Theoretical and Experimental Behaviour of Single Slope Solar Still Heat Transfer

Abstract

This paper is aimed to investigate the heat transfer behaviours of a single slope solar still under the tropical climate at Kota Kinabalu city, Malaysia. Both theoretical and experimental approaches has been performed and discussed. The theoretical heat transfer principal behaviour of the single slope solar still is successfully modelled based on the heat exchange processes of three major components of the solar still (glass cover, seawater and basin) and its surroundings. The theoretical model developed has shown to predict closely the experimental trend of the heat transfer processes of the solar still system. Outdoor experiment is also carried out under the Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, climate that showed a maximum output of 1.4 litres per day of clean distilled water and has achieved a high and consistent system temperature of 80.0°C. In comparison with the theoretical and the experimental results, the theoretical model is found to closely predict the solar still behaviours at the early hours in the morning where the solar irradiance is intense and consistent.