"Improving the productivity of a spherical solar still with an axial absorber plate through multiple enhancements"

Abstract

• Efficient, cost-effective solar still design for residential and industrial use. • Comparison of traditional and improved spherical solar stills with 3 modifications. • Experiments conducted in Baghdad, Iraq, December 2024, using real climate data. • Productivity increased up to 130% with wick, tracking, and back reflector added. • Payback period reduced to 4 months; production cost as low as $0.012 per lite Solar stills effectively address water scarcity in remote regions undergoing drought conditions.This experimental investigation several enhancements to the modified spherical solar still with a circular absorber plate to improve its performance. The primary modifications involved the substitution of a vertical basin for the horizontal one, which was coated in black, and the addition of wicks on both sides.Adding a single-axis solar tracking system that rotates 15 to 18 degrees per hour to the vertical basin helped boost productivity even more. This system captures the most solar radiation. Also, reflective rear reflector were used to help absorb even more energy. Tests done in Baghdad, Iraq, showed that performance got a lot better. Adding the solar tracking system to the vertical basin and wicks increased productivity by 52%, to 4242 ml/m².day. Then productivity went up by 101%, reaching 5620 ml/m².day. Adding an elliptical rear reflector made the most productive still, with a 130% increase over the traditional still, or 6170 ml/m².day. The experiment of the economy found that the modified still paid for itself in 4 months, while the regular design took 6 months to pay for itself. The reason for this is that it cost $0.026, $0.017, $0.013, and $0.012 per liter to make conventional stills, modified absorber plate, modified stills with tracking, and modified stills with tracking and rear reflector, respectively. high levels of dissolved solids down to a level that is respectable, which is about 500 parts per million.