System for capturing water contained in water vapour in the air

Abstract

The present invention discloses a capturing system for extracting the water contained in water vapour in the air, the system comprising a compressor element configured to compress the air at a pre-established pressure, a main heat exchanger configured to cool the compressed air, a separator configured to receive the cooled air from the main heat exchanger and separate the condensed water from the air, a tank configured to store the water from the separator, and a propelling element configured to be actuated by the dry compressed air from the separator, wherein said propelling element is configured to create a stream of cooling air for cooling the main heat exchanger.

Description

[0001] SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING WATER CONTAINED IN WATER VAPOR FROM THE AIR

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to systems for the production or obtaining of water in the form of water vapor in the air.

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] It is well known that the normal air we all breathe, that is, at atmospheric pressure, contains a certain amount of water in the form of water vapor. Given this, various proposals and technologies have been developed with the aim of capturing or recovering this water from the air and making it available in liquid form for purposes such as consumption.

[0006] One technology for capturing or recovering water from the air is water vapor condensation through cooling. This technology takes advantage of the basic principle that air can hold a finite amount of water vapor, and when it is cooled below its dew point, the water vapor condenses into a liquid.

[0007] The condensation of water vapor by cooling can be achieved in several ways, the main objective being to reduce the air temperature so that the water vapor condenses.

[0008] In some cases, cold surfaces, such as coils cooled with refrigerant or cooling plates, are used to reduce the temperature of the air passing over them. The water vapor in the air condenses when it comes into contact with these cold surfaces and is collected as liquid water.

[0009] Other cases involve the use of mechanical refrigeration systems that compress and then expand a refrigerant to cool the air. The air cools as it passes through the refrigeration system's heat exchanger, and the water vapor condenses.

[0010] Cooling condensation is especially effective in regions with high relative humidity, as the air contains more water vapor that can condense. However, the efficiency of this method can vary depending on factors such as ambient air temperature and humidity, as well as the design and effectiveness of the cooling system used.

[0011] Therefore, the need becomes evident to provide systems and / or procedures for capturing water through condensation by cooling the air that increase efficiency in order to capture the maximum amount of water available in the form of vapor in the air.

[0012] DESCRIPTION

[0013] To address the identified need, the present invention provides a system for capturing water from the air as described in claim 1.

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the aforementioned system are described in the dependent claims of claim 1.

[0015] In the system being advocated, water in the form of vapor present in the air is captured by compressing and cooling the air, using air impellers or impeller / suction elements, heat exchangers and separators.

[0016] The system has a compressed air source or at least a compressor, and therefore there is a pressurized air flow associated with a compressed air line through which the air will move. This compressed air will be at a predetermined pressure and temperature. The higher the pressure of this air flow, the easier it is to capture water, since the dew point temperature will be higher and, therefore, for the same final temperature, a greater quantity of condensed water can be obtained. Higher pressure (at the same temperature) results in a greater quantity of water to be obtained in the condensate separator.

[0017] Once the compressed air flow has been created, it is cooled. Just as with pressure, temperature is the other decisive factor for condensing the water contained in the air. The lower the temperature (at the same pressure) of the compressed air, the greater the condensation. This is why, to cool the air stream, there is at least one main heat exchanger, in which the temperature of the compressed air is reduced to at least the dew point, in order to condense the water vapor it contains. Alternatively, the system has two heat exchangers to cool the compressed air. The first of these is a pre-cooling heat exchanger, which pre-cools the compressed air flow.The second exchanger would be the main heat exchanger, where the pre-cooling exchanger is located upstream of the main exchanger, the latter being the one that performs the greatest cooling of the compressed air.

[0018] In yet another alternative, the system features a third heat exchanger, called an aftercooler, located downstream of the main heat exchanger, to provide a further cooling stage for the compressed air. In a preferred embodiment, the aftercooler heat exchanger is geothermal, cooling the compressed air by contact with the subsoil.

[0019] Since the compressed air is cooled in each of the heat exchangers, it is expected that at least some of the water vapor in that air will condense and precipitate within each exchanger. Therefore, these exchangers are designed to be drained by gravity. That is, any condensate that forms within the compressed air line inside the exchangers can be removed without any auxiliary equipment, requiring only the action of gravity.

[0020] Ideally, the target temperature for the compressed air at the end of its passage through the system should be at least ambient temperature. This will always be the case, except when the air is cooled in the aftercooler, which, being preferably geothermal, allows the temperature to be lowered below ambient when the subsurface temperature is lower than ambient. For example, in hot climates and during the day, it might be effective to pass the compressed air flow through the aftercooler, while at night only the precooling and main air exchangers would operate, bypassing the aftercooler.

[0021] As mentioned, during the cooling of compressed air, water vapor condenses from the air, and capturing and utilizing this condensate is the objective of this invention. After passing through at least the main heat exchanger, the compressed air continues to a separator, where the condensed water is collected and stored in a water tank. After collecting the condensed water from the separator, the cooled, water-free compressed air is directed to drive an air pump that creates an airflow, which could be called the cooling airflow, intended to cool the main heat exchanger. This airflow is preferably at atmospheric pressure.

[0022] Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the main heat exchanger is linked by means of a duct or chimney to an extractor, said extractor being provided to induce a high flow air current for the cooling of said main heat exchanger.

[0023] In an even more preferred embodiment, the extractor is of the wind type, such that the airflow from the impeller drives this wind extractor, which, in turn, generates an airflow that cools the main heat exchanger.

[0024] In addition to the above, the cooling of the main heat exchanger has another component derived from convective heat dissipation, typical of a chimney or any cooling tower. Both effects overlap, optimizing the exhaust and renewal of hot air from the duct that connects the main heat exchanger to the exhaust fan.

[0025] Alternatively, the airflow from the impeller directly impacts the pre-cooling heat exchanger, cooling it at least partially. After this, and already at a higher temperature, it impacts tangentially with a certain pressure and speed on the extractor, which, as mentioned, is preferably of the wind type, in such a way that it, in turn, creates another high-flow upward airflow through the duct, thus cooling the main heat exchanger.

[0026] If, in addition, the impeller is configured as an impeller / suction element (and not just an air impeller), it could, besides working as described above, help reduce system noise by allowing the compressor to be soundproofed and cooled. The suction created by the impeller would allow the air in a confined space to be renewed, which could be a soundproof enclosure housing the compressed air source, i.e., the compressor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0027] The above and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of some exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered illustrative and not limiting, in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the water collection system contained in the water vapor of the air of the invention.

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN IMPLEMENTATION EXAMPLE

[0030] The following detailed description presents numerous specific examples to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. However, it will be evident to those skilled in the subject that these teachings can be put into practice without such details.

[0031] The present invention provides a water collection system 1 for collecting water in the form of water vapor contained in the air, system 1 hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in Figure 1.

[0032] In system 1 there is a compressor element 2, compressor 2 onwards, which compresses atmospheric air to a pre-established pressure, which will be determined by the conditions of the place where system 1 is to be located.

[0033] From compressor 2, a compressed air line 21 is established, through which the air is transported to be cooled, achieving the condensation of the water vapor contained in the air and capturing it in a tank 5.

[0034] System 1 comprises a pre-cooling heat exchanger 7, pre-cooler 7 onwards, which pre-cools the compressed air coming from compressor 2, prior to its passage to a main heat exchanger 3, main heat exchanger 3 onwards, where said pre-cooler 7 provides a first stage of cooling the compressed air.

[0035] Following the pre-cooler 7 is the main heat exchanger 3 to which the pre-cooled compressed air is directed, and in which the greatest drop in air temperature will take place in order to capture most of the water, condensing much of the water vapor contained in it.

[0036] In the preferred embodiment, the precooler 7 and the main heat exchanger 3 are compressed air-to-air type heat exchangers. In this regard, the main heat exchanger 3 is connected via a duct 91 to a wind-driven extractor 9.

[0037] System 1 comprises an aftercooler heat exchanger 8, hereafter referred to as aftercooler 8, arranged downstream of the main heat exchanger 3, wherein this aftercooler 8 is intended to provide a further cooling stage to the compressed air to capture the remaining water in the air. In the preferred embodiment, this aftercooler 8 is of the geothermal or compressed air-to-earth type, cooling the air by contact with the subsoil.

[0038] The compressed and cooled air can go directly from the main heat exchanger 3 to a separator 4, or pass through the aftercooler 8 beforehand, therefore the aftercooler 8 would be optional.

[0039] This separator 4 receives the compressed and cooled air to separate the condensed water, obtaining dry air and condensed water. The latter is directed to a tank 5 where it is stored.

[0040] Since, in the illustrated embodiment, the compressed air is cooled in at least two stages, preferably in three stages, each of the heat exchangers 3 7 8 is in fluid communication with the tank 5, such that the water that condenses in said heat exchangers 3 7 8 from the cooling carried out in each of them is directed by gravity to said tank 5, so that all the water collected at different points of the system 1 is stored in the tank 5.

[0041] In the described embodiment, a single separator 4 is used as both a filter and condensate separator. However, additional filters, such as micron or submicron filters, can be added to the compressed air line to increase the amount of water captured and directed to tank 5.

[0042] The dry air, that is, with a minimal or total lack of water content, that comes out of the separator 4 is directed to the impeller 6 to drive it, such that said impeller 6 generates an air current CA1 that cools the pre-cooler 7. From here, already at a higher temperature, the cooling air that comes out of the pre-cooler 7, impacts tangentially with a certain pressure and speed on the wind extractor 9 in such a way that, in turn, it creates another high-flow upward air current CA2 through the duct 91 thus cooling the main heat exchanger 3.

[0043] If, in addition, impeller 6 operates as a blower / suction fan, it could, besides working as specified above, help reduce system noise by soundproofing and cooling compressor 2. The suction created by impeller 6 would allow for the renewal of air in a confined space. This space could be a soundproof box 22 that houses compressor 2, drawing in or extracting the hot air produced by its operation.

[0044] In any case, the pre-cooler 7 will adapt to the cooling airflow, prioritizing action on the wind extractor 9 before the cooling of said pre-cooler 7.

[0045] The impeller 6 can be of various types. It may, for example, comprise valves or flow amplifiers that multiply the flow rate of an air stream by several orders of magnitude, or vacuum line-creating elements, all of which are powered by compressed air. Alternatively, this impeller 6 may be a compressed air exhaust with a silencer designed to reduce noise.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A water collection system (1) for water vapor in air comprising: a compressor element (2) configured to compress air to a predetermined pressure; a main heat exchanger (3) configured to cool the compressed air; a separator (4) configured to receive the cooled air from the main heat exchanger (3) and separate the condensed water from the air; a tank (5) configured to store the water from the separator (4); and a drive element (6) configured to be driven by the dry, compressed air from the separator (4), wherein said drive element (6) is configured to create an air stream configured to cool the main heat exchanger (3).

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a pre-cooling heat exchanger (7), arranged upstream of the main heat exchanger (3), configured to pre-cool the compressed air, wherein said pre-cooling heat exchanger (7) is cooled by the air stream generated by the driving element (6).

3. The system according to any of the preceding claims comprising a wind extractor (9) linked by a duct (91) to the main heat exchanger (3), wherein the wind extractor (9) is driven by the airflow generated by the driving element (6), such that said wind extractor (9) generates an airflow through the duct (91) to cool the main heat exchanger (3).

4. The system according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a post-cooling heat exchanger (8), arranged downstream of the main heat exchanger (3), configured for additional cooling of the compressed air at the outlet of the main heat exchanger (3).

5. The system according to the preceding claims wherein the main heat exchanger (3), the pre-cooling heat exchanger (7) and the post-cooling heat exchanger (8) are in fluid communication with the tank (5), such that the water that condenses in said heat exchangers (3) (7) (8) is directed by gravity towards said tank (5).

6. The system according to any of the preceding claims wherein the driving element (6) is also configured as a suction element being fluidly connected to the compressor element (2), such that said driving element (6) is configured to cool the compressor element (2).

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