Potential of tubular solar still with rectangular trough for water production under vacuum condition

Abstract

Water scarcity, energy scarcity, and demographic difficulties are all real concerns for many countries throughout the world. Due to the high solar intensities and long sunshine duration in Saudi Arabia, solar water desalination can be effectively utilized for obtaining fresh water. The aim of this paper is explore the potential of simple-design and plentiful rectangular trough in desalination under vacuum condition. Numerical analysis of the heat and mass transfer of tubular solar still containing rectangular trough was performed. A 2-D code that solves the systems of equations for mass, momentum, concentration, and energy was developed and validated. The effect of the rib and the vertical elevation of the trough on heat and mass transfer were investigated. The numerical results showed that the distillation rate is significantly increased with the increase of the rib of the trough at a minimum of 19.78%. In addition, the distillation rate is increased at a minimum of 12.88% when the trough moves towards the upper side of the glass cover where the condensation takes place.