Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Solar Still with Integrated Built-in Condenser

Abstract

Water scarcity is one of the most important problems in Middle East and North Africa. Many researchers believe that solar distillation is the best solution to solve water scarcity, especially since these areas are characterized by abundant solar energy most days of the year. One of the main disadvantages of solar distillates is the low rate of production and therefore the research focuses on the factors that many enhance and improve the rates of production of the solar stills. In this paper, the performance of a passive built in condenser incorporated into a solar still is studied theoretically and experimentally using. A theoretical framework is developed to forecast the productivity performance (accumulated and hourly), the temperatures of the various elements of the stills. The theoretical and experimental results were compared together and discussed thoroughly. Both theoretical and experimental results were in good agreement. The behaviors of both agree well with each other and have similar trends.

Solar Still with an Integrated Conical Condenser

“…The solar still with the integrated DSS-2 condenser reached the highest efficiency, 47.3%; this still's average efficiency over three days was 46.5%. DSS-2 also has high efficiency compared to previously reported stills with integrated or separate condensers [12,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]. This high efficiency cannot be separated from the shape of the condenser, which narrows towards the exit.…”