A Study of Dew Harvesting and Freezing Performance of Non-Wetting Surfaces

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dc.contributor.authorFuller, Alexander Michaelen
dc.contributor.committeechairPitchumani, Rangaen
dc.contributor.committeememberHuxtable, Scott T.en
dc.contributor.committeememberDiller, Thomas E.en
dc.contributor.departmentMechanical Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-13T08:00:32Zen
dc.date.available2023-07-13T08:00:32Zen
dc.date.issued2023-07-12en
dc.description.abstractNon-wetting surfaces offer enhanced capabilities over bare metal substrates for condensation with or without phase change. This trait can be utilized to broaden strategies in combating water scarcity in water stressed areas. Slippery lubricant infused surfaces have the ability to shed water droplets with lower nucleation times, taking advantage of more of the limited amount of time available to collect dew and fog than traditional surfaces. However, existing studies focus on short durations with scant information available on the longer-term performance or durability of the materials in application environments. To address this knowledge gap, dew harvesting studies were conducted over a 96 hour period on a lubricant infused surface vis-à-vis regular surface of the same material. Three phases of performance are identified and discussed with regard to the water harvesting potential. The second part of the thesis addresses water condensation under conditions where freezing is a potential issue. Non-wetting surfaces have been shown to be a promising method of limiting the formation of ice from sessile droplets. This study explores the effect of surface roughness on the freeze time of sessile water droplets. Superhydrophobic and hydrophobic, lubricant infused, copper surfaces were created via electrodeposition and chemical etching in conjunction with chemical treatments to achieve non-wetting surfaces of varying surface textures. Freezing characteristics on the surfaces are studied experimentally and, for the first time, computationally, wherein the surface is described using a fractal surface topography. The effect of surface engineering on the freezing dynamics and comparison between the experimental and the computational studies are elucidated.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralThe use of durable, water repelling surfaces that are also thermally conductive provide an opportunity to help alleviate strain from a growing world crisis, water scarcity. Lubricant infused surfaces shed water from their surface by providing a slippery layer for the droplets to slide on, as opposed to bare metal which water tends to cling to. This behavior makes lubricant infused surfaces attractive as a water harvesting method. However, these surfaces degrade over time and must be maintained to perform at their maximum capability, collecting water for 40 minutes more than a bare surface. This thesis focuses on the performance of these surfaces over a 96-hour operating period to characterize the effect lubricant drainage has on the water collection behavior. Freezing water droplets, commonly referred to as icing, poses concerns for safety and operational ability in industries like renewable energy generation, where icing limits efficiency. Non-wetting surfaces have a unique ability to inherently slow down the phase change of a water droplet to ice due to the lower contact area of droplets resting on the surface. This thesis examines superhydrophobic and lubricant infused surfaces of varying degrees of roughness to explore the effect that the contact angle and different surface structures have on the freezing rate of water on the surface. The experimental results are compared to numerical simulations, which is useful in designing systems that would implement this passive icing mitigation technique.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:37802en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/115759en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectSuperhydrophobic surfaceen
dc.subjectLiquid infused surfacesen
dc.subjectDew harvestingen
dc.subjectDew condensationen
dc.subjectWater collectionen
dc.subjectFreezingen
dc.subjectAnti-icingen
dc.subjectNumerical analysisen
dc.titleA Study of Dew Harvesting and Freezing Performance of Non-Wetting Surfacesen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineMechanical Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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