3D printed curved shape solar evaporator in producing distillate

Abstract

Water scarcity is a major concerning issue in the world at present. Of the total available percentage of water, only 3% is pure and the rest 97% is salt water. To overcome the water scarcity problem, a method called solar desalination is implemented in the present work. Solar energy is used to produce pure water by desalinating salt water. In this work, the FDM 3D printing technique is used to develop a 3D printed sine grooved solar evaporator (3DP SGSE) and rectangle grooved solar evaporator (3DP RGSE). The water evaporation is compared between 3DP SGSE, 3DP RGSE, and conventional solar evaporator (CSE). This 3DP SGSE & 3DP RGSE is used for experimentation to achieve the main objective of the work to enhance water absorption and evaporation. This 3DP SGSE & 3DP RGSE is converted into a thermal absorber using black adhesive fabric. Experimentation is performed for different depths of brackish water for 100,150 and 200 ml. The highest water evaporation is observed in 3DP SGSE which has an evaporated water.of 17.5 % for 200 ml, 20 % for 150 ml, and 30 % for 100 ml followed by 3DP RGSE which has evaporated water of 15 % for 200 ml, 16.67 % for 150 ml, and 25 % for 100 ml. The least water evaporation is observed in CSE which has evaporated water of 15 % for 200 ml, 10 % for 150 ml, and 10 % for 100 ml. The 3DP SGSE & 3DP RGSE using the advanced 3D printing fabrication technique offers a new approach for evaporation and enhance water absorption to develop pure water for drinking purpose.