TY - JOUR
T1 - Performance assessment of an innovative multi-enhanced tubular solar still using local materials
T2 - 4E evaluation
AU - Saad abdullah, Abdekader
AU - Joseph, Abanob
AU - Aljaghtham, Mutabe
AU - Sharshir, Swellam W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2026/1
Y1 - 2026/1
N2 - Freshwater scarcity is a critical global issue, especially in arid and remote regions where access to clean water is limited. Solar distillation offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach by utilizing abundant solar energy for freshwater production. However, conventional systems are often hindered by low thermal efficiency and limited water output, restricting their practical applicability. This study presents a novel enhancement of the tubular solar still through the integration of a heat pump, solar dish collector, cover cooling system, and reflective mirror. These modifications aim to improve thermal performance, water productivity, and economic viability. A conventional tubular solar still (CTSS) was used as a baseline, and the improved TSS was experimentally tested under three configurations: Case 1 included a dish collector and heat pump; Case 2 added cover cooling; and Case 3 incorporated all enhancements, including a reflective mirror. Results demonstrated significant improvements: water productivity increased from 3.17 L/m2/day (CTSS) to 16.82 L/m2/day (Case 3); thermal efficiency rose from 30.91 % to 75.02 %; and exergy efficiency improved from 1.71 % to 6.19 %. These gains represent enhancement ratios of 143 % and 220 %, respectively. Additionally, freshwater cost decreased from $0.0224/L to $0.0179/L, while CO2 emission savings increased from 0.91 to 6.30 tons annually. This work introduces a scalable, cost-effective solution that advances solar distillation performance beyond previous efforts in the literature.
AB - Freshwater scarcity is a critical global issue, especially in arid and remote regions where access to clean water is limited. Solar distillation offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach by utilizing abundant solar energy for freshwater production. However, conventional systems are often hindered by low thermal efficiency and limited water output, restricting their practical applicability. This study presents a novel enhancement of the tubular solar still through the integration of a heat pump, solar dish collector, cover cooling system, and reflective mirror. These modifications aim to improve thermal performance, water productivity, and economic viability. A conventional tubular solar still (CTSS) was used as a baseline, and the improved TSS was experimentally tested under three configurations: Case 1 included a dish collector and heat pump; Case 2 added cover cooling; and Case 3 incorporated all enhancements, including a reflective mirror. Results demonstrated significant improvements: water productivity increased from 3.17 L/m2/day (CTSS) to 16.82 L/m2/day (Case 3); thermal efficiency rose from 30.91 % to 75.02 %; and exergy efficiency improved from 1.71 % to 6.19 %. These gains represent enhancement ratios of 143 % and 220 %, respectively. Additionally, freshwater cost decreased from $0.0224/L to $0.0179/L, while CO2 emission savings increased from 0.91 to 6.30 tons annually. This work introduces a scalable, cost-effective solution that advances solar distillation performance beyond previous efforts in the literature.
KW - Cover cooling
KW - Dish collector
KW - Economic analysis
KW - Heat pump
KW - Reflector
KW - Tubular solar still
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105013366268
U2 - 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113913
DO - 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113913
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105013366268
SN - 0927-0248
VL - 294
JO - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
JF - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
M1 - 113913
ER -
