An experimental investigation on a solar still with an integrated flat plate collector

This work promotes the performance of the single basin solar still by means of preheating the saline water using an integrated flat plate collector arrangement. A conventional single slope single basin still and a single slope flat plate collector basin still (FPCB still) are fabricated with the same basin area of 1 m(2). The FPCB still is fabricated similar to a conventional still, with the integration of a horizontal flat plate collector arrangement to form six small compartments in the basin. The projected space between the consecutive basins acts as an extended surface which increases the temperature of the basin as well as the flat plate collector where the saline water is preheated before it enters the basin. Due to separate compartments (absorber plate) in the basin, the mass of water reduces and the evaporation rate increases for the same depth of water in the basin. Experiments are carried out by varying the water depth in the basin and using the wick and energy storing materials in basins of both stills. The FPCB still gives about 60% higher distillate than the conventional still for the same basin condition. Economic analysis shows that the cost of distilled water for the FPCB still is lower than that for the conventional still. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.