Low-cost solar still with corrugated absorber basin for water desalination

Abstract

This work presents a solar still with a corrugated absorbing basin. The great novelty in this desalination system is its heat-absorbing corrugated basin made of fiber cement, which has characteristics suitable for such applicability. The temperature profiles were obtained. They followed the radiation intensity, occurring the increase in these temperatures gradually from the inside to the outside of the solar still. The maximum temperatures of 90, 87.3, and 72 °C were obtained for the basin, water, and condensation glass, respectively. The internal and external heat transfer coefficients were determined. The production of desalinated water is directly associated with the incidence of solar radiation. Productivity in the solar still of 1971.0 mL.m −2 was obtained. It was possible to verify that the efficiency of the solar still accompanies the solar radiation index, indicating that the efficiency is directly proportional to the radiation, where it is possible to visualize the highest efficiency obtained of 27.7%. Laboratory tests suggest that the distillation process practically eliminated the total salts present in the salty water. This shows that the solar desalination process is suitable for obtaining potable water that meets the current standards required by regulatory agencies in Brazil and the World Health Organization, supplying the needs of isolated communities where freshwater is limited or even non-existent.