Different parameters affecting the condensation rate on an active solar still—A review

Abstract

Passive solar stills are used for solar distillation. But the yield of passive still is very low, and often fails to meet the demand. Water is one of the fundamental sources for the survival of mankind on the globe. As world having just a little measure of water assets for utilization purpose, individuals living in undeveloped countries and urban zones are getting affected by consuming dirty water that prompts water‐borne illness. Despite the fact that groundwater is accessible in little amount, it must be suitably treated before its utilization for domestic use. Salty water contains dissolved and undissolved substance, and henceforth, it is not advisable for family drinking purpose. To enhance the productivity of fresh water, several techniques were employed. Furthermore, increase in yield of fresh water depends on various environmental parameters and rate of condensation. In this article, a complete review of various methods employed to enhance the condensation rate on an active solar still has been presented. Solar still incorporated with the evacuated tube collectors (ETC) and thermo electric modules (TEM) increased the still effectiveness up to 68%. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: 286–296, 2019

Theoretical Analysis of Continuous Heat Extraction from Absorber of Solar Still for Improving the Productivity

“…After reaching the boiling point of water, the water evaporates and it condenses on the solar still condenser cover. The various techniques employed in solar still, to raise the temperature of water and hence increases the productivity was studied from the detailed literatures reviews of Ravishankar et al [11], Kabeel et al [12] and Manokar et al [13][14][15]. From the detailed literature studies it is clear that water temperature can be improved by either feeding waste warm water or pre heat the water by incorporating the different solar collectors or concentrators.…”

Improving the water production of a solar still by adding an internal condensation chamber: A theoretical study

“…Rabhi confirmed that the use of an external condenser in order to reduce some humid air located in the evaporator, gives a clear growth in water production . The effectiveness can be enhanced by 47% when the external condenser is used . In this context; El‐Bahi added an outside condenser to a single‐basin type solar still with a minimum angle of inclination of 4°.…”

Exploitation of an insulated air chamber as a glazed cover of a conventional solar still

“…Climate change or seasonal changes directly affect productivity, which has been proven by studies and real‐life experiments . Other studies were based on improving the productivity of the single slope by several simple and cheap methods . Several theoretical and experimental studies in the literature show that the geometric shape itself of the distiller also influences efficiency .…”