Experimental multifaceted approach for enhance pyramidal solar still productivity: Tracking, corrugated absorber, reflectors, external condenser, and phase change material integration

Abstract

This study enhances the performance of pyramid solar still by incorporating a vertically positioned, triangular-shaped absorber with a single-axis solar tracking mechanism. This innovation, combined with a flat and corrugated vertical absorber covered by burlap covers to reduce water content and accelerate evaporation, rear mirror to maximize solar energy capture, fan to expedite steam removal, and a composite layer of phase changing material and silver nanoparticles to augment thermal performance. The study demonstrated significant productivity enhancements for various modified solar still with triangular-shaped absorber configurations compared to reference pyramid distiller. The modified pyramid distiller with triangular-shaped absorber, modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber, and modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber and tracking exhibited substantial productivity gains of 32 %, 61 %, and 102 %, respectively. Further improvements were observed with the integration of reflectors and tracking, achieving a 130 % increase in productivity for the modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber and reflectors. Notably, the implementation of an external condenser led to an additional 50 % productivity increase. The incorporation of phase change material in the modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber, and reflectors resulted in the highest productivity, reaching 10400 mL/m²/day, representing a 166 % increase over PSS. Concurrently, the energy efficiency of modified solar still with triangular absorber (39.6 %), modified solar still with corrugated triangular absorber (44.2 %), tracked modified solar still with corrugated triangular absorber (49 %), modified solar still with corrugated triangular absorber and reflector (50.5 %), modified solar still with corrugated triangular absorber, reflector and fan (59 %), and modified solar still with corrugated triangular absorber, reflector and PCM (57 %). The thermal exergy efficiency of the distiller with a tracked corrugated absorber was found to be approximately 2.96 %, 3.2 %, 3.6 %, and 3.45 % for the configurations of modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber, modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber and reflectors, modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber, reflectors and condenser, and modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber, reflectors and phase change material, respectively. The results underscore the cost-effectiveness of the proposed design enhancements, with the modified pyramid distiller with corrugated triangular-shaped absorber, reflectors and condenser achieving a 31.5 % reduction in production costs compared to the traditional distiller.