Experimental investigation on thermal augmentation methods for high-yield solar desalination systems
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
2Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai Tamil Nadu, 600062, India
3Department of Mathematics, Panimalar Engineering College, Chennai, 600123, India
4Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Rohini College of Engineering and Technology, Kanyakumari, 629401, India
5Department of Mathematics, Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science, Chennai, India, 603103, India
J Ther Eng 2026; 12(6): 2247-2262 DOI: 10.47481/jten.0096
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Abstract

For saline or wastewater, solar distillation is a suitable, environmentally friendly technique for purifying water. The problem is that there is no distillation process that produces salt water, and that salt water used on plants may cause plant death. The techniques described in this work aim to enhance the solar distillation process using solar stills with a steam generator and a condenser. The distilled water was heated between 11 am and 4 pm, with best output of 1200 ml at 80-90°C. One method used to achieve faster evaporation is to increase the heating rate so that the temperature changes rapidly, such as 100°C/min, which results in lower total yields due to overheating. The novelty of this work is that the heating rate to the steam generator is increased, thereby increasing the overall temperature and the surface water temperatures of the solar still and the water surface. The other advantage of the extended heating for three hours was that it also resulted in higher yields, and sunlight alone did not guarantee that high temperatures were equivalent to moisture-loss temperatures above 41°C.Various thermal enhancement techniques were used in the study, including sensible heat storage synthesis, warming in an aquatic basin, and altering surface absorptivity. Furthermore, external thermal support to increase heat supply and improve thermal conduction pathways to the basin was designed to keep high temperatures throughout the low-light availability period. This study examined the effect on system efficiency and the performance comparison of different approaches to increase the efficiency of the solar dehydration process under realistic operating conditions. This study provides a scalable, energy-efficient, and renewable-energy solution to locally produce freshwater for the benefit of global health and climate goals.