A bio-mimetic design, VENA is a low-cost, low-energy solution for the developing world's critical need for drinking water. It extracts water from air by transferring cool, below-ground temperatures to an elevated network of copper alloy filaments, around which latent air-borne water condenses and is collected. VENA is the only large-scale water condenser today that does not run on electricity. The assembly is free of moving, complex mechanical parts and polluting coolants and requires only the energy embodied in the materials and installation.
The dynamically formed, robust ceramic discs serve double duty: protecting the internal systems from solar heat gain and channeling prevailing winds through the conical body. The copper alloy cable, the key thermal conductor, stretches from a below-grade well along the entire height of the above-ground structure. VENA's angled copper alloy filaments go a step further by being 5-15°C cooler than ambient air temperature throughout the day. When air comes in contact with the filaments, the dew-point is triggered and air-borne water condenses, dripping down the copper alloy cable into the well continually throughout the day.
Inhabitants of arid regions in developing nations constitute the core beneficiaries of this new technology. As many of these areas lie in developing nations, VENA is also designed to be inexpensive and easy to install when mass-produced. Once installed, it will recharge depleted aquifers and wells, providing water for drinking and crop irrigation.
Because VENA is small-scale, the modular design allows potable water to be delivered directly to localized areas of need, thus eliminating the need for conveyance infrastructure. Furthermore, VENA is openly scalable, allowing the number and placement of units to address the size, location, and need of the community. Delivering clean drinking water to the populations of the world living in arid and/or heavily polluted areas, VENA is a radical solution for people in climates lacking consistent rainfall or clean ground source water.
The dynamically formed, robust ceramic discs serve double duty: protecting the internal systems from solar heat gain and channeling prevailing winds through the conical body. The copper alloy cable, the key thermal conductor, stretches from a below-grade well along the entire height of the above-ground structure. VENA's angled copper alloy filaments go a step further by being 5-15°C cooler than ambient air temperature throughout the day. When air comes in contact with the filaments, the dew-point is triggered and air-borne water condenses, dripping down the copper alloy cable into the well continually throughout the day.
Inhabitants of arid regions in developing nations constitute the core beneficiaries of this new technology. As many of these areas lie in developing nations, VENA is also designed to be inexpensive and easy to install when mass-produced. Once installed, it will recharge depleted aquifers and wells, providing water for drinking and crop irrigation.
Because VENA is small-scale, the modular design allows potable water to be delivered directly to localized areas of need, thus eliminating the need for conveyance infrastructure. Furthermore, VENA is openly scalable, allowing the number and placement of units to address the size, location, and need of the community. Delivering clean drinking water to the populations of the world living in arid and/or heavily polluted areas, VENA is a radical solution for people in climates lacking consistent rainfall or clean ground source water.