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Periodic enclosed natural convection in a laboratory solar still

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Abstract

In this paper, an experimental description of the periodic behavior of the flow pattern in a laboratory shallow solar still is presented. The convective structure in this kind of system is measured through visualization techniques in a laboratory apparatus that experimentally simulates a shallow solar still. Using a video camera, together with a laser sheet and smoke particles, the flow patterns that characterize the phenomena were captured. A typical value of 0.147 for the Strouhal number agrees well with previously published findings in several other physical situations and the numerical predictions of resonant response of a periodic excited cavity.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the financial support from the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACyT), grant G35167-U.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, P.O. Box 128, El Comitán, 23000, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

    M. A. Porta-Gándara

  2. Facultad de Ingeniería, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, D.F., Mexico

    J. G. Cervantes & F. J. Solorio

Authors
  1. M. A. Porta-Gándara
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  2. J. G. Cervantes
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  3. F. J. Solorio
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Correspondence to M. A. Porta-Gándara.

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Porta-Gándara, M.A., Cervantes, J.G. & Solorio, F.J. Periodic enclosed natural convection in a laboratory solar still. Exp Fluids 37, 483–487 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-004-0831-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-004-0831-1

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