Enhanced solar evaporation of water from porous media, through capillary mediated forces and surface treatment
Abstract
The relative influence of the capillary, Marangoni, and hydrophobic forces in mediating the evaporation of water from carbon foam based porous media, in response to incident solar radiation, are investigated. It is indicated that inducing hydrophilic interactions on the surface, through nitric acid treatment of the foams, has a similar effect to reduced pore diameter and the ensuing capillary forces. The efficiency of water evaporation may be parameterized through the Capillary number (Ca), with a lower Ca being preferred. The proposed study is of much relevance to efficient solar energy utilization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.4961945
Entities
People
- A. Kargar
- B. Fan
- F. M. Canbazoglu
- K. Vemuri
- P. R. Bandaru
Organizations
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- National Science Foundation
- University of California