Performance enhancement of the solar still using textiles and polyurethane rollers

Abstract

The acquisition of clean drinking water in regions with limited power sources has been a challenge of paramount concern. Solar stills have emerged as a popular and sustainable option for obtaining clean water in such regions. This process involves employing solar radiation to heat up water, which is then condensed to obtain potable water. The present study introduces a solar still system that is both cost-effective and energy-efficient, while simultaneously ensuring sustainability. Fabric-coated polyurethane rollers with capillary action enhance evaporation area, leading to notable performance improvements. Water vapour condensed on the cooling chamber's inclined aluminium plate and collected in the distillate chamber within the solar still. The thermal, energetic, and economic performance and productivity of the proposed model were evaluated. The fabricated solar still boasted maximum instantaneous system efficiency and exergy efficiency of approximately 62.16% and 7.67%, respectively. This system's cost-effectiveness and performance improvements are particularly noteworthy. The daily average distillate productivity of the proposed still was estimated at 1.14 L/m2, resulting in an annual production rate of 416.54 L/year. The estimated cost of producing 1 L of distillate was 0.023 $.