RICHLAND, Wash. – A Washington State University Tri-Cities student mechanical engineering team created a working prototype of a solar water purifier that they hope will one-day be used in developing countries where access to clean water is scarce.

The project was led by recent engineering graduates Mitch Blocher, Daniel Lara, Alex Andres, Sergio Alvarado and Zachary Garcia under the advisement of their instructor, Steve Jordan, who also sponsored the project. The group created the project as part of their senior design capstone engineering course.

“The foundation to this project is based on a similar senior project from the past in which a group was tasked with developing a solar milk pasteurizer,” Andres said. “When our advisor came up with the idea of taking this solar milk pasteurizer and implementing it into a solar water purification system, his first thought was to make it portable and user-friendly enough to send out to third world countries without access to purified water.”

The system uses a solar reflector, positioning system, pumping system, electronics and a heat exchanger to regulate heat, pump water through the system and purify the water out of a standard bucket or other water container. The system, they said, had to be relatively simple, as the parts needed to be locally sourced and able to be fixed in developing countries.

“First, recognizing that the design of this system revolved around a well-thought-out control system, breaking down the complex processes into a simpler, high-level subsystem based on their tasks greatly helped,” Blocher said. “From there, each sub-system could be designed because we knew what function each system, sensor and part needed to perform, as well as how it interfaced with other components.”

Blocher said their final design had to meet specific portability and weight criteria, in an effort to ensure it was portable. He said when fully assembled, the system stands six-feet tall and nearly four-feet in width, but it can be broken down small enough to fit in a backpack, where it weighs 20 pounds.

Lara said one of the most challenging parts of the project was the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations that it presented. He said trying to pull together their project in a remote environment, which still required physical assembly, proved difficult, but they made it work.

Andres said availability of materials and components amid the pandemic also proved challenging.

“That being said, ���سԹ� gave us as much opportunity as permitted to supplies and resources” he said. “Our advisor was also very cooperative and dedicated to getting us all we needed to accomplish our design.”

Lara said it feels humbling to know that they were able to contribute a new design that is easy to manufacture and even easier to transport in an effort to provide a commodity, which is growing scarcer and scarcer each year.

“It feels gratifying to know that we were able to design a functioning prototype to show people that it is indeed possible to build a system such as this when there are few options available on the market,” he said.

“Engineering is all about innovation,” Andres said. “It has truly been a privilege to not only come up with a solution to a worldwide crisis, but to do so working side-by-side with other brilliant engineering students, advisors and faculty has been even more rewarding. It is truly a moment that I believe will stick with every one of us for the rest of our lives.”

The team hopes that future engineering teams will take the project and advance particular components so that they can one-day send it overseas for implementation in the developing world.

Initial step in launch of future energy institute led by ���سԹ�

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Longtime Tri-Citian Bob Ferguson, who served as the first deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the , made a $500,000 gift to support Washington State University Tri-Cities’ first endowed faculty position in energy and environment.

The position represents the initial step in the development of a future institute at ���سԹ�. The institute will be dedicated to understanding and shaping the region’s diverse energy resources, and will directly leverage WSU’s research strengths in water resources, environment, agriculture, policy and economics.

“The professorship and institute will focus on partnerships for research in the energy industry, fostering community discussions and relationships for policy development at the state and national levels, and developing curriculum to support future workforce needs across various energy sectors,” ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. “We are incredibly grateful to Bob for his generous gift and its vast potential impacts for the Tri-Cities region and Washington state as a whole.”

Ferguson said the Tri-Cities region is already a leader in the energy sector, contributing de-carbonized power through nuclear, solar, wind, hydropower, and biofuels. To build on this foundational strength, Ferguson wanted to provide a substantial gift to launch ���سԹ�’ first endowed faculty position, and encourages others to join in donating to the effort.

“This institute would solidify the Tri-Cities as a hub, probably the first one, ever, that can link all of these energy sources, from basic research to full demonstration,” he said. “Energy is the source of all economic development. We need a curriculum. We need a workforce for the future. ���سԹ� is uniquely positioned to integrate all these areas. WSU could lead this effort for the state and the nation.”

Established foundation in energy

Ferguson’s storied career in nuclear energy began in 1957 at , where he trained and worked as a reactor physicist and reactor operations supervisor at the B Reactor – the world’s first large-scale nuclear reactor, located in the Tri-Cities. He worked his way up to the position of deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the U.S. Department of Energy before making his way back to the Tri-Cities to serve as CEO for the Washington Public Power Supply System — now called .

Ferguson was actively involved in early discussions for the expansion of the Tri-Cities campus into a fully-fledged WSU campus. The campus began in the 1940s as the General Electric School of Nuclear Engineering, where it offered graduate-level programs for those working out at the Hanford Nuclear Site. In 1989, it became a WSU campus, first serving upper-level undergraduate and graduate programs and now offering full four-year bachelor’s and graduate programs in a range of fields.

“This gift is a culmination of the vision we had when we established ���سԹ� here,” Ferguson said. “This is a way to support research that WSU is doing now, as well as investing in what it could be doing in the future.”

WSU President Kirk Schulz said leveraging what each WSU campus does best — by utilizing local assets, such as the unique location and surrounding community of each campus — is the most effective way to deliver on WSU’s land-grant mission and provide optimal service to the state.

“For Tri-Cities, the clear differentiator is the confluence of nuclear, solar, hydro, biofuels, and wind power,” he said. “Bob’s gift will help transform ���سԹ� into an energy headquarters for our entire state and region.”

Because WSU is a Carnegie Research 1 university and because of its existing relationship with the through its joint nuclear, biofuels, and power grid institutes, the Ferguson gift will be a major boost for energy-related research at WSU, said Christopher Keane, WSU vice president for research.

“Bob’s gift will advance ���سԹ� research capabilities, the university’s capabilities in energy systems and WSU’s collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,” he said.

Continuing momentum with future investment

Ferguson’s gift launches an effort to raise $2 million in additional funding to fully support the endowed faculty position. The campus plans to conduct a nationwide search for the position in fall 2022.

“The lead commitment for this faculty position is an important milestone,” said Mike Connell, acting vice president and CEO of the . “Through this generous investment, Bob will inspire other individuals and industry partners to get involved and fuel an energy research hub that will have both a regional and national impact.”

Mike Wolcott, WSU associate vice president for research, said Ferguson’s reputation brings a level of prestige to WSU’s mission and will be instrumental in attracting the best talent to the region for the position and the program.

“Expanding on this foundational vision will allow us to have a greater impact on the future of our energy systems and the economic development that will be associated with its build-out,” Wolcott said. “WSU has tremendous breadth and depth to offer in many facets of energy-related topics.”

Regional legislators are also excited about the potential for the professorship and a nationally-recognized energy institute.

“Bob Ferguson’s leadership and generosity is remarkable and makes me proud to be a Tri-Citian,” said Washington state Rep. Matt Boehnke. “I can’t wait to see the research and ingenuity that comes out of the energy systems institute, as well as the leaders that are developed as a result of the new professorship.”

For more information in supporting the professorship and future institute, contact Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development, at 509-372-7207 or Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu.

 

Media contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development, 509-372-7207, Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), Maegan_murray@wsu.edu