Rowpu: A Military Water Filtering System

A water filtering system can be seen in a wide variety of applications

. There are large scale municipal projects that do minimal levels of purification, nonetheless doing the important work of transforming raw water to potable, and there are POU (point of use) water filtering systems that deliver water free of almost all impurities to homes and offices for drinking and cooking. This process has become common place, but there are other less familiar places for water purification. The ROWPU, used by militaries, is one such example.

ROWPU stands for reverse osmosis water purification unit. It is a large and mobile apparatus used by militaries to purify water through the process known as reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis is a water filtering system that traps water using particles like calcium carbonate, then uses activated carbon to trap chlorine and other chemicals harmful to reverse osmosis membranes, applies pressure to push water on one side of a membrane to another, removing impurities in the process, and then employs ultraviolet light to sterilize any particulate outliers. This has applications in the food industry, car washing, hydrogen and maple syrup production, among numerous others. The military ROWPU, however, takes the water filtering system up a notch.

The ROWPU can process up to 150,000 imperial gallons of water from source, at up to 3,000 gallons per hour. It can remove not only salts, but also chemical agents, nuclear agents, radiological agents, and biological agents. A single such machine can sustain the hydration needs of upwards of 6,000 soldiers. Using ion exchange and cotton-wound filters, this water filtering system removes anything larger than 5 micrometers, or just two ten-thousandths of an inch.

The ROWPU is not the most state of the art military grade water filtering system, though. Rather, in the case of the US Marines, the ROWPU is being replaced in modern ground force scenarios by the Lightweight Water Purification System, which can me moved by just one military car like a Humvee, and the Tactical Water Purification System, which can be moved using a large truck. Both systems process less water than the ROWPU (only 125 gallons and 1,500 gallons per hour, respectively), but make up for this with increased mobility.

Water filtering systems play an important role in sustaining municipalities, providing hydration at work and at home, and in the operations of militaries across the world. Reverse osmosis can be pivotal in each of these water filtering systems, whether they be on the battlefield or at home.

by: Mark Etinger

POST COMMENT

Pilgrim Trail To The Birthplace Of The Incas An Easy Way To Save Money On Your Trip To Germany The Varying Skin Care Tips For Each Skin Type Aurangabad Trip - A Trip To The Land Of History Finding The Right Car For The Occasion With A Hummer For Hire A Trip To Bedse Caves, One Of The Greatest Trips I Ever Had 7 Tips To Visit London On A Budget 5 Good Reasons To Get An Overseas Nanny Job 10 Excellent Reasons To Dump Your Boyfriend While Backpacking Together What You Need To Consider When Taking Your Pet To A Vet What To Sell From Your Hot Dog Stand To Generate Maximum Cash Waiter Training: How To Take The Order? How Can You Have A Quick Workout?