A Numerical Investigation of Water Extraction from Moist Air Using a Thermoelectric Cooler in the Presence of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles

Multiple solutions have been employed to address the problem of water scarcity, one of the newest of which is the condensation of water from moist air. One of the methods for condensing the water vapor in air is using thermoelectric coolers. In this research, 8 thermoelectric units were used to cool and ultimately condense the humidity input air in an experimental device. Copper oxide nanofluid was used to cool the hot side of the thermoelectric. Numerical analysis using MATLAB 2010 predicts that with a current of 5.5 Amps through the thermoelectric while using water and copper oxide nanofluid as the coolant for the hot side of the thermoelectric, 4.344 liters of water can be obtained daily at 40% humidity. The experimental results report a water production of up to 4.2 liters with a total average error of 0.6%, which agrees with the numerical results. The experimental and numerical results obtained are studied and compared with the effect of changes in the mass flow rate and inlet temperature of the coolant fluid, as well as the influence of copper oxide nanoparticle concentration in the coolant fluid in the hot channel, on the amount of water produced. The results show that an average amount of 185 mL/h water was obtained using nanofluid for taking heat from the hot side of the thermoelectric.