4E performance assessment of innovative tubular solar still enhanced with evacuated tube heater, thin-film hanging wick, and cover cooling

This study explores the potential performance improvements of a tubular solar still (TSS) through innovative design modifications. Three configurations are explored a hanging wick for thin-film evaporation, an evacuated tube solar heater to boost evaporation, and a cover cooling system to enhance co...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: U.F. Alqsair, Abanob Joseph, A.S. Abdullah, Swellam W. Sharshir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X2500526X
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Summary:This study explores the potential performance improvements of a tubular solar still (TSS) through innovative design modifications. Three configurations are explored a hanging wick for thin-film evaporation, an evacuated tube solar heater to boost evaporation, and a cover cooling system to enhance condensation. In the first setup, the TSS achieved a daily output of 4.57 L/m2, which represents a 38.48 % increase compared to the conventional solar still (CSS) average output of 3.2 L/m2. The energy and exergy efficiencies increased to 43.92 % and 3.72 %, respectively, compared to the CSS, which achieved 33 % and 2.1 % for energy and exergy efficiencies, respectively. In the second configuration, the TSS showed further improvement with a daily yield of 8.32 L/m2, an increase of 157.5 % over the CSS. In the third configuration (the best case), the daily yield increased from 3.2 L/m2 in the CSS to 9.96 L/m2, an improvement of 205.48 %. Energy and exergy efficiencies increased to 88.29 % and 9.42 %, respectively. The third configuration has the minimum cost of producing water was 0.0170 $/L alongside 412.79 % enhancement in exergy output (220.43 kWh/year) over the CSS, and five times CO2 emission reduction (5.29 tons).
ISSN:2214-157X