Development and optimization of an innovative solar atmospheric water generator

Inadequate water supply is a crucial issue that involves millions of people living in the poorest areas of the World. The technologies associated to water harvesting from the atmosphere are receiving more and more attention due to the possibility of extracting water from air directly where it is needed, with no extra transportation nor substantial energy supply required. This work aims to contribute to the realization of an Atmospheric Water Harvesting Prototype based on adsorption material technologies and coupled with a low temperature heat source. The system is integrated with flat plate solar thermal collectors, installed directly on the prototype. The peculiarity of this system is its versatility, being all contained in a square meter basis, and the possibility of realizing a complete passive system. In order to optimize its performances, a preliminary study on a test-prototype that works with the same thermodynamic principle was conducted. Both the regeneration and the adsorption phases are analysed with the aim of quantifying their performances during a complete daily cicle of adsorption/desorption. Furthermore, energy consumption aspects were studied, in particular specific consumption and efficiency have been calculated. Thanks to the results obtained, it was possible to realize a model having the newest prototype’s characteristics. The model is realized on the software TRNSYS coupled with an external Matlab routine that simulates the adsorption unit. The study was oriented towards the investigation of different possible locations and climates, to concretize where the effective utilization of the prototype could be feasible.