Experimental Research on the Effect of Different Controllable Parameters on Solar Still Productivity: A Parametric Study

Water scarcity is one of the most major issues the world is facing at the moment. Solar still is one of the most economical and environment friendly technologies for desalinizing brackish and salty water. An experimental study on controllable parameters affecting the performance of a basin-type single-slope solar still was conducted in order to optimize them to achieve maximum productivity. The effects of three parameters, i.e., the basin water depth, the thickness of the glass cover, and glass cover cooling, on the distillate output of the solar still were studied. The effects of basin water depths of 2 cm, 3 cm, and 4 cm were tested experimentally, and the cumulative distillate output observed was 1.614, 1.444, and 1.386 L/day respectively. Glass cover thicknesses of 4 mm and 6 mm were used and the distillate output at these glass thickness was 1.587 and 1.078 L/day. In the comparative analysis of solar still performance with and without water showering, a distillate output of 2.022 L/day was found in the case of water showering, and an output of 1.587 L/day was observed in the case of no water showering on the glass cover.