UC Irvine

Worsening water scarcity due to global warming and frequent La Niña episodes presses countries to develop diverse water resources. Without consuming much energy, atmospheric fog water can be harvested as an environmentally friendly alternative water resource. Different designs and complexities of fog harvesters have been produced. From simple but economical fog harvesting mesh and harps to complex but sophisticated bio-mimicking and -inspiring fog harvesting structures, each fog collector is designed to be more efficient than preceding models. In this study, we propose an alternative fog collector design in a fully radial symmetric cylindrical geometry for versatility. The design provides a stable aerodynamic and deposition efficiency according to the fog harvesting efficiency mode. Therefore, it can maximize its efficiency regardless to change in the wind direction. We also examine the effectiveness of certain design improvements such as layered collector’s surface and wettability modification on improving the collector’s efficiency. We test the collector in a controlled custom fog chamber, in which we measure and record its performance for evaluation. The data are used for discussing design optimization, and further works for versatile fog harvesting.