Experimental Testing and Evaluation of Parameters on the Extraction of Water from Air Using Thermoelectric Coolers

An experimental prototype is built to study the application of using the thermoelectric cooler (TEC) to extract water from air for daily consumption. This paper presents the experimental evaluation of parameters that influence the amount of water, which can be collected from condensation of water vapour in the air on the cooled surface. The investigation examines the power supply to the TEC and the air flow over the cold surface on the amount of condensate collected. Over a 3-h period with an average relative humidity of 77 %, the largest amount of water extracted from the air is about 50 mL for a cold surface area of 579.6 cm(2). With an average power consumption of 89 W, the prototype produces condensation at 5340 kWh/kL. Although the prototype is currently not cost effective, the usage of TEC is promising as there is ample room for prototype improvement.