Air well (condenser)

High-mass air well of Belgian engineer Achille Knapen in Trans-en-Provence.

An air well or aerial well is a structure or device that collects water by promoting the condensation of moisture from air.[1] Designs for air wells are many and varied, but the simplest designs are completely passive, require no external energy source and have few, if any, moving parts.

Three principal designs are used for air wells, designated as high mass, radiative, and active:

  • High-mass air wells: used in the early 20th century, but the approach failed.[2]
  • Low-mass, radiative collectors: Developed in the late 20th century onwards, proved to be much more successful.[2]
  • Active collectors: these collect water in the same way as a dehumidifier; although the designs work well, they require an energy source, making them uneconomical except in special circumstances. New, innovative designs seek to minimise the energy requirements of active condensers or make use of sustainable and renewable energy resources.[3]
  1. ^ Popular Science 1933.
  2. ^ a b Beysens et al. 2006.
  3. ^ Nelson 2003.