148 Research Experience for Undergraduates Sub-Wet-Bulb Evaporative Cooling via Vacuum Membrane Dehumidification

Authors:

Matthew Anthony, Jack Alvarenga, Jonathan Grinham, Joanna Aizenberg

Date Created:

2025-01-01

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

Air conditioning is responsible for approximately 10% of global to drive more evaporation and attain a lower sensible temperature. energy use and 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, with 37% Themembranesurfaceisinthermalcontactwiththecooledsurface of those emissions originating from refrigerants and 31% from providing additional cooling of the product air. Temperature dehumidification processes. As demand for cooling continues and humidity were recorded at three points: before treatment, to rise worldwide, especially in developing countries, there is after dehumidification, and after cooling. This data was used an urgent need for cooling methods that have reduced energy to calculate the system’s efficiency in removing humidity, and consumption and environmental impact. This study explores lowering temperature. Estimated data suggest that the system a combined system using vacuum membrane dehumidification is capable of reducing humidity levels across a wide range of and evaporative cooling, which eliminates the need for chemical temperature and relative humidity conditions. For example, under refrigerants and has a lower energy use during moisture removal. initial conditions of 26 C and 60% relative humidity, the model In our experimental setup, air flowed through a channel lined with predicts a 13% decrease in humidity, along with a decrease in a selective polymer membrane under vacuum, thereby extracting air temperature due to improved evaporative cooling efficiency. a portion of the water vapor content in the air. The dehumidified Thesefindingswillinformfurtherexperimentaltestingandsupport air was then cooled as it moved across a damp, absorbent material. further development of environmentally responsible cooling. By having a lower partial pressure of water, the drier air is able SNOM Characterization of BNNTs Malcolm Bogroff, Ibrahim Abdelwahab, William L. Wilson Howard University | Electrical Engineering | 2027 In the field of light-matter interactions, hexagonal boron nitride atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (hBN) stands out as a material with immense applications. Light (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). We also is the fastest medium by which information can be carried, but study the fascinating physics that determines how morphology for us to be able to manipulate it, we must force the light to changes the way light couples to tubes using a scattering-type interact with materials. Unlike most materials that let light interscanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). We discovered with matter, hBN couples a lot stronger and has much lower that the diameter of the BNNTs impacts the number of internal losses. When hBN sheets are processed and curl into tubes, they wallsin each tubeand ranges from around 8to40 nm. BNNTsalso ▯1 material. These boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have several cm . Confinementisalsoverydependentonthesubstratethatthe degrees of freedom that change the way they couple and guide BNNTs are deposited on. Since BNNTs confine light very well in light. In our studies, we created samples of highly pure BNNTs only a single dimension, they become a candidate as a material for and characterized the different shapes and structures that BNNTs single photon emission through implanted defects for the field of can take. We studied surface features and topology using an quantum communication.

Abstract:

Air conditioning is responsible for approximately 10% of global to drive more evaporation and attain a lower sensible temperature. energy use and 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, with 37% Themembranesurfaceisinthermalcontactwiththecooledsurface of those emissions originating from refrigerants and 31% from providing additional cooling of the product air. Temperature dehumidification processes. As demand for cooling continues and humidity were recorded at three points: before treatment, to rise worldwide, especially in developing countries, there is after dehumidification, and after cooling. This data was used an urgent need for cooling methods that have reduced energy to calculate the system’s efficiency in removing humidity, and consumption and environmental impact. This study explores lowering temperature. Estimated data suggest that the system a combined system using vacuum membrane dehumidification is capable of reducing humidity levels across a wide range of and evaporative cooling, which eliminates the need for chemical temperature and relative humidity conditions. For example, under refrigerants and has a lower energy use during moisture removal. initial conditions of 26 C and 60% relative humidity, the model In our experimental setup, air flowed through a channel lined with predicts a 13% decrease in humidity, along with a decrease in a selective polymer membrane under vacuum, thereby extracting air temperature due to improved evaporative cooling efficiency. a portion of the water vapor content in the air. The dehumidified Thesefindingswillinformfurtherexperimentaltestingandsupport air was then cooled as it moved across a damp, absorbent material. further development of environmentally responsible cooling. By having a lower partial pressure of water, the drier air is able SNOM Characterization of BNNTs Malcolm Bogroff, Ibrahim Abdelwahab, William L. Wilson Howard University | Electrical Engineering | 2027 In the field of light-matter interactions, hexagonal boron nitride atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (hBN) stands out as a material with immense applications. Light (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). We also is the fastest medium by which information can be carried, but study the fascinating physics that determines how morphology for us to be able to manipulate it, we must force the light to changes the way light couples to tubes using a scattering-type interact with materials. Unlike most materials that let light interscanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). We discovered with matter, hBN couples a lot stronger and has much lower that the diameter of the BNNTs impacts the number of internal losses. When hBN sheets are processed and curl into tubes, they wallsin each tubeand ranges from around 8to40 nm. BNNTsalso ▯1 material. These boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have several cm . Confinementisalsoverydependentonthesubstratethatthe degrees of freedom that change the way they couple and guide BNNTs are deposited on. Since BNNTs confine light very well in light. In our studies, we created samples of highly pure BNNTs only a single dimension, they become a candidate as a material for and characterized the different shapes and structures that BNNTs single photon emission through implanted defects for the field of can take. We studied surface features and topology using an quantum communication.

Source:

Harvard / Research Experience / 2025

Topics:

cooling, air, bnnt, light, humidity, material, temperature, dehumidification, lower, microscope, evaporative, vacuum

Co-authors:

@matthewanthony416 , @jackalvarenga417 , @jonathangrinham418 , @joannaaizenberg415