Effect of Fine Stone Bed Layer Thickness on the Solar Still Performance.

Document Type : Research Studies

Authors

1 Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Egypt

2 Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Mansoura, CO 35516, Egypt

3 a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

Abstract

In this work, an experimental study has been conducted on a solar still to investigate the influence of stone bed layer thickness on the productivity of the solar still. These present experimental study involves two identical solar stills: one of the stills is conventional and the other has a layer of fine stones on the base of the still. The fine stones were divided into three layers. Each experiment starts without stone layer. Then readings were taken from the still for one stone layer, two stone layers and three stone layers on the basin. The thicknesses of this layers are 10mm, 15mm and 20 mm, respectively.  The experiments were conducted at Mansoura University, Egypt (31° 04 ′N, 31° 21 ′ E), durin g November month, 2016. Temperatures at different locations in the still (water in the still, glass cover surface, stone and air – vapor mixture) are measured and recorded with time. In addition, solar radiation, ambient temperature and amount of distillated water are recorded during the experiments at various operating days. The present results indicated that the enhancement of 3.79%, 7.06% and 11.8% for one, two and three fine stones bed layers, respectively more than the conventional still. Also, it was showed that the efficiency was highest with the maximum stone bed thickness.

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