A very large dew and rain ridge collector in the Kutch area (Gujarat, India)

The world's largest dew and rain collecting system, comprised of ridge-and-trough modules, was constructed in March 2006 at Panandhro in the semi-arid area of Kutch (NW India). The main goals were (i) to collect dew on a scale that could be beneficial to the local population (ii) to determine the efficiency of this new module shape, (iii) to determine whether results obtained from small measurement condensers can be projected to large condensers, (iv) to apply a computational fluid dynamic simulation to improve the condenser set-up. Preliminary studies performed with four standard plane condensers of 1 m(2) surface area, inclined 30 from horizontal, identified Panandhro as a promising site. The cumulated dew water during 192 days was 12.6 mm with a maximum of 0.556 mm/night. A large dew condenser (850 m(2) net total surface) was designed with 10 ridge-and-trough modules. The ridges are trapezoidal, 33 m long, 0.5 m wide at the top, 2.2 m wide at the base and sloping 30 from horizontal. The depth of the troughs between the ridges is 0.5 m. A 2.5 cm thick polystyrene foam rests on the surface as insulation with a radiative foil on top (similar to that developed by OPUR, see www.opur.fr). Numerical simulations using the computational fluid dynamic software PHOENICS were performed. The most profitable orientation was with the condenser oriented back to the wind direction, a configuration that lowers the wind velocity near the foil due to the combination of free convection and wind recirculation flows. A comparison of water yields over one year of measurements between four 1 m(2) plane condensers and a 850 m(2) ridge condenser showed a 42% lower yield on the large condenser. The difference is attributed mainly to folds in the plastic foil allowing water to fill the central ridge, thus decreasing radiative cooling. The output for 2007 was 6545 L, corresponding to 7.7 mm/day on average. The largest event was 251.4 L/night (0.3 mm). Such a condenser can also collect rain (and, to a lesser extent, fog). Chemical and biological analyses showed that dew water, once filtered and bottled, could be used for drinking after a light treatment to increase the pH. The price of this water could be lowered to reach 30% (dew only) or even 3% (dew plus rain) of the market prize. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.