Enhancement and evaluation of solar still performance using internal reflectors and woven wire mesh: An experimental approach

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 277; p. 112740
• Main Authors: Abdelgaleel, Mohamed, Alswat, Mohammed, Mosalam, Heba, Elnaby Kabeel, Abd, Ramzy, Khaled
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15-07-2024
• Subjects: Basin solar still; Desalination; Reflectors; Thermal efficiency; Wire mesh; Basin solar still; Reflectors; Wire mesh; Thermal efficiency; Performance; Desalination
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2024.112740

•The still performance was enhanced by using reflectors and woven wire mesh.•Many factors were tested such as water depth, water salinity and using wire mesh.•The percentage increase in daily thermal efficiency for the MSS raised to 45.04%.•The percentage increase in water productivity raised to 46.8 % at 1 cm water depth.•The cost per liter for the MSS decreased by 37.5% compared with the CSS.
In recent years, the urgency for harnessing solar energy for water desalination has grown significantly, driven by the escalating costs and the increasing scarcity of clean water sources. Numerous research efforts were dedicated to enhance the productivity of solar still, including the thermal energy storage materials, solar concentrators, nanofluid, and more. The main objective of this research is to improve the solar still performance by using wastes of workshops and factories so, their actual cost can be assumed to be zero. The experimental setup placed at faculty of Engineering Suez Canal University. Two solar still were included: one representing the conventional and the second one is modified with internal reflectors and woven wire mesh. The performance of the stills was assessed under identical climate conditions, considering water depths of 1, 2, 3 and 4 cm using both fresh and saline water with Total dissolved Solids of 18,562 and 35643 ppm. The obtained results indicated that the incorporation of internal reflectors and woven wire mesh led to a notable percentage increase in daily thermal efficiency and accumulative productivity ranged from 42.49 % to 45.04 % and from 43.0 % to 46.8 % respectively. The economic analysis demonstrated that the cost per liter for conventional and modified solar still was about 0.0018 and 0.0011$ per liter per m2 respectively. This study’s findings suggested that the integration of internal reflectors and woven wire mesh into solar stills to obtain high productivity potable water with low cost. These results align with and reinforce previous publications in this field, highlighting the potential of this approach for addressing the pressing challenges of affordable and efficient water desalination.