Experimental investigation of solar sill by incorporating sensible and latent heat storage materials

Abstract

The main obstacle to human life in the modern age was the lack of access to and improper distribution of potable water on earth. Despite the fact that demand for potable water is skyrocketing due to population growth and industrial exploitation, supply levels are essentially steady. Due to its simplicity in construction, ease of maintenance, techno-economic advantages, and eco-friendliness, solar is still regarded as one of the best possible options to transform brackish water into drinkable water. The main disadvantage of solar still being used as a regular source of fresh water was its lower production. Therefore, the most effective method for producing potable water from brackish water is solar still coupled with steel wool fibre which enhances the surface area of water resulting in higher evaporative rate of heat transfer and phase change material (PCM) as latent heat storage material. In the current experimental study, two similar type of double slope solar still have been attempted to be built. Two solar stills were examined both with and without thermal storage materials. To increase the distillate production of the solar still, the commonly accessible and less expensive energy storage materials Pebbles, Steel wool fibre (SWF) as sensible heat storage materials, and lauric acid as a phase transition material were added to the basin liner. In order to improve the performance of the stills, distillate yield in these solar stills is studied individually, and the study is also advanced by merging thermal storage media with them. In the current study, it was determined and compared the temperature of various solar still components, fresh water production, energy and exergy efficiency, and exergy fractions of the basic still and still with energy storage materials. The data collected through the experimental work in real-time solar conditions are interpreted and calculations are made for obtaining the necessary results. The result reveals that that daily values of 1.325, 1.78, 1.865, and 2.255 kg/m², the daily accumulative yield of the various solar still cases was arranged in descending order as CDSSS, still-1, still-3, and still-2. In comparison to CDSSS, still-1, and still-3, the daily accumulative yield of still-2 was increased by 70.2, 26.68%, and 21%, respectively. The conventional and modified examples' daily average energy efficiencies were given as follows: CDSSS (16.6%), still-1 (20.8%), still-2 (23.81%), and still-3 (21.03%). For CDSSS, still-1, still-2, and still-3, respectively, the daily exergy efficiency obtained by the conventional and modified examples was 3.9%, 5.3%, 8.23%, and 8.95%.