The Qwater System...

	Ultrasound - An Overview
	Our Technology
	Specific Applications
	Advantages

Ultrasound - An Overview

Qwater has developed a "State of the Art" disinfection system utilizing high-powered ultrasound.  Many principal uses of ultrasound today are in the commercial, medical and defense industries.  The science, over 100 years old, has been deployed successfully in many markets.  New uses are being readily discovered by those who have a clear understanding of the principles of ultrasound and how to apply them.

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Our Technology

Qwater has developed a technology that uses ultrasonic sound waves to destroy unwanted organisms in fluid streams. Organisms are destroyed or lysed (the technical term for cell destruction) during cavitation. Cavitation creates millions of bubbles that expand and then implode. During the sudden implosion (ten picoseconds), the center of the bubble creates temperatures as high as 5500^o Celsius combined with thousand of atmospheres of pressure. This sudden collapse then releases a shockwave.  The result of these actions causes total annihilation of any and all organisms exposed to the treatment resulting in total disinfection.

Laboratory tests using a laser obscuration particle size measurement device have shown that organisms are reduced to a common particle size. Chlorophyll growth after treatment has been negative indicating that plant growth was terminated.

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Image of microscopic bubble created by 
cavitation from ultrasonic sound wave.

Specific Applications

While our process is adaptable to many applications our initial focus is on ballast water and wastewater treatment. 

As ballast water is exposed to this high powered ultrasonic sound wave, the ANS contained in ballast water are destroyed in this two stage process: the first stage being exposure to the high temperatures, creating an instantaneous kill of all organisms, and the second stage shockwave that blows each specie into over 100 unidentifiable pieces.  After this treatment, the ballast water can be harmlessly discharged back into the sea.

Qwater has developed a system to handle commercially practical volumes and to reduce the capital and operating cost of this process.

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Advantages

The advantages of this system are:

	Process large volumes economically
	Low power consumption
	Requires minimal maintenance and training
	Small footprint
	Destroys all types of organisms in water such as zooplankton, phytoplankton, algae,  bacteria and viruses
	Requires no chemicals

Comparison of this technology to existing and proposed technologies used for disinfection, reflect operating costs of less than 30% without consideration for ancillary benefits.

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