Hydrate For Life
MAN TRAVELS ON HIS STOMACH, BUT WATER IS THE KEY INGREDIENT.
From tactical operations in U.S. Central Command to disaster response on the central Gulf Coast, recent military operations have continued to emphasize the critical need for adequate hydration. Moreover, while the mandates of human hydration can be difficult in the best planning environments, they can be nightmarishly complex against the logistical challenges of many special-operations scenarios.
MAN-CARRIED SYSTEMS
For many SOF missions, what the warfighter carries with him is all he has.
Examples of some of the available fluid-carrying options currently provided by the U.S. Army’s product manager for clothing and individual equipment include a one-quart canteen, a two-quart collapsible canteen, a cold-weather (insulated) canteen and the MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) hydration system.
The one-quart canteen, for example, is a kidney-shaped vessel consisting of a cover, body, strap and canteen cap that allows drinking from the canteen without removing the chemical-biological protective mask. System-component manufacturers include the National Institute for the Blind (canteen) and Federal Prison Industries (canteen cover).
The two-quart collapsible canteen, from the same manufacturers as the one-quart option, also consists of a bladder, cover, carrying strap and cap that allows drinking without removing the chemical-biological mask. A pocket for water purification tablets is provided on the cover. The canteen can be carried over the shoulder using the carrying strap or attached to the field pack webbing using the belt clips.
The cold-weather canteen, from General Dynamics Armament & Technical Products Inc. will provide a means for soldier hydration during operations in extreme cold environments (i.e., 40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero). Program descriptions note, “The system consists of a single wall, stainless steel, low-profile, kidney-shaped canteen with a matching stainless steel cup with handle, and an insulated carrier. The canteen has a one-liter capacity and is constructed with a wide-mouth opening to allow the penetration of a bayonet to break up any ice that forms during use in the extreme cold environment. The M-1 NBC cap interfaces with the drinking tube of the chemical protective mask using a cap adapter/mouthpiece of low-thermal conductive material. The insulated carrier is designed to attach to the soldier’s equipment belt or his load-carrying equipment.”
The MOLLE hydration system by Specialty Defense is described as “an ergonomically designed water bladder that can be worn individually or integrated together with load-bearing equipment or web harness systems.” Program representatives add that, “Research and development is ongoing to interface the MOLLE hydration system with the CB mask. This is being addressed in the NBC Environmental Personal Hydration System [NEPHS] research and development program. It includes a drink tube with bite valve and positive shut-off and an exterior fill port with a handle for filling on the go. The outside pouch is made of abrasion-resistant 1000 denier Cordura T nylon and has a sternum strap for added stability.”
Another hydration system manufacturer popular within the U.S. and international special operations defense community is CamelBak Products Inc. The company offers a range of hands-free pack options; from pure hydration to combinations of hydration and cargo-carrying designs.
In fact, with the remarkable user acceptance of the hands-free designs, an increasing number of manufacturers are offering some level of hydration/cargo combination pack options.
When hands-free isn’t part of the requirement, Mountain Safety Research (MSR) offers several lines of hydration systems designed for storing and pouring. MSR’s Dromedary Bags, for example, are made of 500 and 1000 denier Cordura, laminated with food-grade polyurethane and designed to withstand temperatures from freezing to boiling. The bags feature a lowprofile handle for easy filling, an easy-drink/ pour three-in-one multifunctional cap and perimeter webbing that allows the bags to be attached or hung from equipment.
PURIFICATION SYSTEMS
The big assumption in many of the bladder options noted above is the availability of clean drinking water. Unfortunately, that assumption is misguided or misplaced in many special operations scenarios.
Several companies have stepped up to meet the challenges of individual water purification. Companies like HydroWell Expedition offer forward osmosis waterfiltration packs that can operate within a hands-free-style carrier.
Other available water purification options range from a series of portable filters from Katadyn to the MSR MIOX purifier.
Military planners are also continuing to tackle the individual water-purification issue along multiple pathways.
For example, in addition to recent Air Force experimentation with a portable nanomesh purification device, the most recent 2006 Small Business Innovative Research Program requests included an Air Force Research Laboratory call for a new desalinator that could be used in a one-man survival kit. According to the program description, “This topic holds the greatest potential for meeting the technical needs of our warfighters supported by PEOs and centers.”
The program description noted that a program objective was to “develop a lightweight, compact, rugged and reliable system that can filter salt water into safe, drinkable water. Aircrew members ejecting over salt water carry limited drinking water, reducing the time they can survive pending rescue operations. Current procedures/ equipment for supplying aircrew members with drinking water following an ejection over salt water are not adequate. Available water includes water in soft packets and cans which are placed in the ACES II ejection-seat survival kit and aircrew survival vest. While desalinators are available to produce drinkable water, there is no desalinator suitable for storage in the ACES II survival kit. The current desalinator (RMOD-06) used by the Air Force is hand-pump operated and used on multi-man survival kits. The water-to-effort ratio of the current desalinator is very small, producing only one cup of drinking water for 16 minutes of continuous effort or nearly 1,000 hand pumps from the operator. The current desalinator can be made inoperable by biological or chemical degradation, fouling and scaling, or by supply water bypass, which are common problems with current technology.”
What are needed are research technologies that can be applied to a new desalinator to reduce size and weight and increase reliability and product-toeffort ratio. Continuing with the program description, “A desalinator one-third the size and weight of the RMOD-06 is desired for storage in the ACES II survival kit or survival vest pocket. The weight and volume of the current device is 2.5 pounds and 100 cubic inches [5 inches by 8 inches by 2.5 inches]. A novel method will also be investigated to minimize or eliminate aircrew physical activity/exertion while increasing product output. The contractor shall also investigate methods to introduce electrolytes into the water to reduce the potential for hyponatremia or water intoxication caused by electrolyte loss. [The] objective for water production is two gallons per day with a salt rejection of 98.4 percent average [95.3 percent minimum].”
While the Air Force focuses on novel methods for desalinization, the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) put out a call in late January 2006 for industry input on a broader array of water purification and treatment devices.
The sources-sought notice identified Research, Development and Engineering Command’s (RDECOM) Natick Soldier Center as the contact point for a market investigation, on behalf of the product manager clothing and individual equipment, to identify domestic products, suppliers and manufacturers of individual water treatment/purification devices (or combination of devices) with the capability or potential to meet military requirements for developing potable water in the field.
The U.S. Army is interested in identifying firms with products, technologies and capabilities to provide a portable watertreatment/ purification device for individual soldier use in purifying water (for drinking) from indigenous surface water sources in basic, hot and cold environments. Candidate products must fit and be compatible with current and future organizational clothing and equipment such as on-the-move hydration system designs (i.e., MOLLE hydration bag), standard military canteens or both.
Purification devices must be compact and lightweight—a 6-ounce device is desired, but it cannot weigh more than 10 ounces—and easy to use, clean and maintain. A system must also be capable of producing potable water in its operational life with or without replacement of the purification element. The minimum volume capacity is 150 liters.
All candidate systems must be capable of disinfecting and removing microbiologicalcontaminants to levels consistent with the EPA “Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers” or better.
The water-purification time cannot exceed 20 minutes—preferably less than 15 minutes—with a flow rate of no less than 200 milliliters per minute. If the system requires batteries, they must be commercially available, and their weight must be calculated as part of the overall weight requirement.
Consideration will also be given to removal of toxic industrial chemicals/materials (by U.S. Army short-term consumption standards) from fresh water, sea water and brackish water sources, and to reducing turbidity. The system should be capable of removing chemical/biological warfare agents. It must also be capable of resisting penetration or contamination by chemical/ biological warfare agents for at least six hours. Contact with decontamination agents must not compromise the system.
Perhaps most importantly, the processed water must be palatable with taste and flavor similar to commercially bottled spring or municipal waters.
FUTURE PROGRAMS/FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES
While RDECOM and AFRL are hoping to satisfy near-term hydration requirements, scientists within the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) are looking even further into the future, where the challenges of hydration are being addressed on multiple levels.
One recently completed USAMRMC project involved development of a hydration monitor. The program relied on an extension of the model used to predict sweat rates of soldiers during operational stress. Using an extended algorithm reportedly developed to predict future force operations, the monitor provides leaders with greater precision in estimating a soldier’s water needs that enhances safety and sustainability of the warfighter.
An example of a promising USAMRMC effort in the area of bioenergetics is titled “Hydration Management for Future Force Missions.” “Currently, we cannot accurately predict water needs for many modern future force type missions,” reads one program overview. “Neither water needs nor dehydration consequences in cold weather or high terrestrial altitude missions are understood, so the criticality of supplying water in such logistically difficult environments is also unknown. Countermeasures are needed to improve water and nutrient intake, increase consumption of chlorinated water and minimize adverse performance consequences of dehydration.”
In an attempt to address these unknowns, the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) is serving as the laboratory and developer behind the research effort to, in their words, “exploit new knowledge on water needs and adverse performance consequences from dehydration. New doctrine and sweat-prediction software will improve prediction of water needs while the enhanced fluid and nutrition-delivery system will optimize soldier intakes. Both will reduce hydration-related heat injury incidence while also sustaining performance. The logistical water-supply burden will be minimized by reducing waterprocurement error and increasing potable water consumption due to the presence of a flavoring agent, but without water-hygiene concerns. Nutritional supplements will minimize adverse performance outcomes of dehydration.”
Another future view features the combined efforts of USARIEM, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
Titled “Warfighter Physiological Status Monitoring (WPSM–Initial Capability),” the system under development will enable remote situational awareness information to be sent to both commanders and medics. The system will provide timely health monitoring, detection of events (ballistic or warfighter-initiated) and basic triage information remotely. The health-monitoring aspects include a fluid-intake monitor while physiologic and medical algorithms running on the hub will provide a series of indicators that include hydration levels. ♦