Engineering and Technology Journal

Modeling and analysis of thermoelectric atmospheric water generation in the economic city of Iraq

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Petroleum Engineering Dept., College of Engineering, University of Kerbala, Karbala, 56001, Iraq.

2 Control and Systems Engineering Dept., University of Technology-Iraq, Alsina’a street, 10066 Baghdad, Iraq.

3 Mechanical Engineering Dept., University of Technology-Iraq, Alsina’a street, 10066 Baghdad, Iraq.

4 Mechanical Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.

Abstract

Atmospheric Water Generation assumes substantial significance as an innovative remedy for addressing water scarcity and augmenting water resilience. This technology facilitates water extraction directly from the atmosphere, presenting a sustainable and decentralized approach to water supply. The investigation into the feasibility of attaining the dew point temperature for a heatsink operating in the climatic conditions of Basra was conducted using Fluent 22.1 software. The minimum dew point temperature under extreme conditions was determined to be 10.52℃. A thermoelectric device was a primary component in cooling the moisture-laden air to produce water from atmospheric air. Simulations were executed using two complementary and two integrated heatsinks under turbulent airflow conditions ranging from 4 to 20 m/s. The results indicated an inverse relationship between heat distribution within the heatsink and fluid flow velocity, emphasizing the crucial role of airflow passage arrangement in the condensation process. Enhancing the heatsink's surface area and reducing airflow quantity proved effective in achieving the dew point temperature. The lowest temperature attained was 9.2℃, featuring intersecting heat exchangers with a flow velocity of 4 m/s. The result indicated that altering the flow pattern affects the condensation process's surface temperature by as much as 38%, while the rise in pressure difference can reach 20%. Under the same operational conditions, the difference in thermal conductivity between two distinct heat exchanger configurations, attributed to pressure variations, is notably 8%. The study concludes that the Qurna region benefits from favorable weather conditions, encompassing temperature and relative humidity, thereby enabling water generation from atmospheric air, notwithstanding the consideration of the dew point temperature as a limiting factor.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

  • Environmental conditions in Qurna, Basra, were analyzed for atmospheric water generation
  • Fluent 22 software was used to simulate feasible temperatures for condensation
  • Two airflow patterns were tested for effectiveness in temperature and pressure reduction
  • Changing airflow patterns altered condensation surface temperatures by up to 38%

Keywords

Main Subjects

References
  1. H. Gleick, The human right to water, Water Policy, 1 (1998) 487–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(99)00008-2
  2. R. Yassein, K. A. Al Asaady, A. A. Kazem, M. T. Chaichan, Environmental Impacts of Salt Tide in Shatt Al-Arab-Basra/Iraq, IOSR J. Environ. Sci., 10 (2016) 35–43.
  3. H. Al Obaidy, M. Al-Khateeb, The Challenges of Water Sustainability in Iraq, Eng. Technol. J., 31 (2013) 828–840. https://doi.org/10.30684/etj.31.5a3
  4. A. Salehi, M. Ghannadi-Maragheh, M. Torab-Mostaedi, R. Torkaman, M. Asadollahzadeh, A review on the water-energy nexus for drinking water production from humid air, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 120 (2020) 109627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109627
  5. Wang, S. H. Danook, H. A. Z. Al-Bonsrulah, D. Veeman, and F. Wang, A Recent and Systematic Review on Water Extraction from the Atmosphere for Arid Zones, Energies, 15 (2022) . https://doi.org/10.3390/en15020421
  6. Tu, R. Wang, Y. Zhang, J. Wang, Progress and Expectation of Atmospheric Water Harvesting, Joule, 2 (2018)1452–1475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.07.015
  7. Chen et al., Recent progress on sorption/desorption-based atmospheric water harvesting powered by solar energy, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 230 (2021)111233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111233
  8. T. Wilson, H. Cha, Y. Zhong, A. C. Li, E. Lin, B. El Fil, Design considerations for next-generation sorbent-based atmospheric water-harvesting devices, device, 1 (2023) 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.device.2023.100052
  9. Srivastava, A. Yadav, Water generation from atmospheric air by using composite desiccant material through fixed focus concentrating solar thermal power, Sol. Energy, 169 (2018) 302–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.03.089
  10. P. Joshi, V. S. Joshi, H. A. Kothari, M. D. Mahajan, M. B. Chaudhari, K. D. Sant, Experimental Investigations on a Portable Fresh Water Generator Using a Thermoelectric Cooler, Energy Procedia, 109 (2017) 161–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.085
  11. Eslami, F. Tajeddini, N. Etaati, Thermal analysis and optimization of a system for water harvesting from humid air using thermoelectric coolers, Energy Convers. Manag., 174 (2018) 417–429. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.enconman.2018.08.045
  12. S. Solís-Chaves, C. M. Rocha-Osorio, A. L. L. Murari, V. M. Lira, A. J. S. Filho, Extracting potable water from humid air plus electric wind generation: A possible application for a Brazilian prototype, Renew. Energy, 121 (2018) 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.12.039
  13. H. Esfe, S. Esfandeh, D. Toghraie, Numerical simulation of water production from humid air for Khuzestan province: Investigation of the Peltier effect (thermoelectric cooling system) on water production rate, Case Stud. Therm. Eng., 28 (2021) 101473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2021.101473
  14. M. A. Al-Lami, Z. R. Abbas, A. G. Alshammary, Study of water pollution problem in basra city of Iraq: A case study, Plant Arch., 20 (2020) 2274–2276.
  15. A. Mahmood, A. M. Eassa, H. Mohammed, Y. Shubbar, Assessment of ground water quality at Basrah , Iraq by water quality index ( WQI ), 21 (2013) 2531–2543.
  16. Boukhriss, K. Zhani, R. Ghribi, Study of thermophysical properties of a solar desalination system using solar energy, Desalin. Water Treat., 51 (2013) 1290–1295. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2012.714925
  17. Eslami, F. Tajeddini, N. Etaati, Thermal analysis and optimization of a system for water harvesting from humid air using thermoelectric coolers, Energy Convers. Manag., 174 (2018) 417–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2018.08.045
  18. G. Lawrence, The relationship between relative humidity and the dewpoint temperature in moist air: A simple conversion and applications, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86 (2005) 225–233. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-86-2-225
  19. S. Dizaji, S. Jafarmadar, S. Khalilarya, A. Moosavi, An exhaustive experimental study of a novel air-water based thermoelectric cooling unit, Appl. Energy, 181(2016) 357–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.08.074
  20. Çengel, Y. A., and Boles, M. A., Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, 5th ed, McGraw-Hill, 2006.
  21. Cengel, Y. A., Heat Transfer: A Practical Approach. McGraw-Hill Science, 2006.
  22. Holman, J. P., Heat Transfer, 10th ed., United States.: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2010.
  23. Zhang, Y. Li, Thermal Conductivity of Aluminum Alloys—A Review, Materials., 16 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16082972
  24. White, F. M., Fluid Mechanics, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2001.
  25. Öztürk, E., CFD Analyses Of Heat Sinks For Cpu Cooling With Fluent, M.Sc. thesis, Middle East Technical University, 2004.
  26. Mahmoud, N. S., Investigation Of Heat Transfer Enhancement With Nanofluid And Twisted Tape Inserts In A Circular Tube, University of Technology, 2014.
  27. Kanargi, P. S. Lee, C. Yap, A numerical and experimental investigation of heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of an air-cooled oblique-finned heat sink, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf., 116 (2018) 393–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2017.09.013
  28. Rondeaux, Ph. Bredy, and J. M. Rey, Thermal conductivity measurements of epoxy systems at low temperature, American Institute of Physics, 197 (2002) 197–203. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1472543
Engineering and Technology Journal

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 29 April 2024
Files
Share
Export Citation
Statistics