RU2278929C1 - Vortex system for condensing moisture from atmospheric air - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: plants for getting sweat water of atmospheric air.

SUBSTANCE: vortex system for condensing moisture from atmospheric air has water collector and dew condenser which has set of vertical rods. Lengths of rods are much longer than their lateral sizes and distance among rods is approximately equal to their lateral sizes. Vertical rods are placed in such a way that they form tangential plates; surfaces of plates are made of mineral fibers. Vertical pipe is disposed along central axis. Vertical pipe is provided with fan or with heating elements disposed onto its inner surface. Tangential plates are made for adjustment of angle of inclination of the plates to vertical surface of vertical pipe. Set can have several levels of tangential plates separated by horizontal plates. Basalt fiber is used as mineral fiber.

EFFECT: improved efficiency of operation; increased condensing surface; uniform controlled flow of moistened air.

6 cl, 2 dwg

Description

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 (1). It contains a cold accumulator, an air duct and a water collector and is equipped with heat pipes, a solar collector and an air heater connected to it. The cold accumulator is made of solid material, located on the catchment and forms a volume with a large internal condensation surface and good permeability to air flows. The air duct is made in the form of a chimney located above the cold accumulator, inside which there is an air heater, and air channels located in the lower part of the accumulator, in which there are finned end parts of the heat pipes, while other finned ends are located in the air.

Installation works as follows.

At night, the surface temperature of the earth and air begins to decrease due to radiation. 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 go more intensively, the parts of the heat pipe located in the battery 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 part of the cold accumulator, rises up and exits into the exhaust pipe. If the humidity is 100%, then the air is pre-cooled to a temperature when the steam becomes saturated. The process of condensation of water vapor also continues during the day, only at first the warm atmospheric air is cooled by the cold accumulator to a temperature at which the steam in it becomes saturated. In this mode, the installation works in the daytime. During the daytime the formation of air flows through the cold accumulator is also facilitated by its heating by the sun, which creates a temperature gradient inside it.

The disadvantages of this installation are the unevenness and complexity of controlling the air flows inside the system, as well as the complexity of the design, which leads to the accumulation of dust in its nodes and ultimately to a significant weakening of convective flows and a sharp decrease in performance.

Closest to the invention is a device for intensifying the formation and collection of dew (2), containing a water collector and a dew condenser. The surface of the capacitor is a system of vertically arranged rods, the lengths of which are many times greater than their transverse dimensions, and the distance between them is of the same order as the horizontal dimensions of the rods. The rods are supported by a waterproof pallet and together simulate a completely black body.

The device operates as follows.

At night, the upper surface of the condenser cools down, and the temperature in this region turns out to be significantly lower than from its sides, which leads to intense convection of moist air, the moisture from which condenses on the walls of the rods and flows onto a drain pan and further into the water collector. The system can also work during the day, especially effectively in the morning, when the humidity is 100%. In this case, convective flows are intensified due to the heating of the side surface of the capacitor facing the sun. A significant factor is the ability to easily perform routine cleaning of the system from dust. Due to its structure, the dust will concentrate only on the sump, from where it can be washed off by a stream of water. During operation of the system, the dust will not clog the space between the rods and prevent convection of moist air.

The disadvantage of this installation is the unevenness of the air flow inside the system, as a result of which its various sections operate with different efficiencies.

The technical result achieved by the implementation of the invention is to increase the efficiency of the system by significantly increasing the condensing surface to produce fresh water from atmospheric air and creating a uniform and controlled flow of moist air washing the rods of the tangential plates.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the vortex system for condensing moisture from atmospheric air contains a water collector and a dew condenser, which consists of a system of vertical rods, the lengths of which are much greater than their transverse size, and the distance between the rods is of the same order as their transverse size, vertical the rods are arranged so that they form tangential plates, while their surfaces are made of mineral fibers.

A vertical pipe with a fan in it or heating elements on its inner surface can be located along the central axis of the system.

The tangential plates are made with the possibility of adjusting the angle of their inclination to the vertical surface of the vertical pipe. The installation contains several levels of tangential plates separated by horizontal plates.

The mineral fiber used is basalt fiber.

Figure 1, 2 shows the design of the vortex system for condensation of moisture from atmospheric air.

It contains a catchment 1 and a dew condenser 2, which consists of tangential plates 3 forming the side surfaces of the tangential windows 4 (Fitzgerald windows) for swirling the air flow. The tangential windows are bounded above and below by horizontal plates 5, 6. Tangential plates consist of rods 7. The lengths of the rods are much larger than their transverse size, and the distance between the rods is of the same order as their transverse size. The rods are hollow tubes whose surfaces consist of vertically arranged mineral fibers that form capillaries. In particular, the rods may be made of basalt fiber. The rods are fastened together, and the central rod is fixed in the plates 5 and 6. A tank for collecting water (water collector) 1 is located at the bottom of the device. The device may have a vertical pipe 8 with a suction fan located in the center.

The device operates as follows.

At night, the outer surface of the dew condenser is cooled, which leads to intense condensation of moisture from the moist air entering between the tangential plates on their surface. Moisture drains into the catchment. Due to the wavy surface of the tangential plates assembled from the rods, a swirl of air occurs, which enhances the condensation of moisture on the surface of the tangential plates. The narrowing of the incoming air flows between the plates also leads to additional intensification of the process of moisture deposition. Capillary structures formed by mineral fibers make it possible to form menisci when water rises inside the capillaries, on which condensation can occur when humidity is less than 100%. The removal of the generated condensation heat is enhanced by the presence of a vertical pipe in the center of the device in which the fan is located. In this case, an increase in air temperature due to condensation enhances the vertical outflow of air. The power of the incoming air flows can be increased by creating a multilevel design of tangential plates. In this case, the levels are separated from each other by horizontal plates, which limit the tangential windows from above and below, and the air is removed from each level due to vertical pipes inserted into each other, like this shown in figure 1. In this case, the convective flow between the pipes can be strengthened with the help of special heaters located on the inner surface of the vertical pipes. Flow control can be carried out by turning the tangential plates (Fitzgerald plates) at different angles with respect to the periphery of the structure.

The technical result is achieved due to

1) creating vortex flows inside the system, which provides a more efficient selection of moisture from atmospheric air;

2) a significant increase in the condensing surface, due to the developed surface of the tangential plates, consisting of vertical rods;

3) the formation of capillary structures on the condensing surface of the tangential plates, due to the implementation of the rods of mineral fibers.

Literature

1. Patent of Russia №2131000.

2. Patent of Russia No. 2184815 / prototype /.

Claims (6)

1. A vortex system for condensation of moisture from atmospheric air, containing a water collector and a dew condenser, which consists of a system of vertical rods, the lengths of which are much greater than their transverse size, and the distance between the rods of the same order as their transverse size, characterized in that vertical rods are arranged so that they form tangential plates, while their surfaces are made of mineral fibers. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that along the central axis of the system there is a vertical pipe with a fan in it. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that along the central axis of the system there is a vertical pipe with heating elements on its inner surface. 4. The system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the tangential plates are made with the possibility of adjusting the angle of their inclination to the vertical surface of the vertical pipe. 5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that it contains several levels of tangential plates separated by horizontal plates. 6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that basalt fiber is used as a mineral fiber.

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