Cybertruck Will Distill Water, Hints Musk!

[jwh3586]

IT would be a miracle if i get one of these cyber truck crossing my fingers.

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[Trapezium]

Each to his own, of course but distilled water is not pure. That's why if you want pure water in your lab you don't use distilled and if you want pure water from the pharmacy you buy triple distilled. If you want pure water today you go with RO. The cartridges seem to last forever (depending on volume processed - I'm on the original set I got over 15 yrs ago and they are still producing 2 -3 ppm water) but of course only reject about 98% of most minerals and the particulate and carbon filters, there to protect the membranes, are also great for removing bacteria, odors etc. In the CT application there would be additional filters for removing viruses, cryptosporidium cysts etc. If really pure water is wanted RO (which gets typical tap water down to a couple ppm) is followed by ion exchange and that's what labs, reef aquarists, dialysis centers, semiconductor fabricators, brewers etc. do these days.

The main reason that the CT, if it contains water purification gear at all, will not use distillation is energy. It takes 2257 kJ (627 Wh) of energy to boil a litre of water. To get to equivalent to RO purity you'd have to do that 3 times for a total of about 1.9 kWh. To prepare 1 L of RO water my system (I wash my cars with RO) uses 24 kJ (6.67 Wh). It has a 1/2 HP pump.

Just a guess but, I think Elon is planning on distilling the moisture out of filtered air which is passed over the heat pump condenser coils.

 

[ajdelange]

No, don't think so as that happens already with every air conditioner in the world. If he is smart, and of course he is, he will consider piping that condensate through a heat exchanger with the compressor exhaust gas which will warm it to about 130 °F to get its SVP up to about 3 psia and then spray it on the fins of the radiator thus recouping some of the energy expended in condensing it which can't be avoided. But I don't think he'll consider it for long as the expense and complexity of the extra hardware and software is probably not justified by the additional gain in A/C efficiency that would be achieved. But were I he I'd tell my guys to look into it.

 

[ajdelange]

Got it figured out! The CT will have a 12 gallon water tank which you fill prior to departure. This gives you water you need for cooking etc on your camping trip. If you don't use it for that it will be warmed and sprayed on the radiator whenever the A/C is on. Think about it. That's 100 lbs of water each lb of which can take away 1000 BTU of heat in changing phase. With a COP 4 heat pump that's 250 BTU for each gallon that doesn't have to come from the battery for a total of 25,000 BTU. That's 7.32 kWh! And I always laughed at those adds for devices that claimed you could increase your mpg with water!

 

[ajdelange]

On 23 Apr of this year Elon twittered:
"I’m dying to do super efficient, quiet home HVAC with HEPA & water distillation. It’s weird, but I really want to do it." which somehow led to the risible conclusion that the CT will have a still in it.

But on Mar 23, a month earlier, he twittered "Sure would love to do home hvac that's quiet and efficient, with humidity control and HEPA filter." That makes what he had in mind when he spoke of "water distillation". He wants to build an HVAC unit that will dehumidify as well as cool in the warm weather (which all do if the condensate is managed properly i.e. dumped outside or used to desuperheat the condenser outside and humidify as well as heat in the winter. The system would would use superheat to evaporate water (from the mains or well) when in heating mode. Mystery resolved!

 

[Newton]

In all likelihood he was talking about water purification in homes, not the truck but we can dream!

 

[Frank W]

Article in Innovation & Tech Today
Making Water Out of Thin Air


There is a reason why Israel is called Startup Nation. Companies based in the Jewish State have created myriad household-technologies including the messaging app Viber, carbonated beverage maker Soda Stream, and devices that create drinking water out of thin air, called Watergen.


W atergen is the latest in a long line of Israeli innovation, a game-changer that turns humid air into pure drinking water, efficiently and economically.




Global Water Scarcity


According to the United Nations, around 700 million people in 43 countries suffer today from water scarcity. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and 2/3 of the world’s population could be living under water-stressed conditions.


As populations worldwide increasingly struggle to access clean water, Watergen claims it came up with a groundbreaking solution.


The company’s pioneering technology taps into the atmosphere or humidity in the air to provide clean, fresh drinking water as the central water supply to people in the most remote rural village communities.


Efficiency


At the heart of the Watergen product line is the revolutionary “GENius” heat-exchange technology and non-conductive structures, which house an energy-efficient, scalable solution, that is configurable to any size.


Some pre-configured, smaller units are designed to be an office water cooler, home water-dispenser, or readily available drinking water in automobiles, which replace the need to purchase bottled water. There is even a small unit fabricated for motor vehicle use.


Some commercially available American wire gauges (AWGs) use conventional air-conditioning technology to generate water at tested efficiency rates of 650-850Wh per liter. Watergen claims its technology facilitates the generation of clean, safe drinking water at just 350Wh per liter. Meaning, a unit can produce three liters of water for every kilowatt of energy at the cost of seven to 13 cents per liter. This renewable solution costs less than local, purified packaged well water.


How it works


A built-in blower draws in local, humid air from the atmosphere. Next, air filters remove dust and dirt particles, ensuring the air entering the system is clean. The air is directed through Watergen’s heat exchange and condensed into water. The water created goes through purification and mineralization food-grade filtration systems.


Then, a UV lamp destroys microorganisms and breaks down harmful chemicals. A built-in reservoir stores the water. To avoid stagnation, the collected water is continuously circulated through a UV lamp to keep it fresh, clean, and drinkable.


Perhaps the next invention from Startup Nation will be a device that turns water into wine.


They even have some for vehicles

https://us.watergen.com/product/automotive-solution/

https://apple.news/ABDk7QSkiRPGdPcUKSfz_yQ

 

[ajdelange]

A room dehumidifier with some filters.

 

[Newton]

A room dehumidifier with some filters.

Im never a fan of any1 that calls their tech genius, or game changing, especially that they call their patented tech "GENius". Its such a turn off to the entire company. They could be doing amazing things, but I doubt it.

 

[Adamtbest]

Everyone is missing the real reason. Cybertruck Kentucky addition, distilling moonshine. Lol Give you something to drink at the campsite.

 

[ericpdb2]

I hope this is one of those Elon ideas that actually gets implemented! If I could be out overlanding and have a gallon or 2 of water at the end of the day, that would be a real game changer. Right now, the amount of water I can carry can be the most limiting factor on a trip.

I would use the distillation feature. I use distilled water in my CPAP and coffee machine.

 

[ajdelange]

The CyberTruck will distill R134a.