Hemispherical Solar Distiller Performance Utilizing Hybrid Storage Media, Paraffin Wax with Nanoparticles: An Experimental Study

The traditional method of obtaining fresh water for drinking is by burning fossil fuels, emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. However, renewable energy is gaining more traction since it is available free of cost for producing fresh water. In this study, Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were distributed in a phase change material (paraffin wax) that had been fixed at a hemispherical distiller water basin. Three scenarios with three hemispherical distillers were examined. A conventional hemispherical distiller (CHD), a conventional hemispherical distiller with paraffin wax as a phase change material (CHD-PCM), and a conventional hemispherical distiller with PCM partially filled with Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (CHD-N-PCM) were tested under the same climatic conditions. The experimental results showed that CHD gave a daily yield of 4.85 L/m²/day, while CHD-PCM increased the yield to up to 6.2 L/m²/day with a 27.84% daily yield enhancement. The addition of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles to paraffin wax CHD-N-PCM improved hemispherical distillate yield up to 8.3 L/m²/day with a 71.13% increase over CHD yield.