Abstract
Scarcity of fresh water is one of the greatest obstacles to achieve the sustainable development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. About thirty desalination plants are built to satisfy the Kingdom needs. The Kingdom is in need of new unconventional water resources such as fog water harvesting system which will complement the existing water resources in the Asir region. This region is facing major challenges due to the flourishing tourism, irrigation in agriculture and rising living standards. Passive mesh type fog collector is analyzed in the current study to predict the rate of fog water collection by combining a physically based impaction and aerodynamic models. The results indicate that the greater volumes of water can be harvested from the fog associated with higher wind speeds, bigger sizes of fog droplet and higher liquid water content in the fog-laden winds with the threshold mesh shade coefficient of about 0.56. It is found that the aerodynamic efficiency has a significant impact on the overall fog collection efficiency compared to the impaction efficiency. The model shows that for the fog droplet size of 30 µm with the wind speed of 4 m s–1, it is possible to collect the fog water at the rate of 0.65 to 9.7 L m–2 per hour when the liquid water content (LWC) in the fog varies from 0.2 to 3 g m–3, respectively.
Highlights
One of the natural resources vulnerable to under intense pressure is the supply of potable water
The results indicate that the greater volumes of water can be harvested from the fog associated with higher wind speeds, bigger sizes of fog droplet and higher liquid water content in the fog-laden winds with the threshold mesh shade coefficient of about 0.56
These parameters increase the fog water collection efficiency. It is clear from the field tests that when the wind speed is about 4 m s–1, the fog water collection reaches the maximum and this value is used in the present study to characterize the mesh
Summary
One of the natural resources vulnerable to under intense pressure is the supply of potable water. Water is essential for human survival and well-being. The technology of water extraction from atmosphere is reviewed in the literature (Wahlgren, 2001; Hamed et al, 2011; El-Ghonemy, 2012). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lies approximately between latitudes 16°30’ and 32°15’N and longitudes 35°00’ and 57°30’E and has a population of about 27 million. Experts estimate that the demand for water is expected to grow by 10% annually and the water sector in the Kingdom will offer large investment opportunities in the few years. The Kingdom is one among the most water-scarce countries in the world. The limited amount and deteriorating quality of water from the available sources have forced the Kingdom to invest heavily in seawater desalination since 1970
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