Ambient Air Water Extraction Using Two-Stage Air Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water generation systems require impure liquid water, energy, or harmful coolants, and are inefficient in high-temperature and low-humidity environments, with large space requirements and low efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A device using a compressor, condensers, and an expander to extract water from humid ambient air by compressing, cooling, and expanding air to separate water without a liquid coolant, utilizing ambient air for cooling in two stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a cooling circuit with liquid coolant is used to cool ambient air below dew point, then water can be extracted from humid air, but the system efficiency decreases sharply when ambient temperature is high and the coolant becomes harmful to the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful liquid coolant from the system entirely and replaces it with ambient air as the cooling medium. The air-to-air heat exchanger transfers heat from compressed humid air to incoming ambient air, eliminating the need for refrigerants and their associated environmental hazards while maintaining the cooling function below dew point.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses incoming ambient air to cool the compressed humid air, making the cooling medium self-regenerating and continuously available. The ambient air serves dual purposes: it is the source of humidity for water extraction and simultaneously the coolant, creating a self-sustaining thermal management system without external refrigerant circulation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ambient air is used as coolant instead of liquid coolant, then environmental harm is eliminated, but the cooling capacity may be insufficient in high-temperature environments
Solution Approach 1:
The condenser is divided into two distinct sections: a first section where compressed humid air is cooled by ambient air to condense water, and a second section where the now-drier compressed air is further cooled by additional ambient air. This segmentation allows optimized heat transfer in each section while maintaining adequate cooling capacity even when ambient temperatures are high.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the thermodynamic parameters of the compressed air through compression, increasing its temperature and pressure before heat exchange. This parameter change creates a larger temperature differential between the compressed air and ambient air, enhancing the heat transfer efficiency and maintaining cooling capacity even in high-temperature environments.
3Productivity
If a closed-cycle cooling system with refrigerant is used, then efficient water extraction is achieved, but the device complexity and safety requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex closed-cycle refrigeration system with its compressors, condensers, expansion devices, and evaporators, replacing it with a simple air-to-air heat exchanger. This extraction of the refrigerant cycle eliminates the need for managing refrigerant phases, pressures, and temperatures, dramatically simplifying the device while maintaining water extraction functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pneumatic principles by utilizing the compression of ambient air to create the temperature differential needed for condensation. Instead of mechanical refrigeration cycles, the invention relies on the thermodynamic properties of compressed air and simple heat exchange, reducing mechanical complexity and safety requirements associated with high-pressure refrigerant systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Efficient water production with reduced costs and environmental impact, even in high-temperature conditions, without harmful coolants, and compact design.
Implementation Method 1
The air drawn in and compressed by the compressor will be cooled in the first condenser by the ambient air, whereby water will be separated off. This is possible because, together with the pressure, also the temperature of the ambient air increases due to the compression.
Implementation Method 2
The compressed ambient air will therefore have a higher temperature compared to the non-compressed ambient air. This non-compressed ambient air can subsequently be used as coolant to cool the compressed ambient air. The cooling will continue until the dew point such that water is extracted from the compressed ambient air in a first stage.
Implementation Method 3
The cooling will continue until the dew point such that water is extracted from the compressed ambient air in a first stage.
Implementation Method 4
In a next step, the dried compressed air is expanded into dry expanded air. Due to the expansion, the temperature will decrease again, that is, the temperature of the expanded air will be lower than the dried compressed air.
Implementation Method 5
After expansion, this dried and expanded air is then used as cooling air or coolant in the second condenser, separating off water from the again humid ambient air flowing through this second condenser.
Implementation Method 6
separating off water from the again humid ambient air flowing through this second condenser
Data Source
AI summary
Device for extracting water from humid ambient air, the device including a conduit in which successively is incorporated: a compressor to compress the humid ambient air into compressed ambient air, a first condenser to dry the compressed ambient air into dry compressed air, an expansion valve or expander for expanding the dry compressed air into dry expanded air and a second condenser. The first condenser is further configured to direct the wet ambient air through it as coolant for extracting water from the compressed ambient air in a first stage via an outlet or the like. The second condenser is configured to direct the dry expanded air through it as coolant for extracting the water from the humid ambient air in a second stage by means of an outlet or the like.