https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0833-0322
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ABSTRACT
Solar desalination offers a promising solution to conserve energy and meet the growing demand for freshwater. To improve the productivity of solar stills, the incorporation of fins on the absorber has been explored. This study aims at investigating the impact of various fin geometric parameters on solar still efficiency using an experimentally validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. The study specifically examines the height, width, and spacing between the fins, with three levels assessed for each parameter. Solar radiation and temperature distributions are measured through an experimental design. The discrete ordinate (DO) model is used to capture the solar radiation, while the k-ε Renormalization-group (RNG) is employed to investigate the effect of the turbulence. To ensure mesh independent results, a grid size independence test is conducted. The CFD results are validated against experiments, demonstrating an error less than 4%. The findings show that fins having a height of 30–50 mm increase basin temperature by 2.6%, boosting freshwater productivity by 0.03 l/m2.h, and improving solar still efficiency by 1.74%. Widening fin width raises water basin temperature by 10.4%, resulting in 4% efficiency enhancement. Reducing fin spacing from 130 mm to 30 mm increases productivity by 0.04 l/m2.h, which corresponds to 2.48% efficiency improvement. These findings suggest a careful consideration of fin design parameters can further enhance this efficiency.
Nomenclature
| Abbreviations | = | |
| = | Hourly productivity | |
| = | Mass transfer | |
| a | = | accuracy |
| CFD | = | Computational Fluid Dynamics |
| CSS | = | Conventional Solar Still |
| DO | = | Discrete Ordinates |
| E | = | Energy |
| F | = | Force, N |
| FSS | = | Finned Solar Still |
| g | = | gravity |
| G | = | Generation of energy |
| h | = | height, mm |
| h | = | Enthalpy |
| I | = | Solar Intensity |
| IR | = | Infrared |
| K | = | conductivity |
| P | = | Pressure |
| PCM | = | Phase change Material |
| RTE | = | Radiative Transfer Equation |
| s | = | Spacing, mm |
| Sh | = | heat source |
| Sm | = | Source term |
| SS | = | Solar Still |
| T | = | Temperature |
| TSS | = | Tubular Solar Still |
| U | = | Uncertainty |
| VOF | = | Volume Of Fluid |
| w | = | Width, mm |
| Greek symbols | = | |
| µ | = | Dynamic viscosity Pa.s |
| ơ | = | Stefan-Boltzman coefficient, W/m2.K4 |
| α | = | Volume fraction |
| ε | = | Emissivity |
| ζ | = | Transmissivity |
| η | = | Efficiency |
| ρ | = | Density, kg.m-3 |
| φ | = | phase function |
| Ω | = | Solid angle |
| Subscripts | = | |
| b | = | resilience |
| cw | = | water condensation |
| d | = | daily |
| e | = | evaporation |
| eff | = | effective |
| ew | = | water evaporation |
| g | = | glass |
| j | = | species |
| k | = | kinetic |
| l | = | condensation |
| m | = | material |
| p | = | phase p |
| q | = | phase q |
| sat | = | saturation |
| t | = | time |
| v | = | vapor |
| w | = | water |
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Zouhayar Al Adel
Zouhayar Al Adel is a university teacher in mechanical engineering, currently affiliated with the Higher Institute of Technological Studies in Medenine and the University of Gabes, Tunisia. He received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical and energy engineering from the National Engineering School at the University of Gabes, Tunisia. Dr. Al Adel’s research focus lies at the renewable energy applications and the mechanics of materials. He served as the head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at ISET Medenine for an extended period. Additionally, he took on the role of coordinator for an international project aimed at establishing a CAD certification center. His contributions included overseeing numerous training cycles for professionals in various mechanical engineering fields.
Abdallah Bouabidi
Abdallah Bouabidi is an associate professor at the University of Gabes. He holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Sfax. His research interests focus on solar energy applications.
Mouldi Cherigui
Mouldi Chrigui is a professor at the National Engineering School at the University of Gabes, Tunisia, where he serves as the head of the Mechanical, Modeling, Energy, and Materials Research Unit. He earned his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. For several years, Dr.-Ing. Chrigui worked as a Research Associate Professor at the Institute of Energy and Power Plant Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. Internationally recognized as an expert in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of combustion and dispersion of pollutants, Dr.-Ing. Chrigui has contributed significantly to this field. His extensive experience includes serving as a coordinator for numerous international projects and providing expert consultancy to various industrial companies.