International Journal of Applied Research & Studies ISSN 2278 9480

Review Paper

Review on Performance and Development of Experimental Setup

of Solar Water Distillation
Authors
1

Kanu Gohel*, Avdhoot N. Jejurkar, 3 Chetan Jaiswal

2

Address for Correspondence:

1
2, 3

Mechanical Engineering Department, Gujarat Technological University, Gujarat, India

Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Parul Institute of Engineering &
Technology, Gujarat Technological University, Gujarat, India

Abstract:
In most of the developing countries an acute
shortage of good and clean drinking water is a
major problem. The water in case of streams, wells
and rivers are often found polluted and unsafe for
direct use as drinking water. In addition, there are
many coastal locations where sea water is in
abundance but not potable. Solar distillation is one
such method which utilizes solar energy to make
potable water for small communities where natural
supply of fresh water is inadequate and of poor
quality.
I. INTRODUCTION
Solar distillation is a tried and true technology. The
first known use of stills dates back to 1551 when it
was used by Arab alchemists. Other scientists and
naturalists used stills over the coming centuries
including Della Porta (1589), Lavoisier (1862), and
Mauchot (1869).The first "conventional" solar still
plant was built in 1872 by the Swedish engineer
Charles Wilson in the mining community of Las
Salinas in what is now northern Chile (Region II).
This still was a large basin-type still used for
supplying fresh water using brackish feed water to
a nitrate mining community. The plant used
wooden bays which had blackened bottoms using
logwood dye and alum. The total area of the
distillation plant was 4,700 square meters. On a
typical summer day this plant produced 4.9 kg of
distilled water per square meter of still surface, or
more than 23,000 liters per day. This first stills
plant was in operation for 40years! Over the past
century, literally hundreds of solar still plants and
thousands of individual stills have been built
around the world. The basic principles of solar
water distillation are simple yet effective, as

distillation replicates the way nature makes rain.

The sun's energy heats water to the point of
evaporation. As the water evaporates, water vapor
rises, condensing on the glass surface for
collection. This process removes impurities such as
salts and heavy metals as well as eliminates
microbiological organisms. The end result is water
cleaner than the purest rainwater.
II. METHODS FOR SOLAR WATER
PURIFICATION [1]
Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS)
Solar water disinfection is a low technology, simple
process of purifying water using solar energy and
solar radiation. SODIS as a technology. The
process involves contaminated water being filled in
transparent PET or glass bottles which are then
exposed to the sun for approximately 6 hours. The
UV rays of sun eliminate the diarrhea-causing
pathogens, thereby making the water fit for
consumption.
Solar Water Distillation
Solar water distillation uses a solar still to
condense pure water vapor and settle out harmful
substances to make clean, pure drinking water. This
process is used when the water is brackish
containing harmful bacteria, or for settling out
heavy metals and also for desalination of sea water.
Solar Water Pasteurization
Solar water pasteurization involves the use of
moderate heat or radiation to kill disease - causing
microbes. This heat is provided from cookers that

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International Journal of Applied Research & Studies ISSN 2278 9480

trap solar energy. This method has proven to kill
bacteria, viruses, worms and protozoa.
Solar Water Purification
This method integrates electricity generated from
solar energy for water purification. Solar panels
generate power for a battery which is used for
filtration and purification systems. These structures
are generally mobile and are immensely helpful for
disaster - relief efforts. They also come in various
sizes meant for small scale use to
commercial/community supply.
III. TYPES OF SOLAR WATER
DISTILLATION ACCORDING TO DESIGNS
Al-Hayek. Imad et al.[2]The first design is an
asymmetrical still with mirrors on the walls. The
second design is a symmetrical still . The water
output of the asymmetrical still was measured to be
30% higher than the symmetrical version. The
asymmetrical design operated at a higher
temperature. This is mostly due to the mirrors on
the side and back walls. The mirrors reduced heat
energy loss and reflected all incoming solar
radiation towards the basin. Since the asymmetrical
design has three insulated walls where the mirrors
reside, there is less area for heat energy to escape.

IV. ABOUT

THE SOLAR WATER

DISTILLATION

Existing desalination plants used fossils fuels as a

source of energy. The conventional distillation
process namely reverse osmosis, electro dialysis,
multi-effect evaporation etc are not only energy
intensive but also uneconomical when the demand
for the fresh water is small [3]. Solar distillation is
the only attractive process for saline/brackish water
by using solar energy. The basin type solar stills are
simple in design, manufacturing, operation and
economical .But the productivity of fresh water is
low on an average of 2.5 l/m2 day. Enhancing the
stills yield has been studied by several
investigators, suggesting various approaches. M.S.
Sodha et al [4] analysized solar still with double roof
.R.A Collins et al [5] made tests on a simple solar
still coupled with an external condenser. M .Boukar
et al [6] made comparative study on simple basin
solar still. A solar powered distillation device will
contain three basic components: a basin in which
the contaminated water is contained, a surface
above said feed water for the water vapor to
condense onto (i.e. a glass pane), and a catch basin
for the distilled water to drain into [7].

FIG. 3: BASIC SOLAR POWERED WATER DISTILLER [7].

[2]

FIG. 1: ASYMMETRICAL SOLAR STILL DESIGN .

FIG. 2: SYMMETRICAL SOLAR STILL DESIGN [2].

The symmetrical design has more area where heat

loss occurs. In conclusion, the asymmetrical solar
still with mirrors is a superior design with greater
efficiency and higher overall water output. In
conclusion, the basic asymmetrical still design is
more efficient and less expensive.

During operation of the distiller, solar energy is

collected by the feed water. When enough energy is
absorbed by the water, the water undergoes a phase
change. The water vapours then rises and comes
into contact with the cooler transparent, inclined
surface. Here the vapour once again goes through a
phase change from vapour back to liquid. The
water then condenses and runs off the transparent
inclined surface into a collection bin. The
distillation process rids the contaminated water of
any impurities and most commonly found chemical
contaminants within the environment. These
contaminants are left behind in the basin [7].
V. DESIGN PARAMETER
There are a number of parameters which affect the
performance of a solar still. These are broadly
classified as [8]
[1] Climatic Parameters
Solar Radiation
Ambient Temperature
Wind Speed

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International Journal of Applied Research & Studies ISSN 2278 9480

Outside Humidity
Sky Conditions
[2] Design Parameters
Single slope or double slope
Glazing material
Water depth in Basin
Bottom insulation
Orientation of still
Inclination of glazing
Spacing between water and glazing
Type of solar still
[3] Operational Parameters
Water Depth
Preheating of Water
Coloring of Water
Salinity of Water.

FIG. 6: EFFECT OF SODIUM LAURYL SULPHATE ON

PRODUCTIVITY OF DISTILLED WATER [9].

VI. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

R Prasad. NL Singh. Et al.[9] have been made to
enhance the performance of a single slope solar
water distiller by the application of various
techniques separately as well as combining all the
techniques together, like change in water depth,
performance with reflector or without reflector, or
use of various material.

FIG. 7: EFFECT OF KMNO4 WATER SOLUTION ON

PRODUCTIVITY OF DISTILLED WATER [9].

Rajesh.Bharath. et al.[10] have been made to

enhance the performance of a active distillation
system with flate plate collector or without flate
plate collector.

FIG. 8: EXPERIMENTAL SET UP WITH COLLECTOR [10].

FIG. 4: TIME VS. TEMPERATURE AND DIFFERENT

WATER DEPTH [9].

FIG. 9: EXPERIMENTAL SET UP WITHOUT COLLECTOR

[10]
.

FIG. 5: TIME VS PRODUCTIVITY OF DISTILLED WATER

WITH AND WITHOUT REFLECTOR [9].

FIG. 10: VARIATION OF HOURLY TEMPERATURE FOR

RIVER WATER COUPLED WITH FPC [10].

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International Journal of Applied Research & Studies ISSN 2278 9480

FIG. 11: THE VARIATION OF HOURLY TEMPERATURE

FOR RIVER WATER WITH SOLAR STILL ALONE [10].

MD Irfan Ali et al.[11]have presented performance

on the experimental set up of double slope solar
still. It consists of condensing cover having angle
of 15 degree. They had used to grandunar activated
carbon for increasing efficiency of still.

FIG. 13:
PERFORMANCE OF STILL WITH AND
WITHOUT GAC AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS WITH
RESPECT TO AMBIENT TEMP [11].

Stephen Coffrin.et al.[7] have presented about

development and analysis of the thermal circuit for
a simple asymmetrical solar distiller. This thermal
circuit models the convection, conduction, and
radiation of energy throughout the device, as well
as the evaporation and condensation processes.
From this thermal circuit, an energy balance at
three nodes and a spreadsheet program was
developed. The thermal circuit was validated by
building and testing two small-scale prototypes,
and recording nodal temperature values.

FIG. 12: SKETCH OF A SOLAR STILL [11].

The experiment was performed at SRM University

Chennai, on two different dates july 15th and 17th,
for two different water heights in the still mixing
the water with granular activated carbon.
TABLE 1: HOURLY AVERAGE VALUES CALCULATED
USING 8 HOURS EXPERIMENTAL DATA FOR 0.3M OF
WATER DEPTH ON 15TH JULY [11].

FIG. 14: SIMPLE THERMAL CIRCUIT [7].

TABLE 2: HOURLY AVERAGE VALUES CALCULATED

USING 8 HOURS EXPERIMENTAL DATA FOR 0.1M OF
WATER DEPTH ON 17TH JULY [11].

Assumptions:
Temperature difference between one side
of the glass to the other is negligible.
Temperature difference between Tw and
the basin is negligible.
There is no heat loss through the side
walls
Tw is uniform.
No vapor leakage.
qevap= qcond.

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International Journal of Applied Research & Studies ISSN 2278 9480

of holes=6,Type: Steel, Pitch = 92mm. Black cloth
wick: l=900mm,b=700mm w=240 GSM. Other
components: M-Seals, PVC pipes (2000m long,
15.875*10-6mm size), hoses (8000m, 19.05mm
size, two valve (12.7*10-6mm size), Four parallel
nipples (12.7*10-6mm size, 152.4* 10-6mm long
GI Type).

From these energy balances, a spreadsheet program

was developed that allows for an iterative process
to determine required area for a specified water
output. Variable inputs include area of still, area of
glass, outside temperature of test location,
insulation length and thermal conductivity, known
daily sum of solar radiation (based on location),
average wind velocity of location, number of
daylight hours, and desired water output, as well as
correlations for natural and forced convection heat
transfer coefficients on involved surfaces.
The solar still was determined to be about 1 m2 to
output 2 gallons of clean drinking water. These
inputs also gave a glass temperature of 334 K and a
water temperature of 354 K. This temperature
difference indicates that water will condense onto
the glass.

FIG. 16: OVERVIEW OF ISWD SYSTEM [12]

Water is filled in the tank in the morning and the

valves are opened and fixed at a particular position
to maintain same inlet flow rates. Inclination angle
0
0
was taken in between 10 to 20 according to
environmental conditions of Trichy. Amount of
water collected in ml were noted for every 60
minutes from 9am to 4pm of sunny days and were
tabulated.
The efficiencies of the two systems were calculated
at certain point of period of time. Plots are drawn
for different factors like intensity, flow rate of
distilled water, hot water temperature and distilled
water temperature and efficiency against time. The
following basic formula used for calculating the
solar still efficiency of the ISWD System.
= (m*/I*A)*100

FIG.15: 2ND PROTOTYPE TESTING THERMOCOUPLE

RESULTS [7].

K.N. Sheeba. S.Jaisankar et al.[12] have designed

and tested Inclined solar water distillation systems
(ISWDS), under actual environmental conditions
of Trichy, Tamilnadu, India, one with bare plate
and the other with black cloth wick.
The design considerations of the system for
fabrication are explained in the figure.
Outercase:l=930mm,b=730mm,w=18m,Type:Plyw
ood.GlassCover:l=900mm,b=700mm,w=5.5mm,Ty
pe:Transparentglass.AbsorberPlate:l=900mm,b=70
0mm,w=0.2mm.
Type:
Aluminum
sheet.
Distribution Plate: D=12.7*10-6mm,l=670mm,no

FIG. 17: VARIATION OF SOLAR INTENSITY WITH TIME

[12]

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FIG. 18: VARIATION OF SOLAR INTENSITY WITH

TIME [12]

The performance trend of solar still with black

cloth wick is same as that of bare plate but the
production of fresh water is increased and hot water
production decreased with higher temperatures than
bare plate. The feed water falls on to the absorber
plate (i.e bare plate); The water falls down on the
bare plate is not evenly distributed over the width
of the plate. This is mainly due to buckling of plate
caused by increasing temperature and the feed
water has less residence time on the bare plate.
Hence the production of fresh water is lesser than
black cloth wick type still where as hot water
production increased with smaller temperatures.

The system was tested with two variants: bare

plate, black-cloth wick. The effect of the wick on
the performance of the solar still was observed. The
fresh water generation rate increased when wick
was used instead of a bare plate. It was proved that
the longer the flowing water is held on the absorber
plate, the greater the rate of evaporation, leading to
an increase in the amount of distilled water.
Therefore, it has been observed that the ISWD
System with wick has improved performance over
the bare type because of 1) Higher retaining
capacity of wick. 2) Higher retention time for
water. 3) Efficient utilization of absorbed
temperature.
NOMENCLATURE
Twater Temperature of the water in the basin
Tglass Temperature of the glass surface above the basin. As
seen in Figure 3, this is the surface that water will condense
onto.
Tair Temperature of the air between the water and glass.
T - Ambient temperature around the solar still
Qsolar Solar energy entering the system
Qevap Energy required to evaporate a given amount of water
qcond Energy required to condense a given amount of water
A Area of the basin
Ag Area of the glass
kins Thermal conductivity of insulation
lins Length of insulation
h - heat transfer coefficient for convection from T g to T
hg heat transfer coefficient for convection from Tair to Tg
hw heat transfer coefficient for convection from T w to Tair
Stefan-Boltzmann Constant (5.670 x 10-8 W/m2 * K4)
emissivity of glass

REFERENCES
1.
2.

3.
FIG. 19: VARIATION HOT WATER FLOW RATE WITH
TIME FOR BARE PLATE[12]

4.
5.

6.

7.

8.

FIG. 20: VARIATION HOT WATER FLOW RATE

WITH TIME FOR BLACK PLATE[12]

9.

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Solar water treatment:

http//climatelab.org/solar_water_tretment
Al-Hayek, Imad. Badran.The Effect Of Using
Different Designs Of Solar Stills On Water
Distillation. Desalination, Volume 169. 2004. Pages
121-127., Omar O.
A.N Khalifa , Evaluation and energy balance study
of solar still with an inernal condenser, JSER 3(1)
1-11 (1985)
M.S Sodha, J.K Nayak,G.N Tiwari and A. Kumar ,
Energy conservation ,Mgmt 20,23(1980)
R.A Collins and T. Thomson , Forced convection
multiple effect still for desalting and brackish water
, proc,of the United Nations Conf. Rome 6 ,205217(1961)
Ahmad.S.Y, S.D Gomkale, R.L.Datta, and D.S.Datar
1968 slope and development of solar stills for water
desalination in India, desalination 5, 64-74
Stephen Coffrin, Eric Frasch,Mike Santorella, Mikio
Yanagisawa,Solar Powered Water Distillation
Device Department of Mechanical, Industrial and
Manufacturing Engineering College of Engineering,
Northeastern UniversityBoston, December 4, 2007.
Anirudh Biswas, Ruby, Distillation of Water by
Solar Energy VSRD international journal of mech.
Auto. & production engg. VSRD-MAP, Vol. 2 (5),
2012, 166-173
R Prasad, MK Kureel, NL Singh, Experimental
Studies On Improvement Of The Performance Of A

International Journal of Applied Research & Studies ISSN 2278 9480

Solar Water Distiller Applying Various Techniques
Inter J Curr Trends Sci Tech, 1(4): 194206 (2010)
10. Rajesh .A.M , Bharath .K.N, Dept. of Mechanical
Engineering, S.J.M.I.T, Chitradurga, Karnataka, &
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Univ. B.D.T
College of Engineering, Davangere, Karnataka,
India.
11. MD Irfan Ali, R. Senthilkumar and R. Mahendren
Modelling of Solar Still Using Granular Activated
Carbon in Matlab Bonfring International Journal
of Power Systems and Integrated Circuits, Vol. 1,
Special Issue, December 2011
,

12.

K.N. Sheeba, S.Jaisankar P. Prakash Performance

Study On An Inclined Solar Water Distillation
System International Journal of Chemical and
Environmental Engineering, February 2012, Volume
3, No.1.

gohelraj07@gmail.com * Corresponding Author Email-Id

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