Stupid Singaporean wants evaporation of reservoir water stopped!???!!

Discussion in 'Environment & Conservation' started by Bic_Cherry, Mar 9, 2017.

  1. Bic_Cherry

    Bic_Cherry Active Member

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    Stupid Singaporean wants evaporation of reservoir water stopped!???!!

    Prevent loss of reservoir water through evaporation
    PUBLISHED: MAR 9, 2017, 5:00 AM SGT
    Given Singapore's hot weather, much of our reservoirs' water would be lost through evaporation.
    If 50 per cent of the exposed surface areas can be covered with an impermeable floating material, the overall evaporation would be reduced by 50 per cent.
    This would quite significantly cut the amount of water lost through the natural process of evaporation.
    Surely, it cannot be that nobody has thought of this easy way of conserving the water in our reservoirs.
    Mak Ngow Chai
    http://www.straitstimes.com/forum/l...t-loss-of-reservoir-water-through-evaporation
    =============
    I think that Mr Mak should do some simple maths to find out the latent heat of evaporation of water and find that it is 2.26x10^6J/kg http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/physics/energy_matters/heat_in_the_home/revision/3/ which in kWh terms is 0.627778 Kilowatt Hours (kWh) https://www.flightpedia.org/convert/2260000-joules-to-kilowatt-hours.html (but actual result is more cos reservoir water isn't at 100degC which the latent heat figure assumes).

    Thus without the immense cooling effect from evaporation of water from the reservoir, people will feel hotter, drink more water, bathe more often and use the aircon much more or drive down to an air con shopping centre and as I understand, half a commercial building water supply is consumed by the air-con cooling towers (fine jet spray water to cool down the heat emitting compressor coils) and approx 90% of building electricity costs is on electricity to run the air con compressor motor etc and I believe that all the gas turbine power stations in Singapore consume plenty of water as well... Every air-conditioning produces waste heat which induces surrounding neighbours to switch on their air-cons as well and then we wonder why the utility bills are all so sky high...

    I don't know which school Mr Mak Ngow Chai attended or how many long in tooth 1998 national day awards http://www.pmo.gov.sg/national-day-awards/recipients?keywords=&page=3980&f[0]=field_award:155 he got but I think he should read up much more than just sprout silly suggestions like this (that just makes us all more hot and sweaty). And it also reflects very poorly on the state media of Singapore or on the PAP for that matter since I believe that the PAP has indeed been conducting such stupid experiments at Bedok reservoir for years. Just goes to show how penny wise and pound foolish all our PAP mandarins are. And if Mr Mak were really a long service employee of the MOH, it just goes to show how stupid his parent ministry must be.

    * I unreservedly apologise if the smart alec letter writer is not the same Mr Mak who won the MOH 1998 long service national day award.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2017
  2. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    In reservoirs elsewhere, hollow plastic orbs, about the size of soft-balls, are realesed to cover the entire surface plane to shield the water from the sun, and reduce evaporation.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2017
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  3. Bic_Cherry

    Bic_Cherry Active Member

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    Problem I guess is that Singapore is located in the hot tropics where the temp hovers between 27-34degC, and even hotter in built up areas where glass windows reflect heat from the sun to the ground. By discounting the cooling effect on livability from reservoir water evaporation and instead focusing on reducing water evaporation, Singapore is merely inducing more people to be dependent on energy guzzling air-conditioners and needlessly adding to the global warming problem (which accelerates water evaporation) which is just penny wise and pound foolish if only one can get the big picture right.
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2017
  4. Sallyally

    Sallyally Well-Known Member Donor

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    Is the atmosphere Singapore very humid?
     
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  5. Margot2

    Margot2 Banned

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    34 C is 93 degrees F so that is some warm water. .. so yes I think Singapore would be very humid.
     
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  6. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    Without getting into AGW, the technique is used in Saudi Arabia effectively, on desert plains.
     
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  7. Margot2

    Margot2 Banned

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    Yep.. KSA has over 300 recharge dams.

    And it isn't "cooler" when its 100 degrees F and the humidity is 70%. :ashamed: Its oppressive.
     
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  8. Sallyally

    Sallyally Well-Known Member Donor

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    I just wondered about the rate of evaporation in a humid climate where there is already a lot of moisture in the air.
     
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  9. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    Stands to reason it's hard to introduce moisture into an already saturated air mass.
     
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  10. mamooth

    mamooth Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Does Singapore have a fresh water shortage? That's the only question that really matters.

    If yes, then all the talk about thermo is pointless. Water in the reservoir needs to be conserved, because people need fresh water to live. If you're dying of thirst in the desert, you don't sponge your brow with your last remaining water in order to cool off.
     
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  11. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    It's insanely humid. It's right on the equator, after all. The climate is appalling.
     
  12. Bic_Cherry

    Bic_Cherry Active Member

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    Possibly a chicken and egg argument... Shortage of water is relative I guess since the average daily per capita portable water usage was 148litres/day last year http://m.todayonline.com/singapore/water-pricing-based-household-size-better-system-expert so the issue of feeling thirsty is moot by many folds I guess.

    Thus the issue is thermo (I.e. Heating of the environment due to prevention of evaporation).

    As I have previously mentioned, besides the inability of the poor to afford private air-condition environments, the usage of airconditioners adds tremendously to greenhouse gas pollution and further global warming.

    If only the bureaucracy and politicians did not have such tunnel vision...
     
  13. Bic_Cherry

    Bic_Cherry Active Member

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    Humidity I think can be gotten used to... Actually, with lower temperatures (24degC) in evenings and forested areas/ after rain where air is fresh with slight breeze, the environment can be quite pleasant actually.

    If u are in CBD with packed, tall, shiny buildings reflecting sunlight, added heat from air con compressors releasing humid, heated air, 36degC, then u will easily part with $$$ to enter an air conditioned bar/ restaurant.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2017
  14. Sallyally

    Sallyally Well-Known Member Donor

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    I find the humidity harder to deal with than the temperature.
     
  15. tkolter

    tkolter Well-Known Member

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    Well its not stupid since the city is effectively the nation and that nation is on an island having water reserves is important so every drop matters.
     
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  16. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    How long does it take to get used to high humidity? I have lived in Alabama for years and the humidity is terrible. Every time I go outside this time of year I sweat bullets and my shirt is pasted to my body. After a rain we get a mist that hovers near the ground making it difficult to breathe. And it ain't hot yet. As far as cooling the water...pump it underground.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2017
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  17. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

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    I saw a program once about ancient technology. The water was stored in a pit somewhat like a pyramid with a small opening at the top. This reduced evaporation.
     
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  18. Bic_Cherry

    Bic_Cherry Active Member

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    BTW, as I understand from speaking to an engineer with insight into building msnangement, possibly 50% or more of a large commercial building in Singapore's portable water consumption is typically EVAPORATED AWAY by air conditioning cooling towers.... Yes, that is how much in terms of RESOURCES it takes just to cook a building in the city in Singapore.

    Whilst I do not have the exact figures wrt the change in ambient temperature WITH VS WITHOUT reservoir water evaporation impermeable membrane shielding, secondary school maths informs that the latent heat of evaporation of water is 2.26x10^6J/kg http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/physics/energy_matters/heat_in_the_home/revision/3/ which in kWh terms is 0.627778 Kilowatt Hours /litre water (kWh/L)https://www.flightpedia.org/convert/2260000-joules-to-kilowatt-hours.html (but actual result is more cos reservoir water isn't at 100degC which the latent heat figure assumes).

    My point is that given the prevalent use of air conditioners, it might also be that REGARDLESS of any application of evaporation impermeable membrane shielding, the EXACT SAME amount if not even MORE water would be consumed just to keep the living conditions tolerable.

    Thus the question if local bureaucrats are prideful/stypid (infected by the emperor's new clothes phenomenon) and are therefore pandering SNAKE OIL solutions to an ignorant audience.
    ===========
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluralistic_ignorance
    Pluralistic ignorance
    In social psychology, pluralistic ignorance is a situation in which a majority of group members privately reject a norm, but incorrectly assume that most others accept it, and therefore go along with it.[1] This is also described as "no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes". In short, pluralistic ignorance is a bias about a social group, held by that social group.[2][3]

    Pluralistic ignorance may help to explain the bystander effect.[4] If no-one acts, onlookers may believe others believe action is incorrect, and may therefore themselves refrain from acting.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2017
  19. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Harvesting energy from evaporation...
    [​IMG]
    Energy harvested from evaporation could power much of US, says study
    September 26, 2017 - In the first evaluation of evaporation as a renewable energy source, researchers at Columbia University find that U.S. lakes and reservoirs could generate 325 gigawatts of power, nearly 70 percent of what the United States currently produces.
    See also:

    Getting a charge from changes in humidity
    January 27, 2014 — A new type of electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness the untapped power of evaporating water, according to research conducted at the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. Its developers foresee electrical generators driven by changes in humidity from sun-warmed ponds and harbors.
     

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