Performance Evaluation of Solar Still in Veracruz, Mexico Gulf Coastline

Abstract

Access to freshwater for rural populations is increasingly difficult worldwide. Even in coastal regions with abundantly available seawater, this is not suitable to meet the population’s basic needs. Desalination with solar stills represents a simple, inexpensive, and accessible alternative to obtaining freshwater. This research shows the results obtained with a mathematical model of a single slope solar still proposed by Dunkle, compared with experimental data. Field experiments were carried out in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Mexico to validate the mathematical model. Different operating parameters of the solar still and their performance depending on climatic variations of the study site were studied. The average yield of distilled water was 1.57 L/m2 d.