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Showerhead cuts water use by injecting air bubbles CSIRO News Release November 9, 2006 As Australians become increasingly alert to the importance of using water wisely in the home, CSIRO researchers have found a way to use a third less water when you shower — by adding air. The researchers, from CSIRO Manufacturing Materials Technology in Melbourne, say the device increases the volume of the shower stream while reducing the amount of water used by about 30 per cent. Given the average Australian household uses about 200,000 litres of water a year, and showers account for nearly a third of this, the ‘air shower' could help the average household save about 15,000-20,000 litres a year. If you extend this across the population, that is an annual saving of more than 45,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The Aerated Showerhead creates the sensation of having a full and steady stream of water even though the water is now more like a wet shell around a bubble of air. While the general concept of using an aerated showerhead to save water is not new, the technology behind the CSIRO's device is novel.
"The nozzle creates a vacuum that sucks in air and forces it into the water stream," Dr Wu says. "We make the water droplets in the stream hollow and the bubbles expand the volume of the shower stream." Small-scale experiments using the aeration device found that people detected no difference in water pressure, sensation, or overall perception of showering. After almost two years of research and development, CSIRO is ready to take the aerated shower head technology to the commercialisation stage. "We have very promising results on the aerated showerhead's water-saving potential. Now we are looking for commercialisation partners who will be involved in the development needed to turn the technology into a marketable device," Dr Wu says. He expects the nozzle would cost less than $20 and could be installed by householders. This is a modified news release from CSIRO. Recommend this article? Comments? Digg this article | Hugg this article | Contact News options News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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