JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the occurrence of chilling and freezing stresses have frequently caused great damages to crops and horticultural products. In southern Fars Province (south Iran) the cultivation of citrus orchards is popular and the economic losses due to injury from chilling and freezing stresses may exceed billions of Rials annually. The drop of ambient air temperature (above zero) reduces the ordinary metabolism activity of plants and causes chilling stress. If the temperature drops below zero and remains there for a considerable time, intercellular freezing may occur. This process always kills the cells and provokes tissue injury. In the present study, the possibility of predicting daily minimum temperature using the dew point of a previous day measured at 18:30 was examined.

 It was found that the prediction of minimum temperature is possible if the dew points are modified on the basis of the air relative humidity. For the episodes that relative humidity varies from 45% to 55%, minimum temperature at day i+1 was found to be almost equal to the dew point on the previous day (day i). For the periods that relative humidity is above (below) this range, the minimum temperature on day i+1 was observed to be greater (lower) than the estimated dew point on day i.

• Due to many problems in the field of water supply, no study has been done on atmospheric water extraction devices. The objective of this research was to optimize the control parameters and the amounts of water produced from a physical model designed and built by the team including two-phase (refrigeration collector and sponge collector) in different atmospheric conditions were investigated. First, the effect of the sponge filter on the amount of water obtained, then the pilot in different weather conditions were studied to obtain optimal conditions. The suctions of 450 to 1400 rpm were applied at each humidity and temperature. In all the mentioned cases, the temperature of the device was studied at 2, 4, and 6 degrees below the dew point. Results showed that the sponge filter can increase the water produced by up to 15%. The first evaporator produced more water than the second evaporator. The optimal air suction speed inside the device depends on the relative humidity and temperature values. For the first and second evaporators, temperatures below 4 °C and 6 °C are optimal, respectively, and with increasing absolute humidity, the optimum suction speed increases. Parameters such as airflow velocity, number of collectors, temperature difference with dew point, and moisture absorption levels were influential in the amount of water produced. According to the qualitative study, the obtained water has a desirable quality for use in sensitive applications.