{"title":"Innovative enhancements in solar still performance: A comprehensive study on wick-absorber configurations","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.csite.2024.105273","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces a new thermo-fluid analysis of using wick-absorbers to enhance solar still performance. Three configurations of wick absorbers were tested in a conventional single-slope solar still: (i) Case I: individual wick balls, (ii) Case II: zig-zag wick pattern, and (iii) Case III: rectangular wick array (grid-like pattern). The study evaluates multiple parameters, including saline water temperature, daily water productivity, Nusselt number, Sherwood number, thermal and exergy efficiencies, water cost, and payback period. The addition of an absorbing plate with an insulation layer led to lower saline water temperatures and shifted peak values. Compared to a traditional still, wick utilization enhanced water productivity by 45.8 %, 84.5 %, and 86 % for Cases I, II, and III, respectively, due to increased evaporation rates. This resulted in a relative enhancement in daily thermal efficiency by 64 %, 76 %, and 97.5 %, respectively. Additionally, four correlations were developed to describe Nusselt and Sherwood numbers, with a maximum deviation of 25 %. Economic analysis demonstrated cost-effectiveness, significantly reducing water cost and the payback period by 37 %, 39 %, and 44 % for Cases I, II, and III, respectively, compared to the conventional system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9658,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in Thermal Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Case Studies in Thermal Engineering","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X24013042","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"THERMODYNAMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study introduces a new thermo-fluid analysis of using wick-absorbers to enhance solar still performance. Three configurations of wick absorbers were tested in a conventional single-slope solar still: (i) Case I: individual wick balls, (ii) Case II: zig-zag wick pattern, and (iii) Case III: rectangular wick array (grid-like pattern). The study evaluates multiple parameters, including saline water temperature, daily water productivity, Nusselt number, Sherwood number, thermal and exergy efficiencies, water cost, and payback period. The addition of an absorbing plate with an insulation layer led to lower saline water temperatures and shifted peak values. Compared to a traditional still, wick utilization enhanced water productivity by 45.8 %, 84.5 %, and 86 % for Cases I, II, and III, respectively, due to increased evaporation rates. This resulted in a relative enhancement in daily thermal efficiency by 64 %, 76 %, and 97.5 %, respectively. Additionally, four correlations were developed to describe Nusselt and Sherwood numbers, with a maximum deviation of 25 %. Economic analysis demonstrated cost-effectiveness, significantly reducing water cost and the payback period by 37 %, 39 %, and 44 % for Cases I, II, and III, respectively, compared to the conventional system.
期刊介绍:
Case Studies in Thermal Engineering provides a forum for the rapid publication of short, structured Case Studies in Thermal Engineering and related Short Communications. It provides an essential compendium of case studies for researchers and practitioners in the field of thermal engineering and others who are interested in aspects of thermal engineering cases that could affect other engineering processes. The journal not only publishes new and novel case studies, but also provides a forum for the publication of high quality descriptions of classic thermal engineering problems. The scope of the journal includes case studies of thermal engineering problems in components, devices and systems using existing experimental and numerical techniques in the areas of mechanical, aerospace, chemical, medical, thermal management for electronics, heat exchangers, regeneration, solar thermal energy, thermal storage, building energy conservation, and power generation. Case studies of thermal problems in other areas will also be considered.