Analysis of the performance of V-type solar stills coupled with flat plate collectors and the potential use of artificial intelligence

Abstract

The exponential rise in global population and pollution from industrialization exacerbates water scarcity. Solar desalination offers a carbon-neutral solution to freshwater production. The V-type double-sloped solar desalination system, renowned for its simplicity and compact size, outperforms single-sloped systems. This study compares the performance of a double inward slope desalination still with and without a flat plate collector. Results show a 74% increase in water production with the modified still, achieving 3020 mL/day and 633 mL/hr on clear, sunny days. Energy efficiency also improves by 18% to 0.13 mL/kJ with the addition of the flat plate collector. Conducted in Thalassery, India, the experiment demonstrates potential for home applications. Shadowing on the collector plate can diminish solar energy gain, addressed through mathematical modeling using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) in this study.