Solar Pond Research Articles

A comparative economic analysis of conventional and modified Solvay processes vs. solar ponds for brine management

Experimental Evaluation of Temperature Variation in Solar Desalination Pond and its Effect on Evaporation Rate

Experimental validation and enhanced thermal prediction of a shallow solar pond using artificial neural network–based model predictive control for real-time optimization under multiple heat extraction modes

This study employs the Taguchi optimization method to enhance the performance of a single-slope solar still (SSSS) integrated with a solar pond. Key variables, including solar radiation (600 to 1000 W/m²), water depth (4 to 8 cm), inlet water temperature (30 to 40 °C), and wind speed (1 to 5 m/s), were tested using an L9 orthogonal array. Signal-to-noise ratio analysis was used to identify optimal settings, while analysis of variance determined the most significant factors. Regression analysis established the relationship between input parameters and system outputs, including freshwater yield and basin water temperature. The highest productivity was achieved under conditions of 1000 W/m² solar radiation, a 4 cm water depth, a 3 m/s wind velocity, and a 40 °C inlet temperature. Under optimized conditions, the solar still exhibited a predicted productivity of 1.131 kg/m², with an experimental deviation of 9.31%. The basin water temperature showed a minimal deviation of 2.18%. These results technically confirm the robustness of the regression models and the reliability of the optimized process parameters. The strong agreement between predicted and observed values confirms the reliability of the model and the effectiveness of the optimization strategy in improving the solar still performance.

Investigation of freshwater production and temperature changes of various components of a conventional and enhanced solar desalination ponds

Transient transport phenomena in lithium-rich solar evaporation ponds: A case study in the Atacama Salt Flat, Chile

Halophilic bacteria are remarkable microorganisms that excel in hypersaline environments. Their significant potential in various fields, such as industry and agriculture, positions them as vital players in advancing our technological and ecological efforts. In this study, three bacterial strains (QSLA1, QSLA2, and QSLA3) were successfully isolated from solar saltern ponds, attached to Qarun Lake, Fayoum governorate, Egypt, using nutrient agar (NA) culture medium derived from pond water. Morphological and physiological characterization revealed that these isolates are rod-shaped, gram-negative, catalase-positive, and motile. All isolates were identified as not spore-forming bacteria. The halo tolerance assay demonstrated that QSLA1 and QSLA2 are extremely halophilic, whereas QSLA3 is classified as moderately halophilic. Through 16S rRNA sequence analysis, it was determined that QSLA1 shares 91.26% similarity with Halomonas sp. RS-17, while QSLA2 exhibits 96.6% similarity with Halomonas sp. strain LR2-3. QSLA3 shows even greater similarity at 97.33% to Halomonas sp. GQ30. All isolates are capable of producing indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), but only QSLA2 has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and solubilize insoluble phosphate. Additionally, QSLA1 demonstrates antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporium f.sp. lycopersici in vitro under saline environment. Given these promising traits, we explored the potential of QSLA1 as a bio-control agent under greenhouse conditions at 1.5% salinity. These findings suggest that these bacterial strains could be used to develop sustainable agricultural practices, enhancing crop yields and reducing the reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Future applications of these strains could provide a valuable solution for improving agricultural productivity in saline environments.

Review of solar pond performance with PCM and NePCM

Experimental study on PCM (OM-37) enhanced with nanoparticles for improved heat retention in solar ponds

Mathematical modeling and multivariable optimization of the multi-effect distillation coupled to a salt gradient solar pond

Investigation on silver nanoparticle-enhanced pyramid solar still integrated with solar pond using response surface methodology and metaheuristic algorithms

Global energy transition has driven exponential growth in lithium demand, fueled by advancements in new energy vehicles and battery technologies. Despite abundant lithium resources, volatile market fluctuations underscore the critical need for the accurate monitoring of production capacity. Brine-type lithium resources, accounting for approximately 65% of the global reserves, are concentrated in the “lithium triangle” region of South America (Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia). This region typically employs solar evaporation ponds to extract lithium from brine, where lithium production directly correlates with the pond area, enabling remote sensing-based capacity monitoring. This study focuses on Chile’s Atacama Salt Lake, utilizing long-term Landsat and Sentinel satellite data (1985–2019) to extract evaporation pond areas through visual interpretation and support vector machine (SVM) classification. We further investigated the relationship between salt pond area and lithium production capacity by establishing a linear conversion formula. The results demonstrated a strong correlation (R2 = 0.91), with over 97% of the data points falling within the 95% prediction band, validating the effectiveness of the method. This study proposes a semi-automated monitoring framework for lithium production capacity in salt lake brine systems, offering novel insights for sustainable lithium resource management and supporting the stable development of energy transition.

Laboratory investigation of freshwater production from a modified solar pond and comparison with a conventional solar pond

Enhancing the performance of a salt gradient solar pond using a coiled flow inverter heat exchanger with nanofluids

Solar pond technology is an effective and most economical way to convert and store solar thermal energy. In this paper, numerical and experimental studies were conducted to investigate the energy distribution and efficiency in the inner zones of an inverted truncated pyramid shaped solar pond. For this purpose, a small-scale solar pond was built and tested at Karshi State Technical University. The height of the solar pond is 1.5 m, the lower and upper bases are 0.7 m and 1.5 m, respectively. The volume is approximately 2 m3.

Access to clean and safe water remains a critical challenge across many regions in Africa. This study investigates the potential of solar ponds as wastewater treatment facilities by employing AutoGIS processing and DBSCAN clustering to identify suitable development sites across the African continent and its five regions: North, East, West, Central, and Southern Africa. By integrating environmental data such as solar radiation, wind speed, temperature, clear sky, cloud cover, and precipitation, this research highlights the effectiveness of geospatial tools in addressing clean water access issues. The findings reveal distinct suitability patterns for solar pond development at both continental and regional levels. Key environmental factors, notably direct normal radiation (DNR), temperature, and wind speed, consistently expanded the areas identified as suitable, while cloud cover demonstrated a positive effect. Precipitation showed minimal variation, particularly in Central Africa. Importantly, the study underscores the capability of DBSCAN clustering in handling large datasets, filtering noise, and capturing nuanced regional differences, which varied significantly from continent-wide trends. By streamlining the site selection process, this research offers practical insights into leveraging geospatial technologies to address water access challenges in Africa. The integration of AutoGIS and DBSCAN provides a scalable approach for analyzing complex environmental datasets, paving the way for more informed and sustainable development of wastewater treatment solutions across diverse regions.

Solar desalination ponds for freshwater production: a comparative study

Multi-aspect evaluation and optimization of a tri-generation scheme integrating a geothermal power plant with a salinity-gradient solar pond

This study investigates the enhancement of solar still efficiency through the integration of a mini solar pond and reflective mirrors. Key variables affecting performance were identified: sodium chloride concentration, solar pond zone, and mirror angles. Four parameters were systematically varied across three levels and analyzed using an orthogonal array (L27). ​The optimal configuration was determined through Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio analysis, revealing that a concentration of 2.5 kg sodium chloride, a 75 cm solar pond zone, and specific mirror angles significantly improved distilled output. ​ It endeavors to uncover the significant factors contributing to the enhanced efficiency of the hybrid solar still-solar pond system and to establish the ideal configuration of parameters that improves distilled water generation capacity. Experimental results showcased a maximum daily water production of 3.25 liters with an efficiency of 53.26%. The research provides valuable insights for optimizing solar still performance in real-world applications, laying the groundwork for future advancements in solar desalination technologies.

Under conditions of high climate temperature and environmental pollution, scientists are turning to the use of new and renewable energy. The solar Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC) is greatest technology for converting low or medium-temperature energy sources into electricity. For the purpose of generating steam from solar energy to power the organic Rankin cycle a system consists of solar pond, flat plate collector and parabolic dish was designed, implemented, and tested to use in organic Rankin cycle (ORC). The novelty in the present work is the use of the solar pond as storage of heat that does not lose because the salinity gradient middle layer in the pond does not allow heat to pass through it, as well as the use of reheating to enhance the thermodynamic efficiency. Also, an analytical model has been made to enhance the output power and efficiency of the solar thermal ORC according to some organic control criteria. A Cycle of solar thermal power plants (ORC) is simulated with four refrigerants, R144a, R123, R124 and R245fa of working fluid’s performance. The cycle net-specific work can be verified at the highest efficiency as a function of turbine extraction numbers, over-temperature, and evaporation temperature. Superheated steam was obtained at a temperature of 327 °C to be used in the Rankin cycle of the solar energy system which is generated in this work. The maximum output power improvement is 9% when using the working fluid R123 for R124, 5.5% for R245fa, and approximately 2.8 for R144a. And the thermal efficiency of ORC is higher with R123 compared to 144a by about 2.2%. Furthermore, it also concluded that both inlet and outlet temperatures of a turbine are very important factors that affect the operational performance of organic Rankin cycle power generation systems.