Enhancing Desalination and Liquid Desiccant Regeneration Efficiency Through a Hybrid Solar Still

Abstract

Research has been conducted on the use of hybrid solar stills for desalinating salt water and regenerating weak liquid desiccant (LD). Different experimental settings were used to explore the effects of forced convection and a thermal energy storage medium on the water desorption from the LD. Type-I employed weak liquid desiccants consisting of 35 wt. % magnesium chloride and Type-II used 45 wt. % potassium Formate; in the bottom basin, a salinity level of 1 cm was maintained. Type-I desorbed 780 ml/m2 of water per day using the mild liquid desiccant, while Type-II desorbed 810 ml/m2. Total daily distillate output was 295 and 320 ml/m2 for Type II and I. The concentration of liquid desiccant rose to 2.5 and 1.5 in Type I and II. Hybrid solar stills used as regenerators in LD solar cooling systems have the ability to absorb the latent heat load of humid air, which is 0.132 and 0.145 kW d-1 for Type-I and Type-II respectively. The hybrid solar still managed to attain a Type-I and Type II average overall efficiency of 21.6 and 28.4% during the hours of bright sunshine, respectively.