Water Harvester By MIT

Figure 1: Water harvester [1]

Team 3: Water Harvester Presentation Video https://mediaspace.carleton.ca/media/CCDP+2100+I+Presentation+of+Findings+Team+3/1_vrgy93dx

Overview

The water harvester shown in Figure 1 is a device that produces potable water from the gases in the air. It does this by condensing water vapour in the air [1]. The solar absorber, porous copper foam and the cooler condenser are the components of the water harvester. The water harvester by MIT can produce clean and potable water, helping to reduce the problems caused by lack of water in hot and humid areas such as desert villages. It can also help to solve some of the effects caused by contaminated water in the environment. It is capable of producing 2.8 litres of water per kilogram of the Metal organic framework daily.

Solar Absorber: Junaid Ahmed Askari

Figure 2: Solar Absorber [2]

A solar absorber traps light energy from the Sun and converts it to heat energy. The heat energy is then used to extract the water absorber trapped in the metal organic framework by heating it up. The major difference between solar panels and solar absorbers is that the former converts light energy from the sun into electricity whereas the latter converts it to heat energy. The conversion of light energy to heat energy takes place via the process of solar irradiation. Solar irradiance is the measurement of light energy emitted by the Sun measured on the surface of the Earth in the form of heat energy. 

References

 [2] 2017 Robert F. Service Apr. 13, “This new solar-powered device can pull water straight from the desert air,” Science , 08-Dec-2017. [Online]. Available:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/new-solar-powered-device-can-pull-water-straight-d

esert-air. [Accessed: 23-Sep-2020].

[2]       R. Garner, “Solar Irradiance,” NASA, 03-Apr-2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/science/solar-irradiance.html. [Accessed: 23-Sep-2020]

Cooler Condenser: Jadon Fournier

Figure 3: Diagram of a condensing unit and its components [3]

The purpose of a condenser is to condense gasses into liquids, hence the name “condenser”. A condenser typically consists of a set of coolant filled tubes which are used to remove heat from the gasses that are passed through the unit [1]. As the gasses pass through the coolant-filled tubes, they eventually cool down enough to change phases to a liquid, however, what exactly does it mean for a gas to “change phases”?

Phase transitions (also known as phase changes or state changes) is the concept that the physical properties of a substance can be changed based on temperature and pressure. In an area of constant pressure (the surface of the earth for example) the phase of a substance depends on its temperature, if you take away or add enough heat to a substance it will eventually change phases between a solid, liquid, or gas, with solids being the phase with the least heat, and gasses with the most heat [2].

References

[1] WATER COOLED CONDENSERS BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS. [Online]. Available: http://www.thermix.net/2012/09/water-cooled-condensers-basic.html. [Accessed: 04-Nov-2020].

[2] Wikipedia, “Phase transition,” 15-Sep-2020. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_transition. [Accessed: 13-Oct-2020].

Porous Copper Foam: Mohammed Lawal

Figure 4: Porous copper foam [4]

The Porous copper foam is made up of solid copper that consists of a network of interconnected pores [1]. These pores vary in size from 300 to 600µm(micro-metres). The role of the porous copper foam is to enhance the thermal transport of gases extracted by the solar absorber to the cooler condenser. It does this through thermal conductivity.

Thermal conductivity is the rate at which heat passes through an object. Certain objects conduct heat well, for example metals like Copper and Silver. Copper is very suitable for and enhances thermal transport because it has free and delocalized electrons, which when heated (gain energy), vibrate very quickly and move around, which leads to energy being passed on quickly [2]. The pores on the porous copper foam also help to increase surface area which enhances the thermal transport as each individual pore takes part in the heating process.

 References

[1] Andi "What is Micro-porous Copper Foam Technology? - West Florida Components", West Florida Components, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.westfloridacomponents.com/blog/what-is-micro-porous-copper-foam-technology/.  [Accessed: Nov. 23, 2020].

[2] Copper Development Association "Copper Properties and Applications - electrical, thermal, corrosion resistance, alloying and more", European Copper Institute, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://copperalliance.org.uk/knowledge-base/education/education-resources/copper-properties-applications/.  [Accessed: Nov. 23, 2020].

 References for Images

[1] PHYS.ORG "Device pulls water from dry air, powered only by the sun", Phys.org, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://phys.org/news/2017-04-device-air-powered-sun.html . [Accessed: Nov. 23, 2020].

[2] 2017 Robert F. Service Apr. 13, “This new solar-powered device can pull water straight from the desert air,” Science , 08-Dec-2017. [Online]. Available:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/new-solar-powered-device-can-pull-water-straight-d

esert-air.  [Accessed: 23-Sep-2020].

[3] WATER COOLED CONDENSERS BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS. [Online]. Available: http://www.thermix.net/2012/09/water-cooled-condensers-basic.html. [Accessed: 04-Nov-2020].

[4] Jiujiang Xingli Beihai Composite Co. Ltd "Porous Metallic Sponge Copper Foam", Made-in-China.com, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://m.made-in-china.com/product/Porous-Metallic-Sponge-Copper-Foam-859764485.html.  [Accessed: Nov. 23, 2020].