Investigation on evacuated tubes coupled solar still with condenser and fins: Experimental, exergo-economic and exergo-environment analysis

Abstract

The present experimental work was done to check the performance enhancement in distillate productivity between CSS and MSS in climatic conditions of Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India (23.21° N, 72.63° E). In modified solar still (MSS) fins, evacuated tubes and newly designed zig-zag shape air-cooled condenser were attached. An MSS was prepared to achieve the higher temperature in water inside the basin and maintain a lower temperature of glass cover than CSS. The highest obtained water temperature and temperature of inner glass cover for CSS and MSS were 63.75 °C & 69.21 °C and 54.37 °C & 54.93 °C separately. Modified solar still gives around 6 °C higher water temperature by maintaining the same inner glass cover temperature as CSS. The maximum distillate output for CSS and MSS was 2.26 kg/m2 and 3.92 kg/m2, respectively. It gives 73.45% of higher productivity than CSS. In a thermal analysis of a system, higher fractional exergy evaporation could be achieved for MSS. Also, in the still with different modifications, higher thermal efficiency was obtained. In cost analysis, the water achieved for CSS and MSS were 0.013 and 0.015 USD/L, respectively. Exergo-economic and exergo-environmental analysis for MSS shows that the modified system was highly beneficial from economic point of view and generation of less carbon value by CO2 mitigation.