On the physico-mechanical effects of lightning

Abstract

Fog water is a valuable resource in places were fresh water is scarce and fog events occur frequently. Fog collectors (FCs) are the technology currently used for harvesting it. In this work we present an electrostatic method for achieving this. A radial electric field is generated between two electrodes which exerts electric forces over the fog droplets that guide them to a collection place. A prototype with a novel design was built and tested on laboratory and field conditions proving that the method works and even outperforms standard FCs with collection rates per unit cross-sectional area about 60% higher.