Impact Free Water
Brief Technology Description
Pump that uses wave energy directly to pre-filter and pump seawater at the required pressure (up to 150 bars) for the intended pressure. In this case for replacing the high-pressure pumps on a RO( Reverse Osmosis) desalination system in order to operate the RO system using zero electricity, but rather producing electricity as a by-product.
Next Steps Required
Scale up the technology to the T4 and T10 unit sizes to optimise wave energy conditions and cost efficiency. Demonstrate these scaled up versions in a semi-commercial environment as a showcase for future customers.
Key Personnel
Simon Wijnberg
Anton Berkovitz
Craig Matthysen
Neil Parker
Company Background
- IFW was registered as a private company in South Africa in 2013.
- Four Directors (one of which is from the USA).
- IFW signed an MOU with our first client in 2017. Currently, we are negotiating the process of setting up a demonstration site with present T3 system as precursor to scaling up.
Detailed Technology Description
- Uses wave energy directly to pump seawater at whatever pressure is required by the process it feeds into, for example:
– SWRO desalination at 70 bars
– Power generation at 150 bars
– Mariculture at low pressures determined by the altitude of the header tank it feeds into (here the pre-filtration capability is a unique selling point of great interest to the industry)
- Pre-filters the seawater thus reducing maintenance costs (bio-fouling in supply pipelines negated) and mitigating red-tide contamination.
- System is both modular and scalable:
– The scalability affords it the ability to optimise the local wave conditions
–The modular capability enables the system to be:
. Sized to the clients requirements
. Optimise the use of the pipelines
. Optimise the use of the end process it feeds into
. Optimise the cost efficiency of the system
- The system is optimised by utilising the many potential by-products of the primary process it supports:
– SWRO – in addition to the production of potable water:
. Power generation
. Mariculture
. Mineral recovery
– Power generation – in addition to power:
. Pre-filtered seawater provision for any process, for example:
Mariculture
Conventional SWRO
Salt extraction
– Land based Mariculture – in addition to the power savings of using the tech to pump high volumes of seawater through the farm:
. Pre-filtration – mitigate red-tide events and other contaminants
. Temperature flux mitigation
. Power generation
Technology Applications
- Power generation
- Marineculture
- Mineral recovery
- conventional SWRO
- Salt extraction
Performance
RO capability demonstrated in 2015. Presently setting up a demonstration to capture wave energy with accurate wave data recording capability. This data will be available in 2018.
Testing and Demonstration Results
RO capability demonstrated in 2015.
Papers and Publications
Available upon request. WRC conference proceeding
IP Status
South African patent
website – Impact free water
