Influence of Operating Parameters on Pyramid Solar Still with Phase Change Material (PCM)

Abstract

In the recent scenario, distillation with solar still plays a vital role in obtaining potable water from brackish and sea water. The inspiration for this paper is the partial availability of clean water resources and the plenty of availability water due to potential renovation into filtered water using solar energy. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the productivity of pyramid solar still. To achieve this goal, a distillation system was fabricated which incorporates a square pyramid fiber glass placed on a black coated Aluminum basin. The solar radiation, which is incident on the black coated basin heats up the water and evaporates it forming vapors onto the fiber glass cover which is condensed to potable water. For analyzing the performance of still, the distillation system is operated at different water depths viz; 5 cm and 10 cm, along with paraffin wax material and preheated water, The experimental setup is placed at an angle of 50 degree to the horizontal. The hourly productivity is higher in case of solar still with PCM during sunny days. From the experimental analysis, it is observed that there is 75% increase in the efficiency of still, when operated with PCM, at 5 cm depth of water