3E analysis of enhancing solar distillation performance through innovative wick convex stepped absorber, PCM, and evacuated tube solar water collector: Experimental investigation

Abstract

Solar distillers have been developed to meet daily potable needs because they are simple to construct and easy to operate, especially in arid areas. Despite all this development, their efficiency and yield represent a challenge. Thus, the present study aims to improve the thermo-economic performance of stepped solar distillers via raising the rates of evaporation. This was achieved by shaping the absorber surface into the shape of a convex stepped absorber and incorporating it with the evacuated tube solar water collector as a first case, where different operating times were tested. After that, wick materials were added above the convex stepped absorber. Finally, in the third case, the reservoir of paraffin wax was added below the absorber as a latent storage medium. In all experiments, the performance indicators of the three cases are compared to those of classical solar distiller. As a result, incorporating all the proposed additives (third case) improved the productivity, thermal, and exergy efficiencies by 186.96 %, 44.52 %, and 171.15 %, respectively. In addition, all proposed additions reduced the cost of potable water per L by 16 %. The findings of this investigation demonstrated the sustainability, suitability, and economic viability of the suggested enhancements in the domain of solar distillation.