Preparation and performance study of scalable high-efficiency solar steam generated system

Abstract

Solar-driven evaporation is gaining more and more attention due to its widespread use, including desalination, power generation and solar fuel production. Among them, desalination is the most needed because water is the source of life. In this work, we have developed a new efficient and low-cost solar desalination system consisting of non-woven fabrics, carbon powder and polystyrene foam. We designed the experiments under a solar irradiation of 1000 W m−2, an ambient temperature of 25 °C and a humidity of 0.4, controlled in a laboratory performance. In this system, the solar steam conversion efficiency is greatly improved due to the fibrous structure and high absorbance of the carbonized non-woven fabric. The practical application of the system was also tested. The experimental results show that the solar steam conversion efficiency of the new system can reach 85.3% under the solar radiation intensity of 1000 W m−2. The corresponding evaporation rate is 1.23 kg (m2 h)−1. In addition, the effects of wind speed, solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and material absorptivity on evaporation efficiency are simulated. The thermal environment parameters for enhancing evaporation efficiency are given. The performance of the solar interface evaporation system is compared in terms of the first law of thermodynamics and external energy. Finally, the economics and the analysis of the device are performed, the cost of interface evaporation material is $1.05 m−2. Due to the low cost of raw materials, simple material preparation and high evaporation efficiency, the system provides the possibility for the large-scale expansion and application of solar interface evaporation.