UGP-ME497A

ATMOSPHERIC WATER
GENERATOR (AWG)

Presented By SAHIL GALA-210895 Dr. K.Murlidhar

AGENDA Background of the Study

Aim

Possible models of AWG

Description of model used

Simplified analysis

Detailed Analysis

Future work and conclusions

Background The atmosphere around the earth contains more than 12.9 ×
1012m3 of renewable water, which is even more than all the
freshwater sources available on the planet.
In humid conditions where ground water is limited,
Atmospheric water generator technology becomes one of
pragmatic techniques to produce drinking water.
But water spreads a wide range, and a huge amount of
energy is required when condensing condition is not favorable:
about 2.45 kJ/cm3 energy is required under STP conditions. •
Recently, many researchers have attempted to enhance the
efficacy of AWG by altering the surface morphology and
optimize the power consumption to cool surface which
temperature maintain below than the dew point temperature
Objective of this present study is to compare the thermal
performance enhancements of atmospheric vapor
compression based atmospheric water generator. However,
the condensing surface is superhydrophobic copper with fins
arrangement.
 An Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) is a device that extracts water from humid air
by cooling it below the dew point .
The issues which need to explore to enhance the efficacy of this device are as
o Surface Cooling methods
o Surface morphology: Hydrophobic versus hydrophilic
o Climate conditions: Relative humidity and temperature
o Feasibility of water production at low cost

It is a complex phase-change process because condensation rate depends on

environmental conditions such as relative humidity, degree of sub-cooling, and
temperature as well as physicochemical properties of the condensing substrate. In view
of the presence of non-condensable gases (NCGs), the condensation rate of moist air is
distinct from pure water vapor condensation. Water vapor will condense either in the
filmwise or dropwise mode when the substrate temperature falls below the dew point.
Filmwise condensation occurs when the substrate is hydrophilic. In contrast, dropwise
condensation is invariably observed when the substrate is hydrophobic/super
hydrophobic. These substrates have low surface energy, namely, a low affinity for water
Therefore, water vapor condenses on these substrates at specific nucleation sites in the
form of droplets.
Copper substrate will be preferred as a condensing substrate because it provides low
thermal resistance to latent heat released from the vapor phase to the ambient.
Therefore in the present study we will use copper substrate.
CONDENSING SURFACE COOLING METHODS
THERE ARE MANY COOLING SYSTEMS WHICH CAN BE USED FOR COOLING OF
CONDENSING SURFACE IN AWG.
HERE, THE TWO COOLING SYSTEMS WHICH GOING TO EXPLORE FOR EXTRACT WATER FROM THE
ATMOSPHERE ARE AS:

VAPOR COMPRESSION COOLING SYSTEM:

(A) DIRECT VAPOR COMPRESSION COOLING :

EVAPORATOR SURFACE SELF
WORKING AS CONDENSING SURFACE
(B) INDIRECT VAPOR COMPRESSION COOLING:
SURFACE IS COOLED BY COLD WATER WHICH
IS COOLED BY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE BATH

PELTIER COOLING WITH RADIATOR HEAT SINK

Methodology used:
Vapor Compression based cooling
and hydrophobic condensing surface
Direct vapor compressing cooling: The
evaporator surface woking as condensing
surface of moist air
Minimize the compressor work by cooling with
cold and dry air.
The morphology of the condensing surface is
altered to form hydrophobic surface promoting
dropwise condesation.
Copper has high affinity of water and special
surface morphology and special treatment is
required to make it hydrophobic, suitable for the
formation of droplets.
The volume of water will be noted per unit time
after condensing on the evaporator surface.
 Surfaces used and methods
Etched substrates with low-surface-
energy coatings such as fluorocarbon
monolayers , organic films , lubricant
infused surfaces (LISs) and rare-
earth oxides (REO) [can coat and
render a surface hydrophobic.
Therefore, additional research is
required to ensure process and
parameter control that will lead to
favorable surface morphology of the
condensing substrate.
Here we will first use polished copper
surface and then used etched
surfaces to improve the water
production rate by increasing
hydrophobicity.
Finally, moist air condensation
experiments were performed for
estimating the water production rate Flow chart of various steps and chemical reactions
and hence the efficacy of the used for altering the surface morphology of a copper
substrate. substrate via chemical etching and deposition.
 Methodology of experiment
Moist air from a moist air generator was made to flow over the condensing substrate. In the
condensation apparatus, a custom-built humidifier with temperature and h midity controller
arrangement will be used to deliver moist air under reference conditions to the condensing
chamber.
The condensing chamber will be evacuated using a vacuum pump and moist air will be
subsequently introduced. The chamber will be instrumented with pressure, temperature and
humidity sensors to maintain pre-defined conditions. The condensed water will be collected in
a measuring beaker after three hours of conducting the experiment.
The valve settings ensure that the thermo-hygrometer reading, hotwire anemometer and
temperature sensor readings are as required for the experimental conditions.
Moist air condensation experiments would be carried out on various substrates fabricated via
chemical etching and clean surface (surface after the polished and sonication). Moist air with
a uniformly distributed humidity ratio and temperature was prepared by conditioning dry air
in the temperature and humidity controller units.
Contact angle measurments would be carried out to compare experimental data to
calculated or simulated data.
Setup
Simplified analysis
Simplified analysis results
 Detailed analysis
Among these theories, nucleation of small thermodynamically stable droplets at nucleation
sites is the most accepted and has been adopted in the present .
Subsequently, drops grow by direct condensation and coalescence, and subsequently drain
off by gravitational instability, thus leading to a dropwise condensation cycle.
This physical picture has been adopted in the present work for simulation of dropwise
condensation of moist air on a super-hydrophobic metallic substrate.
In the modeling process, we assign nucleation sites over the substrate, grow droplets at each
site by growth rate , coalesce them as appropriate , and followed by slide-off and re-
nucleation. There are distinct model differences in the condensation details of pure vapor
when compared to moist air.
Contact angle measurments would be carried out to compare experimental data to
calculated or simulated data.
The moist air corrections to the formulas derived for pure vapor for condensation of moisture
from humid air may be derived from the kinetic theory of gases and phase thermodynamics.
The following computational steps are performed at each of the exposed nucleation sites:
Specify thermo physical properties, surface properties, coordinates of the nucleation sites,
initial drop sizes at these sites, moist air conditions of pressure, temperature, and humidity.
The dependent variables such as water collection rate are first initialized to zero. Numerical
parameters such as time step and the total number of time steps are specified.
 Detailed analysis
Among these theories, nucleation of small thermodynamically stable droplets at nucleation
sites is the most accepted and has been adopted in the present .
Nucleation sites are generated by a random number generator with Gaussian sta tistics.
Droplets of radii smaller than rmin are thermodynamically un stable and revert to vapor form.
Hence, the nucleation sites are instantaneously occupied by the droplet of minimum radius on
the virgin substrate.
When they grow large enough to contact their neighbors, pairs of drops coalesce
instantaneously and are replaced by a drop of volume equal to the sum of the individual drop
volumes. Arising from direct condensation followed by coalescence on a vertical surface, the
drop of increasing volume will deform away from its near-hemispherical shape.
The droplet reaches the critical radius at this instant and starts to slide-off. Active nucleation
sites are created once again and the dropwise condensation cycle continues with a new
batch of nucleated drops.
Additional coalescence during the sliding motion of a drop with those that fall in its path is
accounted for. A cyclic process with clear periodicity may be identified as a dynamic steady
state.
Detailed analysis results
Setup Final Assembly
 Petlier Effect
A prototype of a small-scale atmospheric water
generator (AWG) will be designed and constructed,
employing the Peltier effect for cooling. The system
will be sized using the cooling capacity and
coefficient of performance (COP) behaviors of the
thermoelectric cooler (TEC) with respect to the
current. A mathematical model based on
surrounding fluid temperature and relative humidity
ratio will be used to optimize rectangular extended
surfaces and estimate water generation rates. The
AWG, housed in a 3D printed casing, will be used to
experimentally investigate the impact of airflow
velocity, humidity, and TEC current on water
generation rates. Results will show that an intake
fan reduces water generation in some cases, while
water yield increases with relative humidity.
Increasing TEC current increases water generation
rate but with higher energy consumption due to
decreased COP.
 Petlier Effect- Future work
This device incorporated thermoelectric coolers
(TECs) to cool humid air sucked into the system by
intake fans. The air will be cooled by the cold side of
the modules' plates to temperatures below the dew
point of air, thus condensing the water content of
the humid air. Extended surfaces will be added to
both sides of the TECs to increase the surface area,
leading to an increase in the heat transfer and
water generation rates.The experiments were
conducted in relatively colder tem peratures, 12°C–
16°C, to assess the aforementioned parameters in
conditions where condensation can naturally occur.
The results of petlier will be tested - voltage vs the
amount of water generated or the water generated
vs subcooling temperature of petlier. A change in
the longitudinal fin profile can possibly improve
water yield by increasing the latent heat transfer.
 Results and conclusions
Over the substrates, several sub-micron sized droplets are formed at randomly distributed
nucleation sites. These droplets grow by direct condensation and coa lescence, thus becoming
larger in time. Coalescence can also slightly displace the drop due to sudden release of surface
energy. Upon reaching a critical size, large drops slide-off from the substrate. Thereafter, fresh
droplets nucleate and grow, repeating the condensation cycle.
Contact angle data of the water droplet show that the substrate wettability and roughness
depend on the reaction time, with roughness increasing with increasing reaction time.
Regardless of the degree of subcooling, the substrates begin to collect water very rapidly with
increasing moist air temperature. At a given relative humidity, mass of water vapor present in air
increases with increasing moist air temperature. Vapor condenses when the wall temperature is
below the dew point temperature.
Copper is the surface of choice because of its high thermal conductivity.

Future Plans
Now the condensation carried in the simulations will be performed experimentally. The plan is to
compare experimental results formed of total volume of water formed with the simulated results
Also the aim will be to optimise the water production rate of the atmospheric water generator setu
making it more efficient.