Experimental investigations on a portable atmospheric water generator for maritime rescue

Abstract

To offer an alternative for supplying fresh water to people in distress in tropical seas before rescue or to garrison soldiers on a small reef, a portable solar-photovoltaic atmospheric water generator was designed and tested experimentally, and is composed of a water generating module, a water purifying module, a power supply and control module, and a buoyancy module. The results showed that the best water production rate of 460 mL/h was achieved when Tin = 27, RHin = 92%, Qa = 600 m3/h, with the desalination rate above 99.65%, proving itself a feasible solution as a portable desalination device. The daily water production can reach 5.52 L/d, which is more than twice the minimum quantity of the WHO drinking water standard (2.5 L/capita-day), and the energy consumption can be controlled under 200 W. The influences of major operating parameters on the device performance were analyzed and performance comparisons were carried out with the reported AWG products/prototypes. By integrating with a distress signal launcher and positioning module to shorten rescue time, the device has the potential to be employed as a small rescue platform for people in distress in tropical oceans, carried on board ship as a precaution.

Atmospheric Water Harvesting Technology: Review and Future Prospects

“…Ozkan et al (2017) has used the waste natural gas that is flared in the oilfield to generate water using AWG based on VCR driven by a gas turbine, they were able to condense 8.7-2.5 L/m 3 of natural gas, SEC was about 1.2 kWh/L. Another application of the AWH was maritime rescue; the best water productivity was 460 mL/h at 27°C, 92% RH and 600 m 3 /h air flow rate (Runze et al, 2020). To use the wasted energy from the vented/ flared land fill gas (LFG), an average of 4.6 L/ m 3 of the LFG were achieved (Wikramanayake, 2017) (note methane heating value is 33906 kJ/ m 3 , 31670 kJ/m 3 for natural gas).…”

Experimental Analysis of Atmospheric Water Harvester Using Ammonia Vapour Absorption System

“…Ozkan et al in 2017 has used the waste natural gas that is flared in the oilfield to generate water using AWG based on VCR driven by a gas turbine, they were able to condense 8.7 L-2.5 L per m 3 of natural gas, the SEC was about 1.2 kWh/L [15]. Another application of the AWH for maritime rescue was used; the best water productivity was 460 mL/h at 27 °C, 92% RH and 600 m 3 /h air flow rate [16].…”

Diversifying Water Sources with Atmospheric Water Harvesting to Enhance Water Supply Resilience

“…In addition, considering that atmospheric water harvesting has the characteristics of a decentralized water supply, it is generally used for emergencies or some specific areas at present. As such, atmospheric water harvesting can be considered in the water management portfolio at a community-or city-level to increase the capacity to handle water supply problems [118,119]. Thus, areas that deserve further research are focused on system design, novel materials (e.g., desiccant) development, and green energy-driven design [120,121].…”