Enhancing efficiency in Peltier-cooled atmospheric water harvesting: a mathematical modeling and experimental study

Water scarcity is one of the biggest global challenge, threatening current generation and necessitating alternative solutions. Among various technologies, atmospheric water harvesting systems offer a viable solution. The objective of this study is to present and assess an innovative geometry for Peltier-cooled atmospheric water harvesting system intended to improve drinkable water production through enhancing both mixing and heat transfer in the cold-side extended surfaces. The initial section of this study involves mathematical modeling. Findings of modeling section, illustrate an output of 1.97 L/day under conditions of 84.8% relative humidity and an ambient temperature of 32°C. The second section involves the design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of the system. The experimental observations indicate a water generation of 1.97 L/day in Test 1 (84.8% relative humidity, 32˚C), 1.63 L/day in Test 2 (85.8% relative humidity, 24.2˚C), 1.45 L/day in Test 3 (79% relative humidity, 25.4˚C), 1.29 L/day in Test 4 (76% relative humidity, 30˚C), and 1.13 L/day in Test 5 (69% relative humidity, 22.5˚C). These findings demonstrates the significant impact of environmental factors on the system's water generation performance. Moreover, novel geometry of the air inlet and exit channels improved the effectiveness of the water harvesting of the prototype across all test scenarios when compared with results reported in the literature. The outputs derived from modeling and experimental analysis, exhibit a strong correlation, thereby validating the model and highlighting the capability of the proposed system as a sustainable approach to global water scarcity problems.