Quadracci Sustainable Engineering Laboratory
Quench
ensuring water access and visibility for every liter dispensed TheSchoolofEngineeringatColumbiaUniversity’sqSELlaboratoryiscurrentlydevelopingQuench,apay-as-you-gohardwareandsoftwareplatformthatoffersanenhancedwatermanagementsolutionforrural,urbanandperi-urbansettings.Currently,consumersarewillingtopaythesmallpricefordailywaterandtheassociatedcoststhatensurequalityandsafety.However,last-miledeliveryofdrinkingwaterfromtheutilitytotheconsumerhasbeenachallenge.Currentutilitypaymentsystemsareunreliableandincurhightransactioncosts.Inaddition,accesstowaterprimarilydependsuponattendantsthatarepronetopaymentdefaultsjeopardizingcustomerserviceandsolvencyforthewaterscheme.Quench’ssimple,scalable,andsustainableprepaymentplatformremediesmanyoftheseissues.TheQuenchSolution:• Pay-As-You-Go,integrationwithcurrent
utilitypaymentsystems• Utilizesasimpletamper-proofsmartcard
systemforwateraccess.OptionsforWiFiorcellularaccessavailable
• Tightaccountingofattendantpurchases,vendor/co-opbook-keeping,andutilitysales/receivables
• Datacollectionandmetricanalysisofoperationandtransactions
• Modulardesign-canbeadaptedforhomes,taps,kiosks,watertanksoranentirepipingnetwork
• Dailyconsumerlifelineamountscanbepre-allocatedandcanvarybyseason
• Openhardware/softwaresystems
RobustConstructionandSimpletoUseQuenchhasarugged,low-costandeasilymaintainedmodulardesignwithplugandplaycomponents.Duringmaintenance,thesystemcanbeconvertedtomanualoperation,allowingforcontinuedwateraccess.Extremelylowpower,inlineunitsforretrofittingcurrentkiosksaswellasnewsingletapstanddesignshavebeenbuiltandarereadyforpiloting.FeaturesforGovernmentsandOperators• Quenchmakeswaterschemestransparent.
Thesystemprovidesauditabletransactionlogs,allowinggovernmentsanddonorstocreateperformance-basedcontractswithwatersuppliers,ensuringimprovedmaintenanceofwaterpoints
• Localoperatorscandesignapaymentmodelthatfitstheircustomers’needs,includingpay-as-you-go,pre/postpaidusageorpartfree/subsidizedservice
• Canretrofittedtoexistingkiosks/tapsornewlyinstalledwithexistingwatersystem
• Kioskunitfeaturesarugged,anti-tamperweatherproofdesignwithplugandplaycomponents
• Kioskcanoperateduringmaintenance• Teamwillingtocarryouttechtransferor
helpscalemanufacturing:designmodifications,maintenance
• Quenchcanconnecttocellular/wirelessnetworkstoenablereal-timemeteringandsystemmonitoring.
• Verylowpoweroperationwithsolar,batteryorlinepoweroptions
• Simple,Sustainable,Scalable
QuenchTapStandUsingNFCSmartCardTechnology
HowQuenchWorks:• Customerspurchasecreditsfromwaterutilityorattendant• ThecreditsaretransferredontoaQuenchcard• ThecustomergoestoaQuenchkioskandtapsthecardontheunit• WaterisdispensedtothecustomerandthecreditsaredeductedfromtheQuenchcard
QuenchDevelopmentStatus
TheQuenchteamhasrecentlyundergoneanewdevelopmentphaseresultingwithnewtapstandunitsandsoftwareapplicationsreadytobedeployed.Ourteamisreadyfordiscussionsconcerningdemonstrationpilotsleadingtoscaleddeploymentsortoprovidecustomprepaymentandmonitoringsolutionsandsupport.PleasecontactJohnPeacockat([email protected])torequestanappointmentandtobeplacedonourmailinglist.Periodicupdatescanbefoundatqsel.columbia.eduAsofFall2016,SustainableEngineeringLaboratoryisnowQuadracciSustainableEngineeringLaboratory(qSEL)throughagenerousgiftfromtheWindhoverFoundation.TheLaboratoryDirectorisProf.VijayModiofDepartmentofMechanicalEngineering.
