Initial Idea
Our initial brainstorming resulted in a prototype that would look somewhat like the container above, whereby there was a “dry” chamber and a “wet” one, which were separated from each other by a partition. In the diagram, the dry chamber was to be the larger one on the left, while the wet one was the smaller one on the right. In the middle of that partition would be the bread and butter of our dehumidifying mechanism, which was a (or more than one) thermoelectric cooler (TEC) unit, along with a desiccant-coated heat sink on each surface of the TEC. The body would then be rotated with the aid of a crank, while electricity would be supplied to the TEC via two contact points on the top and bottom of the TEC, coloured in orange. We fancied the idea of carbon brushes for the contact points, allowing for easier management of the wiring.
The key idea was that the “cold” surface of the TEC would initially face the “dry” chamber. As the heat sink on the cold surface cooled down, the desiccants adhered to it would similarly cool down as well. This would cause the cold desiccants to absorb moisture from the air and dehumidify the dry chamber. After a sufficient period of time, the entire TEC unit would then be rotated 180 degrees, with the previously cold side now being the hot side. The now-heated desiccants would then release their moisture into the ambient air, while on the other side, the dry desiccants would cool down and be able to absorb even more moisture from the dry chamber. This repeating cycle of heating and cooling the desiccants on both sides of the TEC would result in continuous dehydration of the air in the dry chamber, without the accumulation of a liquid reservoir that would require frequent changing.
Final Prototype
Prototype images/videos with descriptions.