Enhancement in the performance of closed loop inclined wick solar still by attaching external bottom reflector

• Published in: Desalination and water treatment 2024-01, Vol.317, p.100063, Article 100063
• Main Authors: Somwanshi, Aneesh, Shrivastav, Rupesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bottom reflector; Closed loop inclined wick solar still; Daily distillate output; Optimum tilt; Storage tank
• ISSN: 1944-3986
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100063

A closed-loop inclined wick solar still containing an external bottom reflector (CLIWSSR) has been proposed in this work. The attached bottom reflector, when positioned at an optimum angle, increases the amount of solar radiation that strikes the wick. As a result, the overall amount of distillate which the solar still produces has increased. The mathematical model of CLIWSSR has been created and validated. The optimum average tilt angle (OATA) of the inclination of the reflector has been determined for various months in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India (21.2514° N, 81.6296° E). The OATA of the bottom reflector for the summer months is about 48.5o, whereas for winter months it is about 26.1o. The daily distillate output produced by proposed system (CLIWSSR) in a typical winter day (21/02/2023) for Raipur is 6.106 kg/m2 whereas the daily distillate output in same day of CLIWSS without reflector is 5.047 kg/m2. The daily output produced from CLIWSSR is about 21% more than the CLIWSS without reflector. The proposed design is simple, giving higher performance and an effective way to address the need of pure water in remote and small towns.