The CFD investigation of optimized design of a solar still coupled with a condenser chamber

Abstract

This study focuses on optimizing the condenser chamber design in solar stills to enhance freshwater production. A two‐dimensional numerical model simulates a solar still with a condenser, considering humid air as an ideal gas. The model analyzes the impact of three key geometric parameters: condenser depth, height, and surface area, on both freshwater yield and flow patterns. Given space constraints in carrying out the projects, condenser depth was limited to the device's shadow to ensure a consistently cold condenser surface. The model demonstrates good agreement with experimental data for single‐slope solar stills, achieving a maximum error of 1%. This accuracy surpasses previously reported models. Building upon prior research suggesting that condenser chambers can increase freshwater yield by up to 43% compared to conventional designs, this study utilizes CFD simulations to validate this finding. This simulation predict a 44% improvement with a 2% error, further supporting the benefits of condenser chambers. The results shows that the optimal values of parameters are interdependent, meaning that the optimal value of one parameter is contingent upon the values of other parameters. The simulations predicted a maximum total freshwater yield of 1.12 kg/m2 h with 0.85 kg/m2 h condensing directly on the glass cover at  = 0.63 while equals to H1 and is considered constant. Additionally, the proposed design considerations, which prioritize a larger vertical distance and depth of the condenser from the water surface, promote vapor capture within the system while maintaining cost‐effective construction.