03 / Hardware & invention
Patented solar water purification system
I designed and prototyped a portable solar-thermal system, combining a collapsible Fresnel-lens dome with temperature-controlled water flow, and authored its U.S. patent application through grant.
Simplified explanatory schematic, based on the patent. Not a construction drawing.
A physical problem, approached as a system.
I designed a portable solar-thermal water purification system that combines a collapsible Fresnel-lens dome, a narrow water coil, and temperature-controlled flow. The dome’s facets concentrate sunlight at its base, reducing the need for a mechanically moving sun tracker.
The project brought together CAD, physical prototyping, optical geometry, and embedded sensing. I iterated through CAD and 3D-printed prototypes over several years and authored the patent application through grant.
Three parts working together
- The concentrator. A faceted, collapsible dome holds Fresnel lenses oriented in different directions so that facets can concentrate sunlight as the sun moves.
- The water path. A spiral metal coil carries water through the concentrated heat at the base of the dome, heating a small volume at the focal region.
- The control system. Temperature sensing feeds an Arduino-based controller and solenoid flow control, regulating when heated water exits the coil.
From prototype to patent
The design is documented in U.S. Patent US12528717B1, “Dome-shaped solar water purification system”, granted January 20, 2026. The patent includes the dome assemblies, water transportation coil, and controller architecture.
This project shaped my interest in engineering across boundaries: the optics only matter if the mechanics work, and the thermal design only becomes a usable system when sensing and control work with it.
The patent documents the design and its operating principles. This page does not present independent water-quality certification or a measured purification-performance study.