MECO Wins USN Shipboard Desalination Contract
MECO won the design and development of advanced shipboard desalination units for the US Navy under contracts with the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Under the new contracts, MECO will develop systems rated at 4000 and 100,000 gallons per day that are designed to take advantage of advancements in technology and function within the constraints of operating on naval ships. The program will span three years with the first six months spent in design followed by development of demonstration prototypes. Objectives of the program include minimizing volume, mass and manning requirements while improving reliability.
In conjunction with Teledyne Scientific and DARPA, MECO is developing technologies to further reduce weight, space and energy for man portable desalination. MECO is currently under contract with the US Army TACOM for production of the Lightweight Water Purifier (LWP). The (LWP), previously designed and developed by MECO, represents current state of the art technology for small mobile water purification and desalination needs. The LWP produces 125 gallons per hour of freshwater from a brackish water source or 75 gallons per hour from a seawater source. The LWP removes nuclear, biological or chemical agents from the water supply, is set up in 45 minutes and operated by one soldier. The LWP fits in the back of a HMVEE or a Blackhawk helicopter and is air droppable.