Convection heat transfer of stepped basin single slope solar still: A numerical investigation

Abstract

Solar-powered desalination is a quick and easy way to make drinking water. Numerous solar distillation systems have been investigated for various parameter modifications based on local resource availability. In this work, a solar still with a modified stepped basin is investigated to raise the rate of internal evaporation and, therefore the output yield of the solar still. Stepped basin solar stills are taken into consideration for the study since they are very effective because the water's surface exposure to radiation is greater. Thus, increasing the rate of internal water evaporation enhances the rate of convective heat transfer between the evaporating and condensing surfaces, leading to improved and consistent output. The two-dimensional stepped basin single slope solar still was investigated and contrasted with the traditional single slope still in terms of heat transfer and fluid dynamics. To optimize the configuration for better performance in various types of climatic and operational circumstances that imitate the scenario of daily life, design elements such as the number of steps and the different heights of the basin are also taken into account. Each step was added with far more success than the one before it, up until the length was reduced to 1.16% of the entire shorter length. This numerical study enables us to draw the conclusion that the rise in natural heat transfer rate with the addition of steps is mostly caused by the increased surface area and the inherently restrictive nature within the domain. Additionally, with an increase in Rayleigh number, Ra, the gradient variations of the traditional single slope solar still overheat transfer features have been greatly regulated and successfully raised for the modified stepped basin Solar still.