bubble pump

BUBBLE PUMP C2M FALL 2013 PI: Leif Steinhour, LBL Team Lead: Jonathan Lim

THE GEOGRAPHIC LOTTERY

GLOBAL WATER SCARCITY IN 2025

THE NEED

SUBSISTENCE FARMING $150 / year

NET PRODUCER $850 / year

~500% Gain

THE TEAM

MAHARA INGLIS MBA Candidate

KRIS CUARESMA-PRIMM MBA Candidate

NICK ADAMS MS/MPP Candidate

DR. DEBORAH SUNTER

VIVEK RAO PhD Candidate

JONATHAN LIM MBA Candidate

LEIF STEINHOUR Principal Investigator, LBNL

BUSI

NES

S TE

CHN

ICAL

THE STATUS QUO

We integrate two mature technologies, using sunlight to lift, clean, and move water.

KEY INNOVATION

BUBBLE PUMP

TECHNOLOGY #1: SOLAR COLLECTOR

C2M X SOLAR DESAL

TECHNOLOGY #2: SLUG FLOW

C2M X SOLAR DESAL

C2M X SOLAR DESAL

TYPI

CAL

TWO

PH

ASE

FLO

W


C2M X SOLAR DESAL

TYPI

CAL

TWO

PH

ASE

FLO

W

SLU

G F

LOW


LIFT, MOVE, AND CLEAN

C2M X SOLAR DESAL

C2M X SOLAR DESAL


C2M X SOLAR DESAL

COLLECTOR 75 feet long ~2 feet wide Plastic + reflective coating.

1. LIFT 30 feet 2. MOVE ~750 gallons / day

3. CLEAN 99.9% of waterborne pathogens inactivated

PIPING 75 feet long 12 inch rise Plastic


BUBBLE PUMP IN ACTION

OLD TECH RENEWED

You’ve already seen sunlight heating and moving water based on mature technology.

CALIFORNIA ROOFTOP, 1911


DESIGN MILESTONES

Bringing these technologies to the rural, developing world comes with design challenges.

RURAL AFRICA, 2013


DESIGN MILESTONES

1. ESTABLISH FLOW CONTROL • Structural integrity • Dry-out prevention

RURAL AFRICA, 2013


DESIGN MILESTONES

1. ESTABLISH FLOW CONTROL 2. ASSESS FOULING

WATER FROM DUBIOUS SOURCES

CLEAN, DOMESTIC WATER

DESIGN MILESTONES

1. ESTABLISH FLOW CONTROL 2. ASSESS FOULING 3. ANALYZE SCALABILITY AND

PRIMING

WILDLY VARYING APPLICATIONS/SITES

CONSISTENT – FITS ON A ROOF

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE


$0.0

$0.2

$0.4

$0.6

$0.8

$1.0

$1.2

$1.4

Low High

Treadle Pump

Solar PV

Diesel Pump

Bubble Pump

Average daily cost

Ability to lift and move water

Bubble Pump

Non-potable

Potable

INCUMBENT vs. ENTRANT

✔ ✔ ✔

DIESEL PUMP BUBBLE PUMP

LEVELIZED COST ($/DAY)

PATHOGENS KILLED (%)

OPERATIONAL CO2 (TONS/YR)

1.30

0

0.5

0.30

99.9

0


BUSINESS MODEL PILOT PARTNERS

This slide does not match the previous in logical order -

reconcile

GO TO MARKET STRATEGY

“We help subsistence farmers realize ~500% growth in crops by employing the sun to lift, move and clean water.”

VALUE PROP

WATER SCARCITY: 2025

SOLAR SUPPLY

PILOT: KENYA

Value Prop

Customer Segments Customer Relationships

Channels

BUSINESS MODEL

PERF

ORM

ANCE

TIME

VILLAGE WATER

RURAL AGRICULTURE

Initial Market Entry Medium-Term Long-term

IMPACT Clean, safe water for the developing world

HORIZON

THE SOURCE

THE FIT: LIFT, MOVE, AND CLEAN

PASTEURIZATION 99.9% of pathogens

SOLAR No energy input

TASTE, ODOR No taste residual

SAFETY No boil? No flow.

Technology

The Need

Business model Impact

Thank you

Questions?

Technical Appendix

• Residence time calculations • Energy Calculation Framework • Input solar energy is needed to

• Partially boil the water • Overcome pressure losses

• Gravitational head (increasing elevation) • Friction • Fluid acceleration

• Required solar collector area is calculated based on • Desired liters of water per day • Horizontal displacement • Vertical displacement

Performance

Purification

Lifts Moves Filters

Sediment Pathogens Inorganic toxins

Bubble Pump ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ? Lifesaver Jerrycan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Life Straw ✓ ✓ ✓ Sarvajal Water ATM ✓ ✓ ✓

Ceramic Pot Filter ✓ ✓ ✓ Life Sack ✓ ✓ ✓

Benchmarks

• For the case study investigated, the collector area is less than 2% of the farmer’s land.

• At larger scale, the move metric becomes significant

Borehole Cost Estimate

“Costing and Pricing: A Guide for Water Well Drilling Enterprises,” Rural Water Supply Network, Field Note 2010-6.

IP Situation

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory • Provisional patent

• Obtained March 2013 • Expires March 2014

• Scientist hopes to convert to utility patent

People with water-related diseases fill half the hospital beds in developing countries – www.care.org

THE CRISIS

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”

JACQUES COUSTEAU

1: Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Water and Sanitation Improvements at the Global Level, World Health Organization, 2004 2: Water and Sanitation to Reduce Child Mortality

• Absolute economic impact of water access & Sanitation Improvements1

• Return on investment for water & sanitation improvements1

• Affordability of improvements compared to GDP2

Making an Impact in Water

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