Numerical Approach of a Double Slope Solar Still Combined with a Cylindrical Solar Water Heater: Mass and Heat Energy Balance Mathematical Model

Abstract

Solar desalination field is known by its large area among the developed science technologies. It has the most favor to produce pure water to overcome the water needs issue in arid regions. For this reason, several researches were undertaken a local manufacturing devices which can realize this objective. The focus of this article is to discuss a new approach of solar distillation system. The aim is to combine a double slope solar still with a cylindrical solar water heater which can be motivated by the two following significant reasons: firstly, to increase water temperature inside the solar still in order to improve with, high level, its distillate production capability, besides, the cylindrical type solar heater has a good ability of heating water with low heat losses to the ambient surrounding. Both of the previous systems may form a double slope active solar still. Performed numerical investigations are based on the determination of temperature and distillate mass profiles in the case of an active solar still and to compare them to those of solar still without preheating system. The computer program has been elaborated in this study using Fortran 6.6 language as an investigation platform to examine temperature and mass production parameters. Simultaneously, temperature increasing and mass production have been computed through the active solar still and compared to the uncoupled system (passive solar still). Results show clearly an increase of temperature and distillate mass production by 8.94 °C and 0.67 kg/m2/day respectively