Atmospheric Water Harvesting

Keywords: refrigeration, water sustainability, techno-economic analysis, field data collection

Motivation: Nearly 2/3 of the world population experiences water scarcity for at least one month out of the year. Agriculture is the single largest consumer of freshwater, and water consumption is increasing as populations continue to grow. Atmospheric water is a potentially abundent source of water that is available across the globe -- even in arid deserts! We are evaluating the potential of refrigeration-based atmospheric water harvesting to offset the water requirements for the agriculture sector in conjunction with Minnesota start-up H2ONow. 

Project Details: We are looking to recruit 2-3 highly motivated undergraduate students for this project. The potential projects include:

1. Field data collection of a prototype refrigeration-based water harvester designed by our project partner H2ONow (requires travel to Pickle Research Campus)
2. Modeling of the refrigeration-based atmospheric water harvesting system and broader analysis on the potential for water harvesting to offset agricultural water needs
3. Characterization of atmospheric water quality -  data collection and analysis (requires travel to Pickle Research Campus)

Qualifications: Sophmore/Junior/Senior in Civil, Arch., Env., or Mech. Engineering • experience with MATLAB, Python, 3D CAD software, hands-on engineering work • interest in thermodynamics, energy efficiency, water sustainability, and heat transfer (taking classes in these topics is preferred).

Note on Pay: Most of these projects are looking for researchers to work on a volunteer basis or for course credit. AWH field data collection is a paid position and will be selected based on prior experience and alignment with the needs of that project.