WATER BECOMES THE NEW CRUDE AND OTHER THINGS by Praveen Nair
The next few years will see water become intensively harnessed for energy purposes. With fossil fuels in limited supply and its utilisation causing great harm to the environment, water could be seen as a cleaner and renewable alternative for energy production. This article will discuss three water-based technologies with respect to energy production.
WATER AS REFRIGERANT As the world gets warmer with a more affluent urban population, the demand for energy-intensive cooling is expected to climb. Consequently, energy consumption from the use of air-conditioning units will triple by 20501
. Typically, fluorinated chemical
refrigerants called hydrocarbons are used to absorb heat to cool warm air inside rooms. These harmful chemicals are later released into the environment when these units are disposed.
A portable water-based air-conditioning system developed by scientists from Singapore replaces the refrigerant with water. This new system uses water for both the absorption and removal of heat from internal environments as opposed to traditional water-cooled air conditioners where water is only used for the latter. First, it passes external humid air through an innovative membrane technology to become dehumidified. Next, the moisture-removed air will be cooled using a ‘dew-point cooling system’ that uses water rather than a refrigerant to bring temperatures down. Thereafter, this cooled air will be supplied to internal environments2
.
In addition, cooled air formed as a by-product can be harvested, generating up to 12 to 15 litres of collectable potable water3
. Physically, this novel
system does not require compressors, which will eradicate the need for undesirable air-conditioning
1 Floating solar farms is an effective measure to save land space, producing electricity at a comparatively higher efficiency
1 FUTURARC 77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95
