ARMY TM 10-4610-309-14
MARINE CORPS TM 10802A-14/1
TACTICAL WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM (TWPS)
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DESCRIPTION AND THEORY OF OPERATION
THEORY OF OPERATION
AIR SYSTEM
Air System Operation Overview
The air system provides air needed to backwash and drain the MF (micro-filter) and to operate the TWPS
Automatic Valves. The air system is composed of a high-pressure, three-stage compressor assembly, a
two-stage outlet air filtration system, an air receiver tank, and a series of safety valves and regulating
valves that are either manually or solenoid-operated. A simplified representation of the air system is
illustrated in Figure 15.
The compressor supplies high pressure air, up to 1800 psig, through a two-stage air filtration system to
Air System Section 1. From Air System Section 1, Air Receiver Tank R-1 is charged to about 800 to 1000
psig so that the air system has a sufficient reserve of pressurized air when needed for various TWPS
operations. Pressure switch assembly PSL/PSH-901 turns the compressor on when the pressure falls
below 800 psig and turns the compressor off when the pressure exceeds 950 psig. The high-pressure air
is reduced to 100 psig as it flows through Air System Section 1 to Air System Section 3.
Air System Section 3 further reduces the air pressure to 15 psig that is used for draining the MF fibers
before backwash and for draining the MF assembly shell during drain-down. As indicated in Figure 15,
15 psig air flows from point A in Section 3 to point B at the upper feed inlet of the MF Assembly and from
point C in Section 3 through Air System Section 4 to point D at the filtrate outlet of the MF Assembly. To
backwash the MF fibers, 100 psig air flows from point E in Section 3 through Air System Section 4 to
point D at the filtrate outlet of the MF Assembly.
One-hundred psig air also flows from Section 3 to Air System Section 6. Any remaining oil/water is
removed from the air as it flows through Section 6 to the Feed Flow Control Panel, to Filtrate Flow Control
Valve V-202, and to an air manifold assembly in the Instrument/Solenoid Panel Box.
The Feed Flow Control Panel controls the operation of Filtrate Flow Control Valve V-202, which controls
the flow of filtrate from the MF system to the RO feed tank. The Feed Flow Control Panel is described in
more detail in WP 0011, Description and Use of Operator Controls and Indicators.
The Air Manifold Assembly is described in more detail a little later in this work package under the heading
Air Manifold Assembly.
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