A numerical model and experimental investigation for a solar still in climatic conditions in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)

A solar distillation in a single basin is studied theoretically and experimentally. We present a mathematical model to describe the energy balances for the glass cover, water in the basin and base plate. The model neglects the thermal capacity of the base plate and the temperature gradient through the width of the glass. The energy equations for the glass, water and absorber are simultaneously solved. The effects of water depth, wind speed and glass cover thickness on still productivity are evaluated. The daily total production increases with decreasing water depth. A small increasing of productivity occurs with the increase of wind speed. The thickness of the glass cover has no effect on the production. An experiment has been conducted to validate the mathematical model. The relative difference between experiment and theory is 5% for temperatures, and 15% for productivity.