Experimental investigation of the effects of different nanoparticles on the performance of single basin double-slope solar stills

Abstract The study focuses on the development of a thermal model for a single basin double-slope solar still and compares the effects of varying volume concentrations of nanoparticles on its performance. The efficiency of single basin double-slope solar still is improved by using strip-grooved fin absorber shapes and a combination of nanoparticles (Al2O3, CuO, Ag, Fe2O3, and ZnO) in water depths from 0.01 to 0.05 m. The nanoparticles are present in different volume concentrations of 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25%, and 0.30% in saline water within the basin. The strip-grooved fins are used to increase the surface area available for evaporation and serve as an important material for storing thermal energy, which is then transferred to the fluid mass in the basin, increasing its temperature. On the other hand, nanoparticles are used to improve the heat transfer of saline water in the basin and enhance its absorption of solar radiation. The experiment revealed that without the presence of nanofluid, the distillation efficiency of strip-grooved fin was 26.93%. The distillation production efficiency of strip-grooved fins combined with nanoparticles Al2O3, CuO, Ag, Fe2O3, and ZnO were 36.13%, 35.58%, 34.60%, 32.44%, and 29.71%, respectively. Furthermore, the economic analysis showed that the overall costs per liter of freshwater produced by single basin double-slope solar still with strip-grooved fin and the combination of single basin double-slope solar still with strip-grooved fin and Al2O3 were reduced by 0.0368 and 0.0309$/L, respectively.