AIR TO WATER GENERATOR AND DISPENSER

Water scarcity is growing exponentially, hindering growth in food production and harming human health and economic development. According to the 2015 report by United Nations World Water Development projects, the global demand for water will rise by 55% by the year 2050. Some of the contribu

Project Title

AIR TO WATER GENERATOR AND DISPENSER

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

Water scarcity is growing exponentially, hindering growth in food production and harming human health and economic development. According to the 2015 report by United Nations World Water Development projects, the global demand for water will rise by 55% by the year 2050. Some of the contributing factors to water scarcity are climate change, water overuse, and increased pollution. 3% of the earth's water is fresh. 2.5% of the earth's fresh water is either locked up in glaciers, polar ice caps and atmosphere or lies too far under the earth's surface to be extracted at an affordable cost. Over 30 UN organizations carry out water and sanitation programs, reflecting the fact that water issues run through all of the UN's main focus areas.

The only thing required is moisture from the air and electricity. This project consists of a thermoelectric Peltier (TEC) couple, which is used to create the environment of water condensing temperature or dew point. The condensed water will be collected to use for drinking purpose and various other uses.

Dew Point: The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled. At this point the air cannot hold more water in the gas form. The higher the dew point rises, the greater the amount of moisture in the air.

Peltier Effect: the cooling of one junction and the heating of the other when electric current is maintained in a circuit of material consisting of two dissimilar conductors; the effect is even stronger in circuits containing dissimilar semiconductors.

This project consists of a thermoelectric Peltier (TEC) couple, which is used to create the environment of water condensing temperature or dew point, indeed conventional compressor and evaporator system could also be used to condense water by simply exchanging the latent heat of coolant inside the evaporator. The condensed water will be collected to use for drinking purpose and various other uses.

Our aim is to construct a prototype of air to water generator and dispenser to tackle the increasing water scarcity problem. This prototype will be solar and wind powered along with compact and portable design with the capability of generating up to 15 litres of water per day. The prototype is also a sunseeker robot to achieve maximum solar energy. The prototype will consist of a metal foundry with Peltier modules mounted on all sides to cool the metal body, this metal body is cooled beyond the dew point to condense the water vapors in the air. Other than that, the prototype is powered by solar and wind energy. The wings of the wind turbine will be designed in such way to push air in the metal body to increase the volume of air being pushed in the chamber. A dust filter will be mounted in between them. After the water vapor condenses, it is stored in a reservoir with multiple sensors to test the water quality. The data will be displayed with an LED display. The water will then be pumped through a 5-stage standard water filter. Then the water will be dispensed.

Project Objectives

To develop a prototype capable of generating up to 15 liters of pure drinkable water per day. This prototype will not depend any electricity source, it will be powered by solar and wind, making it self-sustainable. The only thing required is certain level of humidity. This prototype can also operate in remote and rural areas because of its independency on any power source. Our aim is to develop an efficient prototype which can later be used to build bigger systems capable of fulfilling needs for entire buildings. Other than that, the prototype will be portable, it can be easily moved from one place to another.

Project Implementation Method

Peltier Effect: The cooling of one junction and the heating of the other when electric current is maintained in a circuit consisting of two different conductors, this effect is stronger in circuits containing semiconductors. This phenomenon occurs because the average energy of the electrons involved in the transfer of electric current is different for different materials.

For testing the water quality, following sensors are used:

• Level Sensor
• PH Sensor
• TDS or Conductivity Sensor

The water generated is then passed through 5-stage water filter which contains the following:

1. PPF stage for removing sand, dust and rust from water.
2. GAC stage for removing bad color and smell.
3. CTO stage for removing chlorine and odor reduction.
4. RO stage membrane ions, molecules and larger particles from drinking water.
5. stage for chlorine taste and odor reduction.

All the controlling is done via Arduino uno R3. We opted for Arduino because of its open-source library and easy coding.

Another part of the prototype is the sun-seeking robot. It detects the direction and angle of the sun so that the solar panels can be moved perpendicularly to it in order to achieve maximum power. This will be done using photoresist devices and stepper motors. Another option is the Sunlight Sensor which is a multi-channel digital light sensor, which has the ability to detect UV-light, visible light and infrared light. It offers excellent performance under a wide dynamic range and a variety of light sources including direct sunlight.

The only power source is via the battery connected with the solar panels and wind turbine via the charge controller.

Last stage is the dispenser. For that we are using a standard rotary compressor in order to cool the water and a heater block for hot water. The dispenser stage will be connected to the battery with a DC to AC inverter. This inverter circuit can be made with transistors (MOSFET).

Benefits of the Project

The only thing required is certain percentage of humidity in the air to obtain safe drinking water from air.

The basic idea is to design a portable model which can provide water in remote areas.

No additional expenses as the prototype runs on solar and wind power making it self-sustaining.

It can generate water with humidity as low as 30%.

It is Peltier based water generator hence little to no maintenance as there is no moving part or gases involved as that in a compressor.

The water being generated by this condensation process is pure even without a 5-stage water filter.

This prototype can be later on upscaled for bigger requirements.

These systems can be adopted by WHO or any other organizations to help those in need.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final prototype’s dimension will be approx. 3x3 ft in area. The foundry will be built using iron rods and sheets as it is good thermal conductor. The frame only has one intake from above with a dust fitter fitted in between the cooling chamber and the wind turbine. The wings of the wind turbine will be designed to push the air in the chamber and to generate power as well.

The power for the Peltier modules will be around 60 watts (12 volts and 5 amperes). The Peltier module will be operated according to the dew point, in this way we can reduce power consumption. The solar panels being used are capable of generating about 200 watts and the wind turbine produces max power of up to 100 watts. The solar and wind will be connected through a charge controller of 20 amperes. We will use lead acid battery to store the charge and to operate the prototype during night or during other conditions.

The Arduino and the sensors circuitry will be operated at 5-12 volts and the dispenser system will be operated at 220-240 AC volts. The approx. power consumption for the dispenser system is 600-800 watts.
We will use a standard 5-stage water filter fitted in such a way which can be easily accessible in case of replacement.

The sensors being used to test the water quality and various other physical quantities are the E201-C (PH sensor), SEN0244 (TDS sensor), HC SR-04 (Ultrasonic sensor); to measure the water level; and DHT22 (temperature and humidity sensor). Other than that, there is an RO water pump.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Food

Other Industries

Agriculture , Others , Health

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Clean Tech

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com