Experimental investigation on a thermal model for a basin solar still with an external reflector

Abstract

In this study, a thermal model for estimating the efficiency of a basin solar still with an external reflector was introduced using the energy balance equations of different parts of the solar still. Then, in order to verify the precision and accuracy of this model, a basin solar still with an external reflector was constructed and some experiments were performed. The hourly temperature values for different places of the still and amount of distilled water were calculated using the thermal model and compared with experimental measurements. Comparisons show that the thermal model of the still is in good agreement with the experimental results. Therefore, it can be concluded that the introduced thermal model can be used reliably to estimate the amount of distilled water and efficiency of the basin solar still with an external reflector. Results also revealed that the efficiency of the solar still is low in the early hours, while it was enhanced 44% in the afternoon. Furthermore, it was concluded that the accumulated distilled water is 4600 mL/day and 4300 mL/day for theoretical and experimental examinations, respectively.