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#1 2024-08-26 05:34:06

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,361

Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

For SpaceNut .... there were three existing topics that contained the word "rain" in the title... none seemed a good fit for the direction I would like to go with this topic.

The concept of a "Rain Maker" has a long history in human culture.

Aside from a movie "The Rainmaker" that apparently has nothing to do with making rain, the idea of beating drums and performing dances to encourage rain goes back a long way.

In modern times, a few experiments have been carried out to try to encourage water carried along in the atmosphere to condense and drop onto the ground. 

What I'm hoping this topic will focus upon is the potential to collect large quantities of desalinated sea water using a combination of domes to contain moist air and solar reflectors to encourage evaporation of sea water below the domes.

The idea itself has plenty of examples in the survival literature.

It seems unlikely this idea will find much use on Mars due to the absence of bulk quantities of water, but it might prove useful eventually when humans set up shop and assemble quantities of water to support communities.

I am more interested in application of the idea on Earth, as the sea rises and more land is lost to the ocean. That land could contain water condensation domes that would combine to produce useful quantities of "artificial Rain" for human consumption.

(th)

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#2 2024-08-26 05:35:30

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,361

Re: Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

This post is reserved for an index to posts that NewMars members may contribute over time.

I admit that in this case the chance anyone will post anything are slim, but it ** could ** happen.

(th)

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#3 2024-08-26 05:37:48

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,361

Re: Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

I'd like to open this topic with a set of snippets collected by Google, showing survival equipment featuring little domes to collect water.

Videos

1:24
Solar Water From the air and ground Distilled Survivalist water ...
YouTube · GREENPOWERSCIENCE
Jul 10, 2012

5:47
Solar still - Sea made drinkable
YouTube · Igor Stropnik
Oct 16, 2022

5:12
Emergency Water Source - Evaporating with a Solar Still ...
YouTube · All 4 Adventure
Jan 26, 2014

14:07
Off-Grid Water With Air and Sunlight
YouTube · Ben Sullins
Mar 31, 2020
Water collection in the desert - Survival

Reddit  · 
r/Survival · 20+ comments · 2y ago
Help! Very confused on why my domes keep running out of water when I ...

Reddit  · 
r/SurvivingMars · 10+ comments · 2y ago
maximizing condensation to produce distilled drinking water?

People also ask
How to collect water from air without electricity?
How to collect water from air survival?
Is water from a solar still safe to drink?
How to make a survival water still?

What are some examples of collecting water in the deserts ...

Quora
https://www.quora.com
... dome'. Gravity does the rest as it drips ... The condensation collection of water is something that is taught in desert survival schools.

6 votes:
I know how to get water with a stick, a couple of rocks, a bit of plastic and a container. ...
Why don't humans use condensation to gather water ...
7 answers
Mar 6, 2019
Can I drink water condensed from the air? - Quora
4 answers
Jan 24, 2014
How would you get water from a desert cactus if you ...
9 answers
Feb 8, 2019
How do you make water in the desert? - Quora
7 answers
Nov 27, 2015
More results from www.quora.com

How to Make a Solar Still: The Ultimate Purification Device

World Water Reserve
https://worldwaterreserve.com
... water to evaporate and condensate onto the inside of the dome. The condensation drips down and collects into the reservoir, producing clean, distilled water.

Air well (condenser)

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org
An air well or aerial well is a structure or device that collects water by promoting the condensation of moisture from air. ... Designs for air wells are many and ...

Space survival: How could we survive a year in a dome?
Earth Learning Idea
https://www.earthlearningidea.com
PDF
You will need a source of fresh water. Freshwater can be collected from condensation on the dome at night. Desert nights are cold so there should be sufficient ...
2 pages

an “atmospheric water generator?” : r/preppers

Reddit · r/preppers
30+ comments · 2 years ago
It is a glorified dehumidifier or air conditioner, so you are essentially drinking filtered AC condensation. Extremely energy inefficient ...
15 answers

HOW TO COLLECT WATER BY CONDENSATION

YouTube · JJR SURVIVAL
43.7K+ views · 8 years ago

6:47
Collecting water using a condensation method MORE INFO & VIDEOS : Bow making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyDaV... Survival traps: ...
Missing: dome | Show results with: dome

A Giant Basket That Uses Condensation to Gather Drinking ...

WIRED
https://www.wired.com
Mar 28, 2014 — To survive, women and their children walk for miles to worm-filled ponds contaminated with human waste, collect water in trashed plastic ...
Images
Emergency Water Source - Evaporating with a Solar Still: Survival Tip ► All 4 Adventure TV

YouTube
Solar Water From the air and ground Distilled Survivalist ...

YouTube
Solar Water From the air and ground Distilled Survivalist water  condensation 45 minutes prep per

People also search for
Survival water condensation dome review
Survival water condensation dome instructions
Survival water condensation dome for sale
How to make water from air without electricity
Solar still design
Aquamate solar still
Solar still for sale
Solar still diagram

(th)

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#4 2024-08-26 05:45:10

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,361

Re: Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

Given the examples of small scale condensation survival water collection systems, I am hoping our NewMars members will watch for news of large scale versions of this simple idea, and report them in this topic.

All fresh water distributed by Nature on Earth starts out as evaporated sea water.  Some is evaporated a second time from fresh water sources such as lakes, rivers and water beads on plants, but it ** all ** starts from the open oceans.

This topic is offered for those NewMars members who might find examples of large scale application of this simple idea.

(th)

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#5 2024-08-26 10:59:36

Void
Member
Registered: 2011-12-29
Posts: 7,812

Re: Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

Let me know if I am too far off track: wLxs4ww.png

Let's Imagine small salt lakes and perhaps some places in the seas and oceans.

This is a generalized concept which could branch off to different morphologies.

In this case the solar panels are sun following as the bubble can be turned and rolled to follow the sun.  The excess heat of the solar panels is pushed into the air and then into the water inside the bubble.  This may increase the efficiency of the solar panels.

If we considered this for the Salton Sea,  We also have the characteristics of a solar still in part.  And at night we should have continued condensation in the cooling of nighttime.

Depending on what you wanted to do, you might cause the precipitation of salts out of the internal water.  These are sensitive to temperature and concentration.  So, then not only might you withdraw fresh water, but you might desalinate the lake over time.

It is possible to build things out of salt if there is no need for it chemically: https://theplanjournal.com/article/salt … ortunities

The bubbles might also foster green plants.  If you wanted to do things another way, then put irrigation water into these that is just a bit too salty, or fresh from a water treatment plant.  Presuming you could inhibit the growth of pathogens, then you could grow things like plants.

In doing any of this then you are also reducing the evaporation area of the Salton Sea.  This could cause it to swell up, but if you did not want it to swell, then take fresh water from the producing devices, and perhaps irrigate some dry land farming.

I think that this has some potential.

If you made the Salton Sea swell, up then another option would be to create a second lake in a nearby low area and also populate it with these things.

Hope I am not too far off track.

Done

Last edited by Void (2024-08-26 11:11:35)


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#6 2024-10-06 10:05:44

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,361

Re: Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

For Void!

Thanks for the image you created in Post #5

(th)

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#7 2024-11-17 13:56:01

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,361

Re: Artificial Rain Large Scale Collection of Condensation

This topic is available for discussion of artificial rail making....

In recent times, I've been running a spare television showing a 24 hour weather channel. This came about because the cable and Internet services are competing, and this particular channel is available at no charge from the Internet provider.

The channel is actually reasonably well run. It doesn't have the budget of the larger, more established cable channels, but from my perspective it makes up for budget with creative use of massive public resources.

In the course of glancing at this channel, I occasionally catch little educational segments that get tossed in between the ads and the actual weather.

This post is about how mountains wring water out of the atmosphere, by causing the air (usually from the ocean) to rise, and thus to cool, and ultimately to release water as precipitation.

I asked Google about this phenomenon, and it came back with the usual abundance of snippets.

At the bottom of the post I have a question for NewMars members.

Learn more

Yes, when water-laden air encounters mountains and rises, the precipitation is most likely to occur on the windward side of the mountain.
Explanation:
Windward side definition:
The windward side is the side of the mountain that faces the oncoming wind, where the air is forced to rise and cool as it encounters the mountain barrier.
Orographic lifting:
This process, known as orographic lifting, causes the moist air to cool as it rises, leading to condensation and precipitation on the windward side.
Rain shadow effect:
Conversely, the leeward side (opposite side of the mountain) experiences less precipitation due to the descending, dry air that has already released its moisture on the windward side.
The Orographic Effect | EARTH 111: Water: Science and Society
The orographic effect occurs when air masses are forced to flow over high topography. As air rises over mountains, it cools and wa...

Dutton Institute
When an air mass passes across a mountain range, many ... - Vaia
Short Answer ... The moist air mass lifts and cools as it crosses the mountain range, leading to condensation and precipitation la...

Vaia
Orographic Lift, Explained - OpenSnow
When air runs into a mountain, the side of the mountain that it hits first is called the windward side. This is where air is force...

OpenSnow
Show all
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orographic precipitation
The term orographic precipitation is used to describe the process where moist air is forced to rise over mountains, resulting in rainfall. This phenomenon occurs on the windward side of the range. As air rises, the lower pressure at higher altitudes causes it to cool and expand.

How are rain shadows created? - Vaia

vaia.com
https://www.vaia.com › ... › Chapter 30
About featured snippets

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People also ask
What type of precipitation happens as moisture laden air rises up a mountain slope?
What type of rain is caused by moist air rising over mountains?
What is the orographic effect of mountains?
What is the phenomenon where moist air is forced upward over a mountain creating a rain shadow on the other side?
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The Orographic Effect | EARTH 111: Water

Dutton Institute
https://www.e-education.psu.edu › earth111 › node
As air rises over mountains, it cools and water vapor condenses. As a result, it is common for rain to be concentrated on the windward side of mountains ...

Orographic precipitation | Definition, Cause, Location, & Facts

Britannica
https://www.britannica.com › ... › Earth Sciences
6 days ago — As the air rises and cools, orographic clouds form and serve as the source of the precipitation, most of which falls upwind of the mountain ...
Missing: encounters | Show results with: encounters

In the Pacific Northwest orographic precipitation usually ...

Brainly
https://brainly.com › Geography › College
Nov 12, 2023 — As the air rises, it cools and condenses, leading to precipitation on the windward side of the mountains. This phenomenon is also known as ...
1 answer

·

Top answer:
Final answer: Orographic precipitation in the Pacific Northwest occurs on the western side of mountain ranges due to the rain shadow effect. Explanation: ...

Orographic Lift, Explained

OpenSnow
https://opensnow.com › news › post › mountain-orogra...
The reason is that air is descending on the leeward side of the mountain, and descending air is warmer and drier, which is the opposite of ascending air.
Missing: water laden encounters

Orographic Precipitation - (Atmospheric Science)

Fiveable Library
https://library.fiveable.me › ... › Atmospheric Science
Orographic precipitation occurs when moist air is lifted over a mountain range, causing it to cool and condense into clouds and precipitation.

When an air mass passes across a mountain range ... - Vaia

vaia.com
https://www.vaia.com › ... › Chapter 8
The moist air mass lifts and cools as it crosses the mountain range, leading to condensation and precipitation largely on the windward side of the mountains.
Questions & answers

So! Since this topic is about "artificial" rain, I'd like to toss out the question:

Can we imagine an artificial mountain, that wrings water out of passing air by forcing a rise, similar to how a ** real ** mountain performs this useful service?

Someone with math skills might be able to compute what it would take to build a ramp that would force air to rise high enough to force precipitation.  I doubt such a structure is feasible with existing technology, but it should be possible to work out what would be needed.

(th)

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