Performance evaluation of a production system of solar desalination by using rectangular channels with PCM at different seasons

The freshwater availability remains a big challenge for various countries in the world; especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Furthermore, to overcome the freshwater shortage problem; solar desalination technology is considered the most suitable, clean and, cost-effective solution for the drinking water production without requiring fossil assets. This paper aims to present seasonal thermal performances of single slope solar still developed by using rectangular channels filled with heat storage material. Thus, a parametric study of the developed passive solar still was numerically formulated using a finite element method carried out by COMSOL Multiphysics to predict the effect of design parameters: number and width of rectangular channels. Hence, the optimum values were tested at various seasons to define the increasing rate of daily yield. In fact, for selected typical days, it was deduced from the simulation results that the optimal design for modified solar still with rectangular channels is suggested with 5 numbers and 2 cm width for best output productivity. Also, the analysis of MSSRC during autumn, winter, spring, and summer shows that the daily yield is 24.40%, 37.79%, 9.80%, and 22.66% greater than the conventional solar still respectively.