Enhancement of Continuous-Feed Low-Cost Solar Distiller: Effects of Various Fin Designs

This study aimed to enhance distilled water production by employing conventional single-slope solar distillers with continuous seawater input. Three solar absorbers-i.e., a flat absorber, an absorber with 10 fins, and an absorber with 15 fins-were designed and examined experimentally. The seawater entered the distillers continuously due to gravity. Moreover, the seawater level inside the distillers was kept constant by using a floating ball valve. The overall size of each distiller was fixed at 1136 mm x 936 mm x 574 mm. The performance of the distillers was analyzed and discussed. The average yields of the flat absorber, the absorber with 10 fins, and the absorber with 15 fins were 1.185 L/d, 1.264 L/d, and 1.404 L/d, respectively. The results of the absorber with 15 fins were about 18.5% higher than those of the flat absorber. The experimental results were compared with the established correlations. This new design with increased water yield provides an effective approach for harvesting sunlight in remote tropical regions for small-scale solar desalination.