Review on the energy and economic efficiencies of passive and active solar distillation systems

Abstract Water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on the Earth. The demand of potable water is growing continuously due to its rapid use in agriculture, industry, and population. To overcome the challenge of water shortage, it is essential to minimize the gap among the demand and supply of potable water by developing alternative technologies of water purification. It is becoming a challenge to avail of low cost potable water to mankind. Solar distillation is one of the most promising, simple, and economic methodology for salt and brackish water purification by utilizing solar energy (renewable energy source). Worldwide, various researchers experimentally analyzed the performance of different types of solar stills and numerous research works has also been performed to develop the theoretical models based on energy balances. In present paper, experimentally and theoretically detailed work done in recent past on passive and active solar stills has been highlighted. System performance; exergoeconomic and enviroeconomic analysis; different solar still designs; and recent techniques in solar stills have been discussed in detail. Furthermore, a discussion on future scope of the work on solar stills for sustainable potable water production is given with some recommendations.

[1]  Rahul Dev,et al.  Characteristic equation of a passive solar still , 2009 .

[2]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Estimation of internal heat transfer coefficients of a hybrid (PV/T) active solar still , 2009 .

[3]  H. Sharon,et al.  Performance investigation and enviro-economic analysis of active vertical solar distillation units , 2015 .

[4]  Young I Cho,et al.  HYDRODYNAMIC AND HEAT TRANSFER STUDY OF DISPERSED FLUIDS WITH SUBMICRON METALLIC OXIDE PARTICLES , 1998 .

[5]  A. E. Kabeel,et al.  Performance of solar still with a concave wick evaporation surface , 2009 .

[6]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Effect of water depth on internal heat and mass transfer for active solar distillation , 2005 .

[7]  Lovedeep Sahota,et al.  Effect of Al2O3 nanoparticles on the performance of passive double slope solar still , 2016 .

[8]  A. E. Kabeel,et al.  Theoretical and experimental parametric study of modified stepped solar still , 2012 .

[9]  Guo Xie,et al.  Experimental and numerical study on a new multi-effect solar still with enhanced condensation surface , 2013 .

[10]  J. K. Yadav,et al.  Effect of energy matrices on life cycle cost analysis of passive solar stills , 2016 .

[11]  Thirugnanasambantham Arunkumar,et al.  Effect of air flow on "V" type solar still with cotton gauze cooling , 2014 .

[12]  Farshad Farshchi Tabrizi,et al.  Thermal analysis of a weir-type cascade solar still integrated with PCM storage , 2011 .

[13]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) double slope active solar still , 2011 .

[14]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Characteristic equation of the inverted absorber solar still , 2011 .

[15]  Hiroshi Tanaka,et al.  Tilted wick solar still with external flat plate reflector: Optimum inclination of still and reflector , 2009 .

[16]  Sanjay Agrawal,et al.  Exergetic and enviroeconomic analysis of novel hybrid PVT array , 2013 .

[17]  Anil Kumar,et al.  Solar stills system design: A review , 2015 .

[18]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Experimental validation of thermal model of a double slope active solar still under natural circulation mode , 2010 .

[19]  Abdelaziz Arbaoui,et al.  Desalination of the brackish water using a passive solar still with a heat energy storage system , 2013 .

[20]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Characteristic equation of a hybrid (PV-T) active solar still , 2010 .

[21]  Z. M. Omara,et al.  A new hybrid desalination system using wicks/solar still and evacuated solar water heater , 2013 .

[22]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Effect of water depths on heat and mass transfer in a passive solar still: in summer climatic condition , 2006 .

[23]  Amimul Ahsan,et al.  Mass and heat transfer model of Tubular Solar Still , 2010 .

[24]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Optimization of number of collectors for integrated PV/T hybrid active solar still , 2010 .

[25]  Hiroshi Tanaka.  Tilted wick solar still with flat plate bottom reflector , 2011 .

[26]  Seok Pil Jang,et al.  Buoyancy-driven heat transfer of water-based Al2O3 nanofluids in a rectangular cavity , 2007 .

[27]  G. Tiwari,et al.  Simple multiple wick solar still: Analysis and performance , 1981 .

[28]  Shiv Kumar,et al.  Life cycle cost analysis of single slope hybrid (PV/T) active solar still , 2009 .

[29]  Arvind Tiwari,et al.  Design, fabrication and performance of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) active solar still , 2010 .

[30]  Lovedeep Sahota,et al.  Effect of nanofluids on the performance of passive double slope solar still: a comparative study using characteristic curve. , 2016 .

[31]  Aghareed M. Tayeb.  Performance study of some designs of solar stills , 1992 .

[32]  Nader Rahbar,et al.  Estimation of convective heat transfer coefficient and water-productivity in a tubular solar still – CFD simulation and theoretical analysis , 2015 .

[33]  A. M. Fathy,et al.  Cost analysis for several solar desalination systems , 2016 .

[34]  Hongfei Zheng,et al.  Experimental and numerical investigation on a novel solar still with vertical ripple surface , 2015 .

[35]  Manuel Fuentes,et al.  Solar still with vapor adsorption basin: Performance analysis , 2014 .

[36]  Swapnil Dubey,et al.  Thermal modeling of a combined system of photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) solar water heater , 2008 .

[37]  Farshad Farshchi Tabrizi,et al.  Theoretical and experimental study of cascade solar stills , 2013 .

[38]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Effect of energy matrices on life cycle cost analysis of partially covered photovoltaic compound parabolic concentrator collector active solar distillation system , 2016 .

[39]  Somchai Wongwises,et al.  Solar stills: A review of the latest developments in numerical simulations , 2016 .

[40]  Ibrahim M. Al-Helal,et al.  Experimental studies of active solar still integrated with two hybrid PVT collectors , 2016 .

[41]  S. Aboul-Enein,et al.  Effect of fin configuration parameters on single basin solar still performance , 2015 .

[42]  Ahmad Banakar,et al.  Experimental performance evaluation of a stand-alone point-focus parabolic solar still , 2014 .

[43]  Pankaj K. Srivastava,et al.  Experimental and theoretical analysis of single sloped basin type solar still consisting of multiple low thermal inertia floating porous absorbers , 2013 .

[44]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Characteristic equation of double slope passive solar still , 2011 .

[45]  Michael S. Okundamiya,et al.  An experimental study on a hemispherical solar still , 2012 .

[46]  Hassan E.S. Fath,et al.  Effect of adding a passive condenser on solar still performance , 1992 .

[47]  Nagamany Nirmalakhandan,et al.  Low temperature desalination using solar collectors augmented by thermal energy storage , 2012 .

[48]  Zhang Xiaoyan,et al.  A group of improved heat and mass transfer correlations in solar stills , 2002 .

[49]  H. N. Singh,et al.  Present status of solar distillation , 2003 .

[50]  K. Khanafer,et al.  A critical synthesis of thermophysical characteristics of nanofluids , 2011 .

[51]  Rajendra Singh Adhikari,et al.  Estimation of mass‐transfer rates in solar stills , 1990 .

[52]  K. Kalidasa Murugavel,et al.  Theoretical and experimental investigation on double basin double slope solar still , 2013 .

[53]  Shigeki Toyama,et al.  Experimental and numerical analysis of a tube-type networked solar still for desert technology , 2006 .

[54]  Moh’d A. Al-Nimr,et al.  Modeling of a novel concentrated solar still enhanced with a porous evaporator and an internal condenser , 2015 .

[55]  P. Monowe,et al.  A portable single-basin solar still with an external reflecting booster and an outside condenser , 2011 .

[56]  P. T. Tsilingiris,et al.  Modeling heat and mass transport phenomena at higher temperatures in solar distillation systems - The Chilton-Colburn analogy , 2010 .

[57]  Janusz Wojtkowiak,et al.  Simple Formulas for Thermophysical Properties of Liquid Water for Heat Transfer Calculations (from 0°C to 150°C) , 1998 .

[58]  Ching-Jenq Ho,et al.  Numerical simulation of natural convection of nanofluid in a square enclosure: Effects due to uncertainties of viscosity and thermal conductivity , 2008 .

[59]  A. E. Kabeel,et al.  Enhancing the stepped solar still performance using internal reflectors , 2013 .

[60]  Shengqiang Shen,et al.  Thermal and economic analyses of solar desalination system with evacuated tube collectors , 2013 .

[61]  Farshad Farshchi Tabrizi,et al.  Experimental investigation of a weir-type cascade solar still with built-in latent heat thermal energy storage system , 2010 .

[62]  H. P. Garg,et al.  Effect of climatic, operational and design parameters on the year round performance of single-sloped and double-sloped solar still under Indian arid zone conditions , 1976 .

[63]  M. S. Sodha,et al.  Performance of a double condensing multiple wick solar still , 1984 .

[64]  George Kanawaty,et al.  Introduction to work study , 1992 .

[65]  Ravishankar Sathyamurthy,et al.  Factors affecting the performance of triangular pyramid solar still , 2014 .

[66]  N. Gunasekaran,et al.  Thermal models of solar still—A comprehensive review , 2015 .

[67]  Khamid Mahkamov,et al.  Determination of rational design parameters of a multi-stage solar water desalination still using transient mathematical modelling , 2010 .

[68]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Economic analyses of various designs of conventional solar stills , 1986 .

[69]  P. Tsilingiris.  Theoretical derivation and comparative evaluation of mass transfer coefficient modeling in solar distillation systems – The Bowens ratio approach , 2015 .

[70]  K. Kalidasa Murugavel,et al.  A review of different methods to enhance the productivity of the multi-effect solar still , 2013 .

[72]  Shiv Kumar,et al.  A solar still augmented with an evacuated tube collector in forced mode , 2014 .

[73]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Solar Energy: Fundamentals, Design, Modelling and Applications , 2002 .

[74]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Comparative designs and long term performance of various designs of solar distiller , 1987 .

[75]  A. S. Abdullah.  Improving the performance of stepped solar still , 2013 .

[76]  Thirugnanasambantham Arunkumar,et al.  The augmentation of distillate yield by using concentrator coupled solar still with phase change material , 2013 .

[77]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Comparison of internal heat transfer coefficients in passive solar stills by different thermal models: An experimental validation , 2009 .

[78]  Ibrahim M. Al-Helal,et al.  Exergoeconomic and enviroeconomic analyses of partially covered photovoltaic flat plate collector active solar distillation system , 2015 .

[79]  P. T. Tsilingiris,et al.  Combined heat and mass transfer analyses in solar distillation systems – The restrictive conditions and a validity range investigation , 2012 .

[80]  G. Tiwari,et al.  Renewable Energy Resources: Basic Principles and Applications , 2005 .

[81]  A. A. Hussien,et al.  Thermal analysis of a conical solar still performance: An experimental study , 2015 .

[82]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Performance of a solar still integrated with evacuated tube collector in natural mode , 2013 .

[83]  G. Tiwari,et al.  Estimation of convective mass transfer in solar distillation systems , 1996 .

[84]  H. P. Garg,et al.  Studies on various designs of solar distillation systems , 1984 .

[85]  M. K. Gaur,et al.  Development of empirical relation to evaluate the heat transfer coefficients and fractional energy in basin type hybrid (PV/T) active solar still , 2010 .

[86]  P. T. Tsilingiris,et al.  The influence of binary mixture thermophysical properties in the analysis of heat and mass transfer processes in solar distillation systems , 2007 .

[87]  Tapas K. Mallick,et al.  Performance analysis of an evacuated multi-stage solar water desalination system , 2012 .

[88]  Ugur Atikol,et al.  An experimental study on an inclined solar water distillation system , 2005 .

[89]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Single basin solar still coupled with flat plate collector , 1983 .

[90]  Moussa Zerrouki,et al.  Simulation study of a capillary film solar still coupled with a conventional solar still in south Algeria , 2014 .

[91]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Thermal modeling based on solar fraction and experimental study of the annual and seasonal performance of a single slope passive solar still: The effect of water depths , 2007 .

[92]  Benjamin K. Sovacool,et al.  Valuing the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Nuclear Power: A Critical Survey , 2008 .

[93]  Trad Abderachid,et al.  Effect of orientation on the performance of a symmetric solar still with a double effect solar still (comparison study) , 2013 .

[94]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Theoretical evaluation of solar distillation under natural circulation with heat exchanger , 1990 .

[95]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Exergoeconomic, enviroeconomic and sustainability analyses of a novel air cooler , 2012 .

[96]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Analytical expression for instantaneous exergy efficiency of a shallow basin passive solar still , 2011 .

[97]  G. N. Tiwari,et al.  Advanced Renewable Energy Sources , 2011 .