A solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of continuous atmospheric water trap based on solar energy, including shell, pulley, limit baffle, adsorbent material, heat absorption plate, thermal insulation layer, delay baffle, condensing plate.In the solar atmospheric water trap, two pieces of adsorbent material replace water absorption and dehydration, so as to realize continuous uninterrupted water production.Through pulley device, the weight difference of two pieces of adsorbent in different water absorption stages is used to divide the device into adsorption zone and desorption zone, and automatic operation of adsorption device is realized.Air flows into adsorption zone at a certain speed, and part of water vapor in the air is captured by adsorbent.At the same time, heat absorption plate absorbs light energy of concentrated solar energy and converts it into heat energy, which is used to heat adsorbent material in desorption zone cavity, and water vapor is desorbed from adsorbent material.After a certain time of adsorption / desorption, delay baffle is opened, and the adsorption / desorption state of adsorbent material is switched by using gravity.Desorbed water vapor moves to condensing zone and condenses into liquid water, which flows out from outlet.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of solar heat utilization, and particularly relates to a continuous atmospheric water capture device based on solar energy, which captures water vapor in the atmosphere through an adsorption material, converts solar energy into heat energy to promote water desorption, and collects the required liquid water. BACKGROUND

[0002] Fresh water is an essential part of human production and life, but increasing demand, environmental pollution and uneven distribution of water resources make the problem more serious. Seawater desalination relies on seawater using heat or membrane process, which requires a large amount of energy consumption, and the collection based on fog and dew requires high environmental humidity, so the adsorption atmospheric water capture becomes the key solution to solve the problem of fresh water due to its advantages of being suitable for various humidity, portable and environment-friendly.

[0003] The adsorption atmospheric water capture captures water vapor in the atmosphere through an adsorption material with water affinity, and can work in low humidity or extreme climate conditions. In the desorption process, low-grade heat energy can be used to drive water vapor release, and finally water vapor is condensed to form liquid droplets, thereby completing the adsorption-desorption cycle. The traditional control method uses the daily single cycle of the intermittent water capture strategy by using the diurnal temperature difference and high humidity at night, and its water production rate is severely limited, so the atmospheric water capture develops towards the direction of continuous water capture with multiple cycles. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application proposes a continuous atmospheric water capture device based on solar energy, which realizes the function of continuous water production. By dividing the water catcher into zones, the adsorption-desorption mode of the adsorbent is switched by using the pulley structure and gravity, so that the water catcher can simultaneously absorb water and produce water, and has the characteristics of environmental protection, low energy consumption, simple control structure and high water production rate.

[0005] The technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows: a continuous atmospheric water catcher based on solar energy, the continuous atmospheric water catcher comprising a pulley, a limit baffle, a delay baffle, a heat absorption plate, an outer shell, a heat insulation layer, a condensation plate, a water outlet and an adsorbent material.

[0006] The continuous atmospheric water catcher is divided into an adsorption zone, a desorption zone and a condensation zone from top to bottom; the adsorption zone is located at the uppermost part of the water catcher, the pulley is fixed in the center at the top, the left and right two adsorbent materials are connected and hung on the pulley, the adsorbent material can move vertically in height by rotating the pulley, and the limit baffle is used below the pulley to limit the adsorbent material.

[0007] The desorption zone is composed of a time delay baffle, a heat absorbing plate, an outer shell and a heat insulation layer, is used for heating the adsorbent material, promoting water desorption, forming high temperature steam, the square outer shell surrounds to form a cavity, the heat insulation layer is wrapped outside the outer shell, the outer shell and the heat insulation layer are provided with openings on the side, the heat absorbing plate is placed at the opening to absorb solar energy and convert it into heat energy, two openings are arranged at the top of the outer shell and located between the adsorption zone and the desorption zone, corresponding to the vertical projection positions of the two adsorbent materials respectively, so that the adsorbent material can pass through when falling vertically, and the time delay baffle is located at the two openings and is used for maintaining the adsorption / desorption state of the adsorbent material.

[0008] The condensation zone is composed of a condensation plate and a water outlet, is connected to the lower part of the desorption zone, the condensation plate is an inclined plane, and the water outlet is arranged at the lowermost part and is used for collecting the output liquid water.

[0009] The beneficial effects brought by the present application are:

[0010] The present application uses solar energy to capture water, which can not only realize the purpose of continuous water production, but also has the characteristics of environmental protection, low energy consumption, simple control structure and high water production rate. The adsorbent material captures moisture in the atmosphere, falls into the desorption cavity by gravity after the adsorption stage is completed, and uses solar energy to heat and promote water desorption. The water vapor condenses into liquid droplets in the condensation zone and slides down, so as to complete the capture and collection of water. The present application can realize flexible control of the adsorption-desorption cycle by monitoring the environmental temperature and humidity, so as to accelerate the water production speed and realize high-efficiency continuous multi-cycle water capture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is the structure diagram of the continuous atmospheric water harvester based on solar energy of the present application.

[0012] In the figure, the reference signs are: adsorption zone 1, desorption zone 2, condensation zone 3, adsorbent material 4, pulley 11, limit baffle 12, time delay baffle 21, heat absorbing plate 22, outer shell 23, heat insulation layer 24, condensation plate 31, water outlet 32. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application more clear and explicit, the present application is further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application. In addition, the technical features involved in each embodiment of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other. In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical scheme.

[0014] With reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0015] With reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present application. Figure 1 The continuous solar-based atmospheric water harvester according to the present application comprises a pulley 11, a limiting baffle 12, a time-delay baffle 21, a heat-absorbing plate 22, an outer shell 23, a heat-insulating layer 24, a condensing plate 31, a water outlet 32, and an adsorbent material 4. The continuous atmospheric water harvester is divided into an adsorption zone 1, a desorption zone 2, and a condensation zone 3 from top to bottom. The adsorption zone 1 is located at the top, the desorption zone 2 is located in the middle, and the condensation zone 3 is located at the bottom. The pulley 11 is fixed in the middle of the top of the adsorption zone 1. Two pieces of the adsorbent material 4 are connected by a rope or a belt and hung on the pulley 11. The adsorbent material 4 can move vertically in height by the rotation of the pulley 11 and is limited by the limiting baffle 12 below the pulley. Two openings are arranged on the top of the outer shell 23 between the adsorption zone 1 and the desorption zone 2, corresponding to the vertical projection positions of the two pieces of the adsorbent material 4, so that the adsorbent material 4 can pass through when falling vertically. The time-delay baffle 21 is arranged at the two openings to maintain the adsorption / desorption state of the adsorbent material 4. The desorption zone 2 is used to heat the adsorbent material 4 to promote water desorption and form high-temperature steam. The outer shell 23 forms a square cavity, and the heat-insulating layer 24 is wrapped outside the outer shell 23. Openings are arranged on the sides of the outer shell 23 and the heat-insulating layer 24. The heat-absorbing plate 22 is arranged at the openings to absorb solar energy and convert it into heat energy to heat the adsorbent material 4 in the desorption zone 2. The condensation zone 3 is arranged at the bottom of the continuous atmospheric water harvester and comprises the condensing plate 31 and the water outlet 32. The condensing plate 31 is an inclined plane, and the condensing plate 31 is connected to the water outlet 32 at the lowermost position to collect the output liquid water.

[0016] Preferably, the adsorbent material 4 is composed of MOF, hydrogel, hygroscopic salt, COF, or a hygroscopic composite material composed of porous materials and salts such as LiCl and CaCl2. The adsorbent material 4 can have water absorption capacity and considerable water absorption amount at low relative humidity and has good adsorption / desorption kinetics.

[0017] Preferably, when the hygroscopic salt is used as the adsorbent material 4, a porous film material such as polytetrafluoroethylene can be used to wrap the adsorbent material 4 to prevent salt dissolution and leakage.

[0018] Preferably, the desorption zone 2 is wrapped by the heat-insulating layer 24 to prevent heat loss of the desorption zone 2 of the water harvester and improve the thermal efficiency of the device.

[0019] Preferably, the limiting baffle 12 is arranged below the pulley 11 to fix the adsorbent material 4 at a certain height without falling off and height deviation.

[0020] Preferably, the time-delay baffle 21 is arranged at the opening between the adsorption zone 1 and the desorption zone 2. When the adsorbent material 4 falls down after absorbing water and becoming heavy, the time-delay baffle 21 is closed to prevent the adsorbent material 4 from being lifted when the desorption is insufficient, and is opened after a period of time to enable the adsorbent material 4 to perform the next adsorption-desorption cycle.

[0021] Preferably, a hygrometer is arranged at the adsorption zone 1, and a temperature detection device is arranged in the desorption zone 2.

[0022] Preferably, a weight detection device is arranged above the adsorbent material 4.

[0023] Preferably, the adsorption zone 1 can be provided with multiple groups of parallel arranged pulleys 11 to hang the adsorbent material 4 in different adsorption-desorption cycle states, and the desorption zone 2 is provided with multiple groups of time-delay baffles 21 to enhance the continuous water production performance of the atmospheric water harvester.

[0024] Preferably, the closing time of the time-delay baffle 21 is controlled according to the data collected by the temperature and humidity detection device, that is, the adsorption-desorption cycle period of the continuous atmospheric water harvester is controlled. The adsorption time- relative humidity curve and the desorption time- desorption chamber temperature curve are obtained by fitting the experimental results in advance, and the adsorption-desorption cycle period of the corresponding baffle is adjusted according to the data collected by the temperature and humidity detection device; or whether the desorption is completed is judged according to the mass data collected by the weight detection device above the adsorbent in the desorption zone 2. If the weight is lower than a certain value, it represents that the desorption stage is completed, the time-delay baffle 21 is opened, the adsorbent material 4 above falls, drives another adsorbent in the same group to rise to the adsorption zone, the time-delay baffle 21 is closed, and the next adsorption / desorption stage is entered.

[0025] Preferably, the shell 23 is made of aluminum.

[0026] Preferably, the condensation zone 3 can adopt a fin structure to enhance heat dissipation and maintain the temperature difference between the desorption zone 2 and the condensation zone 3.

[0027] It should be noted that the skilled in the art can fully realize the entire scope of the independent claim and the dependent claims of the present application according to the above embodiments of the present application, and the implementation process and method are the same as those of the above embodiments; and the part not described in detail in the present application belongs to the commonly known technology in the art.

[0028] The above merely illustrates some specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A continuous solar based atmospheric water harvester characterized in that: The continuous atmospheric water harvester comprises a pulley (11), a limiting baffle (12), a time-delay baffle (21), a heat-absorbing plate (22), an outer shell (23), a thermal insulation layer (24), a condensing plate (31), a water outlet (32), and an adsorbent material (4). The continuous atmospheric water harvester is divided into an adsorption zone (1), a desorption zone (2), and a condensation zone (3) from top to bottom. The adsorption zone (1) is located at the top of the water harvester, and the pulley (11) is fixed in the middle of the top. The left and right adsorbent materials (4) are connected and hung on the pulley (11), and the adsorbent material (4) can move vertically in height by rotating the pulley (11) and is limited by the limiting baffle (12) below the pulley (11). The desorption zone (2) is composed of the time-delay baffle (21), the heat-absorbing plate (22), the outer shell (23), and the thermal insulation layer (24), which are used to heat the adsorbent material (4), promote water desorption, and form high-temperature steam. The square outer shell (23) surrounds a cavity, and the thermal insulation layer (24) is wrapped outside the outer shell (23). The outer shell (23) and the thermal insulation layer (24) are provided with openings on the side surfaces, and the heat-absorbing plate (22) is placed in the openings to absorb solar energy and convert it into heat energy. Two openings are arranged on the top of the outer shell (23) between the adsorption zone (1) and the desorption zone (2), corresponding to the vertical projection positions of the two adsorbent materials (4), so that the adsorbent material (4) can pass through when it falls vertically. The time-delay baffle (21) is located at the two openings and is used to maintain the adsorption / desorption state of the adsorbent material (4). The condensation zone (3) is composed of the condensing plate (31) and the water outlet (32), which are connected to the lower part of the desorption zone (2). The condensing plate (31) is an inclined plane, and the water outlet (32) is arranged at the lowermost part to collect the output liquid water. The limiting baffle (12) is arranged below the pulley (11) to fix the adsorbent material (4) at a specific height and prevent it from falling off and deviating in height. The time-delay baffle (21) is arranged at the opening between the adsorption zone (1) and the desorption zone (2). When the adsorbent material (4) falls after absorbing water, the time-delay baffle is closed to prevent the adsorbent from being lifted when it is not fully desorbed. After a period of time, the time-delay baffle is opened to allow the adsorbent material (4) to perform the next adsorption-desorption cycle.

2. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, The adsorbent material (4) is composed of MOF, hydrogel, hygroscopic salt, COF, POP, HOF, or a hygroscopic composite material composed of a porous material and a salt. It has a water absorption capacity and a considerable water absorption amount at low relative humidity, and has good adsorption-desorption kinetics.

3. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 2, wherein, When hygroscopic salt is used as the adsorbent material (4), a porous film material is used to wrap it to prevent salt dissolution and leakage.

4. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, The desorption zone (2) is wrapped by the thermal insulation layer (24) to prevent heat loss and improve the thermal efficiency of the device.

5. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, A humidity meter is arranged in the adsorption zone (1), and a temperature detection device is arranged in the desorption zone (2).

6. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, A weight detection device is arranged above the adsorbent material (4).

7. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, The adsorption zone (1) is provided with multiple groups of parallelly arranged pulleys (11) for suspending the adsorbent material (4), and the desorption zone (2) is provided with multiple groups of time-delay baffles (21), so as to enhance the continuous water production performance of the atmospheric water harvester.

8. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 5, wherein, According to the data collected by the temperature and humidity detection device or the weight of the adsorbent material (4), the closing and opening time of the time-delay baffles (21) is controlled, that is, the adsorption-desorption cycle period of the continuous atmospheric water harvester is controlled.

9. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, The shell (23) is made of aluminum.

10. The solar-based continuous atmospheric water harvester of claim 1, wherein, The condensing plate (31) adopts a fin structure to enhance heat dissipation and maintain the temperature difference between the desorption zone (2) and the condensation zone (3).

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