Enhancing the Performance of Passive Solar Stills by Implementing Different Piping Water

Abstract

In this study, the impacts of incorporating a saltwater pipe in passive solar stills were experimentally examined. The copper pipe serves as a heating source for the brackish water both inside and outside the absorber area, utilizing natural convection and conduction heat transfer in the solar stills to heat the water and enhance the rate of evaporation. Three new configurations of water pipes were tested. The maximum hourly volume of water produced by the solar stills in July 2023 reached approximately 986gr/m2 . The results of the experiment show that the efficiency of freshwater production is highest when using the square pipe design in July. This design demonstrated superior productivity and efficiency compared to others. The presence of water pipes improved the temperature of the salt water within the solar stills' basin. The introduction of water pipes in the basin led to a 41.9% increase in distillate output in CSSWSP, a 41.5% increase in CSSWHP, and a 40.8% increase in CSSWRP compared to the productivity of traditional solar stills.