Numerical investigation on influence of mounting baffles in solar stills

Subhani, Shaik; Kumar, R.

doi:10.1063/1.5127616

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Several inventive methods, such as utilizing different absorber materials (Arunkumar et al, 2018, including thermal energy storage Hasan, 2019, Sakthivel andArjunan, 2019), varying the cover tilt angle (Cherraye et al 2020. Azooz and Younis, 2016, Dev and Tiwari, 2009, adding external condensers (Hassan et al 2020, Al-Hamadani andShukla, 2013), adding features to increase the absorption area El-Sabaii andEl-Naggar, 2017, El-Sabaii et al, 2015), using fins within the enclosure (Subhani andKumar, 2019, El-Sabaii et al, 2000) and using mirrors to increase the incident radiation (Karimi Estahbanati et al, 2016, Tanaka, 2009 have all been examined. Given this extensive body of literature, the area has also been the subject of research reviews describing the different parameters that influence the performance of single slope solar stills (Pachal andPatel, 2017, Sharshir et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent attempt, Subhani and Kumar (2019) numerically investigated the effect of baffles on the performance of a single slope solar still with a fixed cover angle. The study found that in some cases, mounting a baffle supresses natural convection inside the geometry which leads to a deterioration of the fluid flow resulting in a lower heat transfer coefficient.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The use of passive baffles to increase the yield of a single slope solar still

2021

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Despite their relative simplicity, single slope solar stills remain one of the most viable solutions to the production of freshwater from saline and non-potable water sources. Over the years, numerous researchers have attempted to improve the yield of single slope solar stills through changes to their geometry and the use of various design modifications. Despite this long history of research, one modification that has not been fully explored is the use of passive baffles to alter the natural convection inside them.Though baffles have frequently been used to suppress natural convection in enclosures, there may also be the opportunity to use them to enhance natural convection. This judicious placement of baffles to enhance the natural convection could potentially improve the yield from single slope solar stills, however it has not been well explored in the literature.To address this issue, this work examined the effect of vertically mounted passive baffles on the natural convection inside a single slope solar still geometry. In this vein, a computational fluid dynamics simulation was conducted for a still containing a baffle, with the results validated experimentally using particle image velocimetry. On this basis, subsequent simulations explored the effect of baffle length and position on stills with cover angles from 10˚-60˚. The results showed that baffles did have a marked influence on the natural convection flow field and could increase the natural convection heat transfer coefficient, which is directly proportional to a solar still's yield, by up to 20%.It was also found that short baffles enhanced natural convection at low cover angles, while baffles mounted close to the front of a still provided an improvement to the transfer processes over the widest range of conditions. Finally, the work led to the development of a relationship to describe the effect of baffles on natural convection, as shown in Equation 1, that it is hoped will aid designers of single slope solar stills in the future. 𝑁𝑢′ = 𝑅𝑎′ 0.188 * 𝐴𝑅 −0.29 * (cos 𝜃) −0.5 * ( 𝑏 𝐵

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of passive baffles to increase the yield of a single slope solar still

2021

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“…Irfan Ali et al [12] numerically analyzed and modeled solar still in MATLAB and studied the performance of the still by mixing water with granular activated carbon and concluded the enhancement of efficiency. S Subhani et al [13] numerically analyzed the performance of the solar still by incorporating the baffles on the evaporating surface and by varying its position on it, hence concluded that the performance of the still is effectively improved with fewer fluctuations when the baffle is at 1/2nd position from the left wall. Although the enhanced performance of the stepped solar still is studied the rate of heat transfer and the flow structure can be further analyzed along with the comparison by adding furthermore several steps in the basin of the still.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convection heat transfer of stepped basin single slope solar still: A numerical investigation

Varun

Subhani

Kumar

2023

JMES

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Solar-powered desalination is a quick and easy way to make drinking water. Numerous solar distillation systems have been investigated for various parameter modifications based on local resource availability. In this work, a solar still with a modified stepped basin is investigated to raise the rate of internal evaporation and, therefore the output yield of the solar still. Stepped basin solar stills are taken into consideration for the study since they are very effective because the water's surface exposure to radiation is greater. Thus, increasing the rate of internal water evaporation enhances the rate of convective heat transfer between the evaporating and condensing surfaces, leading to improved and consistent output. The two-dimensional stepped basin single slope solar still was investigated and contrasted with the traditional single slope still in terms of heat transfer and fluid dynamics. To optimize the configuration for better performance in various types of climatic and operational circumstances that imitate the scenario of daily life, design elements such as the number of steps and the different heights of the basin are also taken into account. Each step was added with far more success than the one before it, up until the length was reduced to 1.16% of the entire shorter length. This numerical study enables us to draw the conclusion that the rise in natural heat transfer rate with the addition of steps is mostly caused by the increased surface area and the inherently restrictive nature within the domain. Additionally, with an increase in Rayleigh number, Ra, the gradient variations of the traditional single slope solar still overheat transfer features have been greatly regulated and successfully raised for the modified stepped basin Solar still.

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“…Shubhani and Senthil Kumar18 modified the conventional single-slope solar still by mounting a baffle of a given height at three different positions(1/3rd, 1/2nd, and 2/3rd of the length of the base) and observed it in the constant operating temperature difference of 10 C (range: 30-70 C) as well as variable operating temperature difference (range: 5-25 C). An increase in multiple vortices formation and enhancement of convective heat transfer was noted.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Esfe et al21 added a fan with a heat sink in a conventional solar still with a length of 0.438 m, a large height of 0.187 m, and a small height F I G U R E 5 Velocity contours (a) CFD simulation, (b) experiment 18. of 0.075 m. The mounting angle of the glass was taken as 30 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Enhancing performance of solar stills ‐ A review

Sinha,

Venkatesh,

Kumar

2024

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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Solar stills can be an easy and environmentally viable solution in today's world, where a lack of fresh water sources is a major challenge. Solar stills, on the other hand, aren't economically viable due to their poor efficiency. It has been the subject of several studies to improve its efficiency and output. The goal of this review article is to understand and summarize recent studies conducted to improve the efficiency and commercial viability of solar stills. It focuses on using experimental and numerical techniques to manipulate different parameters that affect freshwater production in stills in order to arrive at a suitable condition where the efficiency and productivity of the solar still are maximized. Effects of modifications such as addition of baffles, fans, fins, phase change material (PCM), etc., and its consequent influence on freshwater production rate are presented in this article. Fins, for example, improved the efficiency of solar still by about 40% and productivity by about 16%. PCMs too increased the productivity rate by around 50%–90% depending on the type of PCM used. Baffles were found to be more effective when they were mounted closer to the front wall of the solar still. The findings and conclusions of all the studies are summarized. This review article aims to provide an overview of solar stills and the various modifications that may be done to improve their overall efficiency.

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Numerical investigation on influence of mounting baffles in solar stills

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

The use of passive baffles to increase the yield of a single slope solar still

The use of passive baffles to increase the yield of a single slope solar still

Convection heat transfer of stepped basin single slope solar still: A numerical investigation

Enhancing performance of solar stills ‐ A review

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