Augmentation of hemispherical distillers' performance via active and passive mods with different thermal energy storage: A numerical approach

As freshwater resources become increasingly scarce, the world faces a pressing challenge that calls for the advancement of effective water collection and purification methods. Herein, three scenarios involving the utilization of different materials for energy storage (1) reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO)-coated chips of copper; (2) rGO-coated copper chips (CCs) and paraffin wax (PCM); and (3) rGO-coated CCs, PCM, and copper chips were assessed and compared concerning system temperatures and hourly freshwater output. The theoretical model was in good agreement with the experimental results, and both revealed that MHSSC-3 had the highest daily productivity. Also, it was found that modifying MHSSC-3 with the copper absorber, had the highest daily freshwater yield of 7.724 kg/m² among all other absorber materials. Furthermore, adding reflective mirrors to MHSSC-3 with the copper absorber increased daily productivity to 15.09 kg/m², emphasizing their role in boosting solar gain and HSS output. Finally, utilizing stearic acid as a PCM could boost the daylight yield of drinkable water of MHSSC-3 with the copper absorber and reflective external mirrors to 16.72 kg/m², however, paraffin wax would have been of highest daily yield if the unit had operated 24 h due its higher latent heat of fusion and heat storage capabilities.