[tor]

http://www.geek.com/...t-air-20120418/

A turbine condensing water from desert air. I think I have seen a few of these over the years and there are always questions regarding the real world implementation as they do seem a little bit "perpetual motion" but this one has apparently had a 6 month prototype so it could be good.

[Witchsmeller Pursuivant]

Sounds like something out of Frank Herbert's 'Dune'. Nice one.

[tor]

Witchsmeller Pursuivant, on 19 April 2012 - 01:08 AM, said:

Sounds like something out of Frank Herbert's 'Dune'. Nice one.

Slashdot comments were 45% dune, 45% star wars, 4.99999999% random gibberish and I think I saw one about the cost of water produced like this (25 - 250 times more expensive than desal depending on some rough guesses)

[Witchsmeller Pursuivant]

tor, on 19 April 2012 - 01:15 AM, said:

Slashdot comments were 45% dune, 45% star wars, 4.99999999% random gibberish and I think I saw one about the cost of water produced like this (25 - 250 times more expensive than desal depending on some rough guesses)

The Dune tech was much cheaper than that. Plant plastic bowl type things upside down, heat up in the day, create dew in the evening, drip into vast underground water enclosures that are kept in by huge man-eating worms. Simple.

[savagegoose]

cost of production is different, in dune workers lives depended on the tec working, here you have employees doing the installation.

[Solomon]

tor, on 18 April 2012 - 10:41 PM, said:

http://www.geek.com/...t-air-20120418/

A turbine condensing water from desert air. I think I have seen a few of these over the years and there are always questions regarding the real world implementation as they do seem a little bit "perpetual motion" but this one has apparently had a 6 month prototype so it could be good.

I'm not so worried about the "perpetual motion" as it is possible to achieve the 30kw they require through 15kmph wind speeds.
I'm more worried that for the system to work efficiently you require humidity or suspended condensation.
The reason deserts are so dry also has to do with the air temperature and lack of humidity.
I would want to see results during a particularly dry period.
I know that evening produces condensation in the desert, but isn't that also the time when wind speeds drop?
I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here, and I can't dispute their trials thus far, but...
I hope it works as they claim.
It would certainly provide a water supply through various areas of outback Australia, and with a 1000ltr reservoir would be more than sufficient to cater to most needs. A bank of 2 or 3 in isolated areas, could save lives.

[tor]

Solomon, on 19 April 2012 - 03:25 AM, said:

The reason deserts are so dry also has to do with the air temperature and lack of humidity.

I think you'll find a significant number of deserts actually have quite a load of moisture in the air. The issue is they don't have mountain ranges to precipitate the moisture. So any desert by the sea is a good start.

[Ugg]

tor, on 19 April 2012 - 03:27 AM, said:

I think you'll find a significant number of deserts actually have quite a load of moisture in the air. The issue is they don't have mountain ranges to precipitate the moisture. So any desert by the sea is a good start.

I remember Phillip Adams banging on about an australian inventor with something like this about 5 years ago......google search reveals
Australian story - Max Whisson
water from air?

and this
desert beetles

[tom]

tor, on 19 April 2012 - 03:27 AM, said:

I think you'll find a significant number of deserts actually have quite a load of moisture in the air. The issue is they don't have mountain ranges to precipitate the moisture. So any desert by the sea is a good start.

Yes I was struck in dubai that it was really humid.

No wind there when I was there either but I am basing all of this on only one week there.

Imagine if I had gone during the one week of rain I was told they get a year? I would have come back and told people not to go or stay at the water park resort because it rains all the time.