Improving the Productivity of a Solar Still with the Aid of a Parabolic Trough Collector

Water scarcity is mostly experienced within most parts of the world; This calls for the design of a portable, self-contained, low-cost desalination unit that can be used easily in an emergency or water shortages. This work is aimed at improving the performance of a single slope solar still. This research work is novel due to the direct coupling of the solar still unit with the parabolic concentrator, without any heat exchanger or PCM. Major conclusions of the test include that the productivity of the solar still is increased enormously once the PTC is integrated. The productivity improvements were measured at 13.5%, 34.3%, 66.5%, and 95.8% for flow rates of 0.004 kg/s, 0.001 kg/s, 0.0007 kg/s, and 0.0002 kg/s, respectively, when compared to a standard solar still. Efficiencies also demonstrated improvements with an increase in productivity. A further analysis revealed that the cost of water produced was approximately $ 0.053/liter for the conventional solar still, while the modified system was at an approximate $ 0.036/ liter. The overall inferences drawn from this research highlighted that the PTC technology can substantially improve productivity and efficiency in a solar still, making it more feasible in combating the water scarcity problem in resource-poor regions.