Multi-sections solar distiller integrated with solar air heater: numerical investigation and experimental validation

Abstract

A numerical investigation for a solar air heater integrated with a multi-section solar distiller has been conducted with a novel design of solar distiller with interior sections. A mathematical description of the solar distiller is made and solved with a MATLAB code. The air flow in the solar air heater, the water height in the solar distiller, and the number of interior sections have all been studied. To validate the numerical system, an experimental system was built. The theoretical model and the experiment performed appear to be in satisfactory correlation. The best working conditions occur when the system is run with a lower air flow rate, a lower saline water height, and a greater number of interior sections with productivity reaching 1242.6 ml/m2 per day, a gain output ratio (GOR) about 0.622 and air heater efficiency about 35%. In the normal case of output salinity between 0 and 500 ppm, the cost was reduced by 96.7%, and by 96.3% in the case of four interior sections. Water cost reduction is also observable at the same output salinity, with 54.1% at 0 ppm and 62.4% at 200 ppm between number of interior sections = 0 and 4.