How to Water the Desert

Intro: How to Water the Desert

Here’s how to bring fresh water to all of those arid places you keep hearing about on the news.  This solution is simple and cheap enough that it could be built from parts from any hardware store and affordable in any country with a drought problem.Basically, you use the sun’s energy to both pump water from the sea and convert it into freshwater.It seems like most of the world’s water has salt in it, so we should use some of that.

Say you have a large otherwise useless plot of land, like the Sahara. By using the Thermosiphon principle you could pipe water from the ocean to the places that need it.Here’s how it works:

STEP 1: The General Idea

Hot air rises, the same goes for all fluids, such as water.Given an extensively long pipe from the ocean to where ever needs water; you can coax that water to move through the pipe using heat.If your desert is at a higher elevation than sea level, by applying heat to a portion of the pipe, the water inside becomes less dense and elevates.The colder water prior to the heated portion of pipe, not wanting to create a vacuum, then rushes in to fill the pipe left by the heated water.So as long as you have heat, water moves up and through the pipe.(Just use check valves to prevent the water from descending at night.)

Hypothetically, you could pump seawater an infinite distance, given an infinitely long heat source.  Next comes that infinitely long heat source cheap enough to drag across the entire Outback, which could be constructed from soda cans and glass panes.

STEP 2: Heat Source

Say your pipe was in a really hot, sunny place, like a desert, then you could easily use solar power to achieve water flow without using pumps.A solar trough could cheaply be used to generate the heat necessary for this pumping.Here’s how a solar trough works:take a shiny half cylinder and face it generally towards the sun.The parabolic shape reflects and focuses the sun’s rays towards a center point, in this case, our pipe.(Here's the Wikipedia article)This system is in use all over the world for industrial uses such as heat exchangers and can achieve extremely high temperatures.

STEP 3: Modifications to a Solar Trough

Generally, these systems rotate to follow the sun, but that’s expensive, and poor countries need fresh water.One way to make this hotter is to combine the greenhouse effect in order to trap our solar heat in the trough.Ever get in your car on a hot day and wish you could somehow utilize the heat difference between outside and inside?By laying a sheet of glass atop the trough, we can trap that heat, making our trough more efficient.Remember, we don’t need to boil the water, just attain higher temperature than the water before it necessary to generate flow.

Another solution might be to distort the shape of the glass into a lens.By making the glass get thicker towards the middle, we can further focus the suns rays and trap heat.Just like roasting ants with a magnifying glass!

While this will not be as efficient as a rotating trough, the longer you extend such a trough, say for a mile or more, then the more thermal energy will be transferred into the water.

STEP 4: Converting to Freshwater

Once the water reaches its final destination, you need to remove the salt.The ancient and cheapest solution is to use a solar trough.For example, if one were to stretch out a trough such as this picture of a solar still over some miles, the freshwater generated could be considerable enough for agriculture.

Here’s how this proposition works:There is a reservoir of saltwater in the bottom of the still.As the Sun beats down on the still, the rays generate heat which is once again trapped inside the glass.As the saltwater in the reservoir heats up, the still becomes humid inside and freshwater condenses on the ceiling of the still.Being as this still is slanted, the beads of moisture roll down the ceiling and eventually drop off into our reservoir of freshwater.

In this solution, we crisscross the incoming seawater from our heat-pump pipe across the roof of the still.This accomplishes two things:One, the incoming water is cooler than the still, thereby giving our heated moisture somewhere to condense(picture a cold glass of water on a hot day.)The second is that it preheats the incoming seawater (via the sun) before dumping the seawater into the trough, which we want to be really hot.

STEP 5: Testing the System

I'm going to do some measuring to see the relationship between heat input and elevation of water through the pipes.  Commenter bbiorn informed me that coffee makers work on the same principle as this system, called Thermosiphon.

Apparently, a system similar has been proposed here.

I propose using copper tubes, slightly angled from a tub of water, and a propane tank underneath the tube for heat.  I'll prime the tube and install a check valve to keep water in the pipe prior to flow.

I'll probably blow myself up or burn down my back yard, but I'm heading to the hardware store now.

STEP 6: Final Thoughts

Once we have a constant supply of fresh water into our desert, we can start growing some groundcover.Apparently once you have a bunch of plants in an area, clouds are invited and rain becomes more common place.Check out this thesis, ADRECS, and this one, Desert Rose. Growing plants in the desert causes the soil to become enriched because the plants deposit nitrates from the air into the soil and the plants decompose further enriching the soil.Eventually, the soil is good for growing everything.

Even before you get to that stage, you have sun, dirt, and freshwater to grow plants.Drip irrigation or a rotating irrigator could work here.Still don’t feel like using pumps or fossil fuels for this project?This thing (picture of Ox) runs on the plants grown and can be used for moving that rotating and pumping water through that irrigator (pic of irrigator).

Use this invention if you live somewhere such as a small island with no fresh water, Yemen, the Sonora Desert, Australia…You’re otherwise useless land now has value!

Comments

[TudorS1]

It is possible to boil water to the desert. If you use diagonal valves in the pipes the pressure of the expanding/heated water will push the water through the tubes.

And it is possible to heat the water in a cheap way..start with making the surface the color black...and there is a good suggestion in the book, without solar. See image. The pipes..well feel free to make the content of the book real. It does descibe a cheap way to make pipes....but..the question is still, if it is fantasy or real:).

Then again, it is always true that things need maintenance. Maintenance also means jobs.

[Prof. A. Z. O_Trope]

Unfortunately, you can only "pump" water a few inches this way, at best. Yes, warmer water will rise to the top of a column of water. But in a pipe open at both ends, once the overpressure created by the water above the source exceeds the total pressure at the source (~ 1 atm.), water will stop rising. When you do the math, even very cold water at the source vs. nearly boiling water at the top of the pipe will only allow the water to rise a few inches.

(If your source pipe was insulated and could extend to great depth, and you could heat ALL of the water in the pipe, you could do somewhat better, but heating water at the inlet of the pipe would be costly and difficult enough to outweigh any benefit.)

The other error here is the usual one with solar & wind power. Yes, the energy itself can be regarded as "free," but you need land upon which to place the collectors, and even more important, you need to BUILD the collectors, and that costs money (capital investment). Even solar troughs are not free, nor are long pipes, especially (as others have mentioned), pipes that will not corrode in hot seawater. And once the facilities are built, they will need MAINTENANCE -- they will get dusty, they will corrode, microbes & insects & birds & animals will do various things to reduce their efficiency, etc., etc.

There are some viable concepts in ocean-thermal and solar-powered water pumping and desalination, but this is not one of them.

[TUYUQ]

no one really tested it, and people saying it wont work.
I live in Jordan, we are the 4th poorest countries on fresh water in the world, and we have only 2400 meters of sea exposed to us, and beside that shore, there is a 45 degrees Celsius (85% of the year) desert which is useless and has no life what so ever. if this is feasible it will change this country for ever.

[wagon173]

I agree man! I'm in afghanistan right now and these guys here could sure use it too! I'm not sure where they stand statistically, but it hasn't rained since I got here in april! People are always quick to shoot an idea down, and it's few and far between that someone offers encouragement or advice or help. I say go for it! You may have a nobel prize in your future if it works! And if it don't, at least you'll know what not to do the next time you try! :)

[TUYUQ]

for the good luck I am studying civil engineering :) I think with some tweaking and compromises this could work, I'll push it to my teacher thats for sure.

[mvillalpando]

This idea can work, in sections, or fractals. If one were to incorporate Leonardo Da Vince's water pump instrument you may be able to do it in layers, or stages. See this link

https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/museum/themes/pumps.htm

[TUYUQ]

I think taking the scale into perspective, the friction loss will be significant.
anyway I did study the salinity effects on the pipes in the parabolic through pipes and it will ruin the pipes in a very short time... however, I'm interested in this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove#Limiting_salt_intake , I think it could lead to something if we were able to proliferate it on a membrane or something and filter the saline water through it.

[tokymaru]

i don't think water would rise above the surface of your source enough to flow through the pipe, though steam might.
the salt water alone would wreak havoc on the pipes, zinc would work out better, but maintenance would still be exhaustive and costly.
one break or leak in the line and you water source is gone at least until its fixed and flow is restored.
while it was a good thought, i don't think it would work out.

[diy_bloke]

you are right. the warmer water with a bit lower density may rise a tiny bit above the level of the sea water but if you need to go over some height, the water will just be pushed back in the pipe

[diy_bloke]

nice idea but it doesnt sound very effective to me. Obviouly all that energu turned int heat in order to elevate the water, better be used for a regular pump

[wagon173]

It seems that you could definitely route a pipe line up hwy 15 to keep the amount of water fighting elevation to a minimum. Depending on if it works and how well, you could possibly construct a reservoir on top of one of the mountains or hills to provide water in the event of pipe maintenance. If it were possible, I'd try to make the heated portion out of 316 stainless and the rest out of a very thick schedule pvc to help offset the cost of the stainless steel. Working with plastic and marine grade stainless would also keep maintenance costs to a minimum in the long run. That's my two cents. This is a very interesting project though. When I get back to the US I may play around with a few ideas and let you know what I come up with. Once again, good luck!

[scienceguy614]

Another idea would be to make the pipe in an upside down U shape and create a little vacuum force at the end opposite of the water and after the water passes the very top, the gravaty pulling it down would created the water to follow and it keeps on going becuase the water is pulling more water along with it.
Try this: go to your sink, fill it up with water, next get a tube and dip one end in the water and have the other end go to the toilet or a bucket or something. Next, with the end thats going to the toilet or bucket, suck on it to create a vacuum force and then take your mouth of and have it point to the toilet or bucket. the water will keep going untll there's either nomore water or the tube is in air.

[zombiefire]

genious

[buteman]

Coffee machines do not work on the thermosyphon system they use what is called a bubble pump system. Also the link you have shown as thermosyphon does indeed show how a thermosyphon works. Unfortunately your idea is NOT a thermosyphon as you can see that the thermosyphon is circulating water and most importantly all the circulation takes place below the water surface.
Sadly it will not lift water above the water surface by the method you propose.

[lemonie]

You need to publish something you have actually done. Theory is good in a Forum Topic.
(Any thoughts as to why no one has done this yet?)

L

[buteman]

I agree. As it happens I don't believe it will work - it would be wonderful to be proved wrong!

The coffee maker works because the water in the bottom is boiled, the bubbles of steam rise up the tube with some water. The average density of the 2 is low so the steam lifts some water with it.
The diagram Postonic has drawn does not show the water at the bottom being heated at all.
The top of the pipe is open so no vacuum would be formed to lift the water out of the sea to continue the process.
If, in the pi;e, you had 2 non-return valves one below the point you heat and one above it then, if you cycle between heating and cooling the water between the 2 valves you would get a ( very ) small intermittent flow of water. The amount would equate to the difference between the volume of the water at the lower temperature and it's highest temperature less the difference in the volume of that bit of pipe at the 2 different temperatures. As far as I know it would not be easy to find some pipe which would allow this positive output.
As I said I really hope this is wrong.

[lemonie]

You're right there.
As I asked before: "Any thoughts as to why no one has done this yet?"

L

[ironsmiter]

Am I the only one imagining a 30 story tall bic lighter, and miles of pipe....

And then the people at the other end of the pipe getting mad cause it's HOT water, and all they really wanted was a cold beer?

[Alpha2904]

 lulz

[masterochicken]

nope