication of key components of the pilot system (e.g., the evaporator pod, the condenser, etc.) and the acquisition/fabrication of supporting elements (e.g., a blower with onboard controls, feed tank/heater, etc.). The goal of this development effort was to utilize the flow bench as a laboratory test bed to gather data for the design of the field pilot system. The flow bench was fixtured to provide information on temperature, pressure, RPM, mass air flow, and relative humidity at multiple sensor locations for various system component configurations. In addition to the implementation of the laboratory flow bench, work was also conducted on mathematical modeling of the evaporation/condensation process. Toward this end two main models were developed to quantify process performance. The first linked energy required for evaporation to the flow power and, therefore, the pressure drop across the evaporation pod. The second model developed a description of the condensing strategy to assist in the design of a condenser that recycles part of the latent heat of evaporation within the system allowing for important energy savings. During this reporting period, development efforts focused on three main areas. First, the component characterization effort transitioned from flow bench implementation and model development to sensor implementation, data acquisition, and component characterization and modeling. Second, once characterized, the components were transferred to the pilot assembly effort. Third, possible pilot field test sites were reviewed and a preliminary candidate site was selected. To accomplish the first of these focus areas, the transition of component modeling to characterization, the laboratory flow bench was fully instrumented with a range of sensors as illustrated in the following Figure 1. Figure 1. Open Loop Laboratory Flow Bench with Sensor Locations One of the key tests of the component/process characterization testing effort focused on the amount of heat needed to bring down the air vapor mixture to its saturation temperature. It was determined that the integrated evaporation/condensation cycle would require an additional heat transfer element to enhance the potential flowrate capable with the current system design. Accordingly, the system design was modified to support an additional pair of water-to-air intercooler components. These two intercoolers will transfer heat using a pumped liquid transfer which is isolated from the main vapor flow, supporting only a thermal interface to the flow. The specifications for the paired intercoolers is outlined in the following Table 1. Table 1. Intercooler Performance Requirments at Point of Critical Compression Ratio RPM Compression Ratio Heat Removed by Intercooler (J/s) Heat to Return Flow to Saturation Temperature 1400 0.5 1260 926.15 1600 1.37 2714 2734.99 1800 1.49 4294 4241.17 As would be expected, the need for the intercoolers changed the final design of the system. Two water to air intercoolers have been located in the system, running a working fluid in a closed loop between the two. Essentially, the heat removed at the output of the blower is put back into the system at the outlet of the condenser, where the flow is expected to be cool and moist. For this to be possible, the temperature of the working fluid leaving the first intercooler must be at a higher temperature of the airflow coming out of the condenser. The second focus area, component transfer to the pilot assembly effort, was accomplished after the components/processes were characterized on the laboratory flow bench. This effort entailed the removal of the characterized components from the flow bench and the integration of the components into the pilot system which is currently being assembled. The key components which were transferred included; the evaporator/condenser pod, the secondary heat exchanger, the separator, and the intercoolers. A commercial blower and diesel engine which weren't tested on the flow bench were added to the design. Since these are commercial components, detailed system specifications were available from the manufacturer and incorporated into the pilot system. Finally, the third focus area entailed a review of possible pilot field test sites and two preliminary candidate sites are under consideration; one at the Virginia Tech farm/research center in Blacksburg, Virginia and the second at the farming facilities at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. It is planned that a final selection of the field site will be determined once the assembly and laboratory testing of the pilot is completed.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:As mentioned previously in the dissemination section of this report, Micronic has been pursuing broad outreach to connect with a target audience of potential customers and communities of interest. As part of this effort, Micronic has contacted and visited key individuals and organizations in a range of markets including: corporate and educational components within the agricultural industry concerning issues with water contamination from agricultural runoff; the coal industry over acid mine drainage concerns; public service authorities and wastewater treatment facilities about water purification needs; companies in the oil and gas industry about water purification and reuse at sites with fracking operations; and landfill operations about leach-ate issues. Micronic anticipates that all of these communities are potential customers for the water treatment technology being developed during the Phase 2 effort. Changes/Problems:The execution of this current grant, awarded September 2014, has been delayed due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the collapse of our building in late February 2015 and the delay in the release of funds. An initial 9-month extension was requested and granted to extend the period of performance to October 31, 2016. We have since requested another extention to October 31, 2017 based on delays from changing pilot location and partner for the pilot. We are on track to complete the pilot development and deploy early next year. Due to the retirement of Howard Sorber, the Co-Project Director and Authorized Organizational Representative will be Janette F. Kennedy. She holds a Masters from Vermont Law School in Environmental Law and Policy as well as an undergraduate degree in Business Administration majoring in Acquisition and Contract Management and a minor in Finance. There are some changes under the Non-Technical Summary that need to be addressed. Micronic Technologies will not partner with Tidewater Utilities, Inc., located in Maryland, for the field pilot since they have since relocated to southwest Virginia. Micronic Technologies will pilot with a more localized Virginia organization. Also, under the title of "Accomplishments", Micronic Technologies has pushed the production and commercialization of MicroDesal™ back to fall of 2017. This being the result of noted setbacks such as the roof collapse and forced relocation in 2015 as well as the change of pilot location. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In March 2015, representatives of Micronic Technologies attended the Larda/USDA hosted workshop for Phase 2 SBIR grantees in Washington DC. The workshop was an excellent learning experience and also provided the opportunity to interact with other USDA SBIR winners. Micronic Technologies has continued staff development and organizational activities to improve administrative functions within the company as well as recruiting new personnel and negotiating with potential investors. The company also has actively participated in outreach activities to local organizations. During Phase II, Micronic employees have attended a range of informational, educational, training, and development opportunities including: Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing Expo held at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia - August 4th, 2015 and August 9th, 2016 Governors Agricultural and Industrial Biotechnology Conference held in Danville, Virginia - September 9th, 2015 Agriculture Innovation Showcase held in St. Louis, Missouri - September 14th to 17th, 2015 Virginia Employment Commission Fall Employer's Conference held at the Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap Virginia - October 29th, 2015 Southwest Virginia Legislative Conference held in Abingdon, Virginia - November 16th, 2015 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Quorum Meeting held in Washington, D.C. - February 21st, 2016 Water 2.0 Conference held in Washington, D.C. - March 22nd, 2016 West Virginia Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Task Force Symposium held in Morgantown, West Virginia - March 29th to 30th, 2016 Water Quality Research Workshop held in Fort Pierce, Florida - May 25th to 26th, 2016 Southwestern Virginia Technology Council High Tech Awards held at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virgina - June 16th, 2016 EPA Small Drinking Water Facilities Workshop held in Cincinnati, Ohio - August 22nd to 25th, 2016 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As listed in the previous section of this report, results have been disseminated through presentations, exhibits, and networking at several conferences and expos. In addition, results have been shared with faculty and students at the University of Virgina at Wise, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University. Outreach to communities of interest are ongoing and include visits and presentations to the coal industry, acid mine drainage concerns, wastewater treatment facilities, and landfill operations. Micronic anticipates that all of these communities are potential customers for the water treatment technology being developed during the Phase 2 effort. There have also been six technical papers published (see previous report) describing the technology and its application for treating a wide range of polluted water as listed in the prior progress report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Work during the previous reporting period resulted in the development of the flow bench. During this reporting period, the flow bench has been used as a test bed to gather data on various component configurations to establish a pilot system design. Elements of this design are currently being assembled. Building upon the work conducted during the current reporting period, the next reporting period will focus on the completion of the pilot system and the installation of the system at a field site. While at the site, a range of performance data will be gathered including water quality and throughput rate, energy efficiency, maintainability, operational cost and durability. Based on this data, a commercialization plan including an ROI analysis will be conducted. It is planned that some of the market analysis background for the commercialization plan will be completed in parallel with the field pilot demonstration.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As was noted in the previous progress report, the execution of this current grant, awarded in September 2014, was delayed due to the collapse of the roof of the Micronic laboratories building. Because of this setback, the program period of performance has been extended. One of the key accomplishments achieved during the previous reporting period was the design and assembly of a laboratory flow bench. During this reporting period, the development effort has utilized the flow bench as a laboratory test bed to gather data for the design of a scaled up field pilot system. The flow bench provides information on temperature, pressure, RPM, mass air flow, and relative humidity at multiple sensor locations for various system component configurations. Significant advancements have been made in the design of the scaled up system and assembly of the first field pilot system was initiated. The USDA pilot will follow these advancements can be summarized on a component-by-component basis as follows. Models Two main models were developed during this reporting period. First and most importantly, a way to quantify energy consumption was devised in which the energy required for evaporation is linked to the flow power and therefore the pressure drop across the pod. This presents a major shift in the thinking behind the operation of the machine, which puts the airflow at the core of the performance parameters. The second model developed was a description of the condensing strategy. This year important strides have been made in developing a condenser that recycles part of the latent heat of evaporation within the system allowing for important energy savings. The strategy used is vapor compression, which is not new to the literature, however in order to be implemented to this particular application the Micronic team developed a model that describes the energy transfer as well as the compression requirements. Evaporator The evaporator has been fully developed and built. The current design maximizes atomization and evaporation (saturating the airflow up to 97%RH) while maintaining a low pressure drop of about 4psi. As stated before, a low pressure drop is fundamental for the energy performance of the machine, and the current pod is expected to perform at about 0.11kWh/gal at low volume. Condenser A condenser has been designed and built and will be tested in the following weeks. This condenser relies on the vapor compression strategy to reclaim latent heat. Separator A new gravity separator has been designed and built in lieu of the previous centrifugal separator and it's expected to be able to handle the necessary air flow rate and water flow rate required for the planned field prototype. Other Components A motor and a blower have been purchased and delivered for the first field pilot and are ready to be assembled onto the main sub frame of the pilot system. The blower that was selected is a Lutos twin-screw blower capable of handling about 275SCFM. The motor is a 3CH1SDZP-415H Isuzu. Experimental Results The Micronic team conducted rigorous water tests to better understand the region of evaporation of the machine. There was a particular interest in trying to understand the relationship between water flow rate and eye pressure. This is of particular interest because we know that the low pressure at the eye of the vortex catalyzes evaporation. However, as evaporation starts to happen, vapor is created and now vapor pressure needs to be accounted for. It is to be expected that this pressure will add to the pressure at the eye, and it is important for us to understand how evaporation inneracted. These set of tests revealed that even though at first glance the eye pressure seems to limit the amount of water that is in the airflow, the water evaporated is related to the relative humidity, not the eye pressure. This data set also allowed for experimental validation of the energy balance model. The last piece of testing which will account for the vapor compression condensing strategy is currently underway and its expected to conclude in the next couple of weeks. The refurbished Prototype 2.0 consistently performs preliminary tests on various source waters with minimal maintenance. Occasional removal and cleaning of the evaporation pod and gravity separator is performed to flush any residuals between runs of different types of source waters, however this step would be unnecessary in the field as the feed water would remain the same. Water Testing Results Of the 16 inorganic chemicals, test results for 13 are available but only 6 were found to be present in a meaningful initial concentration and 5 of those have reached compliance levels post-processing. Of the 8 contaminants classified as microorganisms 3 have been testedand found in the source water in meaningful concentrations with total coliform and fecal coliform passing EPA standards post-processing. Currently tests from a local water utilityare being performed to test the efficacy of the MicroDesal(TM) process on the removal the 2 most troublesome of the 4 listed disinfectant byproduct groups, the haloacetic acids and the total trihalomethanes. Also for consideration are those species on the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations, of which 9 of the 15 have been tested.with 5 having initial concentrations outside of the EPAs non-enforceable goal and all 5 have reached the EPA goal. However, issues with 2 others, aluminum and copper, have arose in the form of leaching which is to be addressed in the final field pilot through the use of coatings that comply with the NSF/ANSI 61 drinking water system components standards. Tests are also in the planning phase for some ofEPA's contaminants of emerging concern, more specifically the pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Tests for the MicroDesalTM treatment process's efficacy for removal of some contaminants of emerging concern, with a focus on pharmaceuticals, are in the planning stage. Test results of the 25 GPD MicroDesalTM Prototype 2.0 have shown consistent throughput values of between 85% - 95% of the feed water calculated from the mass of feed water rejected as brine.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
http://micronictechnologies.com
|
Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The Tidewater Utility Company (a small rural water utility) in Dover, Delaware has partnered with Micronic Technologies for this project. The field demonstration of the water treatment system will be done at their Laurel, Delaware drinking water production facilities. They representative ot a large number of small rural drinking water providers throughout the United States and overseas that are potential customers. In addition the Micronic Technology system is very effective at removing pollutants from high TDS water. Target audiences in this area include oil and gas fracking operations, wastewater treatment effluent, landfill leachate, wastewater runoff ponds from livestock operations, coal mining wastewater, and acid mine drainage effluent. During the month of July Micronic Technologies had two important visitors to our new facility in Wise Virginia. Mr. Drew Hawkins, a member of Sen. Warner's staff, visited on July 1 and received a full briefing on the Micronic technologies water treatment system as well as a tour of the facility and the opportunity to meet the company staff. Similarly on July 2 Morgan Griffith visited Micronic Technologies and received the company briefing and a tour of our new facilities. This included an introduction to our ongoing research and testing of the flow bench and instrumentation relative to our ongoing grants and contracts activities. Changes/Problems:The execution of this current grant, awarded September 2014, has been delayed due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the collapse of our building in late February 2015 and the delay in the release of funds. Therefore a 9-month extension was requested to extend the period of performance to October 31, 2016. This represents an expanded period of performance from the original performance period of Sept. 1, 2014 - Jan. 31, 2016. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In March 2015 Karen Sorber, Howard Sorber and Breanna Stallard attended the Larda/USDA hosted workshop for phase 2 SBIR grantees in Washington DC. The workshop was a good learning experience and also provided the opportunity to interact with other USDA SBIR winners. Micronic Technologies has continued staff development and organizational activities to improve administrative functions within the company as well as recruiting new personnel and negotiating with potential investors during this year. The company also has actively participated in outreach activities to local organizations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been shared with our partner on this project, the Tidewater utilities company of Dover, Delaware. The field pilot will be operationally tested at their drinking water treatment facility in Laurel Delaware. Karen Sorber and Howard Sorber briefed the Tidewater leadership team on the status of technology development and began the planning for the field pilot installation later this year. Outreach efforts have also been underway in Southwest Virginia with the coal industry, acid mine drainage concerns, wastewater treatment facilities and landfill leachate problems. All of these areas are potential customers for the MicroDesalTM technology. There have also been six technical papers published describing this innovative technology and its application for treating a wide range of polluted water. The paper references are listed later in this report. Presentations have been delivered at five important conferences on MicroDesalTM technology across the United States. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period ending on the October 31, 2016 a customized MicroDesalTM unit will be manufactured for use as a field demonstration pilot with the Tidewater Utilities Company. The field pilot will be deployed and tested at the Tidewater Laurel, Delaware drinking water treatment facility. A detailed evaluation of its operation, water quality production, energy efficiency, maintainability, operational cost and durability will be conducted. There will also be a complete market analysis for the MicroDesalTM 1500 gallons per day unit. The current schedule for completion of the phase 2 SBIR field pilot project is shown in the figure 5. The market analysis portion of this project will be completed in parallel with the field pilot demonstration.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The execution of this current grant, awarded September 2014, has been delayed due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the collapse of our roof (Figure 1) in late February and the delay in the release of funds. Therefore a 9-month extension was requested to extend the period of performance to October 31, 2016. This represents an expanded period of performance from the original performance period of Sept. 1, 2014 - Jan. 31, 2016. During the period of this report the flow bench was designed and constructed for testing and evaluation of the evaporator. This was a critical achievement for the development of the final design for the 1500 gallons per day MicroDesalTM unit. As a result of testing, the design of the pods in the Evaporator have been significantly improved resulting in a major decrease in energy consumption and higher percentage of pure water produced from the input raw water. The design of the 1500 gallons per day field pilot unit has progressed in parallel with the results of the flow bench testing. A PowerPoint presentation describing in more detail the results of the flow bench testing is attached. Another major accomplishment was the successful quick recovery from the catastrophic building collapse at our temporary research site. It resulted in a total loss of our major heavy metal cutting shop equipment as well as office and computer equipment. We were fortunate to be able to move to our new permanent location in wise Virginia. Following the building collapse Wise County graciously allowed us to move into the unoccupied largest part of the Appalachia America Energy Research Center. Originally the smaller part of the building was being built out for us with the planned occupancy this summer. The move and re-purchase of all of our lost equipment took a few months but we were up and running in late March. Despite the setbacks, we got started in earnest on the Phase II project the first of April. Since then there has been considerable progress in the testing and evaluation of the flow bench. The flow bench system was also partially funded under a grant from Office of Naval Research, and is critical to the scaling of the MicroDesalTM water treatment system for the 1500 gallon per day Phase II field unit. The flow bench is now fully operational for the collection of temperature, pressure, RPM, mass flow, and relative humidity data at multiple sensor sites on the device. The principal testing operations measured airflow performance.. Calibration of the individual instruments was also underway during the summer. This too is a critical step in the design of the 1500 GPD filed pilot. This summer the LabVIEW data acquisition system was modified to better meet experimental requirements. Major developmental activities during this summer included: Development of a test plan checklist for monitoring test plan progress. Development of a calibration protocol and LabVIEW codes for calibration. Initial development of a flow bench uncertainty analysis. Our team has also explored the theoretical analysis of options for the field prototype design. The primary developmental focus is on energy recovery for reuse within the system. A very promising approach is to use the outside of the evaporator as a condenser by applying vapor compression technology, which is commonly used in thermal distillation systems. The benefits for the MicroDesalTM system application include: Keeping the air temperature in the evaporator high that allows for lower CFM requirements from the blower. This has the potential for a large energy savings for the overall system. Eliminating the need for a separate condenser system resulting in energy savings of at least 2.7 kWh per gallon. To achieve these operating advantages a small compressor would be needed to provide the vapor compression function outside of the evaporator. The energy cost for this compressor is small compared to the energy benefit. This approach will continue to be developed along with a number of other design options under consideration. There also continues to be design improvements and analysis of the evaporator pod options under corporate R&D that will be suitable for the field prototype system. Examples of additional specific activities during the report period included: Data organization, collection, and analysis Revisions and refinements to flow bench flow calculations Flow calculations for energy Development of test plan checklist for calibration protocol LabVIEW code review Initial calibration protocol for uncertainty analysis LabVIEW review for uncertainty analysis for flowmeters LabVIEW calibration Calibration management review LabVIEW calibration code testing
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Roper, William E., Kelly P. Rock, and Howard E. Sorber III, (2015), Innovative Removal of Agricultural Related Water Pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, National Capital Regional Water Resources Symposium, April 10, 2015, Washington DC
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Roper, William E., Kelly P. Rock, and Howard E. Sorber III, (2014), Innovative Approach to Reduce Nitrates and Nitrites from Rural Water Wells Caused by Agricultural Activities, International WEFTEC conference, October 1, 2014, New Orleans, LA
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Roper, William E., PhD, P.E. and Kelly P. Rock, (2014), Innovative Contaminant Removal from Mining Water with a Single Pass Advanced Treatment System, EPA National Conference on Mining-Influenced Waters: Approaches for Characterization, Source Control and Treatment, August 12-14, 2014, in Albuquerque, NM
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Roper, William E., and Kelly P. Rock, (2014), Contaminant Removal from Water with a Single Pass Advance Treatment System, National Capital Regional Water Resources Symposium, April 4, 2014, Washington DC
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Roper, William E., Kelly P. Rock, and Howard E. Sorber III, (2014), Innovative Removal of Nitrates and Nitrites from Contaminated Well Water, National Capital Regional Water Resources Symposium, April 4, 2014, Washington DC
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