Getting fresh water from a still lagoon and with no moving parts

Ronald L. Huston and John M. D

Abstract

In this paper we establish the feasibility of extracting clean water from a lake or a lagoon and then depositing it on adjacent arid land. The entire process is empowered using only the daytime/nighttime temperature variation. To obtain this water transformation and irrigation we use a large greenhouse type structure covering both a portion of the water and the adjacent shore land. The solar energy of the sun shining through the greenhouse heats the water producing a high temperature air/water-vapor mixture. Low evening temperature then produces a heavy dew upon the land. The paper provides the underlying thermodynamic analysis for the process, together with a brief review of the essential concepts including: mass; weight; pressure; partial pressure; volume; specific volume; temperature; molecular hypotheses; ideal gases; mixtures; saturation; evaporation; relative humidity; specific humidity; and dew point. We conclude with a series of illustrative computations validating the process. The results show that water condensate increases linearly with the greenhouse volume and with the humidity, but exponentially with the greenhouse temperature.

Relevant Publications in International Research Journal of Engineering Science, Technology and Innovation