Abstract
This study addresses the pressing need for eco-friendly potable water production, exploring the promising avenue of solar distillation. To overcome limitations in traditional systems, the author introduces the modified spherical solar still (MSSS), featuring a rotating ball within the design. A comprehensive experimental investigation compared MSSS performance with reference spherical distiller (CSSS) across energetic, exergetic, economic, and environmental (4E) dimensions. Key factors explored included: rotation speeds (0.2–1.2 rpm), wick material on the rotating ball, and thermal storage material (PCM) beneath the ball (desert sand, copper grits, or their mixture). The optimal MSSS configuration was identified: Rotation speed: 0.8 rpm (40 % yield increase), wick material: 57 % distillate enhancement at 0.8 rpm, and combined, these conditions yielded a remarkable 103 % distillate improvement compared to CSSS (7160 vs. 3525 mL/m2.day) and an efficiency of 59.5 %. Exergy efficiency also surpassed CSSS: 4.2 % for MSSS with PCM vs. 3.1 % for CSSS. Notably, the cost per liter of distilled water dropped significantly: $0.024 for MSSS with PCM compared to $0.066 for CSSS. Environmentally, MSSS with PCM saved 27.7 tons of CO2 annually. Lastly, the enviroeconomic parameter (Z′) rose from 335 for CSSS to 365 for MSSS with PCM.
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