Photo By Sgt. J.P. Lawrence | U.S. Air Force biologist Capt. Ashton Carter, from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,...... read more read more
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SHOALWATER BAY TRAINING AREA, Queensland, Australia - After scrounging around the Australian bush in search of the dirtiest body of water he could find, U.S. Air Force Capt. Ashton Carter settled for a runoff pond near a water treatment facility at Camp Growl.
The pond, thick with simmering algae and lined with greenish sludge, was guarded by a chain-link fence with signs reading, “No swimming,” “Avoid contact,” and “Reclaimed effluent, not for drinking.”
Undaunted, Carter moved to the water’s edge, splashed a hose into the water and turned on a small, black machine. Within seconds, water – clear, pure water – spilled into a waiting cup.
Carter, an Air Force biologist at the Air Force Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, brought a prototype of the Seldon Waterbox across the Pacific to test the device with the aid of counterparts in the Australian military as part of Talisman Sabre 2011.
TS11 is an exercise designed to train U.S. and Australian forces to plan and conduct combined task force operations in order to improve combat readiness and interoperability on a variety of missions from conventional conflict to peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance efforts.
According to Seldon Technologies, the suitcase-sized device they developed, under the auspices of the U.S. Air Force, can effectively turn any river, lake or stream into a potable water source by removing 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.99% of viruses through its carbon nanotube filtration system.
Over the course of the three-week exercise, Carter will test the Seldon Waterbox with his counterparts in the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organization.
“The Australian Defence Science and Technology Organization was very interested in this technology,” said Australian Defence Force Maj. Ian Culloden, Australian Science and Technology lead of the TS11’s joint operations center. “Talisman Sabre was an ideal opportunity for the science and technology program to build a little collaboration between the U.S. and Australians.”
The simplicity of the device is one of its strong points, Carter said.
“You plug in your filters, plug in your hose, which goes in your source water, and then you can either drink straight from the tap, or you can pour it into whatever tank you’re storing it in,” he said.
The box, once opened, reveals a bundle of hoses, a small pump, and three vertical cylinders. It uses no heat, UV light or chemicals. It runs on a car battery and fits in the backseat of Carter’s car. Although at approximately 70 pounds, the device is luggable more than it is portable.
Culloden said he can see applications of the device for both countries. He added that the small size and low energy usage would be useful for both military and humanitarian missions.
After letting the machine run for approximately 20 minutes, Carter shuts it down when one of the filters becomes overburdened with green muck. Carter will continue testing the device, which he describes as in its late developmental stage, throughout TS11 with members of the Australian military.
“It’s one of those things that a small unit can take with them, because as you probably know, water is one of the biggest drains on the logistics system,” Culloden said. “If you can just pull up to a water source, plug in and get whatever amount of water you need, as you need it, it’s a beautiful way of doing things.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2011 04:14 |
| Story ID: | 74194 |
| Location: | SHOALWATER BAY TRAINING AREA, QL, AU |
| Web Views: | 601 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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