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Consumer/Home/Recreation
A l left is a view of the dolphin poo! at the
Clearwater Marine Science Center, Clearwater
Beach, Florida: belmv is the center's sea turtle
tank. Because high levels of chlorine cause damage to the
skins of dolphins and turtles, the Marine Science Center
employs a chlorine-free system of water purification. The
system, manufactured by Clearwater Pool Technologies,
Inc., Largo, Florida, is based on technology developed by
NASA during the Apollo Lunar Landing Program.
In the 1 960s, Johnson Space Center conducted a
research program aimed at development or a small, light-
weight water purifier that would require minimal power
arid no astronaut monitoring: it was intended to supply
pure d linking water for three-man Apollo crews on mis-
sions up to two weeks. From that research emerged an
electrolytic silver ion generator only slightly larger than a
cigarette pack and weighing only nine ounces. One or
more tin its, mounted at various locations in the potable
water supply on Apollo or later spacecraft, would dis-
perse silver ion concentrations of 100 to 300 parts in a
billion, sufficient to eliminate the bacteria in the water
within hours.
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This technology has found broad application because
if offers an alternative to use of chemical disinfectants,
long the standard method of controlling such water poilu-
tants as bacteria, algae and viruses. In recent years,
stricter government rules regarding discharge of chemi-
cals into public water supplies, along with increasing
costs of complying with environmental regulations, have
expanded interest in non-chemical or minimal ly-chemical
water treatment systems.
A number of companies have acquired NASA licenses
to commercialize the NASA technology in water manage-
ment systems. In many instances, they have used the
NASA technology as the core of a system and incorporated
advancements or refinements developed through their
own research efforts,
Clearwater Pop) Technologies employs silver/pppper
ionization to purify water bodies like the Marine Science
Center dolphin/turtie pools. The ClearWater Pool Purifier
(above) consists of a microcomputer that monitors water
conditions; a pair of metallic electrodes: and a rheostat
controller Ions are generated by passing a low voltage
current through the electrodes. Distributed throughout
the pool, the silver ions kill the bacteria and the copper
ions kill algae. The controller automatically introduces
the correct amount of ions to the water.
Clearwater Pool Technologies employs variations of
[tie basic techno logy in a number of other applications.
For cooling towers, the ClearWater Purifier cleans tanks
of bacteria ami algae, while a ClearWater Magnetizer
attacks the "scale” and corrosion that commonly build up
in such towers. The company produces systems for
cleansing spas, hoi tubs, water recycling systems, sys-
tems for bacteria/algae control in ponds and marine salt-
water habitats, systems for hospital water purification,
and systems for purifying drinking water in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
(Continued)
i
A mong the many users of NASA's silver ionization
tee h n o I ogy for wa t.e r purification Is Garib be a n
.Clear* US A. Inc.. Hilton Head Island, South
Carolina. For more than a decade, Caribbean Clear has
been using the silver ion approach as the core technology
of its water treatment systems* but the company's own
R&D work continues to generate advancements of the
basic technology.
An example is the Aqua king shown ;it left below, a
system designed for market areas where there is no
municipal or satisfactory source of acceptable drinking
water. The unit shown is the company's Model AK-20,
which automatically provides 20.000 liters of pure*
bacteria-free drinking water daily.
The Aqua King combines four technologies. First, ii
uses a physical catalyst lo condition the water and elimi-
nate scale buildup. Next, it uses advanced filtration tech-
nology to filter out unwanted color, odor, taste, sediment,
chlorine and other contaminants. Then it uses the NASA-
developed technology to purify the water by means of sil-
ver/copper ionization. Finally, it employs a submicron
filter array that removes microscopic particles and
organisms.
Another company advancement is LEie Caribbean
Clear Controller, which automatically controls pll. chlo-
rine and Ionization levels. The Controller system (hckm
right) is designed for commercial pool and water park
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applications where sanitizing is combined with feedback
control of pH and an oxidizer, chlorine or bromine.
The key to the system's effectiveness, according to
company sales literature, is "proportional control."
Where some controllers simply offer "on/off control, the
Caribbean Clear Controller automatically adjusts the rate
at which chemicals are fed into the water, based on a pre-
cise measurement of the rate at which the chemicals are
being consumed. Proportional control prevents overfeed-
ing. or slow response when there Is a sudden change in
chemical demand. The Controller, the company says,
offers chemical savings tip to 80 percent through a combi-
nation of proportional control and computer-controlled
ionization.
The mainstay of Caribbean Clear's business is still
the pool purification system based on the original NASA
technology, although it has undergone a number of
advancements and refinements. The company produces a
family of models ranging from in-home spa size to multi-
million gallon facilities. Caribbean Clear also offers cus-
tomized systems for specific applications, such as salt
water rookeries or koi ponds: such systems present spe-
cial challenges, either because of non-standard water
chemistry (as in a sea lion rookery) or because of the low
tolerance to copper exhibited in some species of fish.
'* Caribbean Clear is a registered trademark of Caribbean Clear USA, Ine.
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