Performance enhancement of single slope solar still using nanofluids at different water depth

Abstract

In this research, a comparison was made between the performance of single basin single slope solar still with and without the use of nanofluids. The study involved an examination of nanofluids, specifically zinc oxide (ZnO), silicon oxide (SiO2), and a combination of Zinc oxide and Silicon oxide, to assess their thermal and physical properties at various water depths. Suitable nanofluids were selected for performance testing in a solar still located in the city of Bhopal, India (latitude 23.2599°N and longitude 77.4126°E). The experimental data collected over three sunny days, and the performance of the solar still using nanofluids was compared with that of the solar still without nanofluids. At 2:00 pm, the solar still using ZnO nanofluids achieved a maximum temperature of 69.8 °C, whereas the basin temperature for the solar still without nanofluids reached 63.8 °C. Furthermore, the solar still without nanofluids exhibited a maximum efficiency of 20.14%, while the solar still using SiO2, the blend of SiO2 +ZnO, and ZnO nanofluids achieved maximum efficiencies of 22.53%, 25.24% and 29.50% respectively. When operated with 0.5 cm water depth and a 1 gm concentration of nanofluids. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that solar still employing nanofluids exhibit significantly enhanced thermal conductivity and efficiency compared to those with and without nanofluids. These nanofluids based solar still offers a cost-effective solution for addressing water scarcity issues particularly in rural areas and coastal regions.