The effect of magnetic field on the performance improvement of a conventional solar still: a numerical study

Experimental analysis of enhanced solar still operating with induced turbulence

This work experimentally investigates the performance of solar still with induced turbulence (SWIT) which operates with a novel approach for improved productivity. A metal wire net has been submerged in basin water of still and direct current vibration micro motor has been used to develop small intensity vibrations in wire net. These vibrations serve to induce turbulence in basin water and also break the thermal boundary layer between still surface and water to enhance the evaporation. The energy-exergy-economic-environment analysis of SWIT has been performed and compared with conventional solar still (CS) of identical size. The overall heat transfer coefficient of SWIT is found to be 66% more in comparison of CS. The SWIT provided 53% increase in yield and it is 55% more thermally efficient than CS. The average exergy efficiency of the SWIT is found to be 76% higher than that of CS. The cost of water from SWIT is 0.028 $ with a payback period of 0.74 years and the carbon credit gained by SWIT is found to be 105 $. The productivity of SWIT has also been compared for intervals of 5, 10, and 15 min between the induced turbulence to find suitable interval duration.

Assessment of single slope solar still using block and disc magnets via productivity, economic, and enviro-economic perspectives: a comparative study

In this research, the productivity, economic, and enviro-economic analysis of single slope solar stills using block magnets (BMSS) and disc magnets (DMSS) were performed under the climatic conditions of Coimbatore city (latitude, 11° 01' 68″ N, and longitude, 76° 95' 58″ E), in India, 2019. The results observed in BMSS and DMSS were compared with conventional solar still (CSS) under the same climatic conditions. The usage of block and disc magnets in basin of solar still was improved the daily productivity significantly. The results showed that the performance observed in BMSS was notably higher than the performance of DMSS. The hourly productivity in BMSS was 5.8% and 13.7% higher when compared to DMSS and CSS, respectively. The cumulative productivity in BMSS, DMSS, and CSS were found to be about 3.15 kg/m², 2.82 kg/m², and 2.15 kg/m², respectively, for 12h observations. In economic analysis, the estimated payback period (PBP) of BMSS, DMSS, and CSS were about 3.6 months, 3.5 months, and 4.5 months, respectively. Furthermore, the CO₂ emission of BMSS, DMSS, and CSS were observed to be about 11.04 tons, 9.37 tons, and 6.45 tons, respectively. The overall observations showed that the magnetization of saline water has significantly improved the solar still performances.