Modular, containerized armospheric water generator

Abstract

An atmospheric water generation system has a container and at least one atmospheric water generator within the container. The container may be adapted to collect water generated by the atmospheric water generator. In particular, the container may be a tunnel container, openable at both ends. The floor of the container may be porous, e.g., made with expanded metal, and a collection pan may be placed beneath the floor. The collection pan is sloped downwardly from its sides to its center, and also slopes downwardly from one end to the container to the other. Each end of the container may have a porous panel on which is installed filter material.

Description

MODULAR, CONTAINERIZED ATMOSPHERIC WATER GENERATORTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates to an atmospheric water generator, and in particular, to a modular, containerized atmospheric water generator.BACKGROUND

[0002] W02023 / 004433 discloses an atmospheric water generator, a device that generates useable water from atmospheric moisture. At the core of this system is a cryogenic cell, a device that uses liquid cryogens to cool a circulating coolant to cold temperatures. The circulating coolant enters an air / coolant heat exchanger, cools incoming air, and causes moisture in that air to condense. The atmospheric water generator collects the condensed moisture.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0003] One aspect of the invention relates to an atmospheric water generating system. The system includes a container and one or more atmospheric water generators within the container. The atmospheric water generators are adapted to cause atmospheric moisture to condense within the container. The container is adapted to collect condensed water. It includes a rectilinear frame with intermodal connectors attached externally. The rectilinear frame defines a first container end and a second container end. Exterior doors are provided on the first container end and the second container end, such that the container is adapted to be opened at both ends. Wall panels are disposed on the frame. An interior floor is connected to the frame. The interior floor comprises a perforated material. A collection pan is connected to the frame below the interior floor. The collection pan slopes downwardly from its sides toward its center, and also slopes downwardly from a first end of the container toward a second end of the container.

[0004] In embodiments according to this aspect of the invention, each of the one or more atmospheric water generators may include at least one fan and at least one heat exchanger. The one or more atmospheric water generators may be mounted on an interior surface of at least one of the wall panels, which may be powder coated. The system may include a coolant circulation and chilling system that supplies cold coolant to the at leastone heat exchanger of each of the one or more atmospheric water generators, cools heated coolant from the at least one heat exchanger to regenerate the cold coolant, and recirculates the cold coolant to the at least one heat exchanger. The coolant circulation and chilling system may include one or more cryogenic cells which cool heated coolant.

[0005] The coolant circulation and chilling system may also include a first coolant reservoir associated with the one or more cryogenic cells, a second coolant reservoir associated with coolant heaters, and a mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus may be connected to the first coolant reservoir and the second coolant reservoir and adapted to mix coolant of first and second temperatures to generate the cold coolant.

[0006] Systems according to this aspect of the invention may make use of expanded metal. The perforated material of the interior floor may be expanded metal. In some cases, a perforated panel may be positioned behind each of the exterior doors, and filter material may be mounted on the perforated panels. The filter material may also be expanded metal.

[0007] Other aspects, features, and advantages will be set forth in the description that follows.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0008] The invention will be described with respect to the following drawing figures, in which like numerals represent like features throughout the description, and in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a containerized atmospheric water generation system;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 with a container panel removed to show the interior of the container;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the system of FIG. 1, schematically illustrating airflow through the container;

[0012] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section of the container taken through Line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

[0013] FIG. 5 is a side-elevational cross-section showing a portion of a wall and an individual atmospheric water generator mounted on the wall;

[0014] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the floor of the container;

[0015] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through Line 7-7 of FIG. 6, illustrating the water collection apparatus;

[0016] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the system of FIG. 1, showing how coolant flows through the system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular, containerized system, generally indicated at 10, for generating water from atmospheric air. Much of system 10 is contained within an intermodal shipping container 12, and in the view of FIG. 1, the container 12 is shown in a truck chassis 13. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container 12 on a trailer 70 with one long wall panel 14 cut away to show its interior arrangement.

[0018] The container 12 is of typical overall construction, with corrugated steel wall panels 14 mounted on a rectilinear steel frame, generally indicated at 18, that has intermodal connectors 20 at its comers. (As shown in the figures, the frame 18 is a rectangular prism in the illustrated embodiment.) The container 12 may be of standard dimensions, e.g., 8 feet (2.44 m) wide by 8 foot 6 inches (2.59 m) high. In some embodiments, the container could be a so-called “high cube” container, which adds a foot (0.3 m) in height. Depending on the embodiment, the container 12 may have any standard length. As shown in FIG. 2, the container 12 of the illustrated embodiment is a so-called “tunnel” container, i.e., it has doors 22 at each end of the container 12.

[0019] A typical intermodal shipping container is adapted to ship and to store goods. By contrast, the container 12 has the exterior attributes of an intermodal shipping container, including intermodal connectors 20, and can thus be placed on a truck chassis, on a trailer, or on a ship for transport to anywhere water generation from atmospheric moisture might be needed. However, once on-site, the container 12 is not unloaded; rather, the container 12 itself is an integral part of the system 10.

[0020] As will be described below in more detail, within the container 12 are elements that remove moisture from atmospheric air. The container 12 controls the environment around those elements, filters incoming air, and collects the water that is generated by its internal elements. More specifically, just inside of the outer doors 22 oneach end of the container 12 lies a perforated panel 24. This panel 24 may be a separate panel that is set in place and removed as needed, but in the illustrated embodiment, the panel 24 comprises an inner door 24 or a set of doors that are made of expanded metal, such that they are porous. Thus, in some embodiments, the panel 24 may be movable, while in other embodiments, the panel 24 may not be movable. If the entire panel 24 is not movable or divided into doors, a smaller door may be created in the panel 24 that is large enough to admit one person at a time.

[0021] Overtop of the inner door 24, filter material 26 is provided to filter the incoming air. The filter material 26 may be a filter medium of the type designed to filter particulate matter, such as dirt, dust, pollens, etc. The filter material 26 will typically be arranged within a frame that allows the filter material 26 to be removed and easily replaced. (In FIG. 2, the filter material 26 can be seen on the left side of the figure, just behind the rear door 22 of the container 12, and the inner door 24 can be seen on the right side of the figure, from the inside of the container 12.)

[0022] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container 12 with its roof removed, and FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken through Line 4-4 of FIG. 3. As shown particularly in FIG. 4, along each interior long wall 14, two rows of individual atmospheric water generators 30 are present, one row above the other. The number of individual atmospheric water generators 30 present in the container 12 will depend on the length of the container 12 and other factors. In most cases, the two long walls 14 will be mirror images of one another, such that the number and arrangement of atmospheric water generators 30 is the same along both long walls 14. There may be, e.g., 10-12 atmospheric water generators 30 per row, 20-24 per long wall 14, and 40-48 per container 12. If a “high cube” container is used, there may be room for an additional row of atmospheric water generators 30 in some embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of air through the container 12. As will be described below in more detail, each atmospheric water generator 30 draws in air, which flows through the filter material 26 at one end of the container 12, into the container 12, and ultimately, into the atmospheric water generators 30 before exiting the container 12. Air may flow from one end of the container 12 toward the other, or it may not.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a side-elevational cross-section of a portion of one long wall 14 around and through an atmospheric water generator 30. Each atmospheric water generator 30 takes in air and causes moisture in that air to condense. Preferably, the atmospheric water generator 30 is simple, containing an air mover to draw air in and a heat exchanger by which the incoming air can be cooled by a circulating coolant. In the illustrated embodiment, the atmospheric water generator 30 is built modularly using two combined fan / heat exchanger units 32. For example, the combined fan / heat exchange units may be oil cooling units designed for automotive racing, such as the CBR0059 oil cooler (CBR Performance Products, Inc., Lake Elsinore, CA, United States). These units have overall dimensions of 32in x Min x 8.5in (0.81m x 0.36m x 0.23m with two 12-inch (0.30m) fans 34. The units 32 receive coolant through an inlet 36 and return warm coolant through an outlet 38. (In many embodiments, it may not matter which conduit 36, 38 is the inlet and which is the outlet; they are labeled as such here merely for convenience, and only the inlet 36 is shown in the view of FIG. 5. The outlet 38 can be seen in FIG. 8.) In some embodiments, the atmospheric water generator 30 could be comprised of separate fan and heat exchanger components.

[0025] In the illustrated embodiment, each atmospheric water generator 30 is preferably mechanically identical. Thus, if one atmospheric water generator 30 fails, it can be easily replaced without compromising the entire system 10. Since all of the atmospheric water generators 30 are the same, it is also easy to stock and order spare parts. In general, as will be borne out below, system 10 is preferably designed with no single points of failure. The identity, redundancy, and simplicity of the atmospheric water generators 30 is a part of that design philosophy.

[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates something else: the individual atmospheric water generators 30 are not individually equipped with a pan, trough, or cistern in which to catch the water condensed out of the air. Condensed water simply drips down from the fan / heat exchanger units 32, the long wall 14 to which the atmospheric water generator 30 is mounted, and any other surfaces around the atmospheric water generator 30 that are cold enough to cause water to condense.

[0027] Rather than individually collecting water from each atmospheric water generator 30, the container 12 itself is adapted to collect the water. The adaptations thatallow this are several. First, the interior walls 14, 16 may be coated, covered, or surface- treated such that water can easily condense on them and flow downward. As one example, the walls 14, 16 may be powder coated. In other embodiments, the walls 14, 16 could be covered with a material on which the water can condense, e.g., polyethylene sheeting.

[0028] Second, the container 12 is specifically adapted to receive and collect the water as it drips down from the atmospheric water generators 30 and the surrounding areas. FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a section of the floor 50 of the container 12. Most shipping containers have solid flooring, e.g., oak planks. In the container 12, the floor 50 is comprised of expanded metal decking 51 supported by longitudinal beams 52 and a number of cross-members 54. These supports 52, 54 would typically be rated for the full weight of a container 12 and would be fully compatible with all modes of transport. In many embodiments, the supports 52, 54 would be I-beams of appropriate sizes. Because expanded metal is porous, dripping water would be allowed to pass through the floor 50. However, the floor 50 would be rated for significant static and dynamic loads.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the container, illustrating the collection arrangement. As noted above, the water passes through the expanded metal flooring 50. Beneath the floor supports 52, 54, a collection pan 56 runs the width and the length of the container 12. The collection pan 56 is slanted downward from the sides of the container 12 toward its center, thus driving water that is collected toward the sides of the collection pan 56 toward its lowest point along the centerline 58. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the collection pan 56 is also sloped downwardly from the front of the container toward the back. This means that any water that drips through the floor 50 will land in the collection pan 56 and be driven toward the rear center of the container 12. The rear end of the collection pan 56 may form a spigot, include a connector for a hose, or have other water-directing structure.

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates that the container 12 is mounted on a trailer 70, which will often be the case. Because of this, the container 12 may be several feet off the ground. The atmospheric water generators 30 that condense water may be several feet above that. Thus, water flowing into and through the collection pan 56 may have significant momentum, which may assist in the handling and movement of the water. For example, the water may drop into a cistern placed below the trailer 70, an aqueduct may beconstructed below the collection pan 56 that the water from the collection pan 56 spills into, or a hose may connect to a spigot or fitting on the collection pan 56. The nature of the structure may depend, in part, on whether the placement of the system 10 is intended to be temporary or permanent. For the sake of illustration, FIG. 2 shows a port or fitting 71 for connecting the collection pan 56 to an outside cistern or other system; FIG. 4 illustrates a simple spigot 72 connected to the fitting 71.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the condensed and collected water is not particularly filtered. The incoming air is filtered to remove particulate matter, but additional filtration and purification may be desirable after water is condensed. To that end, a filtration and / or purification system may be connected to the fitting 71 or spigot 72.

[0032] To operate, the atmospheric water generators 30 require a circulating coolant cold enough to cause water to condense. That coolant would typically be something with a lower freezing temperature than that of water, such as propylene glycol. In general, the coolant is circulated between a reservoir and the atmospheric water generators 30, warmed by heat exchange with the air, returned for cooling, and recirculated. The manner in which the coolant is cooled may vary from embodiment to embodiment. For example, a traditional expansion-compression refrigeration cycle with a haloalkane refrigerant and a heat exchanger may be used to cool a circulating coolant.

[0033] However, the present inventor has found that the use of cryogenic cells may be superior to the use of a conventional refrigeration cycle. A “cryogenic cell” is a device that uses heat exchange with a liquid cryogen to cool a fluid. Briefly, a liquid cryogen (e.g., liquid nitrogen, liquid argon, liquid carbon dioxide, or liquid helium) is contained within a core, which is a closed vessel. Around that core is a pressurizable space. Typically, tubing is coiled around the core within the pressurizable space. As a fluid flows within the tubing in the pressurizable space, it is exposed to the low temperatures of the cryogen within the core. However, the thermal communication between the core and the pressurizable space is selective - heat transfer by conduction depends on the pressure within the pressurizable space, and thus, the amount of mass in the pressurizable space. If one wishes to limit heat transfer by conduction between the core and the fluid within the coils, one sets the pressure within the pressurizable space relatively low. If one wishes to maximize heat transfer, higher pressures of, e.g., up to 300 psi (6.9 kPa) can be used toincrease the amount of mass in the pressurizable space, and thus, the level of heat transfer by conduction. As heat transfer occurs, the cryogenic liquid absorbs heat, vaporizes, and is ultimately regenerated into liquid form by a cold head within the core. The cold head uses a colder cryogen than the one in the core.

[0034] Cryogenic cells as described above are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Patent 11,448,459 and in W02023 / 004408, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. U.S. Patent No. 11,306,957, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a simpler design, in which the coils are physically in contact with the core, omitting a pressurizable space around the coils. This design may be used if the cryogenic cell’s parameters (i.e., cryogen within the core and coolant flow rate within the coils) are chosen such that the coolant will not freeze within the coils. U.S. Patent No. 12,098,873, which is also incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a cryogenic cell design that omits a cold head and connects the core of the cryogenic cell directly to a cryogenic regenerator. This design may be particularly advantageous, as it can be implemented at lower cost and may be more responsive to heavy thermal loads.

[0035] The core of a cryogenic cell may hold up to, e.g., 200L (about 50 gallons) of liquid cryogen, but in fluid-cooling applications like atmospheric water generation, several smaller cryogenic cells with core volumes of about 10L (2.6 gallons) may be sufficient to produce relatively high volumes of water, e.g. 5000 L (1321 gallons) per day.

[0036] Typically, in fluid-cooling applications, the coolant fluid circulates in a closed loop between the cryogenic cell or cells and the thermal load, which, in this case, is the fan / heat exchanger units 32 of the atmospheric water generators 30. Yet the system may be more complex than that. More particularly, as those of skill in the art will understand, the air must be cooled to at least its dew point for water to condense. However, the dew point varies according to the temperature and other factors. Thus, system 10 should be able to adjust the temperature of the circulating coolant appropriately, so that the atmospheric water generators 30 reach the dew point (or frost point) necessary to cause water to condense.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a system, generally indicated at 100, for conditioning and distributing coolant. For purposes of this description, it will beassumed that the coolant fluid is propylene glycol, although the particular coolant fluid is not critical. Propylene glycol is advantageous in that its freezing point, -59°C (-74.2°F), is considerably below that of water, and it is also generally non-reactive.

[0038] System 100 mixes warmed and cold coolant to feed the fan / heat exchanger elements 32 a coolant of the proper temperature to meet or exceed the ambient dew point. To that end, system 100 has two reservoirs, a cold coolant reservoir 102 containing cold coolant 104, and a warm coolant reservoir 106 containing warm coolant 108. The warm coolant reservoir 106 is associated with heaters 110 to heat the coolant. The heaters 110 may be resistance heaters, Pelletier-effect thermoelectric heaters, or any other suitable type of heater. In FIG. 8, the heaters 110 are shown schematically as adjoining the reservoir 106, although they may be inside the reservoir 106.

[0039] Coolant 104 from the cold coolant reservoir 102 flows into and through a cryogenic cell or cells 80 to be cooled. The cryogenic cells 80 are connected in a separate closed loop to one or more cryogenic compressors 82 to regenerate the internal cryogen that is used to cool the circulating coolant 104. For simplicity, FIG. 8 illustrates a single cryogenic cell 80 and a single cryogenic compressor 82, but in a practical embodiment, several cryogenic cells 80 would be used to address the needs of all of the atmospheric water generators 30. For example, 4 cryogenic cells 80 and 4-6 cryogenic compressors 82 may be used. If needed, a manifold may be used to manage the withdrawal of cryogenic vapor from a cryogenic cell, the distribution of that vapor to various cryogenic cells 80 for compression, and the distribution of liquid cryogen back into the cores of the various cryogenic cells 80.

[0040] Cold cryogen that emerges from the cryogenic cell 80 reaches a three- way mixing valve 112 that is also connected to the warm coolant reservoir 106. The mixing valve 112 is electronically controlled by a controller 114 to deliver coolant at the proper temperature for the ambient dew point by mixing warm and cold coolant. The temperature of the mixed coolant is measured by a temperature sensor 116, which may be, e.g., a thermocouple or a thermistor, and the mass flow rate of the coolant is measured by a flow meter 118, before entering through an inlet 36, 38 to the fan / heat exchanger 32.

[0041] Once heat exchange occurs, warmed coolant exits the fan / heat exchanger 32 through a return line 120. Coolant in the return line 120 ultimately reachesa dividing valve 122 that divides the returning current between the cold coolant reservoir 102 and the warm coolant reservoir 106. The dividing valve 122 is under the control of a controller 124. The coolant is sent through branched lines 126, 128 to the respective reservoirs 102, 106. Each line 126, 128 has a flow meter 130, 132 associated with it to monitor the mass flow of coolant into each reservoir 102, 106.

[0042] The circulation of the coolant may be under the control of a master controller 134, which may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an integrated, embedded system including one of those components, or a programmable logic controller (PLC). The controller 134 interfaces with the valve controllers 114, 124 and the various sensors 116, 118, 130, 132 to mix coolant to the proper temperature, supply coolant in adequate amounts to each atmospheric water generator 30. The valve controllers 114, 124 may be solenoids, relays, or other such apparatus. In practical embodiments with many atmospheric water generators 30, a manifold may be used to distribute coolant to many atmospheric water generators 30.

[0043] Because the coolant mixture supplied to the atmospheric water generators 30 may be below the freezing point of water, it is possible that ice may be formed internally within the atmospheric water generators 30. For that reason, each atmospheric water generator 30 may optionally include a de-icing system 140, shown schematically in FIG. 5. The de-icing system 140 may comprise heating elements of any type (resistance, Pelletier effect thermoelectric, etc.) that activate periodically to melt any ice that may form. De-icing systems 140 may particularly find use when the dew point is below the freezing point of water.

[0044] System 100 is but one example of a coolant distribution system. Other types of coolant distribution systems may be used.

[0045] As can be seen particularly in the view of FIG. 2, the cryogenic cells 80, reservoirs 102, 106, and compressors 82 may all be provided in the container 12. In the illustrated embodiment, these components 80, 82, 102, 106 are in the center of the container 12, leaving the areas toward the walls to the atmospheric water generators 30. The components 80, 82, 102, 106 that condition and provide the coolant 104, 108 are generally unaffected by the environment within the container 12 and may be generally impervious to falling water droplets. However, if necessary, the support components 80, 82, 102, 106could be covered by an enclosure. The number of cryogenic cells 80 and the number of cryogenic compressors 82 used in system 10 is chosen so that there is excess capacity. Thus, if it is necessary to take one or more cryogenic cells 80 or one or more cryogenic compressors 82 offline for maintenance, there is still sufficient capacity to run at least some of the atmospheric water generators 30. This is another way to ensure that system 10 has no single point of failure.

[0046] System 10 is modular, in that additional containers 12 may be added to increase the capacity of the system. In some configurations, multiple containers 12 may be stacked overtop of one another. For example, an additional container 12 may be on-site and activated when relative humidity is low, in order to maintain a desired level of production. By that same principle, although much of this description assumes that all of the atmospheric water generators 30 in a container are active at the same time (with the exception of equipment failure) that need not always be the case.

[0047] In some embodiments, a master controller like the master controller 134 may be coupled to an external hygrometer and may bring individual atmospheric water generators 30 online depending on the ambient humidity to meet a set or variable water production goal. In this kind of embodiment, for example, fewer atmospheric water generators 30 may be used in times of high humidity, and more atmospheric water generators 30 may be brought online on cold, dry days. Operating a system 10 with a constant production water production target may help to reduce the burden on downstream storage tanks and equipment.

[0048] While the invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. Modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 17 December 2025 (17.12.2025)

1. [Amended] 1. An atmospheric water generation system, comprising: a container, the container including a rectilinear frame having intermodal connectors attached externally thereto, the rectilinear frame defining a first container end and a second container end, exterior doors on the first container end and the second container end, such that the container is adapted to be opened at both ends, wall panels disposed on the rectilinear frame, an interior floor connected to the rectilinear frame, the interior floor comprising a perforated material, and a collection pan connected to the rectilinear frame below the interior floor, the collection pan sloping downwardly from sides of the collection pan toward a center of the collection pan, the collection pan sloping downwardly from a first end of the container toward a second end of the container; and one or more atmospheric water generators within the container, the one or more atmospheric water generators adapted to cause atmospheric moisture to condense within the container.

2. 2. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more atmospheric water generators includes at least one fan and at least one heat exchanger.

3. 3. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 2, wherein the one or more atmospheric water generators are mounted on an interior surface of at least one of the wall panels.

4. 4. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the wall panels is powder coated.

5. 5. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 2, further comprising: a coolant circulation and chilling system that supplies cold coolant to the at least one heat exchanger of each of the one or more atmospheric water generators, cools heated coolant from the at least one heat exchanger to regenerate the cold coolant, and recirculates the cold coolant to the at least one heat exchanger.

6. 6. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 5, wherein the coolant circulation and chilling system comprises:one or more cryogenic cells adapted to receive the heated coolant from the at least one heat exchanger and to cool the heated coolant.

7. 7. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 6, wherein the coolant circulation and chilling system further comprises: a first coolant reservoir associated with the one or more cryogenic cells to generate coolant of a first temperature; a second coolant reservoir associated with coolant heaters to generate coolant of a second temperature; a mixing apparatus connected to the first coolant reservoir and the second coolant reservoir, the mixing apparatus adapted to mix the coolant of the first temperature and the coolant of the second temperature to generate the cold coolant.

8. 8. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 1, wherein the perforated material comprises expanded metal.

9. [Amended] 9. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 1, further comprising: a movable perforated panel behind each of the exterior doors; and filter material mounted on each of the perforated panels.

10. 10. The atmospheric water generation system of claim 9, wherein the movable perforated panels comprise expanded metal doors.Statement under Article 19(1)The claims are amended only to address an objection under PCT Rule 66.2(a)(v) raised as to claim 1 in the Written Opinion of the ISA and to address a minor typographical omission in claim 1. The amendments do not affect the scope of the claims.

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