Collecting mist with a fibrous net
Résumé
Capturing droplets from a stream with a fibrous material is a well-known and well-used process, from coalescence filters
to fog harvesting. Here, we report experimental measurements of collection efficiency using a simple net arrangement consisting in
an array of vertical fibres. Accounting for the growth of drops on fibres in a simple inertial impaction model allows predictive and
quantitative comparisons with experiments, and we propose a simple structural change based on an elastocapillary effect in order to
suppress drop growth and improve the collection efficiency. We then report drag force measurements on a fibrous net, and look for an
optimal design of wind-resistant collecting nets.