Unveiling the potential of concentric tubular solar stills (CTSS) through comprehensive thermodynamic modeling and analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present research work delves into the thermodynamic modeling and analysis of concentric tubular solar stills (CTSS) using a rigorous mathematical approach. The primary objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the system’s behavior by formulating and analyzing various crucial parameters. These parameters include the basin water temperature, inner and outer glass cover temperatures, heat transfer coefficients, heat loss coefficients, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, hourly yield, and cumulative yield. The study is specifically conducted under the environmental conditions of Nagpur city (21.1458° N, 79.0882° E), India, in the month of May 2022. By selecting this location, the present study ensures that their findings are contextually relevant and applicable to the local conditions. To facilitate the computation of results and generate informative visualizations, MATLAB code has been developed. This code allows for efficient analysis, processing, and presentation of the obtained data, enabling a comprehensive interpretation of the research findings. Results of the study indicate that hourly yield, considering only bottom losses, is 5.071 k g / m 2 and 3.012 k g / m 2 when water and air are used as cooling mediums, respectively. However, when all losses are taken into account, the hourly yield decreases to 4.575 k g / m 2 and 2.555 k g / m 2 for water and air as cooling mediums, respectively. The percentage error when water and air are used as the cooling medium by considering bottom losses is 1.05 and 3.06, while considering all losses, the error is 10.73 and 18.26.