RU2256036C1 - Autonomous device for condensation of fresh water from atmosphere - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: methods or installations for obtaining drinking water.

SUBSTANCE: device comprises solar collectors, solar batteries, refrigeration system, condensers, water collectors, air duct, ventilation system. The condensers are made of a set of flat panels made of stainless steel of 0.1-0.8 mm thick and provided with internal passages for cooling water. The cooling source is made of a tank filled with water and embedded at a depth of no less than 2 m under the ground surface.

EFFECT: enhanced efficiency.

2 dwg

Description

The invention relates, in particular, to installations using renewable energy sources.

The technical objectives of the invention are to increase the efficiency of the condensing surface and to ensure autonomy during operation of the installation for condensation of moisture from atmospheric air.

The installation contains solar collectors, solar panels, a refrigeration system, a water collector, an air duct and a ventilation system, as well as a highly efficient system of condensing panels of a special design.

The invention relates to installations for producing fresh water from atmospheric air, in particular to installations using renewable energy sources.

A known installation for producing fresh water from moist air, which uses solar energy (RF Patent N 2131000, CL C1). It contains solar panels, a refrigeration unit, a water collector and an air duct, in which the evaporator of the refrigeration unit and the fan are located. Installation works as follows. Due to the electricity received from solar panels, the refrigeration unit produces cold, which is released on the heat exchanger-evaporator. Humid air is blown through a fan through the duct in which the evaporator is located. As a result of contact with the surface of the heat exchanger-evaporator, the air cools, the steam contained in it becomes saturated, partially condenses on the surface of the heat exchanger and flows into the water collector. The disadvantages of this installation are high energy consumption and low productivity.

Closest to the invention is an installation in which the condensation of fresh water from atmospheric air is carried out (US Patent 6116034. Sep.12, 2000. F 25 D 17/06). It contains a catchment basin, on which there is a cold accumulator, in the lower part of which there are air pipes made of neutral material. The ends of the air pipes inside the condenser are closed, and the air enters the gabions (containers with gravel) through the side openings. Heat pipes are also located at one finned end in the cold accumulator, while other finned ends are brought out. An exhaust pipe is located above the cold accumulator, inside of which there is an air heater connected by pipes to the solar collector.

The cold accumulator consists of gabions, which form a volume with a large internal condensation surface and good permeability to air flows. As a material for filling gabions, crushed stone from limestone or other material is used, which creates an air-permeable structure with a developed surface.

A heat pipe is a device capable of transmitting large heat fluxes at small temperature differences. It consists of a hermetic tube filled with liquid coolant, which, evaporating at one end of the pipe, absorbs heat, in particular heat of condensation of atmospheric moisture on the gabions, and, condensing at the other end, gives it away. Thus, heat transfer is carried out in only one direction.

The air heater is made in the form of a container made of a material with good thermal conductivity and filled with water, it is connected by pipes to solar collectors.

Installation works as follows.

At night, the temperature of the surface of the earth and air begins to decrease due to radiation, in the western regions of the Earth’s hot zone, the temperature difference between day and night can reach 20-25 ° C, as a result of which the temperature drops below the dew point. When the air temperature drops below the temperature at the location of the heat pipe, the latter begins to cool the cold accumulator from the inside. In order for the heat transfer process to proceed more intensively, the parts of the heat pipe located in the heat accumulator and in the air are equipped with fins. Since there is warm water in the air heater heated in a day by the solar collector, a stream of warm air is created in the chimney. As a result, a pressure difference is created and atmospheric air through the air channels enters the lower zones of the cold accumulator, rises and exits into the exhaust pipe. If the air humidity is 100%, then the water vapor inside it condenses on the inner surface of the cold accumulator. If the humidity is less than 100%, then the air is pre-cooled to a temperature when the steam becomes saturated. The condensation process also continues during the day, only at first the warm atmospheric air is cooled by the cold accumulator to a temperature until the steam in it becomes saturated.

The disadvantage of this device is its low performance, because the proposed design of an atmospheric moisture condenser is a complex system in which non-stationary processes of heat and mass transfer are realized, including the condensation process on the surface of masonry elements with the release of condensation heat. The thermal regime is complex, and there is no clarity in understanding the processes taking place and in quantifying the change in the temperature field on the surface and in the body of masonry elements and the associated change in the velocities and directions of convective flows during the day.

The objective of the invention is to increase the efficiency of the condensing surface and ensure autonomy during operation of the installation for condensation of moisture from atmospheric air.

The technical result in the installation for condensation of fresh water from atmospheric air, containing solar collectors, solar panels, a refrigeration system, condensers, an air collector, an air duct and a ventilation system, is achieved by the fact that a flat wall system of stainless steel with wall thicknesses is introduced as a condenser from 0.1 to 0.8 mm with internal channels for cooling water, and containers filled with water and buried in the surface layers of the earth at a depth of at least 2 m are used as a source of cold s.

The device is illustrated by drawings.

In FIG. 1, 2 shows a diagram of an autonomous installation for producing fresh water from atmospheric air.

The installation comprises a housing 1, heat exchange panels 2, cooling tanks 3, a pump station 4, a heat exchange column 5, a water tank, a battery station 7, flat solar collectors (SC) 8, solar panels (SB) 9 and an automatic control system 10.

The heat exchange panels 2 are vertically mounted heat exchangers welded from two thin-walled (from 0.1 to 0.8 mm thick) sheets with internal channels through which coolant (water) flows from the refrigerator.

The cold accumulator is made in the form of several cooling tanks 3, which are large-capacity tanks filled with water and buried in the ground to a depth of more than 3 meters.

The heat exchange column 5 is a vertically mounted cylindrical tank filled with water, which is heated in the daytime by flat solar collectors (SC) 8.

Flat solar collectors (SC) 8 are devices that convert the solar energy of the coolant.

Installation works as follows. In the daytime, there is an accumulation of thermal energy in the heat exchange column due to the work of flat solar collectors (SC) and electric energy in the batteries of the battery station, due to the work of solar batteries (SB). At night, the surface temperature of the earth and air begins to decrease due to radiation. Due to the heat exchange column filled with hot water, which is heated in the daytime by flat solar collectors (SC), a stream of warm air is created in the exhaust pipe of the installation case. As a result of the pressure difference, atmospheric air enters through the open lower part into the housing and comes into contact first with the lower tier, and then with the upper tiers of the heat-exchange panels and through the exhaust pipe into the atmosphere.

If the relative humidity is close to 100%, then the water vapor contained in it condenses on the surfaces of the heat exchange panels, and the resulting water flows into the tank. If the relative humidity is less than 100%, but more than 80%, then the air is first cooled at the surface of the heat exchange panels to a temperature when the steam becomes saturated, and then condensation occurs. The condensation process will also continue during the day, only at first the warm atmospheric air will be cooled by the surfaces of the heat exchange panels, since cold water flows inside the heat exchange panels, which is supplied by the station pumps from large-capacity tanks filled with water and buried into the ground to a depth of more than 3 meters to a temperature until the steam in it becomes saturated. When the water in the refrigerator’s tank is heated above the set temperature, the automatic control system connects another tank to work, and in the switched-off tank, the water is cooled by heat exchange with cold ground. Then the process is repeated in the same sequence.

For the operation of this installation does not require any energy other than solar, it operates in automatic mode and is absolutely environmentally friendly.

The possibility of obtaining fresh water at the installation according to the considered scheme is confirmed by experimental studies described in Appendix 1.

Annex 1

In order to confirm the possibility of obtaining fresh water in an autonomous installation for obtaining fresh water from atmospheric air, experimental studies were conducted. Experimental studies were conducted on the territory of the pilot production TsAGI them. prof. Zhukovsky (Zhukovsky M.O.) 07.07.04 from 16 to 19 hours in conditions of variable cloud cover at an average ambient temperature of 21 degrees. Celsius and relative humidity 87%. At the first stage, a flat heat exchange panel was used as a condensing surface, a sketch of which is shown in Fig. 1. A photograph of the panel is shown in Fig. 2. The panel using flexible hoses was connected to the water supply network, and water was discharged from the other branch pipe of the panel into the sewer. For the experiment, water was used from the water supply system, the temperature of which at the entrance to the panel was about 12 degrees. Celsius. The water supply to the panel was 5 liters per minute. To create an air flow, a household fan was used, which was used to blow the panel at a speed of about 2 m per second. The experiment lasted for 1 hour. The water resulting from condensation from a special pan was poured into a measuring tank. The result was 0.18 liters of water.

At the second stage, a battery composed of 8 flat heat-exchange panels, shown in FIG. 3, was used as a condensing surface. The water supply in the panel was 10 liters per minute. To create an air flow, a household fan was used, which was used to blow the panel at a speed of about 2 m per second. The experiment lasted for 1 hour. The water resulting from condensation from a special pan was poured into a measuring tank. The result was 1.28 liters of water.

The conducted experiment confirms not only the possibility of obtaining fresh water in an autonomous installation for producing fresh water from atmospheric air, but also shows its high efficiency.

Claims (1)

Installation for condensing fresh water from atmospheric air, containing solar collectors, solar panels, a refrigeration system, condensers, a water collector, an air duct, a ventilation system, characterized in that a flat panel system with wall thicknesses from 0.1 to 0 is introduced into it as condensers , 8 mm stainless steel with internal channels for cooling water, and containers filled with water and buried in the surface layers of the earth at a depth of at least 2 m are used as a source of cold.

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