Mathematical modelling and experimental study of a solar distillation system

The production of potable water from saltwater or brackish water using solar distillation has been practised for many years in different parts of the world. However, little attention has been paid to the feasibility of this technique in Iran. In this work, a solar still with a basin area of 0.9 m(2) and a glass cover in the form of a pyramid has been designed and constructed, and its performance is studied experimentally in Mashhad, Iran. Also, the performance of the solar still is modelled where a small fan was utilized to enhance the daily productivity of freshwater. In addition to the effect of forced convection caused by a fan, the effects of the water depth, the insulation thickness of the basin base, and the wind velocity have been investigated. The empirical results have been compared with the results obtained from the mathematical model and good agreement has been obtained. The results show that the use of a low-cost fan with negligible power can be an effective and economical way of enhancing the evaporation rate and hence freshwater production. Based on the mathematical model, the daily productivity of freshwater increases up to similar to 56 per cent at a Reynolds number of 35 000. Finally, an effective range for the wind velocity as well as insulation thickness is presented in order to optimize the production rate of freshwater.