1.

Literature Review

1. It is used to obtain the distilled water and occupies a large space for a higher productivity.
Solar stills are simple in “design and construction” and can be easily defined as a
transparent glass cover (glazing) enclosing an insulated cabinet of saline/brackish water;
this structure heats up the water for evaporation and then condenses on the innermost face
of transparent glazing at a fixed slope angle.

2. The transformed distilled water is usually potable and the quality of this distillate is too
high because all the impurities in the form of salts, inorganic and organic components, and
so forth are left behind in the immersion. In the presence of solar irradiance, the
temperature of the water rises adequately to exterminate all types of bacteria. A thin layer
of slush is expected to be cultivated in the bottom of the cabinet and later on this could be
flushed as necessitated. The solar still’s productivity and efficiency majorly depend on both
the ambient parameters and design parameters like solar irradiance, ambient temperature,
basin water depth, glazing material, thickness of the cabinet, system’s orientation, type of
insulation, leakage, wind velocity, thermal heat storage (if any), and the heat capacity

3. Hanson et al. (2004) studied distilled water quality on a single-basin solar still. They
reported the performance of a single-basin solar still for the removal of a selected group of
inorganic bacteriological and organic contaminants in laboratory environment and actual
field environment

4. Solar water distillation is an antique way of converting impure water into potable water.
First time, this technique was used by Arab alchemists in 1551.In 1872, the first modern
solar still was built in Chile, which consists of 64 basins and supplied up to 20,000 liters
of water per day. US navy during the World War II, created 20,000 stills for the navy.

5. In 2012, Ozuomba J.U. et al discover a Roof- type solar water distillation which was tested.
Ths system contain four major components: rectangular wooden basin, absorbing surface
a glass roof and a condensed channel. The system has a capability to produce 2.3m3 water
in six days which is not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of human needs

6. In 2011, Prof. Alpesh Mehta produces potable water in winter season. The TDS level of
water obtained was 81 PPM and the efficiency of the system was 6%

7. In 2010, Aayush Kaushal et al, in their paper described different types of solar stills

8. K. Sampathkumar in 2010 gave us a brief study on active solar water distillation systems
to beat the low efficiency of passive solar water distillation systems. Basically, in active
solar still, extra thermal energy is supplied to the basin to increase the evaporation rate and
hence productivity.
9. Kabeel et al on their research discover the most inexpensive solar still and concluded that
pyramid type solar still is most efficient still
10. Velmurugan expand a setup with additional surface and found that efficiency is increased
by 53% as compared to single slope still
11. Shankar and Kumar studied the effect of design, operational and climatic parameters on
efficiencies of passive solar stills
12. Akash et al reviewed the effect of absorbing materials on the function of double slope
single basin and increased the efficiency by using black rubber by 38%, black ink by 45%
and black dye by 60% as absorbing material
13. Mario et al use tubes to design a solar still to purify sea water

14. A solar still which is capable to maintain vacuum in the chamber is designed by Ganeshan
et al

15. By changing the depth of water, Suleiman et al evaluate double solar still and concluded
that water productivity is depend on solar radiation intensity

16. The various factors affecting the performance of the solar still are solar intensity, wind
velocity, ambient temperature, water glass temperature difference, free surface area of
water, absorber plate area, temperatures of inlet water, glass angle and depth of water. The
solar intensity, wind velocity and ambient temperature cannot be controlled as they are
metrological parameters whereas the remaining parameters, free surface area of water,
absorber plate area, temperatures of inlet water, glass angle and depth of water can be
varied to enhance the productivity of the solar stills.

17. By considering the various factors affecting the productivity of the solar still, various
modifications are being made to enhance the productivity of the solar still.

18. Bassam et al. used sponges to increase the free surface area of the water in the solar still.
Due to capillary action, water is sucked by the sponges. The yield of solar still mainly
depends on the difference between water and glass cover temperatures which acts as a
driving force of the distillation process. Productivity of the solar still also increases with
increase in absorber area.

19. A single-stage basin–type solar still, a storage tank and a conventional flat-plate collector
were connected together in order to study the effect of augmentation on the still. This
increased the temperature of saline water.

20. Voropoulos et al. Studied the behaviour of a solar still in which a thermal storage tank with
hot water is integrated. On evaluation it lead to higher distilled water output due to higher
basin water temperature as a result of hot storage tank water. The integration of the storage
tank is done in such a way that a compact solar distillation system is formed.

21. Singh and Tiwari found that annual yield of the solar still is maximized when the
condensing glass cover inclination is equal to the latitude of the place.
 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Different designs of solar still have emerged. The single effect 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.

Solar Stills may be classified into passive and active methods.

Passive Solar Still- 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 vapor tightness, using black gravel and rubber, using floating perforated
black plate, and using reflective side walls.

Active Solar Still- Active methods include the use of solar collector or waste heat to heat the basin
water, the use of internal and external condensers or applying vacuum inside the solar still to
enhance the evaporation/condensation processes, and cooling the glass cover to increase the
temperature difference between the glass and the water in the basin and hence increases the rate of
evaporation.

Single-basin stills have been much studied and their behavior is well understood. The
efficiency of solar stills which are well-constructed and maintained is about 50% although typical
efficiencies can be 25%. Daily output as a function of solar irradiation is greatest in the early
evening when the feed water is still hot but when outside temperatures are falling. At very high air
temperatures such as over 45ºC, the plate can become too warm and condensation on it can become
problematic, leading to loss of efficiency.

Some problems with solar stills which would reduce their efficiency include:-

Poor fitting and joints, which increase colder air flow from outside into the still. Cracking,
breakage or scratches on glass, which reduce solar transmission or let in air. Growth of algae and
deposition of dust, bird droppings, etc. To avoid this still need to be cleaned regularly every few
days. Damage over time to the blackened absorbing surface. Accumulation of salt on the bottom,
which needs to be removed periodically. The saline water in the still is too deep, or dries out. The
depth needs to be maintained at around 20mm.