Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Design, Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Semi-Cylindrical Solar Still Working in Medina Region

  • Research Article-Mechanical Engineering
  • Published:
Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The exponential population growth has led to severe fresh water availability issues around the world. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that mostly rely on desalination process to satisfy their fresh water needs in desert regions. The distillation process has become too expensive due to the sharp rise in oil prices. Renewable energy is a promising source for the water distillation process. This work aims to design, fabricate, and test a solar still for purification of salty and brackish water. A semi-cylindrical solar still was designed and tested under Medina climatic conditions. The semi-cylindrical solar still connected with a parabolic trough solar concentrator was supposed to enhance the system performance and the system productivity by warming up the brackish or saltwater before it was directed to the basin. To calculate system efficiency, the temperatures of water in the basin, glass outside and inside surface, inside of the still, and the ambient were measured. It was found that the average intensity of solar radiation was about \(729.8 \mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{m}}^{2}\) per hour and the average system efficiency was found to be 23.38% without a parabolic trough. The system efficiency reached 29.5% by connecting the solar still with a parabolic trough. The maximum productivity of the solar still was found to be 1.8 L/h at peak time, with an average value of 0.9 L/h in May.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A:

Apparent solar irradiation = 1080 (W/m2)

As:

Surface area (m2)

B:

Atmospheric extinction coefficient = 0.21 in summer

C:

Constant for a cloudless sky

FWS :

View factor of the surface

FWG :

View factor from ground

h:

Heat transfer coefficient (W/m2K)

hfg :

Enthalpy (J/kg)

IDN :

Direct solar radiation (W/m2)

Id :

Diffuse solar radiation (W/m2)

Ir :

Reflected solar radiation (W/m2)

k:

Thermal conductivity (W/m2K)

\(\dot{{\varvec{m}}}\) :

Mass flow rate (kg/s)

m:

Mass flow rate (kg/s)

pH:

Acidic/basic water

QCond :

Conduction heat transfer (W)

QConv :

Convection heat transfer (W)

T:

Temperature (K)

TDS:

Total dissolved solids (ppm)

V:

Volume (m3)

WHO:

World Health Organization

β:

Altitude angle

ℓ:

Represents latitude angle

ω:

Hour angle

δ:

Declination angle

Σ:

Tilt angle

References

  1. Sampathkumar, K.; Arjunan, T.V.; Pitchandi, P.; Senthilkumar, P.: Active solar distillation-A detailed review. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 14, 1503–1526 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gnanadason, M.K.; Kumar, P.S.; Sivaraman, G.; Daniel, J.E.S.: Design and performance analysis of a modified vacuum single basin solar still. Smart Grid Renew. Energy 2, 388–395 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Muftah, A.F.; Alghoul, M.A.; Fudholi, A.; Abdul-Majeed, M.M.; Sopian, K.: Factors affecting basin type solar still productivity: a detailed review. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 32, 430–447 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Zedan, A.S.; Eldin, S.A.M.N.: An experimental investigation of the factors which affect on the performance of a single basin typical double slope solar still for water desalination. Energy Power Eng. (2015). https://doi.org/10.4236/epe.2015.76026

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Omara, Z.M.; Kabeel, A.E.; Abdullah, A.S.: A review of solar still performance with reflectors. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 68, 638–649 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Raj, S.V.; Manokar, A.M.: Design and analysis of solar still. Mater. Today: Proc. 4, 9179–9185 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Prakash, P.; Velmurugan, V.: Parameters influencing the productivity of solar stills–A review. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 49, 585–609 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Selvaraj, K.; Natarajan, A.: Factors influencing the performance and productivity of solar stills-A review. Desalination 435, 181–187 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Sharma, S.K.; Mallick, A.; Gupta, S.K.; Kumar, N.; Singh, D.B.; Tiwari, G.N.: Characteristic equation development for double slope solar distiller unit augmented with N identical parabolic concentrator integrated evacuated tubular collectors. Desalin. Water Treat. 187, 178–194 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sharma, S.K.; Singhb, D.B.; Mallick, A.; Gupta, S.K.: Energy metrics and efficiency analyses of double slope solar distiller unit augmented with N identical parabolic concentrator integrated evacuated tubular collectors: a comparative study. Desalin. Water Treat. 195, 40–56 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kumar, P.N.; Manokar, A.M.; Madhu, B.; Kabeel, A.E.; Arunkumar, T.; Panchal, H.; Sathyamurthy, R.: Experimental investigation on the effect of water mass in triangular pyramid solar still integrated to inclined solar still. Groundw. Sustain. Dev. 5, 229–234 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Aichouba, A.; Merzouk, M.; Valenzuela, L.; Zarza, E.; Kasbadji-Merzouk, E.N.: Influence of the displacement of solar receiver tubes on the performance of a parabolic-trough collector. Energy 159, 472–481 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Elashmawy, M.: An experimental investigation of a parabolic concentrator solar tracking system integrated with a tubular solar still. Desalination 411, 1–8 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Saadi, Z.; Rahmani, A.; Lachtar, S.; Soualmi, H.: Performance evaluation of a new stepped solar still under the desert climatic conditions. Energy Convers. Manage. 171, 1749–1760 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Murugana, D.K.; Elumalai, N.; Subramani, S.: Experimental investigation on the effect of basin pressure in a single basin solar still. Desalin. Water Treat. 229, 10–16 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gupta, V.S.; Singh, D.B.; Sharma, S.K.; Kumar, N.; Bhatti, T.S.; Tiwari, G.N.: Modeling self-sustainable fully-covered photovoltaic thermal-compound parabolic concentrators connected to double slope solar distiller. Desalin. Water Treat. 190, 12–27 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Singh, D.B.; Dwivedi, V.K.; Tiwari, G.N.; Kumar, N.: Analytical characteristic equation of N identical evacuated tubular collectors integrated single slope solar still. Desalin. Water Treat. 88, 41–51 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Bharti, K.; Manwal, S.H.; Kishore, C.H.; Yadav, R.K.; Tiwari, P.; Singh, D.B.: Sensitivity analysis of N alike partly covered PVT flat plate collectors integrated double slope solar distiller unit. Desalin. Water Treat. 211, 45–59 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Al-Ahmadi, H.M.A.; Badrana, O.O.; AlQdah, K.S.; Anani, R.A.H.; Nawar, M.A.A.: Evaluation of productivity enhancement of a solar still coupled with flat solar collector and parabolic trough under medina climate. Desalin. Water Treat. 223, 1–12 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Bataineh, K.M.; Abbas, M.A.: Theoretical and experimental investigations on single slope solar still. Desalin. Water Treat. 214, 338–346 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Cengel, Y.A.; Ghajar, A.J.: Heat and Mass Transfer: Fundamentals & Applications, 5th edn. McGraw Hill Education, Inc., New York (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Khan, B.H.: Non-conventional Energy Resources, 3rd edn. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New York (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Solar Radiation Atlas. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc690351/m2/1/high_res_d/5834

  24. Rathore, M.M.: Engineering Heat and Mass Transfer, 3rd edn. University Science Press, Goswami Associates, India (2015)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Taibah University, Medina, 42353, Saudi Arabia

    Khaled S. AlQdah, Khaled Abdullah Alharbi, Saleh Ali Alharbi, Mohammed Abbad Almutairi, Omar Meleth Alsuhimi & Muhanad Saleh Aljuhani

Authors
  1. Khaled S. AlQdah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Khaled Abdullah Alharbi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Saleh Ali Alharbi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohammed Abbad Almutairi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Omar Meleth Alsuhimi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Muhanad Saleh Aljuhani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

KSA performed the conceptualization of whole project with KSA and KAA to design the methodology for scientific progression. Data curation was handled by MAA while analysis was performed by SAA. OMA, MSA performed resource management, experimentation and Alahmadi proof reading. Drafted the manuscript. KSA reviewed and edited the manuscript. All contributing authors agree to the corresponding author for taking any pledge for publication of this manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Khaled S. AlQdah.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors express no conflict of interest for the specific title and research under consideration.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

AlQdah, K.S., Alharbi, K.A., Alharbi, S.A. et al. Design, Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Semi-Cylindrical Solar Still Working in Medina Region. Arab J Sci Eng 47, 8567–8575 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-021-06351-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-021-06351-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation