Performance analysis of a solar still using an absorber plate with inclined perforated rectangular fins: Comprehensive study

Abstract

Solar desalination are one of the most promising ways to solve the problem of water shortage in the regions that are adjacent to the sea or saltwater bodies that have abundant solar radiation and lack of drinking water. The present research aimed to investigate an experimental and theoretical study to improve the thermal performance of conventional double-slope solar stills by using inclined perforated rectangular fins combined with the distilled basin. Two solar stills are manufactured, the first one is a conventional still, and the other is a finned still. Both stills have a (0.75 m²) cross-section area which is the same area of the distillation basin. Stills were examined during February, March, April, and May under the climatic conditions of Baghdad city in Iraq. The theoretical model relied on solving equilibrium equations of heat and mass with the help of the MATLAB program. The results showed that combining the inclined fins with the distillation basin improves productivity by (33.2%) compared to the conventional solar still. The average productivity of water between February and May is about (3.02-3.6 l/day) and (4.13-4.72 l/day) for the conventional and finned solar still, respectively. The theoretical model was validated using experimental results. The theoretical model predicted well the performance and behavior of the solar still with some deviations from the practical results.