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Performance enhancements of conventional solar still using reflective aluminium foil sheet and reflective glass mirrors: energy and exergy analysis

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Abstract

Many researchers are seeking simple and successful solutions to increase the output from the solar distiller. In this research work, reflective mirrors and reflective aluminium foil sheet were fixed on inner surfaces of the single-slope solar distiller, leading to more water production. The presence of reflective mirrors and reflective aluminium foil sheet on inner surfaces of the solar distillate permits the reflection of solar radiation falling inside the basin. Experiments were carried out on three stills: the first distiller is conventional solar still with black painted walls (CSS-BPW); the second distiller is conventional solar still with reflective aluminium foil sheet walls (CSS-RAFW); and the third distiller is conventional solar still with reflective glass mirror walls (CSS-RGMW). The maximum total drinking water productions from the CSS, CSS-RAFW and the CSS-RGMW are 3.41, 5.1 and 5.54 kg/m2, respectively. Compared to the CSS-BPW, the production of drinking water was increased by 68.57% when using the reflective glass mirrors and 48.57% when using the reflective aluminium foil sheet.

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Abbreviations

CrSS:

corrugated solar still

CSS-BPW:

conventional solar still with black painted walls

CSS-RAFW:

conventional solar still with reflective aluminium foil sheet walls

CSS-RGMW:

conventional solar still with reflective glass mirror walls

EHTC:

evaporative heat transfer coefficient

[I(t)]:

solar intensity

Ta :

ambience temperature

Ts.w :

saline water temperature

Tc.c :

collector cover temperature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Avinashi road, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, 641407, India

    Vanitha Selvaraj Chandrika

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of El Oued, 39000, El Oued, Algeria

    Mohammed El Hadi Attia

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 048, India

    Athikesavan Muthu Manokar

  4. Ingenium Research Group, Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real, Spain

    Fausto Pedro Garcia Marquez

  5. Laboratory of Electromechanical Systems, National School of Engineers of Sfax, University of Sfax, BP 1173, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Zied Driss

  6. Department of Mechanical Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Arasur, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

    Ravishankar Sathyamurthy

Authors
  1. Vanitha Selvaraj Chandrika
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  2. Mohammed El Hadi Attia
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  3. Athikesavan Muthu Manokar
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  4. Fausto Pedro Garcia Marquez
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  5. Zied Driss
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  6. Ravishankar Sathyamurthy
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Contributions

Conceptualization, methodology, resources, formal analysis and investigation were carried out by Mohammed El Hadi Attia, Athikesavan Muthu Manokar, Fausto Pedro Garcia Marquez, Zied Driss and Ravishankar Sathyamurthy. Writing–original draft preparation, review and editing, and supervision were carried out by V. S.Chandrika.

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Correspondence to Fausto Pedro Garcia Marquez.

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Appendices

Appendix 1. Error analysis

The variable parameters are measured using thermocouples, pyranometer and graduated beaker. All the errors are recorded in Table 2.

Table 2 Standard uncertainties
Full size table

Appendix 2

  1. 1.

    The EHTC from Ts.w to Tc.c (Manokar et al. 2018b):

    $$ {h}_{e,w-g}=16.273\times {10}^{-3}x{h}_{c,w-g}\left[\frac{P_w-{P}_{cc}}{\mathrm{T}\mathrm{b}.\mathrm{w}-{\mathrm{T}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{c}}}\right] $$
  2. 2.

    Convective heat transfer coefficient from Ts.w to Tc.c (Manokar et al. 2018b):

$$ {h}_{c,w-g}=0.884{\left[\left({T}_w-{T}_g\right)+\frac{\left({T}_w+273.15\right)\left({p}_w-{p}_g\right)}{\left(268900-{p}_w\right)}\right]}^{1/3} $$
  1. 3.

    Partial vapour pressure at the Ts.w (Manokar et al. 2018b):

    $$ {P}_w=\mathit{\exp}\left(25.317-\left(\frac{5144}{273+\mathrm{Tb}.\mathrm{w}}\right)\right) $$
  2. 4.

    Partial vapour pressure at the Tc.c (Manokar et al. 2018b):

    $$ {P}_{gi}=\mathit{\exp}\left(25.317-\left(\frac{5144}{273+{\mathrm{T}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{c}}}\right)\right) $$
  3. 5.

    The energy efficiency of the CSS-BPW, CSS-RAFW and CSS-RGMW (Manokar et al. 2018b):

    $$ {\eta}_{passive}=\frac{\sum {\dot{m}}_{ew}L}{\sum I(t){A}_s\times 3600}\times 100 $$
  4. 6.

    The exergy efficiency of the CSS-BPW, CSS-RAFW and CSS-RGMW (Manokar et al. 2018b):

$$ {\eta}_{overall, exe}=\frac{\sum {Ex}_{\mathrm{output}}}{\sum {Ex}_{\mathrm{input}}} $$
  1. 7.

    The hourly exergy output of the CSS-BPW, CSS-RAFW and CSS-RGMW (Manokar et al. 2018b):

$$ {Ex}_{\mathrm{output}}=\frac{m_{ew}{L}_{fg}}{3600}\times \left[1-\frac{T_a}{T_w}\right] $$
  1. 8.

    The hourly exergy input of the CSS-BPW, CSS-RAFW and CSS-RGMW (Manokar et al. 2018b):

$$ {Ex}_{\mathrm{input}}={A}_w{I}^{\hbox{'}}(t)\times \left[1-\frac{4}{3}\left(\frac{T_a}{T_s}\right)+\frac{1}{3}{\left(\frac{T_a}{T_s}\right)}^4\right] $$

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Chandrika, V.S., Attia, M.E.H., Manokar, A.M. et al. Performance enhancements of conventional solar still using reflective aluminium foil sheet and reflective glass mirrors: energy and exergy analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 32508–32516 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13087-2

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