Atmospheric Water Generator
Inventus Designs, consistently advises our clients to test the strength of their ideas in the real world. we decided to put our own advice to the test in order to determine how resilient “the idea to reality” would be. We embarked on the journey to examine the structure of the design industry within the borders of South Africa, a vibrant and dynamic market that presents both opportunities and challenges.
Our approach was to follow our own design procedure, which begins with the creation of an idea for the market. We then progressed this idea through various channels, each one designed to test and refine the concept, and to prepare it for the final phase of commercialisation.
A novel water harvesting device was then developed by the mechanical design services company Inventus Designs with the goal of generating water in regions impacted by water scarcity.
Working with the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), Inventus Designs created a device that captures water four times more efficiently than existing market units in an hour.
Atmospheric vapour condensation is a phenomenon widely observed in nature and more recently in water harvesting. In order to enable efficient water harvesting, condensation dynamics need to be better understood i.e: mechanisms that promote faster condensation rates with respect to mass and heat transfer rates as well as higher water yields.
In order to predict and evaluate the performance of such mechanisms, it is equally important to understand how external conditions affect the dynamics of condensation. The working principle in the presence of water vapour is that water condenses on a surface that has been cooled below the vapour saturation temperature, the rate of condensation is also governed by external atmospheric conditions namely the relative and absolute humidity, air flow rate, temperature gradient between atmospheric and saturation temperature and partial vapour pressure.
The problem investigated was to devise a reliable means of promoting condensation under industrial conditions, considerable effort spanning more than 70 years has allowed extensive research gathered and where warranted will be relied upon to distinguish scientific principles.
The design criteria that were developed in phases with the intention of formulating a commercial grade product for end-user use, as such theoretical research and the products key features have been articulated with monetary, theory confirmation and evaluation constraints labelled as most important in the design functional decomposition.
Gaining knowledge about patents through consultation with patent attorneys Adams & Adams, who are currently submitting paperwork to pertinent patent offices in ID’s international phase of patent protection on our behalf. Three main areas of concern guided ID’s creation of the design:
Novelty: Prior to the application date, the invention cannot have been disclosed to the public.
Inventive Step: The method or product needs to be a creative fix.
Industrial Applicability: The new invention must be genuinely able to be produced.
The objective of design was to create an atmospheric water generator that stays true to accepted scientific concepts and improves the condensation environment to increase yield capacity.
The water harvesting device is different from other products on the market due to its unique features, in addition to the invention of mechanisms that allow a typical compressor’s cooling system, employing a traditional vapour compression method, to deliver four times as much water.
The device is projected to reach the commercialization phase within the next two to three years. In the meanwhile, Inventus Designs has begun talks with stakeholders and has initiated contact with major retail stores to determine the next steps.
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Contact us if you would like to know how we can help you reach your “idea to reality” goal.
