Performance and exergy analysis of solar-operated vacuum fan and external condenser integrated double-slope solar still using various nanofluids.

Abstract

Productivity, distillate exergy, and energy efficiency of the conventional passive single-basin double-slope solar still is minimum, due to low evaporation and condensation rate. This research article attempts to increase the production rate, distillate exergy, and energy efficiency of the single-basin glasswool-insulated double-slope solar still by attaching novel solar-operated vacuum fan, external condenser and adding 0.1% volume concentration of copper oxide, aluminium oxide, and zinc oxide nanofluid. Inclusion of vacuum fan and external condenser enhances the production rate in the modified solar still. It is evident that as the vacuum fan exhales the vapour in the basin, the temperature of water in the basin and transparent glass are reduced significantly and so the vaporization amount increases considerably. It makes that a large amount of vapour is extracted by the vacuum fan and allowed to pass though the condenser, and therefore, the entire condensate of the solar still is increased significantly. To attain a comparative study, conventional and modified double-slope solar still of identical dimensions were developed utilizing aluminium and an experimental investigation carried out during the peak of summer. The inclusion of solar-operated vacuum fan and external condenser in the modified glasswool insulated double-slope solar still enhances the maximum energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, and cumulative production by 28.37%, 78.60%, and 64.29% due to enhancement in the evaporation rate of liquid in the solar still basin. Also, the addition of 0.1% volume concentration of copper oxide, aluminium oxide, and zinc oxide nanofluid in the conventional double-slope solar still possess the maximum increase in the energy efficiency and exergy efficiency by 20.96%, 18.01%, 10.76% and 52.53%, 38.52%, 30.35% as compared to conventional solar still without nanofluid. It is primarily due to increase in the thermal conductivity and radiative property of nanofluid. The result also signifies that the addition of 0.1% volume concentration of copper oxide, aluminium oxide, and zinc oxide nanofluid in the modified double-slope solar still possess the maximum enhancement in the energy efficiency and exergy efficiency by 21.33%, 19.36%, 17.03% and 50.11%, 36.82%, 23.75% as compared to modified solar still without nanofluid. Combined effect of using solar-operated vacuum fan, water cooled condenser, and 0.1% volume concentration of copper oxide, aluminium oxide, and zinc oxide nanofluid in the double-slope solar still enhances the maximum production rate and cumulative production by 59.26%, 55.56%, 51.85% and 96.43%, 82.14%, 75% as compared to conventional double-slope solar still. Among the three different nanofluids, the copper oxide nanofluid produced the highest cumulative production, energy efficiency, and exergy efficiency.