article · Results in Engineering
Solar stills provide a method for purifying saline water, but conventional systems typically produce limited volumes of potable water. A modified tubular solar still design addresses this issue by introducing a secondary basin liner raised 2.5 centimetres above the original base, combined with jute wick material and thirty-two suspended wicking cords. These cords continuously draw up saline water to maintain a consistently damp evaporation surface without causing hot water overflow or wasting thermal energy. In addition, the glass cover is inclined to improve the collection of condensed freshwater droplets. Testing across angles of two, four, and six degrees demonstrated substantial performance gains over a conventional solar still. At an inclination of six degrees, the modified design achieved a thermal efficiency of 67 percent and generated 257 percent more freshwater.
Freshwater scarcity is an expanding global challenge driven by population growth and industrial activity. Although solar distillation offers an accessible way to generate drinking water from saline sources, standard stills suffer from low yields. Proving that inexpensive wicking cords and simple liner adjustments can more than triple freshwater output makes decentralised solar water purification substantially more practical for water-stressed communities.
This applied and tested modification could enable manufacturers of decentralised solar desalination equipment to build higher-yielding units using low-cost materials like jute. The prototype has been validated experimentally against conventional tubular stills. Further development toward real-world deployment would require scale-up studies, field durability tests on the wick cords under continuous saline exposure, and standardisation for commercial manufacturing aimed at remote or off-grid water users.
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Freshwater scarcity is a growing concern due to population expansion and industrial development. Solar stills offer a solution for generating potable water, although production volumes are limited. This research aims to address this challenge by improving the yield, thermal efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of freshwater production in tubular solar stills (TSS). We propose a novel approach that incorporates wick materials within the TSS design. This method involves creating a specific number of cuts (cracks) in a secondary basin liner positioned 2.5 cm above the original liner within the still. The upper liner is extended with wick, and wicking cords are suspended from edges and openings of this liner. These cords continuously remove saltwater, ensuring a consistently moist wick surface. The design of the wick cords optimizes water utilization and minimizes energy waste. The cords extract precisely the amount of saline water needed for evaporation, eliminating the loss or overflow of hot water. This approach maximizes wick efficiency without sacrificing freshwater production. The study investigates the performance of the TSS using 32 wick cords in conjunction with jute wick material. This modification to the conventional TSS offers a simple and cost-effective method to enhance productivity. Additionally, the glass cover of the still is tilted at an angle to facilitate the collection of distilled water droplets. ICWTSS was used as a code name for the modified TSS. After that, three distinct inclination angles (2°, 4°, and 6°) were examined, and the effectiveness of ICWTSS at each angle was contrasted with that of CSS. With a 6° angle of inclination, the ICWTSS showed a 67 % thermal efficiency and a 257 % increase in production over CSS. • Performance of modified tubular solar still was investigated. • Effect of tubular solar still with flat basin, cords wick basin was tested. • Secondary basin liner positioned 2.5 cm above the original liner within TSS was proposed. • Highest yield was obtained for TSS with 6° inclination angle, the increase in production was 257 %.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2024.102406
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