Effect of Heat Input on a Solar Still at Indoor and Outdoor Conditions

Experimental studies on a basin type still, basically application to the solar energy has been carried out at room condition for the purpose of simulation and to provide a substantial feed back for its thermal modeling in the actual conditions of solar energy. The basin holds water maintain at a certain depth which is being heated electrically. Due to evaporation of water, there exist humid air zone above the water level. The vapour on reaching the inclined glass cover condenses and trickles down to collected outside the still. The measurement consists of power input, distillate output and temperatures along the height from the base of basin up to the glass outer and the air surrounding it. Temperature profiles along the height in water depth, humid air region and near the glass cover are quite interesting. Subsequently, the vapour pressure in the system has also been predicted. Effect of heat input on the temperatures of the absorber, the water, humid air vapour and those of glass cover are studied. The distillate output increases with time of heating as well as on increasing the heat input. Efficiency of the still has been studied based upon the total heat input and the heat taken by the water. The efficiency of the still increases with the heat input.