Abstract
Water is an important resource for human beings, yet there are inhabited places tormented by the scarcity of it. The present study is concerned with places where, seemingly, the best way to get water is through solar distillers. These places should have, typically, high values of solar irradiation and a lack of human and economic resources to build and operate complex equipment. A set of sites scattered around the world was chosen, and then the presumed productivity and thermal efficiency that solar distillers would have if they were installed at these places was calculated. The mathematical model used with this purpose assumes steady state operation; the values of mass of water distilled and distiller efficiency were calculated for every hour, but the results presented are annual averages. Then, an economic study was made based on local costs of construction materials for the distillers, the work force, and the prices of water to predict the payback time of solar distillers. Finally, a study on environmental impact, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, was made to compare reverse osmosis (RO) with solar distillation. For the sites studied, typical values of annual water output are in the range of 414 dm3/m2, for Évora, up to 696 dm3/m2, for Faya Largeau; the minimum efficiency was found for Évora, as 11.5%, and the maximum efficiency was found for Tessalit, as 15.2%. Payback times are very high, regardless of the areas of the globe where solar distillers are implanted. Regarding the GHG emissions, solar distillation is preferable to RO.
Highlights
Needless to say, water is of paramount importance to almost all forms of life
Regarding the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, solar distillation is preferable to reverse osmosis (RO)
Thewere performance andfrom economic analyses such distillers are impossible to costswill of water consumers obtained potable waterofsuppliers: Total cost of ownership (TCO), net present value (NPV) for twenty calculate because (i) there is an enormous array of materials more or less suitable for the construction of years, internal rate of return (IRR), and payback result, respectively, from Equation (12), Equation (14), Equation (16), and distillers, and more or less expensive, and (ii) the unskillfulness of people is disputable
Summary
Water is of paramount importance to almost all forms of life. Some think tanks concerned with geostrategic matters have even predicted that in the near future, wars will be waged because of lack of water. Theepoxy floorresins, of the basin bottom lineralloys, musthard be plastic waterproof, free of toxic components, To increase its absorption of solar heat, the upper side of the floor of the basin is covered by one of temperatures up to 90 °C, have a thermal absorptivity above 0.95 (see Table 1), and a polished surface These materials: black paint (without volatile components that could evaporate with the water), spongy. To increase its absorption of solar heat, the upper side of the floor of the basin is covered by one of these materials: black paint (without volatile components that could evaporate with the water), spongy materials, butyl rubber, black polyethylene, asphalt, jute, etc. The basin is continuously fed by saltwater in a way to keep the amount of water in the basin constant
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