Can moisture be repel or attract using forces?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of using various forces, such as electric fields and centrifuge forces, to attract or repel moisture from air. Participants explore theoretical and practical methods for separating moisture without traditional cooling techniques, focusing on concepts from physics and engineering.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether moisture can be separated from air using force fields, specifically electric fields, without mechanical means like blowing.
  • Another participant references dehumidifiers and atmospheric water generators as related technologies.
  • A participant discusses the Boltzmann distribution and how a centrifuge might affect the partitioning of gas molecules, noting that heavier molecules would move outward, but raises uncertainty about the behavior of condensed water.
  • It is suggested that significant condensation may require very high velocities in centrifuge systems, particularly if humidity levels are not near saturation.
  • One participant mentions the physics behind the attraction and repulsion of water molecules and provides links to relevant Wikipedia articles for further exploration.
  • A participant expresses interest in using electrostatic charge to condense water vapor, inspired by the concept of electrostatic precipitators, and questions its feasibility.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses and approaches regarding the separation of moisture, with no consensus reached on the effectiveness of the proposed methods or the underlying physics.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge limitations in their understanding of the required conditions for effective moisture separation, such as the need for high velocities in centrifuges and the specifics of electrostatic methods.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring innovative methods for moisture control, including researchers in physics, engineering, and environmental science.

kevin_tee
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Can moisture be repel or attract using some kind of force field such as electric field without actually blowing it, is it possible to separate air and moisture? Does centrifuge force strong enough to separate it? Or is it any other ways to separate moisture form air? Thanks a lot.
 
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In equilibrium, gas molecules will partition themselves in a column of air in accordance with a Boltzmann distribution. A centrifuge creates an artificial gravity, so heavier molecules will be moved to the outside. In air, you have mostly N2 (28), O2 (32), H2O (18). The atomic masses are in parentheses. So H2O would be sucked to the inside. But then something weird happens. If it condenses on the inside, the liquid water is very dense and will get thrown to the outside, where it could evaporate again. Maybe if you collect it at the outside, it would work. I have no idea.
 
I think significant condensation would require really powerful centrifuges unless the humidity is very close to 100%. Something like a few hundred meters/second velocity at the outer edge of the centrifuge chambers.
 
Thanks for answering, most common way to condense water is to cool it, but I don't want to use this method, I am thinking of using electrostatic charge to condense water. Is that possible? I got an idea from electrostatic precipitator, will that work for water vapor? Thank?
 

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