Performance evaluation on productivity enhancement of a solar still modified with evacuated tube heat pipe and latent heat storage device

Abstract

Water is a basic need for all living organisms on the planet for newlinesurvival. 71% of the earth is covered with water, and the ocean holds 96% of newlinethe total water. Ocean water is not consumable because of higher salty nature. newlineThe primary drinking water sources are rivers, lakes, and underground newlinereservoirs. In recent years, these water bodies also contained dissolved newlineparticles, making the water unsuitable for direct consumption. Consumption newlineof this unhygienic water causes serious health issues for humans, and millions newlineof people are killed due to these water-prone diseases every year. The demand newlinefor fresh drinking water increases yearly due to the increase in world newlinepopulation, which has become a significant challenge worldwide. newlineIn this context, desalination technologies play a significant role in newlinemeeting freshwater demand. Thermal desalination and Membrane newlinedesalination technologies are the most commonly used techniques for newlineworldwide freshwater production. A thermal desalination system utilizes heat newlineenergy to evaporate the water, and the evaporated water is condensed back to newlinea liquid state. The condensed water is free from any form of dissolved matter. newlineWhereas the membrane desalination system works based on a pressure newlinegradient which involves the water being forcefully fed through a membrane newlinethat removes the dissolved content in water. The membrane desalination newlinesystem requires a driving force to generate a pressure gradient, usually newlineachieved using electricity. In a thermal desalination system, the heat energy is newlinederived by either burning fossil fuel or collecting solar energy. The faster newlinedepletion of fossil fuels made the process more dependable on solar energy newlinesince it is available and affordable. Low freshwater production is the principal newlinedisadvantage of utilizing a solar energy desalination system newline