Methods and systems for naturally-powered rainwater mist cooling

Abstract

Systems and methods provide a mist cooling system that utilizes rain water as a source of mist, and that relies on a solar-powered or naturally-powered water pump to provide the rainwater to the mist generating device. The rainwater may be stored in a storage facility located on an elevated portion of a structure, such as the roof or other location, and may be provided to the mist generating device via the solar-powered pump. Such mist cooling may reduce energy consumption in applications such as the cooling of data centers, surgery rooms, archives or other temperature sensitive facilities that consume large amounts of energy for cooling.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for mist cooling a heated device, comprising:
 one or more natural energy generation devices;   one or more devices configured to store the energy generated by the one or more natural energy generation devices;   a water pump coupled to the one or more energy storage devices and in communication with a rainwater storage device; and   a mist generating device in communication with the water pump and configured to generate mist from rainwater provided from the rainwater storage device via operation of the water pump.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more energy generation devices are selected form a group consisting of a solar energy generation device and a wind energy generation device. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the solar energy generation device comprises a solar panel. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heated device is a heat exchange device. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mist generating device comprises a plurality of mist nozzles configured to generate mist from the rainwater provided from the rainwater storage device via operation of the pump and to project the generated mist onto the heated device. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the rainwater storage device is located on an elevated portion of a facility. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more natural energy generation devices generate an average power output of up to about 180 Watts. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the one or more natural energy generation devices generate an average power output of about 110 Watts to about 130 Watts. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heated device is configured to be protected from damage by the rainwater. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the water pump generates at least one selected from a group consisting of a power of about 12 Volts, a flow rate of up to about 200 gallons per hour and a pressure of up to about 60 psi. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heated device is cooled by up to about 20° F. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein energy consumed by the heated device is reduced by up to about 20%. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the mist nozzles are placed at a location selected from a group consisting of about 12 inches apart along a length of the mist generating device, and a distance of about 16 inches from the heated device. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the heat exchange device is an air-conditioning unit. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mist generating device is positioned in a manner selected from a group consisting of being parallel to the heated device and being at an angle relative to the heated device. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the mist generating device is inclined at an angle selected from a group consisting of 30°, 45° and 75° relative to the heated device. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mist generating device comprises a cylinder of about 0.5 inches in diameter. 
     
     
         18 . A method of mist cooling a heated device, comprising:
 providing one or more natural energy generation devices;   storing rainwater in a storage facility;   storing energy generated by the one or more natural energy generation devices in one or more storage devices;   powering a water pump with the energy stored by the one or more storage devices;   providing the stored rainwater to a mist generating device via the water pump;   generating mist at the mist generating device; and   providing the mist generated by the mist generating device onto one or more portions of the heated device to cool the heated device.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more energy generation devices comprise at least one of a solar energy generation device and a wind energy generation device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein generating the mist comprises projecting the mist through a plurality of mist nozzles. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein providing the stored rainwater to the mist generating device is facilitated by a principle of communicating vessels when the storage facility is located at an elevated position with respect to the mist generating device. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more natural energy generation devices generate an average power output of up to about 180 Watts. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the water pump generates at least one selected from a group consisting of a power of about 12 Volts, a flow rate of up to about 200 gallons per hour and a pressure of up to about 60 psi. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the heated device is cooled by up to about 20° F. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein energy consumed by the heated device is reduced by up to about 20%. 
     
     
         26 . A system for mist cooling a heated device, comprising:
 means for providing one or more natural energy generation devices;   means for storing rainwater in a storage facility;   means for storing energy generated by the one or more natural energy generation devices in one or more energy storage devices;   means for powering a water pump with the energy stored by the one or more energy storage devices;   means for providing the stored rainwater to a mist generating device via the water pump;   means for generating mist at the mist generating device; and   means for providing the mist generated by the mist generating device onto one or more portions of the heated device to cool the heated device.   
     
     
         27 . A system for mist cooling a heated device, comprising:
 a processor;   a user interface functioning via the processor; and   a repository accessible by the processor; wherein   one or more natural energy generation devices are provided;   rainwater is stored in a storage facility;   energy generated by the one or more natural energy generation devices is stored in one or more energy storage devices;   a water pump is powered with the energy stored by the one or more energy storage devices;   the stored rainwater is provided to a mist generating device via the water pump;   mist is generated at the mist generating device; and   the mist generated by the mist generating device is provided onto one or more portions of the heated device to cool the heated device.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the processor is housed on a terminal selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a minicomputer, a main frame computer, a microcomputer, a hand held device, and a telephonic device. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the processor is housed on a server selected from a group consisting of a personal computer, a minicomputer, a microcomputer, and a main frame computer. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the server is coupled to a network via a coupling selected from a group consisting of a wired connection, a wireless connection, and a fiberoptic connection. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the energy storage devices comprise one or more batteries.