NSF-funded small business FloDesign Sonics developed AWS technology to clean water that comes to the surface when extracting natural gas by hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking). The technology, Acoustic Wave Separation, uses a pattern of ultrasonic waves to exert acoustic forces on hydrocarbons and other contaminants in the water. The pattern trap particles or droplets in the liquid, coalescing them into larger clusters. Depending on their relative density compared to the liquid, these larger clusters either settle to the bottom or rise to the surface, where they can be separated easily.

The image shows a May 2013 test using produced water from Bookshire, Texas.

To Learn more about NSF-funded clean water technology see the NSF special report Cleaner water, clearer future.

Credit: FloDesign Sonics Inc.

FloDesign Sonics developed AWS to clean water that comes to the surface during natural gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking). The company developed a test system that can clean water flowing at 1 gallon per minute (pictured above), which was used to evaluate the robustness of the system's electronics. The test results helped the company scale the technology for the 5-gallon-per-minute alpha system prototype.

NSF supported the research of FloDesign Sonics with grants from the Small Business Innovation Research program.

Credit: FloDesign Sonics Inc.