Modelling and Analysis of a Single Slope Solar Still for Desalination of Water

Abstract

Nowadays, brackish water/seawater desalination is a subject of concern to many researchers all over the world. Solar desalination is a renewable energy-driven method that produces freshwater from saline/brackish water. Many coastal countries suffer from a scarcity of freshwater. Solar-driven desalination is an optimistic and sustainable method to reduce the shortage of potable water in remote regions. Solar desalination is a viable way to produce potable water from any type of non-drinkable water. The recourse to use of solar energy in desalination by distillation, represents as appreciable part of water resources and is realizable, simple, cost-effective, operational solution technically. In this work, Modelling and simulation analysis of single-slope solar still for desalination of water is investigated in CFD-Ansys by considering solar radiation data at 12.8852°N, 77.572625°E in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The simulation results found that, the solar still yields the distillate at the rate is 2 litres/m2 for 10 litres of saline water that runs for 12 hours a day (from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm). A comparison between various inclination angles were performed. Solar still yields thermal efficiency of 24% at the inclination angle of 38° when compared with the inclination angles of 22°, 28°, 32° and 44°.