Nature-inspired design of conical array for continuous and efficient fog collection application

Abstract

By taking inspiration from the cactus plant, which collects water from the fog with the aid of cone-like, spines a continuous and efficient fog collecting structure can be designed. The optimization study is conducted for the development of smart fog collecting structures. The conical structures were made with 3D printing technology due to its number of advantages. The effect of the structure dimensions, such as cone tip angle (θ), cone height (H), and the separation distance (S) between the cones, on its water collection efficiency is analyzed. Furthermore, the effect of the humidifier separation distance (d) with the substrate, the impact of cone inclination angle (α) with the flowing fog, and the effect of surface wettability on water collection efficiency are also observed in this work. Results reveal that water collection efficiency is highest when the cones are parallel and near to the flowing fog.