Session: 02-01-01: Product and Process Design 1

Paper Number: 166171

Design and Prototyping of an Electric Pulsed Fields System for Water Treatment 

The availability of drinkable water is a pressing issue affecting human health and quality of life. Several processes implement chemical and thermal methods to achieve the minimum water quality defined by the World Health Organisation. Nevertheless, these methods might affect the physical and chemical properties of water or even create unwanted byproducts that may harm human health or the environment. In addition, they might represent economic challenges, especially in developing countries. In this scenario, using the method of electric pulsed fields to inactivate the bacteria present in water may create nanopores in microbial cell membranes, leading to cell rupture and inactivation, without the need for chemicals. Additionally, the development of equipment based on open-source technologies may represent an opportunity to find a better approximation towards this challenge.
The design started by defining the function the system has to perform. The conceptual design considered the engineering and functional requirements that help to define an architecture for the system. For the embodiment design, it was necessary to divide the global design and its function into subsystems to analyze the mechanical, electric, electronic, and computational characteristics. The selection of components and the construction of the prototype were done only with open-source hardware and the mechanical components made out of local materials. The final phase of the study included a proof of concept experiment with infected water to see the behavior of the reduction of bacteria counts after the electric field pulses.
The prototype presented functionality and flexibility to allow the user to configure the operational parameters of the electrodes within the treatment chamber. The electric field strength could offer an operational range from 0.5 kV/cm to 25 kV/cm. The frequency could reach 20000 Hz, and the number of pulses could range from 1 to 100. The pulse shape was a square wave, and the system allowed the user to set the pulse width from 2500 ns to 100000 ns. The proof of concept experiment showed a reduction in the bacterial counts of the infected water.
The design and prototype of a system that applied electric field pulses to a treatment chamber were possible by using open-source hardware. Concerning the implementation, this study represents an opportunity for water treatment at small scales in the future, especially in developing countries. This system may also help to investigate how to apply electric pulsed fields to water, or liquid foods, with the aim to determine protocols for inactivation of bacteria.

Presenting Author: Livingston Castro Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral

Presenting Author Biography: Livingston Castro received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuador, in 2012 and the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, USA, in 2016. Since then, He has been working as a lecturer and researcher at Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral. His research interests include engineering design, mechanics, and technology development using electric and magnetic fields for bioengineering applications.

Authors:

Livingston Castro Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral
Juan D. Orellana Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral
Giovanny A. Romero Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral
Arturo S. Palacios-Ponce Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral