Emergency life raft with integrated seawater distiller system (ELRIDS)

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Nowadays, a modern life raft could not provide human with water, which is so precious during critical survival situation. Many of these raft equipped with rain collector, but it only be useful when raining and depending on the size of water reservoir. From the previous literature, there is not yet a single design that combines life raft and water distiller or water desalinator available, except for those owned by US Army (254 MK7 life rafts and 127 MK8 life rafts), which has a unit of Manual Reverse Osmosis Desalinator (MROD). But, this is proven to be too much expensive and the MROD unit even more expensive than the civilian life raft itself. In this study, working prototype that makes improvement from conventional inflatable life raft was designed and produced. The major new feature of this raft has been integrated with mechanism the enable production of purified water from seawater, and produces its own power. This radical improvement has been achieved by using simple and foolproof mechanism; and with the use of electric power which something that most likely will be find nowhere in the middle of the ocean. The life raft also has surpassed the requirement of International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The findings show that the Emergency Life Raft With Integrated Seawater Distiller System (ELRIDS) is a major improvement from conventional inflatable life raft.