Desalination Using the Condensation Irrigation System, A Case Study of the Research Farm of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

Condensation Irrigation (CI) is a combination of simultaneous desalination and irrigation/drinking water production. As saline water evaporates in a solar distiller and the hot and humid air is transferred into an underground pipeline, fresh water will condense on the inner pipe surface due to cooling of air by the ground. The water thus condensed infiltrates into the soil through pores in the perforated drainage pipes laid in the ground to transfer the humidified air. In this study, the CI system was developed using common buried pipes to determine the amount of water produced. In this setup, condensed water is collected at the end of the pipe to be used for drinking. Observations and calculations indicated a mean water production capacity of 4 liters every 8 hours along a pipe 25m long. Less water was produced on the first day because some of the water was lost to the wetting of the internal pipe walls. Finally, examination of temperature effects revealed that water production along the pipe reduces as we move farther away from the inlet part of the pipe.