Solar Air Water Earth Resource
S.A.W.E.R. autonomous unit generates drinking water in the dry hot climate which can be used for consumption and feeding livestock.
Principle[edit]
The unit works using the principle of adsorption and desorption of air humidity. Its main part is the sorption unit with a desiccant exchanger that allows for dehumidification even of air with low content of water vapor that can be found in desert conditions. The unit takes the outside air in, dehumidifies it and returns the dehumidified air into the outside environment. Afterwards, significantly smaller stream of air is heated to a high temperature, withdraws accumulated humidity from the desiccant, and becomes considerably more humid. High humidity from the air then condenses on the built-in cooler in the unit as liquid water. This way, it is also possible to get water in desert conditions where ordinary condensing coolers do not produce any.[1]
Autonomous Operation[edit]
The S.A.W.E.R. unit can be operated in a totally autonomous way without the need of energy from external sources. The energy for its operation is taken from the local environment: electric energy for powering the cooling unit and fans is taken from photovoltaic panels, heat for heating the air is taken from solar thermal collectors, and cold for pre-cooling the air is taken from combined photovoltaic/thermal collectors used for cooling in the nighttime. The operation is complemented with the energy storage in the form of battery repository and heat and cold storage tanks. The unit can also work in hybrid mode, i.e. being partly or fully connected to the electric grid or a mobile source of electric energy. Therefore, the S.A.W.E.R. unit is suitable for areas connected to infrastructure as well as, above all, for areas without any infrastructure at all. The technology is optimized for operation in hot and dry areas (deserts); however, the process can be also adapted for other areas.[2]
Container Solution[edit]
The S.A.W.E.R. autonomous unit consists of two containers – production and energy. The production container comprises the sorption unit, water reservoir, and a plant for treatment of the drinking water. The production container can be connected to three-phase electric network and the water can be produced without energy container. For autonomous operation, it is necessary to add the energy container which comprises the battery repository, storage tanks for heat and cold, and the solar roof constructed over both containers. By connecting the roof with the containers, it is possible to produce and supply the drinking water autonomously without a connection to energy grid. The outside dimensions of the containers in the top view are 2.4 × 6.0 m and the height is 2.9 m.[3]
Production[edit]
The S.A.W.E.R. type unit uses the total flow rate of outside air of 2000 m3/h and its average daily production is 100 liters in the dry and hot desert environment (climatic conditions of Riyadh) in autonomous operation. If the unit is connected to network, its production is approximately double. In such environment, the S.A.W.E.R. unit production of water, as compared to ordinary condensation-only units, about eight times higher.[4]
EXPO 2020[edit]
The S.A.W.E.R. system for the pavilion representing the Czech Republic at the EXPO 2020 world fair in Dubai is a result of cooperation of the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings of the CTU in Prague and the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The unit with the production capacity of 500 liters of water per day that uses the same technology as the container version is designed as a part of the pavilion technology and it will irrigate the oasis growing from the sand around the pavilion. Getting water from air and cultivating the desert into fertile garden will be the central exhibition topic of the Czech pavilion.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Is it possible to get water from air? Czech scientists find a way". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ↑ "New technology produces water from the air". Utilities Middle East. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
- ↑ "Solar Air Water Earth Resource (S.A.W.E.R.)". UCEEB. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
- ↑ Desk, NewsGram (2019-08-18). "Czech Scientists Find way to Extract Water From Air". NewsGram. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ↑ "S.A.W.E.R. started making water in the desert | EXPO 2020 Dubai". www.czexpo.com. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
This article incorporates text by University Centre for Energy Efficient Building available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license. The text and its release have been received by the Wikimedia Volunteer Response Team.
External links[edit]
- S.A.W.E.R. at the CTU UCEEB
- www.sawer.cz
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