ABSTRACT

In recent years, attention has been focused on development of various designs

of solar still in order to overcome limitations possesses by conventional single basin
single slope solar still. The pyramid solar still is one of the results of such
development. In pyramid solar still square pyramid gives more productivity than
other shape.

The experimental system will involve four identical stills, one of the stills
being the conventional square pyramid and the remaining three stills are modified
square pyramid still with different wick materials such as jute clothes, terry cloths,
etc., Due to vertical wick placed in the still, due to the capillary effect water will
flows in upward direction in the wick. This effect will enhance the evaporation rate.
So the productivity also increases.

The experiment will take place in a wide range of ambient temperatures and
solar radiation. Solar radiation as well as the collection of distilled water will be
recorded during the experiments on different days of operation.

Keywords: Square pyramid solar still, Wick materials, Productivity.

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 Arrangement of Chapters depending upon the project
CHAPTER1
INTRODUCTION

Water is a basic necessity of man along with food and air. Fresh water
resourcesusually available are rivers, lakes and underground water reservoirs. About
71% of the planet is covered in water, yet of all of that 96.5% of the planet's water is
found in oceans, 1.7% in groundwater, 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps and 0.001%
in the air as vapor and clouds, Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is freshwater and
98.8% of that water is in ice and groundwater. Less than 1% of all freshwater is in
rivers, lakes and the atmosphere.

Distillation is one of many processes available for water purification, and

sunlight is one of several forms of heat energy that can be used to power that
process. To dispel common belief, it is not necessary to boil water to distill it.
Simply elevating its temperature, short of boiling, will adequately increase the
evaporation rate. In fact, although vigorous boiling hastens the distillation process it
also can force unwanted residue into the distillate, defeating purification.

Solar Distillation is by far the most reliable, least costly method of 99.9%
true purification of most types of contaminated water especially in developing
nations where fuel is scarce or too expensive. Solar distillation is used to produce
drinking water or to produce pure water for lead acid batteries, laboratories, hospitals
and in producing commercial products such as rose water. Conventional boiling
distillation consumes three kilowatts of energy for every gallon of water, while solar
distillation uses only the free pure power of the sun. Expensive filtration and
deionizing systems are even more expensive to purchase and use and will not totally
purify the water by removing all contaminants. No additional heat or electrical
energy is required in our still and even after the sun sets, distillation continues at a
slower pace into the night. Recently, we’ve been experimenting with a unique
optional solar energy booster using our top quality “Sola Reflex reflector” to
increase the water vaporization by increasing the temperature on the internal fluid
heat absorber. This will add efficiency and increases the amount of daily pure water
production.

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1.1 INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION:

Solar still is a device that produces pure water without the use of any
conventional source of energy. We have non-conventional sources of energy
(sunlight, wind etc.) available in abundant amount especially sunlight which can be
harnessed for useful purposes. The demand for pure water is rising and we have an
abundant amount of brackish or saline water which can be used for harnessing usable
water to meet the present demand. Solar energy being a cheap source of energy can
be utilized for producing fresh water. It is also an eco-friendly process and does not
require any skilled labour for its operation or maintenance. The installation cost is
also low. Despite being uneconomical it has proved to be one of the best desalination
systems.

1.2 WATER PURIFICATION:

It is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological

contaminants,suspended solids and gases from contaminated water. The goal is to
produce water fit
for a specific purpose. Most water is purified for human consumption (drinking
water), but water purification may also be designed for a variety of other purposes,
including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacological, chemical and
industrial applications. In general the methods used include physical processes such
as filtration, sedimentation, and distillation, biological processes such as slow sand
filters or biologically active carbon, chemical processes such as flocculation and
chlorination and the use of electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light.

1.3 NEEDS AND SPECIFICATIONS OF WATER PURIFICATION:

Our project on converting the roughly 99.6% of water that is, in its natural
form, undrinkable, into clean and usable water. After researching and investigation,
we outlined our needs to be the following:-
1. Efficiently produce at 2 gallons of potable water per day minimum.
2. Able to purify water from virtually any source, included the ocean.
3. Relatively inexpensive to remain accessible to a wide range of audiences.
4. Easy to use interface.
5. Intuitive setup and operation.
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 6. Provide clean useful drinking water without the need for an external energy
source.
7. Reasonably compact and portable.
Our aim is to accomplish this goal by utilizing and converting the incoming
radioactive power of the sun's rays to heat and distill dirty and undrinkable water,
converting it into clean drinkable water. A solar parabolic trough is utilized to
effectively concentrate and increase the solid angle of incoming beam radiation,
increasing the efficiency of the system and enabling higher water temperatures to be
achieve.

1.4 BASIC CONCEPT OF SOLAR WATER DISTILLATION:

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 vapour 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. The SolAqua still is a passive solar distiller that
only needs sunshine to operate. There are no moving parts to wear out.
1.4.1 Supply Fill Port:
Water should be added to the still via this port. Water can be added either
manually orautomatically. Normally, water is added once a day (in the summer it's
normally best to fill in the late evening and in the winter, in the early morning). Care
should be taken toadd the water at a slow enough flow rate to prevent splashing onto
the interior of the stillglazing or overflowing into the collection trough.
1.4.2 Overflow Port:
Once the still basin has filled, excess water will flow out of this port.
SolAquathree times daily distilled water production to be allowed to overflow from
the still on a daily basis to prevent salt build-up in the basin.

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 Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 PYRAMID SOLAR STILL:

Pyramid solar still is one in which top cover is in the shape ofpyramid. There
were mainly two shapes covers and basin available inpyramid solar still: triangular
pyramid solar still and square pyramidsolar still. The major advantages of pyramid
solar still over conventional single slope are as follows:
1. In a conventional solar still, solar still must be located so that itsinclined surface
faces directly sun and also continuously to be movedas sun travel for gaining
maximum solar radiation throughout the day whereas in the case of pyramid solar
still, this is notrequired.
2. In the pyramid solar still, shading of side wall on water surface is lessthan that in
case of conventional single slope solar still.
3. For same basin area, condensation in pyramid shape solar still ishigher as
condensing area in pyramid shape is higher than that ofsingle slope

2.2 REVIEW ON PYRAMID SOLAR STILL:

Hamdan et al. [1] have carried out an experimental and theoretical
comparison for the performance of multiple basin solar still,K.H. Nayi, K.V. Modi
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviewstop cover in the shape of square
pyramid, at Amman, Jordan. As shown in Fig.2.1.

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 CHAPTER 3
WORKING OF SOLAR STILL

Fig.3.1 Working of SolarStill

A solar stilloperates on the same principle as rainwater: evaporation and

condensation. The water from the oceans evaporates, only to cool, condense, and
return to earth as rain. When the water evaporates, it removes only pure water and
leaves all contaminants behind. Solar stills mimic this natural process.
A solar still has a top cover made of glass, with an interior surface made of
a waterproof membrane. This interior surface uses a blackened material to improve
absorption of the sun's rays. Water to be cleaned is poured into the still to partially
fill the basin. The glass cover allows the solar radiation (short-wave) to pass into the
still, which is mostly absorbed by the blackened base.

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 CHAPTER 4
DESIGN OF SQUARE PYRAMID SOLAR STILL

4.1 DESIGN OBJECTIVES FOR AN EFFICIENT SOLAR STILL:

For high efficiency the solar still should maintain:-

1. High feed (undistilled) water temperature
2. Large temperature difference between feed water and condensing surface
3. Low vapour leakage.
A high feed water temperature can be achieved if:-
1. A high proportion of incoming radiation is absorbed by the feed water as
heat. Hence low absorption glazing and a good radiation absorbing surface
are required
2. Heat losses from the floor and walls are kept low
3. The water is shallow so there is not so much to heat.
A large temperature difference can be achieved if:-
1. The condensing surface absorbs little or none of the incoming radiation
2. Condensing water dissipates heat which must be removed rapidly from the
condensing surface by, for example, a second flow of water or air, or by
condensing at night.

4.2 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS:

Different designs of solar still have emerged. The square pyramid solar still is
a relatively simple device to construct and operate. However, the low productivity of
the Solar still triggered the initiatives to look for ways to improve its productivity
and Efficiency. These may be classified into passive and active methods. Passive
methods include the use of dye or charcoal to increase the solar absorptivity of water,
applying good insulation, lowering the water depth in the basin to lower its thermal
capacity, ensuring vapour tightness, using black gravel and rubber, using floating
perforated black plate, and using reflective side walls.

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 CHAPTER 5
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

This chapter deals with the design aspects of different modes of solar stills,
experimental setup, measurement parameters, description of measuring instruments,
experimental uncertainties, experimental precautions and experimental methods.

5.1 ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF SOLAR STILL:

A basin still basically consists of the following six essential components
a) basin,
b) wooden box,
c) insulation,
d) support structure,
e) distillate trough
The basin contains saline water for distillation. It needs to be (i) water proof, (ii) dark
so that it will absorb the sunlight and convert it to heat and (iii) it should have a
relatively smooth surface to make it easier to clean any sediment from it. The
insulation material should have a low thermal conductivity in order to reduce the
heat losses from the still and the support structure should be strong enough to carry
the total weight of the solar distillation system. The materials, which are used for
fabricating the present solar distillation system, are discussed in the following
section.

5.2 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP:

Four square pyramid solar still units are fabricatedwith same design
parameters, and tested under field conditions in the test field of the Mechanical
Engineering Department, ADITYA ENGINEERING, SURAMPALEM, ANDHRA
PRADESH, INDIA(Latitude: 17.0814° N, Longitude: 82.0571° E). The schematic
diagram and the pictorial view of single slope single basin solar distillation units are
shown in Figures and respectively.The experimental setup consists of a square
pyramid solar distillation unit with condensing cover inclination 45°. The bottom
surface of the still was paintedblack for greater absorptivity.
The basin is designed for a maximum depth of 80 mm .Because of square
pyramid water evaporated gets stick to the walls of pyramid and after condensation
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takes place distilled water flows towards fixed collectors which are provided at the
bottom of square pyramid. The height of square pyramid is 270mm.whereas the
basin area is 500x500(0.25m2).It is made of copper sheet of 0.3mm thickness.
Condensing cover is made of plainglass 4 mm thick, fixed to the top of the stills.
Glass has been framed and sealed with silicon gel, which plays an important role to
promote efficient operation.

Table 5.1 Technical specification of the solar still

SPECIFICATION DIMENSIONS

Basin area 0.25m2

Glass area 0.29m2

Emissivity of glass 0.88

Emissivity of water 0.96

Thickness of wood 20mm

Thermal conductivity of wood 0.055 W/Mk

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 CHAPTER 6
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
6.1 EFFECT OF WATER QUANTITY IN THE BASIN:
The main objective of this study is to find the suitable water quantity of the
square pyramid solar still in the conventional mode operation for conducting the
remaining experimental studies with modifications like different vertical wick
materials, coloured wick material etc. This experiment is performed during March
2018 under the same climatic conditions by varying the water depth in the basin, like
2litre, 3litre, 4litre, 5litre. The dayaverage solar intensity and water temperature for
different water quantity are given in Table 6.1. It can be noted from the Table 6.1
that the productivity is high when ambient temperature is high. This may be due to
reduction in convection heat loss from glass surface to ambient by decreasing the
temperature difference between glass surface and ambient.

Table 6.1 Day average solar intensity and water temperature for different water
quantity
Water Solar
water Distilled water
quantity intensity,
Temperature ̊c Output(ml)
(litre) W/m2s
2 930 54 1320
3 930 54 1120
4 930 54 960
5 930 54 800

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 productivity of salt still with sea water proportion
1600
1400

productivity (ml/m2)
1200
1000
800
600
water proportion %
productivity (ml/m2)
400
200
0
1 2 3 4 5

Graph 6.1 productivity Vs quantity water

6.2 EFFECT OF SALT CONTENT IN WATER:

This experiment is performed during March 2018 under the same climatic
conditions by varying the proportions of sea water and tap water in the basin like
100%salt water,75% salt water with 25% tap water,50%salt water with 50% tap
water,25%salt water with 75% tap water,0%salt water.The day average solar
intensity and water temperature for different water quantity are given in Table 6.2. It
can be noted from the Table 6.2 that the productivity is high when ambient
temperature is high. This is due to high salt content in 100% salt water.

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 CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK
7.1 CONCLUSIONS
From the experimental and analytical studies, several parameters were found
to influence the performance of the square pyramid solar still. These are discussed
below:
Effect of Water Quantity
1. When the water quantity increases, the output of the still decrease. It is also
pointed out that the operating temperature of the vapour and basin water are
lowered when the water quantity is increased.
2. The highest daily productivity of 1320 ml/m2 was obtained for a quantity of
2litre, which is 39.3% more than that achieved for a water quantity of 5litre.
3. It is observed that a much longer time (between three hours to four hours) is
taken by the higher water quantity (5litre) when compared to 2litre water
quantity, to attain a positive.
Effect of Salt Content in Water
1. Sea water is diluted with tap water in different proportions. It is clearly
stated in previous chapter.100% sea water is giving maximum productivity.
2. The highest daily productivity is 1360 ml/m2 was obtained for 100% sea
water, which is 29.41% more than 0% salt water.
3. It is also observed that 100% salt water’s output is having less TDS and pH
value than compared with other proportions of water.
Effect of Wick Material
1. It is observed that the wick material has influence on the performance of the
solar still in many ways. Due to this wick material evaporation rate is
accelerated. Different wick materials like jute, woollen, terry, polyester are
used.
2. The highest productivity is 2080 ml/m2 for woollen wick. which is 31.02%
more than that of solar still without wick.
3. Woolen cloth has given the productivity of 25% more than that polyester.
4. This productivity difference due to porosity of wick material compared to
jute woolen has 7% more porosity, 38%more when compared with Polyester.

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Purity of Water
1. The hardness of water before distillation is 970 ppm at 29°C (room
temperature) and after distillation is 12 ppm at 28 °C.
2. The PH value of water before distillation is 8.6 and after distillation is 7.1.
3. Preventing the leakages in the glass edges and cleaning glass surfaces
regularly improves the yield.

7.2 FUTURE WORK

The present studies that have been carried out can also be extended square
pyramid solar still that includes:

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REFERENCES
The following format may be used for writing the Bibliography/References.

Author Name, Title of the book or paper, Publisher name, volume, year, page no.

Ex: (An article in a journal)

[1] Hamdan MA, Musa AM, Jubran BA. Performance of solar still under Jordanian
climate. Energy Convers Manag 1999;40:495–503

[2] Kalaivani S, Radhakrishnan ST. Heat mass transfer and thermophysical analysis
forpyramid type solar still. Int J Sci Res 2013;2(9):181–4..
[3] Al-Hassan GA, Algarni SA. Exploring of water distillation by single solar still
basins.Am J Clim Change 2013;2:57–61.
[4] SenthilRajan A, Raja K, Marimuthu P. Increasing the productivity of pyramid
solarstill augmented with biomass heat source and analytical validation using RSM.
Desalin Water Treat 2015:1–14.

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