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Conceptual design and experimental investigation involving a modular desalination system composed of arrayed tubular solar stills

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  • Xie, Guo
  • Sun, Licheng
  • Mo, Zhengyu
  • Liu, Hongtao
  • Du, Min

Abstract

A novel conceptual design of a low temperature multi-effect desalination (LT-MED) system is presented in this paper. The LT-MED system operates at vacuum pressure and is composed of several modules of tubular solar still (TSS) cells, each of which can independently produce freshwater. To verify the performance of the modules in different stages of the system, an experimental TSS was fabricated and tested under different vacuum pressures and heating conditions from 20 to 80kPa and 100 to 300W, respectively. The results showed that the energy utilization efficiency exceeded 0.7 in most cases, with a maximum value of approximately 0.81, which was nearly double that of a basin still operated at normal pressure. A 5-effect modular MED system for practical application with a capacity of 86kg/d was proposed according to the presented theoretical and experimental work. A structural design and control scheme were also presented. Performance and economic analyses indicated a wide applicability of the system, especially for remote and desert regions.

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  • Xie, Guo & Sun, Licheng & Mo, Zhengyu & Liu, Hongtao & Du, Min, 2016. "Conceptual design and experimental investigation involving a modular desalination system composed of arrayed tubular solar stills," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 972-984.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:179:y:2016:i:c:p:972-984
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.07.057
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    2. Chen, Q. & Kum Ja, M. & Li, Y. & Chua, K.J., 2018. "Evaluation of a solar-powered spray-assisted low-temperature desalination technology," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 997-1008.
    3. Al-Sulttani, Ali O. & Ahsan, Amimul & Hanoon, Ammar N. & Rahman, A. & Daud, N.N.N. & Idrus, S., 2017. "Hourly yield prediction of a double-slope solar still hybrid with rubber scrapers in low-latitude areas based on the particle swarm optimization technique," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 280-303.
    4. Chen, W.L. & Xie, G., 2022. "Performance of multi-stage tubular solar still operating under vacuum," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P2), pages 34-46.
    5. Gonzalez, Alonso & Grágeda, Mario & Ushak, Svetlana, 2017. "Assessment of pilot-scale water purification module with electrodialysis technology and solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1643-1652.
    6. Godart, Peter, 2021. "Design and simulation of a heat-driven direct reverse osmosis device for seawater desalination powered by solar thermal energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    7. Mohamed, A.S.A. & Shahdy, Abanob G. & Mohamed, Hany A. & Ahmed, M. Salem, 2023. "A comprehensive review of the vacuum solar still systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    8. Wang, Qiushi & Zhu, Ziye & Wu, Gang & Zhang, Xiang & Zheng, Hongfei, 2018. "Energy analysis and experimental verification of a solar freshwater self-produced ecological film floating on the sea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 510-526.
    9. Wang, Qiushi & Liang, Shen & Zhu, Ziye & Wu, Gang & Su, Yuehong & Zheng, Hongfei, 2019. "Performance of seawater-filling type planting system based on solar distillation process: Numerical and experimental investigation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C), pages 1225-1234.
    10. Xie, Guo & Sun, Licheng & Yan, Tiantong & Tang, Jiguo & Bao, Jingjing & Du, Min, 2018. "Model development and experimental verification for tubular solar still operating under vacuum condition," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 115-130.
    11. Zanganeh, Peyman & Goharrizi, Ataallah Soltani & Ayatollahi, Shahab & Feilizadeh, Mehrzad & Dashti, Hossein, 2020. "Efficiency improvement of solar stills through wettability alteration of the condensation surface: An experimental study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    12. Li, Shuang-Fei & Liu, Zhen-Hua & Shao, Zhi-Xiong & Xiao, Hong-shen & Xia, Ning, 2018. "Performance study on a passive solar seawater desalination system using multi-effect heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 343-352.
    13. Gang, Wu & Qichang, Yang & Hongfei, Zheng & Yi, Zhang & Hui, Fang & Rihui, Jin, 2019. "Direct utilization of solar linear Fresnel reflector on multi-effect eccentric horizontal tubular still with falling film," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 170-184.

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