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Performance investigation on fin type solar still with paraffin wax as energy storage media

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Abstract

It is indispensable to enhance the performance of a conventional solar still in order to increase its productivity. It has been effectively done by adding fins and thermal energy storage media to it. In the present work, the performance of a conventional single slope solar still is compared with an identical solar still with square pipes as fins attached to its basin liner. A thin layer of paraffin wax was stored beneath the basin liner as well as in the hollow space present in the square pipe fins as energy storage media. Experiments have been conducted on the conventional still for three different water depths, i.e. for 2, 3 and 4 cms. The masses for the corresponding water depths are 10 kg, 15 kg and 20 kg, respectively. The same water masses were maintained in the modified still, and experiments were conducted for the following cases: with mere fins and with fins cum energy storage media. The percentage increase in the efficiencies of the modified still with mere fins and with fins cum energy storage are observed as 64% and 95%, respectively.

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Abbreviations

q g :

Heat energy absorbed by the glass cover (W m−2)

I s :

Solar insolation on the glass cover (W m−2)

q lg :

Heat losses from the glass cover (W m−2)

q cg :

Heat losses from the glass cover to the surrounding air by convection (W m−2)

q rg :

Heat losses from the glass cover to the surrounding air by radiation (W m−2)

q lw :

Total heat losses of the basin water (W m−2)

q ew :

Evaporative heat losses of the basin water (W m−2)

q cw :

Convective heat losses of the basin water (W m−2)

q rw :

Radiation heat losses of the basin water (W m−2)

T w :

Temperature of basin water (K)

T g :

Temperature of glass cover (K)

Pw :

Partial pressure of saturated water corresponding to basin water temperature (N m−2)

Pg :

Partial pressure of saturated water corresponding to glass cover temperature (N m−2)

h cw :

Convective heat transfer coefficient between the saline water and the inner glass surface (W m−2 K−1)

h cg :

Convective heat transfer coefficient from the glass cover to the surrounding (W m−2 K−1)

α g :

Absorptivity of glass cover

τ g :

Transmissivity of glass cover

ε w :

Emissivity of the saline water surface

ε g :

Emissivity of the inner glass surface

σ :

Stefan–Boltzmann constant

PCM:

Phase change material

w :

Basin water

g :

Glass cover

c :

Convection

r :

Radiation

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641022, India

    T. R. Sathish Kumar & P. Chandramohan

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu, 638401, India

    S. Jegadheeswaran

Authors
  1. T. R. Sathish Kumar
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  2. S. Jegadheeswaran
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  3. P. Chandramohan
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Correspondence to T. R. Sathish Kumar.

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Sathish Kumar, T.R., Jegadheeswaran, S. & Chandramohan, P. Performance investigation on fin type solar still with paraffin wax as energy storage media. J Therm Anal Calorim 136, 101–112 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7882-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7882-7

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