article · International Journal of Photoenergy
Solar desalination systems seek to enhance clean water production using solar energy alone, and adjusting the glass cover thickness offers one route to improved performance. Experimental testing of three identical conventional solar stills in the climate of El Oued, Algeria, examined the influence of glass thicknesses of 3 mm, 5 mm, and 6 mm. Heat transmission through the cover affects productivity, with higher glass temperatures reducing yield. Among the tested thicknesses, the 3 mm glass cover delivered the highest performance, producing approximately 3.15 kg of distilled water at an energy efficiency of 30.71 percent and an average daily exergy efficiency of 2.46 percent. By comparison, 5 mm glass produced 2.02 kg at 19.02 percent energy efficiency, whilst 6 mm glass produced 1.13 kg at 11.44 percent energy efficiency. These findings identify 3 mm as the most suitable cover thickness for the evaluated conditions.
Solar stills provide a straightforward method for producing fresh water using sunlight. Determining the exact glass thickness that maximises freshwater output helps optimize basic solar still designs without adding complex or expensive machinery. This ensures communities relying on solar desalination can achieve higher water production rates from simple installations under specific regional climatic conditions.
This work provides direct design guidance for manufacturers, local builders, or engineers developing conventional solar stills for water desalination in desert climates like El Oued. By showing that 3 mm glass significantly outperforms thicker alternatives, it informs basic hardware specifications. The research represents applied, experimentally tested technology, though real-world deployment would require addressing the operational durability and structural strength of thinner glass in field conditions.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Researches in many laboratories on solar still desalination are concerned with increasing efficiency using only solar energy. One of the techniques is the difference in the thickness of the glass cover of the distiller. In order to see the influence of this parameter on efficiency, three similar stills with three different glass coverings were investigated. The flow of heat goes through the cover, and higher glass temperature leads to solar still productivity becoming lower. This paper presents an optimization of glass thickness ( <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <a:msub> <a:mrow> <a:mtext>G</a:mtext> </a:mrow> <a:mrow> <a:mtext>t</a:mtext> </a:mrow> </a:msub> </a:math> ) of a conventional solar still (CSS) in El Oued climate, Algeria. Based on the experimental results, the distilled water production rate, energy, and energy efficiency of the CSS have been discussed. The results showed that the suitable <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"> <c:msub> <c:mrow> <c:mtext>G</c:mtext> </c:mrow> <c:mrow> <c:mtext>t</c:mtext> </c:mrow> </c:msub> </c:math> of the CSS was 3 mm. The distilled water of around 3.15, 2.02, and 1.13 kg was produced by the CSS at energy efficiency of 30.71, 19.02, and 11.44% with the <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"> <e:msub> <e:mrow> <e:mtext>G</e:mtext> </e:mrow> <e:mrow> <e:mtext>t</e:mtext> </e:mrow> </e:msub> </e:math> of 3, 5, and 6 mm, respectively. The daily average exergy efficiency of 2.46, 1.38, and 0.84% was calculated for the CSS at <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4"> <g:msub> <g:mrow> <g:mtext>G</g:mtext> </g:mrow> <g:mrow> <g:mtext>t</g:mtext> </g:mrow> </g:msub> </g:math> of 3, 5, and 6 mm, respectively.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1155/2021/6668325
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
