Mobile Water Distribution System

This studio group project focused on creating an emergency water filtration and distribution system based on the platform of the Bollinger B2 Truck. The premise centered around the needs of Hinds County, Jackson, MS, and sponsored by Bollinger Motors. I specifically focused on the filtration portion of the system; the entire system contains a filter, water tank, individual containers, and wagon to facilitate delivery.

The basis of this project revolved around targeting the inadequacies within federal immediate emergency response. Oftentimes, citizens are unable to obtain clean drinking and bathing water for the 24-48 hours between a declaration of a state of emergency and larger emergency systems kicking in. This project was a look at immediate relief for those who are unable to leave their residences or do not have access to transportation to collect water at large distribution sites. The Bollinger B2 was selected for its off-road capabilities that can be leveraged during a natural disaster; its unique status as an electric vehicle afforded immediate water filtration onboard the truck.

Utilizing their sponsorship and the resources shared by Bollinger Motors (digital models, electric battery capability data, and the B2 show truck), we developed a proposal for community relief in the first 48 hours of the emergency and designed associated products for seamless execution of the system.
Duration:
10 weeks

Skills:
User Research
Design Research
Physical Sketch Modeling
Rapid Sketch Prototyping
Solidworks Modeling
Keyshot Rendering

Group:
Joseph Kim
Ian Lippincott
Holly Liu
Julia Steinweh-Alder

This project was featured in the dmi: Review Vol. 33, Issue 3

National Guard unpacks Frunk and prepares to connect to a fire hydrant and start filtering water.
Detail shot of control panel and modular connection system of water filtration system.
Wide angle of water filtration system. Water intakes from Frunk and outputs to the tank in truck bed.

The Bollinger B2's unique high mobility capabilities allowed us to design an immediate water filtration and distribution system that is transported, housed, and operated on the truck. Trucks are deployed in a fleet of five across a community as soon as a State of Emergency is called to provide clean drinking, cooking, and bathing water to families that are not able to access communal water distribution sites. Each truck can be operated by an individual National Guard supported by volunteer community members. Our proposed system utilizes community expertise of which families might be the most impacted (elderly living alone, hard-to-access residences, families without access to transportation) to prioritize water deliveries to residences.

As the Bollinger trucks arrive in impacted neighborhoods, the filtration systems are connected to fire hydrants to start filtering water; we chose to utilize fire hydrant access to ensure that water is always available and independent of impacted large-scale water systems. As the water is filtered, trained volunteers fill 2-gallon containers; the connection points between the water hoses and containers were designed specifically to maintain sterility. The filled containers are then loaded onto carts to be more easily distributed by volunteers to families. Once all of the residences in a specific radius have been served, the operation is packed up and the National Guard moves on to the next assigned hydrant to repeat the cycle of filtration, packaging, and distribution. This system is calculated to serve 420 individuals with 2 gallons of drinking water in six hours. Over the expected 48 hours of operation, one truck can deliver 6,720 gallons of water to 3360 people, totaling over 33 thousand gallons of water and almost 17 thousand residents with five trucks in operation.

process Medium