Document Type

Restricted Campus Only

Publication Date

5-1-2025

Abstract

The Atmospheric Water Generation Team designed a system where a dehumidifier can extract moisture from the air and use the water for irrigation. This effort responds to the growing need for water conservation methods in South Texas, where there is a growing need to preserve freshwater sources. The final prototype will be powered using solar panels and a battery, and all water collected by the dehumidifier will be stored in an external tank. An Arduino microcontroller will manage when the system turns off and on under various conditions and times of day. The total budget for this project was $3200.

The design contains four major subsystems: the power supply, the water storage, the housing and the electronics subsystems. The first semester the team focused on identifying objectives for the design, doing the necessary research on how the design could complete the objectives, and doing calculations to ensure all components were compatible with each other. All components and electronics were chosen to be compatible with a HomeLabs Energy Star Dehumidifier, donated by the project sponsor Dr. Chris Victoria. By the end of the first semester, all subsystems were designed and components were ordered. During the second semester, the team focused on completing all the testing for subsystems and adjusting the final design as needed.

After discussing with the team advisor and sponsor, the team decided on how the final prototype would operate. The system would run every other day from 4 A.M. to 7:30 A.M. to allow the solar panels to charge the battery for two days. The system would shut off if the Arduino reads the battery voltage below 50V or if the external tank is full. After coding the operations within the microcontroller, the team focused on testing. All individual subsystem tests were completed successfully and confirmed the prototype meets the primary objectives set at the beginning of the project. However, there were numerous delays in testing due to weather delays, since the electronics could not be protected from the rain without housing. Because of these delays, the team was not able to run the 7-day full process test in its entirety. However, initial data does confirm that the subsystems work together, but the prototype needs more days to run to confirm the solar panels can charge the battery in two days to allow the system to run for 3.5 hours at night.

Looking ahead, several opportunities for future improvement and optimization have been identified. One potential enhancement is to connect the system directly to a home’s existing solar panel infrastructure. Doing so would reduce the need for dedicated solar components within the unit, making the system more cost-effective and efficient for homeowners already using solar energy. Additionally, further work could be done to refine the system’s housing. The housing within the prototype was limited to the equipment available in the Makerspace. Due to the team’s budget and available equipment, dimensions on the doors are slightly off and could allow water to get through the prototype. Overall, the design objectives were complete and the system works as intended. The design is easily scalable too. In the future if someone wants the system to run more frequently or for longer duration, scaling up on the solar panels and battery is all that is needed.

Comments

Dr. Mehran Aminian, Team Adviser

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