Pyroc: The project to create water from air in a variety of environments.

Introduction
The purpose of this solar powered project is to use atmospheric temperature differences to induce the creation of water from normal air. The primary components in this process are the Peltier ceramic thermo-electric conductors (generates heat on one side and cool on the other side) and a resevoir with a stainless steel screen mesh (to multiply the surface area that water droplets can form on) to hold the condensation which forms water. While I was not able to find a Peltier in the shape of a tube (with the cool side being the inside of the tube) - which I think would be the most efficient structure and easier to build around, all I could find were flat, square conductors like the 12706 series. The name of this project "Pyroc" is a combination of the words "pyro" and "cryo".

As you may be able to tell in the picture of the assembled prototype, there are a series of adjustable mirrors placed around the perimeter of the resevoir container containing the stainless steel collection mesh. Those mirrors are meant to reflect sunlight into the resevoir and heat up the collection mesh. However, when the atmosphere in the resevoir is not cool enough and depending on humidity, condensation may not occur in the resevoir with the use of the mirrors. With inefficient Peltier conducting modules - preventing the resevoir atmosphere from cooling sufficiently, or the environment that the prototype operates in, usage of mirrors may actually reduce the capacity of the prototype to create water. I would anticipate the most likely geographic location with which mirrors would be used would be one in which the resevoir atmosphere temperature and the temperature of the environment would largely be equal.

Some of the observations I've seen with this project are:

The peltiers assembled into the cooling and exhaust system (you can purchase online) only operate at ~60% disclosed capacity; I suspect they are mass produced components with little or no quality control. For example, amperage consumption is rated at 5A but observed maximum consumption averaged 2.6A - 2.9A.
In direct and indirect sunlight, over the span of one hour, at an environment temperature of 98F, 15% humidity, 0% precipitation, condensation appears on the cooling fins with no observable condensation in the resevoir itself. At 78F, 13% humidity, 0% precipitation there was a greater amount of condensation on the cooling fin blocks in the intake area (with the 2 large and 1 small turbo fan) and visible frosting on one of the cooling fin blocks and a lower temperature - a handful of degrees in the resevoir - but not sufficient enough to induce condensation buildup in the resevoir containing the collection mesh.

Download Pyroc 3D Drawings
Feel free to download the 3D drawings for the Pyroc project below. You'll need a 3D printer capable of using STL OR GCODE files to print out the components.

[Download STL zip file] STL Format
[Download GCODE zip file] GCODE Format
[Download 3DM zip file] 3DM (Original architectural drawings)

Project Construction

PARTS LIST	Parts that were used for this particular Pyroc Prototype included: [link] (2 each) 12V Electric Refrigeration Semiconductor Cooler ModuleThermoelectric Peltier Air Cooling System [link] 5 Pcs Stainless Steel Woven Wire 20 Mesh - 12"x8 (30x21cm) [link] (2 each) Automotive Toggle Switch 50A 12VDC Heavy Duty ON Off Rocker Switch SPST 2 Position 2 Pin Metal Chrome Plated Screw Terminal [link] (2 each) 100W Foldable Solar Panel Charger Kit for Portable Generator Power Station Smartphones Laptop Car Boat RV Trailer 12v Battery Charging (Dual 5V USB & 19V DC Output) [link] (2 each) DC/DC Converter Regulator 24V Step Down To 12V 20A 240W Low Voltage Transformer Waterproof [link] Large Glass Food Storage Container, 100 FL OZ (3000ml) Glass Food Canister with Airtight Bamboo Lids [link] Stainless Ball Valve - 1/2 Inch NPT Thread Male Small Mini Ball Valve (1/2" Male&Male) [link] 1/2" Female x Female Threaded Pipe Fitting Stainless Steel SS304 NPT [link] uxcell 20Pcs 3 Position 6P DPDT Micro Miniature PCB Slide Switch Latching Toggle Switch [link] 10pcs (5 Sets) 5 Positions Dual Row 600V 15A Screw Terminal Strip Blocks with Cover + 400V 15A 5 Positions Pre-Insulated Terminals Barrier Strip [link] 60PCS/30Pairs Micro JST XH2.54 2PIN Male and Female Connector Plug Extension Cable with Red Black Terminal Connector Wire Cable [link] 5K 10K 50K 100K 500K Potentiometer knob Linear Potentiometer WH148 3Pin 15mm Shaft with Nut and Washe [link] Wathai 30x10x10mm Brushless Turbo Blower Cooling Fan 30mm 12V [link] 304 Stainless Steel Screws Nuts and Washers 1200PCS, Sutemribor M2 M3 M4 Hex Socket Head Cap Bolts Screws Nuts Washers Assortment Kit with Hex Wrenches [link] 100pcs Wire Connectors, (Red 22-16AWG, Blue 16-14AWG, Yellow 10-12AWG), Fully Insulated Male & Female Spade Nylon Quick Disconnect Electrical Crimp Cold-Pressed Terminals Assortment Kit [link] (3 each) 7 Inch Bird Mirror with Rope Perch Cockatiel Mirror for Cage Bird [link] Hex Nuts, M2x0.4mm Metric Coarse Thread Hexagon Nut, Stainless Steel 304, Pack of 100 [link] M2 x 40mm 304 Stainless Steel Phillips Round Head Screws Bolt 60pcs Miscellaneous wire and guides
	Drill a 1 inch hole in the container lid.
	Glue together the base that the container will be placed on.
	Glue the mirror base components together as shown.
	Place the M3 nut in the hole; you'll likely need a vice to seat the nut properly.
	The flat mirror will need to be bent slightly so that it has the same shape as the mounting base, with the mirror side facing down. Then bolt the mirror to the mounting base.
	This view shows how the mirror mounting base would be placed in the mirror base with the long bolt.
	Glue the arms to the switch boxes.
	Wire up the large automotive switch so that it controls the power coming from the solar panels, with an output for one of the air conditioning systems, and an output for the small 30x10x10mm Brushless Turbo Blower whose power is controlled by a DPDT switch and a 1K potentiometer.
	Wire up the large automotive switch so that it controls the power coming from the solar panels, with an output for one of the air conditioning systems.
	From each of the air conditioning systems, remove the small fan from the small cooling fins assembly.
	Form the stainless steel mesh sheet and glue to the star. The outer mesh sheet, as you can see, does not join which is okay; the gap allows sunlight to directly hit a portion of the inner sheet. That inner mesh sheet, too, has a gap between edges to allow more sunlight to hit the inner-most mesh sheet than what it would otherwise. Glue the other star to the opposite edge of the mesh sheets.
	Insert the collector mesh into the container and place the lid on top of the container.
	Glue the switch case base to the long arm, on the flat side of the long arm.
	With some gasket material (available at most home improvement stores), trace and cut a gasket that will be placed between the spacer and the intake base.
	Glue the spacer to the thick top cooler plate. The top cooler plate is what the two air conditioning systems are placed in.
	Place the two air conditioning system fans that you had removed into the intake base as shown and the smaller turbo blower in the center with M2 screws.
	Place the gasket on top of the intake and place the spacer (that was glued to the thick top plate) on top of that and then bolt together. Depending on the length of the screws you use, you may need to trim part of the long screw guides so that the screw will go through the long screw guide and also have sufficient length to apply the bolt at the other end. Using a sander or some other device to score part of the outer threaded pipe fitting, score about 1/4" of the surface edge. Then add glue to that surface area and push into the hole on the side of the intake. Don't forget to screw in the ball valve after the glue has dried. The ball valve allows you to control the amount of air to allow into the intake.
	Flip over the intake base and glue the funnel base to it. Be sure to position it so the two holes are opposite to where the valve controlled air intake is at. After the glue has dried, bolt the switch case with the long arm (has two holes at the opposite end) to the intake base.
	Place the intake base onto the container lid so that the funnel goes into the hole on the lid.
	Seat the air conditioning systems into the top plate. The fit will be tight as the tolerance has only a few thousands of an inch of play to promote better sealing.
	Slip the switch cases into the switch case mount that was glued to the long arm, and make all the connections.
	This is an optional step but illustrates where the mirrors are placed around the resevoir.

Future Development
As I had mentioned earlier, a Peltier in the shape of a tube (cool surface on the inside of the tube) would likely be much more efficient (assuming better quality control than what I found with these flat ones) and easier to architect around - though I do not know if there would be a manufacturing challenge for Peltier modules in the shape of a tube. In terms of this experiment, likely improvements would include a more effective Peltier module and attaching the cooling surface directly to the collection mesh in the resevoir should the circulating air temperature not be capable of dropping sufficiently. However, direct attachment to the collection mesh may negate the ability to heat up the mesh (with the mirrors) in order to create the differential between the circulating air and the mesh to create water.

Desire to achieve balance is rarely tuned to the domain it is realized within, thereby recasting it into atypical substance.