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DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING OF SMALL SCALE SOLAR

DESALINATION DEVICE WITH PHOTOVOLTAIC HEATER AND VACUUM PUMP

ABSTRACT
by:
Mark Hendrix Y. Atienza, Catherine V. Bansag, Justine T. Grate, Paulo Jose Gallera

This project study aimed to design, construct and test a small scale solar

desalination device. This project was made to help people who lives in islands and

remote areas where water is not easily accessible This project was composed of heater,

solar panel, basin, glass cover, inverter, charge controller and battery. This device was

capable of converting seawater into portable water. The heated seawater vapor

evaporated from the basin and condensed in the glass cover. In this process, the salts

and microbes that were in the seawater was left behind. Condensed water trickled down

the inclined glass cover to an interior collection trough and out to a container. This

condensed water can be used in any application. This project was enhanced with a

heater powered by photo-voltaic cells to increase the temperature of seawater and

hastened the process of evaporation. After testing the device, results showed that the

amount of water produced in a duration of 10 hrs (7am-5pm) was 450mL. The salinity of

the produced water was 0% from 8.2% salinity of seawater. The highest instantaneous

efficiency and temperature of sea water was recorded on 13:00 H with a values of 76.08

% and 66.60℃ respectively. The machine’s efficiency was 74.23% without the vacuum

pump, and it increased to 92.62% with the addition of the vacuum pump. The device

was able to produced portable water that does not contain salt and it was clear.