FOG HARVESTER

By
Suraj Malusare (19BME1243)
Shashwat Vishwa (19BME1058)
Naman Sharma (19BME1213)

School of Mechanical Engineering

(SMEC)

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 Declaration

We, Suraj Malusare (19BME1243), Shashwat Vishwa (19BME1058)

and Naman Sharma (19BME1213), B Tech Mechanical Engineering,
VIT Chennai, hereby declare that the work being presented in the
TARP Project entitled “FOG HARVESTER” is an authentic record of
the work that has been carried out at VIT, Chennai under the guidance
of Dr. Manimaran Reganathan, School of Mechanical Engineering,
VIT Chennai.

We hereby declare that the entire work embodied in this dissertation

has been carried out by us and no part of it has been submitted for any
degree or diploma of any institution previously.

Place: Chennai

Date: 17 April 2022

Suraj Malusare, 19BME1243

Shashwat Vishwa, 19BME1058

Naman Sharma, 19BME1213

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 Abstract

The main goal of this project is to increase the availability of clean water using
fog and clouds by developing a system that provides this purpose reliably and at
a reasonable cost. The project started by creating a fog harvesting block flow
diagram that shows how the proposed process works. This is followed by a
calculation of the material and energy balance required to design a mist
collector capable of producing 1000 liters per day. The project will continue to
complete design calculations and prototype in the next semester. Hopefully the
project will get sponsors to use it commercially for the benefit of society.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my profound gratitude to Mr. Sreekanth Dondapati of

SMEC department, for their contributions to the completion of my project titled
Smart Stick.

I would like to express my special thanks to our mentor Mr. Manimaran

Renganathan for his/her time and efforts he/she provided throughout the year.
Your useful advice and suggestions were really helpful to me during the
project’s completion. In this aspect, I am eternally grateful to you.

I would like to acknowledge that this project was completed entirely by me and
not by someone else.

Suraj Malusare (19BME1243)

Shashwat Vishwa (19BME1058)
Naman Sharma (19BME1213)

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Declaration pg. no.

Abstract 4

Acknowledgement 5

Chapters

1. Introduction 6

2. Literature review 8

3. Objective pg. no.

4. Methodology pg. no.

5. Results and Discussion pg. no

6. Conclusion pg. no.

7. References pg. no.

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 Chapter 1
Introduction

1.1 Statement of purpose

The purpose of the Fog Harvesting project is to produce clean water from the
evaporated mist. Over the past few decades, attention has been focused on fog
collection. Simple, continuous technology and low-cost system to produce clean
water in arid regions around the world. Fog collection systems work best in
areas with repeated fog terms, such as areas where fog is driven by the wind,
usually coastal areas. However, this technology can also be applied to
mountainous areas where water is released into stratocumulus clouds, at
altitudes of about 2,000-6,500 ft. This fog has the potential to provide another
source of fresh water. Plant nutrition depends entirely on water droplets from
mist or clouds, which are considered to be water vapor or gaseous water. After
entering the system, the feed will be shortened and produce the final product of
the liquid drinking water.

1.2 Description and background

Equipment:

1. One or two net nets.

2. Two bottom poles (Net support).
3. Iron Tray (Collection of water from the net).
4. The storage tank.

Design and material:

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The collection rate of this system is determined by the wind speed, the size of
the fog distribution, the size and arrangement of the space objects.

There are 3 types of mesh:

1. HDPE Raschel mesh (the most used material)

2. Robust material with stainless mesh
3. Three-dimensional net of poly material (New design)

Chapter 2

Literature Review

2.1 Existing technologies

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1. Fog Harvesting Technology in Santiago Chile by MIT researchers

Source: http://news.mit.edu/2013/how-to-get-fresh-water-out-of-thin-air-0830

Santiago, Chile.

MIT researchers from the USA change the material and size of the net to make
it more efficient. The researchers found that controlling the size and structure of
the mesh as well as the physical and chemical composition of these adhesives
were important in increasing the efficiency of fog collection. Detailed statistics
and laboratory tests show that the highest efficiency comes from a net made of
stainless-steel fibres about three or four times thicker than human wool, with a
space almost double that between strands. In addition, the mesh is dip-coated,
using a solution that minimizes a feature called contact-angle hysteresis. This
allows small droplets to slip easily down to the bottom of the garbage can as
soon as they form, before blowing the air away from them and back into the
mist.

2. Fog Harvesting Guatemala, Lake Atitlan by FogQuets

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Source: http://www.fogquest.org/project-information/projects/guatemala-lake-
atitlan/

Guatemala, Lake Atitlan

Metals are made of polyethylene or polypropylene. They have been selected to

be very effective in catching wind droplets. The goods are produced by a few
manufacturers. We can buy it in Chile. It is produced in very large quantities for
agricultural use. We do not yet know the source of trade in Africa, North
America, or Asia. Some objects that may be suitable from a physical point of
view usually have one or more drawbacks. The material must be efficient at
dripping, cheap, sturdy, large-scale production (4 m or 8 m wide), produce clean
water, and discharge the collected water quickly.

2.2 Developing technologies

There are other technologies that help in developing fog collection.

1. Fog Harvesting in Ethiopia by Warka Water USA

Source: http://www.warkawater.org/design

Warka Water, Inc.

USA
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Project in Ethiopia

WW is a vertical structure designed to collect / harvest drinking water from the

air. It provides another source of water for rural people facing the challenges of
accessing drinking water. WW is designed to harvest dew and fog as well as
rain collection, providing a wide range of drinking water throughout the year.
Water can be extracted directly from the environment, without wasting energy.
Rainwater and fog will be captured and stored during weather events. This work
is in the testing phase, but the aim is to collect an annual average of 50 to 100
litres of drinking water per day. The harvested water can be used as drinking
water and stored for other purposes as irrigation. We will introduce a water
management system that teaches permaculture principles and appoint a water
manager who will oversee the water distribution guidelines.

2. DropNet

Source: http://www.coroflot.com/imkehoehler/bachelor-thesis

The DropNet fog collector can greatly improve the supply of drinking water in
many isolated areas with limited infrastructure. This fog filter filters tiny water
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droplets from misty clouds and causes droplets to condense. Each unit can
collect 10-20 litres of water a day, and a network of several buildings can easily
supply the entire city with clean, clean water. Thanks to its tent-like
construction the DropNet collectors can be recruited by unskilled workers in
both flat and uneven areas. Ideal areas for fog collectors, especially dry, coastal
areas between 400 and 1200 m high, showing high fog.

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 Chapter 3

OBJECTIVES
Objective:

The aim of this project is to develop technological methods, to create a device

that can harvest moisture in the air using efficient methods, as the United Arab
Emirates is one of the countries where most fog occurs from time to time and
must use this natural phenomenon. The main objective of this project is to
design a fog collection tank that will collect at least 1000 litres of water per day.
Fog collection of water has many benefits in the world:

 Increasing access to clean water.

 Using fog as a source of drinking water.
 Designing a low-cost and easy-to-maintain system.
 Eliminate energy use in water production.

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 CHAPTER 4

METHODOLOGY

Fog harvesting technology is based on collecting water from fog under

favourable weather conditions. During the fog harvest, water vapor condenses
into small droplets of water. Basically, the technology we will use Cloud Fisher
is no different from other technologies. The collector is composed of Mesh nets
extended across all metal frames, connected by rubber strips. Nets are used in
two different materials and design. No pumps or electricity is needed to produce
or deliver water. Power is given to the wind. In addition, the water pulls down
from the fog to the tank. Also, there is talk of using chemical coating with
hydrophilic but insoluble properties to increase the water produced by fog
collector.

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 CHAPTER 5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Block flow diagram:

 Design a fog collector to collect water of minimum rate of 1000 litres per
day.

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Simulation results:
The Fog Water Collector is simulated as a cooler separator set up as follows:

SolidWorks Model:

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 CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

Overall, it is clear that the main purpose of this part of the project was
successfully achieved. It was noted that there is a need to select the right site
and materials when it comes to building a suitable and reliable fog harvest
system. Without low power and low cost, you can produce water through fog,
which means having a new, stable water source. This work could change the
world and help poor people in arid areas to have access to clean water, thus
reducing water-borne diseases.

This project will continue to build the next prototype semester in the design
project II. In addition, it has been shown that almost all technologies used to
harvest water from fog or clouds share the same concept and techniques. The
key is to detect high levels of fog and reduce fog emissions by improving the
design and selection of different materials. In the balance of objects and the
balance of power generated near the fog collector, the appropriate flow rates
and configurations were obtained. In general, this part of the project has been
successful as objectives have been achieved.

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 CHAPTER 7

REFERENCES

1) Prof. Manimaran Renganathan

2) FogQuest: Sustainable Water Solution. (n.d.). from http://www.fogquest.org/

3) Fog harvesting. (n.d.). from http://www.climatetechwiki.org/content/fog-

Harvesting #Advantages of the technology.

4) YouTube videos

5) researchgate.net

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