c-ray
02-03-2007, 09:59 PM
from http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1837203.htm?backyard
Water from thin air: Australian invention could solve water worries
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Reporter: (online story) Nicholas Kittel
Presenter: Andrea Close
Max Whisson is the inventor of the Whisson windmill, an invention that can extract water from the air and potentially provide enormous relief to farmers in drought-stricken areas.
Max explains his invention to 666 ABC Canberra.
"Well it's an idea that gradually evolved, I suppose over the last three-years or so. The windmill is part of the system, but essentially it's an arrangement whereby wind blows into a chamber and the wind has two things: it has energy and it has water in it and the system just condenses the water."
Max's invention effectively uses the energy of the wind to power a refrigeration unit that condenses the water, very similar to what you might see dripping from the back of an air conditioner.
"It's very, very similar.... But it doesn't use fossil fuels or external energy, in fact it could output a little bit of electricity and that could be useful in some areas... but that's a secondary matter at this point."
Max says that most people are unaware of the water that can be found in the air around us.
"It's very, very dilute. It's only about 10 or 15 grams per cubic metre, a few litres in the room you're sitting in I suppose."
"If you calculate the amount people breathe out it works out at more than is used in the whole world for agriculture and drinking... 10,000 billion litres in the bottom one kilometre of air around the world, which is replaced every few hours so the whole world could use only water from the air without depleting the environment at all."
Max says that humidity is a factor, but the unit will continue trap and condense water even when it is hot and dry.
"The absolute humidity is the important thing and it can feel dry when the temperature is up a bit because the air can hold so much water when it's hot, but the absolute humidity is not normally quoted by weather people and it's usually about 10 grams per cubic metre or say 10 litres per thousand cubic metres and you can easily collect a million cubic metres in a small roof-top device, in a gentle breeze."
That equates to 10,000 litres of water a day or as Max says "enough to feed a few chooks".
It seems too good to be true and that is what Max says has been his major obstacle so far,
"Yes, that's a problem I've had... people do say that. We haven't pushed this concept in a huge way; I've been too busy thinking it out really."
At present Max's invention is commercial in confidence, but he has managed to get a few investors on board. He says cash flow is an issue but they are currently producing Whisson windmill prototypes with scrap metal in a shed in Subiaco, Perth.
"We are very restricted for working capital, we could move much faster and get this thing out in much better form, more quickly with just a bit more capital... we've advertised for grants and I've spoken to the former Premier in Western Australia and other representatives in government without any... I don't want to be too negative, but I think the situation is that politicians can't go for anything new until the public demands it, they sort of feel that they might be accused of backing something that's too good to be true."
link to the patent application -> http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=WO2007009184&F=0
Water from thin air: Australian invention could solve water worries
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Reporter: (online story) Nicholas Kittel
Presenter: Andrea Close
Max Whisson is the inventor of the Whisson windmill, an invention that can extract water from the air and potentially provide enormous relief to farmers in drought-stricken areas.
Max explains his invention to 666 ABC Canberra.
"Well it's an idea that gradually evolved, I suppose over the last three-years or so. The windmill is part of the system, but essentially it's an arrangement whereby wind blows into a chamber and the wind has two things: it has energy and it has water in it and the system just condenses the water."
Max's invention effectively uses the energy of the wind to power a refrigeration unit that condenses the water, very similar to what you might see dripping from the back of an air conditioner.
"It's very, very similar.... But it doesn't use fossil fuels or external energy, in fact it could output a little bit of electricity and that could be useful in some areas... but that's a secondary matter at this point."
Max says that most people are unaware of the water that can be found in the air around us.
"It's very, very dilute. It's only about 10 or 15 grams per cubic metre, a few litres in the room you're sitting in I suppose."
"If you calculate the amount people breathe out it works out at more than is used in the whole world for agriculture and drinking... 10,000 billion litres in the bottom one kilometre of air around the world, which is replaced every few hours so the whole world could use only water from the air without depleting the environment at all."
Max says that humidity is a factor, but the unit will continue trap and condense water even when it is hot and dry.
"The absolute humidity is the important thing and it can feel dry when the temperature is up a bit because the air can hold so much water when it's hot, but the absolute humidity is not normally quoted by weather people and it's usually about 10 grams per cubic metre or say 10 litres per thousand cubic metres and you can easily collect a million cubic metres in a small roof-top device, in a gentle breeze."
That equates to 10,000 litres of water a day or as Max says "enough to feed a few chooks".
It seems too good to be true and that is what Max says has been his major obstacle so far,
"Yes, that's a problem I've had... people do say that. We haven't pushed this concept in a huge way; I've been too busy thinking it out really."
At present Max's invention is commercial in confidence, but he has managed to get a few investors on board. He says cash flow is an issue but they are currently producing Whisson windmill prototypes with scrap metal in a shed in Subiaco, Perth.
"We are very restricted for working capital, we could move much faster and get this thing out in much better form, more quickly with just a bit more capital... we've advertised for grants and I've spoken to the former Premier in Western Australia and other representatives in government without any... I don't want to be too negative, but I think the situation is that politicians can't go for anything new until the public demands it, they sort of feel that they might be accused of backing something that's too good to be true."
link to the patent application -> http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=WO2007009184&F=0