Initial experiments on dew collection in Sweden and Tanzania

Abstract Moisture in the air can be condensed as dew and used for drinking and irrigation. The radiative cooling properties of polymer foils can enhance the performance of dew collecting surfaces. The main restrictions in condensing water in warm and arid locations are climatic factors, the dew collector design, and the optically selective and adhesive properties of the condensing surface itself. This paper concerns observations of dew formation on radiatively cooled pigmented polyethylene foils. The experiments were carried out in Sweden and in arid Dodoma, Tanzania. The results are in agreement with thermodynamical calculations, though the variation is large in the daily measured dew water volumes. This variation is caused by the hourly and daily changes in wind-speed, cloud cover, dry bulb temperature, and dew point temperature. The results are compared with earlier outdoor observations in Tanzania.