Solar-powered UF units delivered to Iraq

SPX Global of San Diego, California, announced on 16 October 2009, that it had delivered 325 solar-powered water purification systems to the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works in Iraq, working with Iraq global of Baghdad.

The 325 SPX Tracker ultra filtration (UF) systems provide the capability to purify 1.8 MGD (6,800 m³/d) of surface water for the citizens of Iraq. The Tracker is a trailer-mounted UF system which is self-contained and fully powered through a solar tracking system.

The system design incorporated a nine-stage filtration process and ultra violet (UV) sterilization, producing water with turbidity below 0.5 NTU and 99.9% free of bacteria. The delivered systems have the potential to meet the basic fresh water needs of over 300,000 Iraqis and are being provided just in time to fight the annual cholera outbreaks associated with unclean water.

The system can be employed in less than a day and presents lifetime water costs of less than one cent per gallon over a ten year life. This economic production provides the ability for community leaders to deliver basic water needs at less than US$ 0.03/d per person.

The SPX Tracker UF combines unique, patented filtration technologies with solar tracking solutions to operate independently of any electrical or water infrastructure. The unit has been proven to convert high turbidity (greater than 50 NTU) surface feed water to clear, clean drinking water (less than 0.2 NTU.)

The UF portion of the system integrates a seven-stage filtration unit and two-stage pump prefiltration to reduce suspended solids down to the .02 micron level. The system incorporates screen, media, membrane and gravel pack technologies with fully automated flushing and backwash systems.

Each SPX Tracker UF system is fully powered through solar tracking technologies. The tracking systems generate 40% greater energy than static systems and provide a compact solution independent of local power grids. The solar tracking system, incorporated by Mark Snyder Electric, has been deployed in hundreds of locations over the last 20 years, to include a zero-energy school in Alpine, California.

The solar system provides all power for pump and electronic components in the system and utilizes patented technology to track the sun during the day without requiring a motor or other complex mechanical parts. This motor-free system provides a unique, sustainable solution for deployment in the harsh desert environment of Iraq.

For more information, contact: SPX Global LLC
Tel: +1 619 284-4411
Fax: +1 619 284-4862
Web: www.spxglobal.com