The Western Hemisphere Information Exchange
(WHIX) Program
Mobile Water Purification and Renewable Energy
Technology Transfer Package – El Salvador
APPLIED RESEARCH CENTER
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
The Western Hemisphere Information Exchange
(WHIX) Program
Mobile Water Purification and Renewable Energy
Technology Transfer Package – El Salvador
Beth Pascual
Project Manager
Applied Research Center
Florida International University
Jerry Miller
Principal Investigator
Applied Research Center
Florida International University
September 29, 2008
WHIX PROGRAM SPONSORS
The office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations & Environment (ASAI&E) is responsible for policy development, program oversight and coordination of a wide
variety of Army activities such as design, construction, operations, maintenance and
management of Army installations; environmental compliance, clean-up and site disposal
programs; and management of the Army’s safety and occupation health programs. The
ASA-I&E serves as the executive agent for the WHIX Program.
The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) is one of nine unified Combatant
Commands (COCOMs) in the Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing
contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation for Central and South America,
the Caribbean, Cuba and the Bahamas, and their territorial waters; as well as for the force
protection of U.S. military resources at these locations. USSOUTHCOM is also responsible
for ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal and canal area. USSOUTHCOM SCJ7,
Innovation and Experimentation Directorate, is responsible for the technical oversight of
the WHIX Program.
Florida International University is a minority and Hispanic-serving, nonprofit public
university created by the Florida legislature as part of the state university system in 1965. It
is an urban, multi-campus, research university serving South Florida, the state, the nation
and the international community. Based in Miami, the University is a major center of
activity for research and development in the Western Hemisphere. Today, with fourteen
schools and colleges, FIU has over 30,000 students from all 50 states and 120 countries.
The Applied Research Center (ARC) is an applied research and technology development
center at Florida International University. Its multidisciplinary, industry-experienced team
of scientists and engineers develops next-generation, integrated solutions to
environmental, energy, and information challenges delivering the quality and value of a
top-ranked research university to clients in government. The Center’s focus is to address
real world problems through multidisciplinary research collaborations within the
University’s applied and basic research units. The Center’s mission is to solve issues in
environmental stewardship, energy security and defense technology. The ARC is the entity
responsible for the implementation of the WHIX Program throughout the Western
Hemisphere.
WHIX PROGRAM PARTNERS IN EL SALVADOR
The mission of the Armed Forces of El Salvador is the defense for the country’s
sovereignty and the integrity of its territory. The president of the republic may dispose of
its exceptional Armed Forces for the maintenance of internal peace, as it is in accordance
with the willingness of this institution.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador was created to facilitate and
intensify the farming, forest and fishing development and its rural environment. This
organization is responsible for developing, leading, and controlling policy development
within the agricultural sector. It is also evaluates the impact and repercussions of its
policies at the macroeconomic level of the sector.
The Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal (National Center for
Agricultural and Forestry Technology – CENTA) is a technical, scientific institution whose
objective is to promote and to facilitate the research and technology knowledge transfer for
agriculture and forestry for the Agribusiness sector. Its main functions include providing
council to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in the development of national
policies
for the scientific and technical development of agriculture and forestry, promote the use
of a general technology and laboratory services that support production, divulge the
accomplishments and results of the research and development generated and/or introduced
in the country in order to facilitating the adoption of such technologies.
The Laboratorio de Calidad Integral de la Fundacion Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo
Economico y Social (Laboratory of Integral Quality of the Salvadoran Foundation for the
Economic and Social Development – FUSADES), is a research and laboratory services
center. Its main objective is to help the sustainable development of the country. It is an
important factor for the food, drinks and environmental sectors. It is comprised of five
units, which offer analyses and technical support services.
Sun Energy Corporation is a young organization founded in August 2005, whose main
objective is to protect the natural environment through research and development of
renewable energy, agribusiness and environmental sciences.
The Western Hemisphere Information Exchange (WHIX) Program, Technology Transfer Package FY05
SUMMARY
This document contains the technology transfer components of the equipment deployed to El
Salvador. The purpose of this phase of the project was to design, assemble, and test a mobile
system designed to be comparable with the current US Army system integrated with renewable
energy.
The original baseline system for power integration, power requirements and purified water
production rates utilized the US Army Lightweight Water Purifier (LWP) integrated with thinfilm photovoltaic tents. Based on preliminary testing, FIU-ARC designed improvements in power
consumption requirements, transportability, and sustainability. FIU-ARC tested the prototype
system at the FIU campus and then deployed the system to El Salvador to support mission
operations such as disaster response. With the support of USSOUTHCOM and the Salvadoran
military, the units were field tested to determine logistic support requirements, durability,
deployability, and effectiveness in producing water quality that meets required standards.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The need for electrical power from renewable sources and a safe water supply is common to
nearly all-military operations, with the possible exception of those that enjoy local reliable
electric power and/or local reliable fossil fuel supply and water supply. In some Western
Hemisphere countries, fossil fuel and potable water are in short supply while solar radiation is
abundant. Hence, it is an attractive option to utilize this radiance for electrical energy generation
for water purification requirements.
The following presents the design goals that FIU-ARC set to achieve for this mobile system:
 A modular water purification system designed with reverse osmosis and an energy recovery
device.
 Design specification to produce between 500 and 1000 gallons/day of potable-quality water.
 Power provided by 3.6-kW of multi-tandem amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) based thin film
photovoltaic modules, mounted on canvas backing to be set up in a tent configuration during
operation and allow for folding of the array during transportation.
The overall objective was to demonstrate the system in the field under the operation of military
personnel. This included the use of military vehicles and demonstration at site locations
indicative of those encountered during potential military missions or military support of civilian
missions, such as disaster response.
SITE SELECTION
In conjunction with USSOUTHCOM, FIU-ARC worked with the USMILGRP in El Salvador to
determine the appropriate testing sites to facilitate objectives of integration, mobility, ergonomics,
and sustainability. FIU-ARC tested the prototype system at the FIU campus during the first
required demonstration period. FIU-ARC transported the system to Honduras, leveraging the
Crisis Management III joint experimentation exercise; and on to El Salvador, leveraging the
Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias (FA-HUM) exercise conducted by US Army South. The
Salvadoran military transported the equipment between sites by military vehicle and tested the
system at the Regimiento de Caballeria (Calvary Base) in El Salvador, where the WHIX FY04
constructed wetlands and biomass gasification projects reside. The later 40 days of the testing at
the Calvary Base utilized the effluent water from the constructed wetlands as source water. This
demonstrated the ability of the two technologies to clean sewage water to drinking water.
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The Western Hemisphere Information Exchange (WHIX) Program, Technology Transfer Package FY05
MOBILITY
Military readiness measures the ability of a military unit to accomplish its various missions.
Logistics, training, equipment, and morale all contribute to military readiness. Military readiness
can range from a unit’s preparedness to move into position and accomplish its mission, to
ensuring a unit’s long-term requirements are met for manpower, housing, training, equipment,
and/or logistics to accomplish its mission. For mobility, FIU-ARC recorded such parameters as
size, weight, assembly time, logistical footprint, transportation requirements, ease of set-up and
technical aptitude required for system operation.
ECONOMICS
FIU-ARC conducted an economic analysis of the system to facilitate the sustainability potential
for the equipment. Factors including the technology and manufacturing required to either
construct similar systems or maintain and operate purchased systems were evaluated, as well as
personal experience in operating the system. Although, manufacturers claimed longer life spans,
FIU-ARC assigned a life span of 10 years on all capital equipment due to the rapid progression of
technology in this arena. FIU-ARC estimated operations and maintenance costs on a monthly
basis, including items such as replacement filters, membrane cleaning, monthly maintenance of
motors and pumps by a mechanic. In addition, FIU-ARC estimated a yearly cost of replacing
worn parts and labor.
In summary, the mobile system averaged $0.04 to $0.15 per gallon for purified water depending
on the duration of operation.