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DAY CYCLE

 

  1. Ethanol starts in the evaporator with activated carbon.

  2. Ethanol gets absorbed onto activated carbon.

  3. The container holding the ethanol and activated carbon absorbs heat from the sun.

  4. Ethanol desorbs from activated carbon in gaseous form.

  5. Vapor ethanol travels to condensor and recondenses into liquid form.

  6. Liquid ethanol goes into a container inside chiller.

BEHIND THE SCENES - THE CHEMISTRY BEHIND IT 

NIGHT CYCLE

 

  1. Some liquid ethanol in condensor begins vaporizing back into gaseous form.

  2. Vaporized ethanol absorbs onto activated carbon.

  3. More liquid ethanol in condensor vaporizes back into gaseous form.

  4. Cycle repeats until equilibrium.

HOW DOES  IT WORK?

 

  1. The sun (heat source) adds energy to the ethanol, which causes it to desorb from activated carbon and change to a gaseous form.

  2. Condensor condenses the vapor into liquid form.

  3. Chiller keeps the vapor temperature low so it stays in its liquid form. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

 

  1. Once the sun sets, the heat source is no longer present, so the pressure becomes much lower.

  2. The low pressure causes the liquid ethanol to vaporize at a lower temperature.

  3. Some liquid ethanol vaporizes off the surface, and ethanol vapor drives the pressure up.

  4. But the ethanol then reattaches onto the carbon, and the new lack of gaseous particles drives the pressure back down.

  5. The cycle keeps going until the pressure reaches an equilibrium.

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