Design, Development and Performance Evaluation of Vacuum Tube Integrated Solar Distillation Unit
Loading...
Date
2019-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MPUT, UDAIPUR
Abstract
The present research involved the design, development and performance
evaluation of vacuum tube integrated solar distillation unit in passive mode. The
thermal evaluation, performance evaluation and economic feasibility were carried out
under the climatic conditions of Udaipur, Rajasthan. The design of the solar
distillation was optimized for 60 litres of holding capacity and with the desired output
of 6 litres of distilled water. The still basin was designed and fabricated with locally
available material and four evacuated tubes were integrated with a single-slop
horizontal passive solar distillation unit. The results showed that evacuated tube
attachments to the solar still increased the water temperature inside the solar still thus
increment in the generation of distillate output.
The performance of the developed unit was evaluated with 0.03 m and 0.04 m
depth of basin water with a time span between 8 AM to 5 PM. The solar still produced
per day per m2 4.77 litres of freshwater in 0.03 m depth of basin water and 4.35 litres
of freshwater in 0.04 m depth of basin water. The performance showed the good
agreement between the theoretical and experimental distilled output of solar still.
According to the thermal evaluation of solar still, the maximum daily energy
efficiency was found 24% and 22% at 0.03 m and 0.04 m depth of basin water,
respectively. The volumetric efficiency of the solar distillation unit was found in the
range of 33% to 37%. It was higher in the lower depth of basin water. Internal heat
transfer coefficient i.e. the evaporative heat transfer coefficient was found in the range
of 3.56 W/m2K to 61.74 W/m2K. The radiative and convective heat transfer
coefficients were found in the range of 5.33 W/m2K to 7.91 W/m2K and 0.96 W/m2K
to 2.83 W/m2K respectively.
The pH and TDS of solar distilled water were found in the range of 6.5 – 7
and 30 – 40 ppm respectively. The unit rate of the distilled water was found ₹ 1.78
/litre and pay-back period of the developed solar distillation unit was found to be 0.61
years.
Description
Design, Development and Performance Evaluation of Vacuum Tube Integrated Solar Distillation Unit
Keywords
Citation
Bharatbhai G.J. And Jain S.