ABSTRACT
The present research work delves into the thermodynamic modeling and analysis of concentric tubular solar stills (CTSS) using a rigorous mathematical approach. The primary objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the system’s behavior by formulating and analyzing various crucial parameters. These parameters include the basin water temperature, inner and outer glass cover temperatures, heat transfer coefficients, heat loss coefficients, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, hourly yield, and cumulative yield. The study is specifically conducted under the environmental conditions of Nagpur city (21.1458° N, 79.0882° E), India, in the month of May 2022. By selecting this location, the present study ensures that their findings are contextually relevant and applicable to the local conditions. To facilitate the computation of results and generate informative visualizations, MATLAB code has been developed. This code allows for efficient analysis, processing, and presentation of the obtained data, enabling a comprehensive interpretation of the research findings. Results of the study indicate that hourly yield, considering only bottom losses, is 5.071 and 3.012
when water and air are used as cooling mediums, respectively. However, when all losses are taken into account, the hourly yield decreases to 4.575
and 2.555
for water and air as cooling mediums, respectively. The percentage error when water and air are used as the cooling medium by considering bottom losses is 1.05 and 3.06, while considering all losses, the error is 10.73 and 18.26.
Nomenclatures
= |
| |
= |
| |
= | n = Number of years | |
= | i = interest rate | |
= | Wcost = Water cost | |
= | Tcost = Total cost | |
= | Fcost = Fixed cost | |
= | Ccost = Capital cost | |
= | ASV = Average salvage value | |
= | S = Salvage value | |
= | SF = Sinking fund factor | |
= | A = Amortization factor | |
= | MOcost = Maintenance operational cost | |
= | Abbreviations | |
= | CTSS = Concentric tubular solar still | |
= | TSS = Tubular solar still | |
= | PCM = Phase change material | |
= | NPCM = Nano phase change material | |
= | CPC = Compound parabolic concentrators | |
W = working days | = | ATSS = Active tubular solar still |
R = Reflectivity | = | TSS = Tubular solar still |
= | Subscripts | |
= | 1 = first glass cover | |
= | 2 = second glass cover | |
Cp = Specific heat (kJ/kg.K) | = |
|
= |
| |
= |
| |
k = Thermal conductivity (W/m.k) | = |
|
= |
| |
= |
| |
= |
| |
L = Litre | = |
|
= |
| |
= |
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Institute of Technology Raipur, which has given unlimited time for reading books and both online and offline research papers.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sunil Pal
Sunil Pal, formerly a PG scholar at the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, specialized in thermal engineering. His research interests include thermal modeling analysis of solar-based thermal systems and CFD analysis. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Satish Kumar Dewangan
Dr. Satish Kumar Dewangan, an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, has published more than 50 research papers in the field of “CFD applications in solar thermal and other energy systems, CFD applications in oil-well drilling and multiphase flow systems, and rheology analysis of slurry and other complex fluids.” Currently, he is actively engaged in multiple projects related to these fields.