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Use of a monomolecular film to retard evaporation from water surfaces

University of British Columbia

With the increasing demands on water for agricultural, domestic and industrial purposes, water conservation has become an essential feature of our economy in Western Canada. Water conservation has been under study for many years, and research workers have been experimenting with various conservation methods. Lately, the use of monomolecular films has shown great promise in providing an economical means for retarding the rate of evaporation from water surfaces. This study was undertaken to test the effectiveness of cetyl alcohol films in retarding the rate of evaporation from free water surfaces. Four circular tanks were installed at the Summer-land Experimental Station and the rate of evaporation was recorded daily for each one of these tanks. The study was carried out during the summer of 1958. Varying quantities of cetyl alcohol were added to the water surface and their effect on the rate of evaporation was recorded. Besides recording the rate of evaporation, other meteorological information was also collected and used in evaluating and in interpreting the experimental results. It became evident from the experimental results that a twenty to thirty per cent retardation in the rate of evaporation can be achieved with the use of cetyl alcohol films.

Text

2012-01-17

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/40105

Chemical and Biological Engineering

University of British Columbia

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