A new condenser is about to change the “fresh water” industry, bringing more than positive results.
To date, communities that live far from the sea (and therefore cannot simply desalinate water to drink) have few systems available to obtain fresh water. In reality, rather than having a few systems, they have instruments that are particularly energy-intensive and have obvious limitations.
Just think of the processes that exploit the temperature range between day and night. Unfortunately, they only work properly at night, because during the day they are heated by sunlight (there is no possibility of condensation). We need to find something more effective, cheaper and more functional.
Is this the case with the ETH capacitor? Let's find out together by looking at its features and functionality.
A self-cooling condenser
A team of researchers fromETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) has developed a new water vapor conversion technology.
Their new tool, a fully functional condenser, is able to collect drinking water 24 hours a day and without power.
Made of a glass plate coated with a special material, the structure of the ETH condenser reflects the sun's rays and radiates its heat towards the outer space. The water vapor condenses on the underside of the glass, immediately transforming into water.
The glass coating was created by combining layers of polymer and silver: its task is to improve the process of emitting infrared radiation towards external space, avoiding reflection on the plate. At the same time, the structure is equipped with a cone-shaped “shield” against radiation.
The cone manages to deflect part of the radiation arriving from the sun, allowing the device to radiate the accumulated heat outwards and self-cool.
The first tests carried out by the team showed that the ETH it is able to produce twice as much water daily compared to the best passive technologies currently in existence.
Similar projects and experiments
After all the experiments carried out, the scientists at ETH Zurich managed to collect approximately 0,53 deciliters of water per square meter of glass surface per hour.
Iwan Hachler, professor of Thermodynamics at ETH, stated in reference to the experiment and the value obtained:
This is close to the theoretical maximum value of 0,6 deciliters (2,03 ounces) per hour, which is physically impossible to exceed. Unlike other technologies, ours can actually work without any additional energy, which is a key advantage
Almost all other technologies involve an “extra step”. They require that condensed water be cleaned from a surface, in order to make it usable and actually drinkable.
The ETH capacitor has a superhydrophobic (extremely water-repellent) coating on the underside of the glass. The lining causes the condensed water to move upwards and run or blow away on its own. In this way, the extra step is eliminated and energy expenditure is lowered.
From the information released, we know that the production of the plates is quite simple. It shouldn't be impossible to create larger and even more effective models. Indeed, it would even be possible to place several water-cooled condensers next to each other to put together a large-scale system.
In the coming months we will see what happens, but we can be happy with this new construction and the benefits it will bring to all communities too far from salt water.
