DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF

WICK TYPE SOLAR STILL

A PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

ASHA BALA SAVITHA R 953219114003

SAKTHI VIGNESH N 953219114025

SAM ASIR P 953219114026

SURENDHIRAN B 953219114034

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
in

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY V.O.C COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, THOOTHUKUDI.

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

JUNE 2022

1
 ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600025

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this project report “DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF

WICK TYPE SOLAR STILL” is the bonafide work of

“ASHA BALA SAVITHA R (953219114003), SAKTHI VIGNESH N

(953219114025), SAM ASIR P (953219114026) and SURENDHIRAN B

(953219114034)” who carried out the project work under my supervision.

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE
Dr.R.A.MALAIRAJAN, M.E.,M.B.A.,Ph.D., Mrs.T.USHARANI, M.E.,
HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
University V.O.C College of Engg., University V.O.C College of Engg.,
Thoothukudi- 628 008. Thoothukudi- 628 008.

This Project Report for ME8682 – DESIGN AND FABRICATION PROJECT

was submitted for the VIVA-VOCE held on ……………………. at University

V.O.C. College of Engineering, Thoothukudi.

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is the platform for us to express one's gratitude towards the

beneficiaries. We are very grateful to express our thanks to those people who

helped us the way throughout the project.

With immense pleasure we wish to express our humble thanks to our

Dean Dr. C. PETER DEVADOSS M.E., Ph.D., for permitting us to do the

project work and utilize all the facilities in our college

We express our sincere thanks to our Head of the Department

Dr. R. A. MALAIRAJAN M.E., M.B.A., Ph.D., Department of Mechanical

Engineering, for his valuable suggestion and keen involvement throughout this

work which were of pleasure and help in successfully completing the project.

We would like to articulate our profound gratitude and indebtedness to

our Project Guide Mrs. T. USHA RANI M.E., Assistant Professor, Department

of Mechanical Engineering, for initiating and motivating us throughout the

project to complete it efficient.

Then we thank our beloved Project Co-Guide Mr. P. ANBURAJ M.E.,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, for his significant suggestion in the

preparation of our project. We thank him for his constant encouragement.

We express our gratitude to the staff members in the Department of

Mechanical Engineering for providing necessary help at various situations.

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 ABSTRACT

Solar still utilizes direct solar radiation from the Sun to desalinate

saline water. It works on the principle of evaporation and condensation

process. In wick type solar still, a part of the energy is utilized for heating

the water flowing through the wick due to capillary action. A large amount

of heat gets trapped inside the still, and transfer of energy takes place from

the wick surface to the glass cover and to the ambient air. In our work, we

have studied various wick material such as cotton cloth, jute cloth, etc.

which can be used in the solar still to increase the productivity. Cotton cloth

with thermocol insulation yields approximately 2.6 litres of pure water,

whereas Jute cloth with thermocol insulation yields approximately 2.8 litres

of pure water.

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 LIST OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

NO NO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

ABSTRACT iv

LIST OF FIGURES viii

LIST OF TABLES x

NOMENCLATURE xi

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.2 OBJECTIVE 2

1.3 HISTORY OF SOLAR STILL 2

1.4 NEED FOR SOLAR STILL 3

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 4

3 SOLAR STILL 8

3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF SOLAR STILL 8

3.1.1 Passive solar still 8

3.1.1.1 Single slope versus double slope

basin stills 10

3.1.1.2 Wick solar stills 10

3.1.1.3 Hemispherical solar still 11

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 3.1.1.4 Concave solar still 12

3.1.2 Active solar still 12

3.2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF WICK SOLAR STILLS 13

3.2.1 Basin wick type solar still 14

3.2.2 Wick basin type solar still 16

3.2.3 Floating wick type solar still 17

3.2.4 Multi wick type solar still 17

3.2.5 Floating cum tilted solar still 18

3.2.6 Concave wick solar still 19

4 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION 20

5 METHODOLOGY 22

5.1 PRINCIPLE 22

5.2 WORKING 22

5 COMPONENTS 23

4.1 GLASS COVER 23

4.2 ALUMINIUM TRAY 24

4.3 STEEL FRAME 25

4.4 DIGITAL THERMOMETER 26

4.5 INSULATING MATERIALS 26

4.5.1 Thermocol 26

4.5.2 Glass wool 27

4.6 WICK MATERIALS 28

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 4.6.1 Jute cloth 28

4.6.2 Cotton Cloth 29

7 DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS 30

7.1 DIMENSIONS 30

7.1.1 Dimensions of Glass cover 30

7.1.2 Dimensions of Base Box 30

7.1.3 Dimensions of Aluminium Tray 30

7.2 CAD MODEL 30

7.3 DESIGN CONDITIONS 31

8 DESIGN CALCULATIONS 32

8.1 OBSERVATION 32

8.2 CALCULATIONS 33

8.2.1 Internal Heat Transfer 33

8.2.2 External Heat Transfer 34

8.2.3 Overall Heat Loss co-efficient 35

9 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38

10 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES 40

10.1 ADVANTAGES 40

10.2 DISADVANTAGES 40

11 COST ESTIMATION 41

12 CONCLUSION 42

REFERENCES 43

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 PHOTOGRAPH 45

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE TITLE PAGE

NO NO

3.1 Passive Solar Still 8

3.2 Various Configurations of Basin Type Solar Still 9

3.3 Cascade Solar Still 9

3.4 Sketch of Single-Basin and Double-Basin Stills 10

3.5 Wick Type Solar Still 11

3.6 Hemispherical Solar Still 11

3.7 Concave Wick Solar Still 12

3.8 Active Solar Still Coupled with Flat Plate Collector 13

3.9 Cross Sectional View of the Basin Wick Type Solar Still 15

3.10 Wick Basin Type Solar Still 16

3.11 Experimental Still-Floating Wick-Type 17

3.12 Multi-Wick Still with Wick/PTFE Net/Wick Layer Units 18

3.13 Sectional View and Energy Flow Diagram for a Closed

Cycle System of a Floating Tilted Wick Solar Still 18

3.16 Concave Wick Type Solar Still 19

5.1 Methodology 22

6.1 Glass Cover 23

6.2 Aluminium Tray 24

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6.3 Steel Frame 25

6.4 Digital Thermometer 26

6.5 Thermocol 26

6.6 Glass Wool 27

6.7 Jute Cloth 28

6.8 Cotton Cloth 29

7.1 CAD Model 30

9.1 Time vs Temperature Graph 38

9.2 Time vs Productivity Graph 39

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 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE TITLE PAGE

NO NO

6.1 List of Components 23

7.1 Design Conditions and Assumptions 31

8.1 Received Data from Thermocol Insulation using

Cotton Cloth 32

11.1 Cost Estimation 41

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 NOMENCLATURE

SYMBOLS DESCRIPTION
A Area (m2)

B Width of the SS (m)

C, Cp Specific heat capacity (J/kg K)

d Thermal diffusivity (m2/s)

Gs Incident solar radiation

h Heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K)

hb Heat transfer coefficient between basin liner and ambient

(W/m2 K)

hfg Latent heat of vaporization (J/kg)

hC,go−a Convective heat transfer coefficient from glass cover outer

surface to ambient (W/m2 K)

hC,w−g Convective heat transfer coefficient from water to glass cover

(W/m2 K)

hC,w−gi Convective heat transfer coefficient from water to glass inner

surface (W/m2 K)

hC,w−go Conductive heat transfer coefficient from glass inner surface to

glass outer surface (W/m2 K)

hE,w−co Evaporative heat transfer coefficient from water to condenser

(W/m2 K)
hE,w−g Evaporative heat transfer coefficient from water to glass cover
(W/m2 K)

hE,w−gi Evaporative heat transfer coefficient between water mass

and inner surface of the glass cover (W/m2 K)

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hE,w−gi Evaporative heat transfer coefficient from water to glass
cover inner surface (W/m2 K)

hR,b−a Radiative heat transfer coefficient from basin to ambient (W/m2 K)

hR,go−a Radiative heat transfer coefficient from glass cover outer surface
to ambient (W/m2 K)

hR,w−g Radiative heat transfer coefficient from water to glass cover

(W/m2 K)

hR,w−gi Radiative heat transfer coefficient from water to glass cover inner
surface (W/m2 K)

hT ,b−a Total heat transfer coefficient between basin liner and

atmosphere (W/m2 K)

hT ,go−a Total top heat loss coefficient between glass cover outer surface
and atmosphere (W/m2 K)

hT ,w−g Total heat transfer coefficient from water to glass cover (W/ m2 K)

hT ,w−gi Total heat transfer coefficient from water to glass cover inner

surface (W/m2 K)

hw Convective heat transfer coefficient between basin liner and water

mass (W/m2 K)

QC,b−w Convective heat transfer rate with in SS from basin to

water(W/m2)

QC,cf−a Convective heat transfer rate from cooling film to ambient

(W/m2)

QC,go−a Convective heat transfer rate from glass cover outer surface to

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 ambient (W/m2 K)

QC,w−g Convective heat transfer rate with in SS from water to glass

cover (W/m2)

QC,w−gi Convective heat transfer rate with in SS from water to glass cover

inner surface (W/m2)

QC,gi−go Conductive heat transfer rate through glass cover thickness

from its inner surface to its outer one

QE,w−g Evaporative heat transfer rate with in SS from water to glass cover
(W/m2)

QE,w−gi Evaporative heat transfer rate within SS from water to glass

cover inner surface (W/m2)

Qmw Heat energy required to heat the makeup water to the basin
temperature (W/m2)

QR,go−a Radiative heat transfer rate from glass cover outer surface to
ambient (W/m2 K)

QR,w−g Radiative heat transfer within SS from water to glass (W/m2)

QR,w−gi Radiative heat transfer rate within SS from water to glass cover
inner surface (W/m2)
QT ,w−g Total heat transfer rate within SS from water to glass cover

(W/m2)

QT ,w−gi Total heat transfer rate within SS from water to glass cover
inner surface (W/m2)

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 QT ,go−a Total radiative and convective heat losses (W/m2)

Qw Heat transfer rate between basin liner and water mass (W/ m2)

U Overall heat loss co-efficient (W/m2 K)

Ub Overall bottom heat loss coefficient between water mass and

atmosphere (W/m2 K)
Ubs Total bottom and side heat loss coefficient between water mass
and ambient (W/m2 K)
ULS Overall heat loss coefficient between water mass and atmosphere
(W/m2 K)
Uss Overall side heat loss coefficient between water mass and
atmosphere (W/m2 K)
UT Overall top heat loss coefficient between water mass and
atmosphere (W/m2K)
UT ,gi-a Overall heat loss coefficient from glass cover inner surface to
atmosphere (W/m2 K)
v Wind velocity (m/s)
V Volume (m3)

GREEKS
ε Emissivity
εeff Effective remittances

SUB SCRIPTS
a Air or ambient
b Basin
g Glass cover
ins Insulation
sky Sky

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 ss Solar Still
t Total

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Water is essential to sustain human life and for socio-economic

development. Nevertheless, there is limited access to water that meets standard
limits of water quality. The quality of water can be improved through
desalination. Conventional techniques for desalination are available but they
require a large input of energy, mostly from fossil fuels that contribute to
environmental degradation. Consequently, there is a need to use sustainable
energy sources, with solar energy being one of the most promising alternatives.
Desalination technology is gaining worldwide acceptance as a proven
technology for fresh water production.

Desalination is the process of removing high salt content, minerals and

organisms from a water source. Desalination systems require energy for the
separation of salt and water. Solar desalination systems are systems that utilize
the sun energy (solar radiation) for the separation of water and salt.
Classification of solar desalination varies depending on techniques and energy
supply. The most common type of solar desalination system is the solar still. A
solar still is a simple device which can be used to convert saline, brackish water
into drinking water. Solar still can be broadly divided into passive and active
types. Passive stills are further divided into basin and inclined types. Extensive
research was made to improve the productivity of these stills. In an inclined
still, water flows from the top to the bottom of the absorber surface. To maintain
15
the uniform thickness of water, a wick, which draws water through capillary
effect, is used. Stills with inclined absorber surfaces are reported to have
significantly higher productivity than basin type stills.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

 To obtain pure water

 To prevent electric and fuel dependence
 To remove impurities and salts from saline water
 To study the characteristics and performance of the wick type solar still
 To develop a wick type solar still for desalinating water

1.3 HISTORY OF SOLAR STILLS

Solar distillation has been practiced for a long time. The first large-scale
solar distillation plant was constructed in 1872 at Las Salinas, Chile, and
consisted of solar stills of about 4700 m2 total area, producing about
23,000 litres/day. Solar distillation gained more attention after World War I,
when many devices were developed. Solar distillation is suitable for remote,
arid, and semiarid areas, where drinking water shortage is a major problem and
solar radiation is high. The drawbacks to using solar energy for distillation are
the high initial cost and the intermittent nature of the sun. Due to these
limitations, the present capacity of solar desalination systems worldwide is
about 0.01% of the existing large-scale conventional distillation plants. Those
plants are small- to medium-capacity installations serving a small number of
people and poor communities.

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1.4 NEED FOR SOLAR STILLS

The scarcity of pure water in India affects many people across the

country. A major portion of the population does not have a reliable and constant
means of getting water for their daily needs. In June 2019, 65% of all reservoirs
in India reported below-normal water levels, and 12% were completely dry. 

While RO water purifier removes dissolved impurities, it removes natural

minerals such as Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and Sodium which are essential to
the human body and cause a mineral deficiency in the body. Approximately
more water is flushed down as waste water when compared to the filtered water.
RO water purifier costlier compared to counterpart water purifiers UV and RO
water purifier consumes much more electricity.

India has a clear cloud and more than 280 sunny days. Usage of free
energy for sun is a popular idea. The construction for a solar still is simple. It is
cost efficient and conventional way to harness the solar energy and protect
ourselves from the hiking fuel and electricity prices.

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 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Udhayabharathi et al [9] In this paper an attempt has been made to

study and analyse various designs of wick type solar stills used in domestic,
commercial and industrial applications. Under various Indian climatic
conditions, the floating wick type solar stills can produce higher output of 6.25
Litres per square metre of absorber plate area during the month of June. It is
also observed that the productivity of the wick type solar stills can be improved
to around 53% by integrating the solar stills with fins by enhancing the heat
transfer coefficients. The daily yield of the distilled water can be increased by
around 14% to 34% by using various inclination angles and reflectors in the
solar stills. The average annual values of convective heat transfer coefficient for
the passive and hybrid active solar stills were observed as 0.78 and 2.41
W/m²K.

Mariem Jobrane et al [3] Water scarcity is one of the major problems

facing the worldwide humankind due to the growing population, water pollution
and climate change. The wick solar distiller in tilted shape increases the
efficiency by around 60% in comparing to the conventional system. Installing a
rotating wick cloth provides high efficiency between 66% and 84%. Integrating
a parabolic concentrator solar tracking system with wick solar still enhances the
productivity by 676%. Furthermore, this work critically reviewed the influence
of providing various wick materials on the thermal efficiency of not only the
conventional distillers but also of several configurations of solar still device.
This comparative review presents a reference guide for future researchers
intending to improve the performance of wick type solar stills and focus on the
most efficient techniques.

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 Samuel Hansen et al [6] In this paper the performance of an inclined
type solar still was experimentally investigated using different wick materials
on different absorber plate configurations. Based on this analysis, water coral
fleece material with porosity (69.67%), absorbency (2 s), capillary rise (10
mm/h) and heat transfer coefficient (34.21 W/m2 °C) is the most suitable
wicking material for higher productive solar still. Performances of the still were
compared with different wick materials (wood pulp paper wick, wicking water
coral fleece fabric and Thermocol sponge) on the various absorber plate
configurations (flat absorber, stepped absorber and stepped absorber with wire
mesh). Maximum distillate achieved in the still was 4.28 l/day by using white
coral fleece with weir mesh–stepped absorber plate.

Mahdi et al [5] A tilted wick-type solar still was designed and

constructed. Its practical aspects and performance are presented. Charcoal cloth
was used as an absorber/evaporator material and for saline water transport. The
representative daily efficiency of the still was about 53% on clear days in
summer. It has been concluded that, the charcoal cloth is a good material for use
as an absorber/evaporator and also as a water transport medium. Increase of the
input water mass flow rate leads to a reduction in the efficiency of the wick-type
solar still. The still efficiency decreased linearly with increase of salinity of the
input saline water e.g. it decreased, by indoor testing, from 37.7% to 20% as the
NaCl salt concentration increased from 0% to 10% by weight.

Abd Allah et al [1] Solar distillation techniques are of high significance

to provide human needs of freshwater. To obtain the significance of the wicks,
in some cases, the productivity of a solar still was enlarged by 180% with
providing a wick material. As a result, in this manuscript, a generalized survey
of the effects of using different wicks on the performance of not only the
conventional still but also of all types of solar stills is presented. Besides,

19
satisfying conclusions are summarized to help the researchers intending to work
on the wick type solar still.

Velliangiri et al [4] Solar distillation is one of the water purification

techniques that produce ultrapure water which is superior to most of the
commercial bottled water sources. Though solar distillation is a simple method,
productivity seems to be low due to the large thermal capacity and consumption
of time. Researchers have taken efforts to make different designs of solar still
for higher distillate yield and inferred that wick-type solar stills are effective
and efficient. In this review, we are making an attempt to study the present
status of different designs of wick type solar stills.

Vinay Yadav et al [10] The purpose of this project is to design a water

distillation system that can purify water from nearly any source, a system that is
relatively cheap, portable, and depends only on renewable solar energy. This
requires an energy input as heat, electricity and solar radiation can be the source
of energy. For people concerned about the quality of their municipally-supplied
drinking water and unhappy with other methods of additional purification
available to them, solar distillation of tap water or brackish groundwater can be
a pleasant, energy efficient option.

Hansen Samuel et al [7] Solar stills yield only lower amount of fresh
distillate, when compared to other conventional based desalination systems.
This integrated system was fabricated and tested with different geometry of new
absorber plate configurations (flat, grooved and fin shaped absorbers) under
actual climatic conditions. The different new absorbers used in this experiment,
increases the surface area of water available for evaporation inside the inclined
still. In this experimental study, the integration of these stills was done to
recover the waste heat energy from the un-evaporated output (hot waste water)
drained from the inclined still. Based on the experimental analysis, it was
observed that for the conventional inclined still, 25.75% productivity increased,

20
when it is coupled with fin shaped absorber and 74.5% productivity increased,
when it is integrated with basin still. The overall productivity (distillate output)
in the integrated still with fin shaped absorber configuration was 5210 ml/day
and the efficiency of the integrated desalination system with hot water thermal
storage was 46.9%.
Anburaj et al [2] This work investigates the experimental performance
of a new type inclined solar still with rectangular grooves and ridges in absorber
plate. The still was fabricated and tested for various inclination angles of 25°,
30° and 35° facing south with absorber plate. Performances of the still were
compared with different wick materials (Black cotton cloth, Jute cloth, and
Waste cotton pieces) on the absorber plate. The effect of placing porous
material (Clay pot) and energy storing material (Mild steel pieces) in the
grooves were studied. The results demonstrate that 30° inclination is optimum
which yielded 3.77 L/day production. Compared to different wick materials,
black cotton cloth helps to achieve maximum productivity of 4.21 L/day. The
addition of permeable materials and energy absorbing materials also enhances
the distillate output to 4.27 L/day.
Sharshir et al [8] Over recent decades, the global demand for freshwater
is increasing rapidly. In this review different theoretical approaches which have
been used to assess the thermal performance of SS and energy analysis of such
devices are discussed. The reviewed studies indicate that the productivity of the
SS depends on different external and internal operating parameters. In addition,
the distillate quantity varies according to the design features and the related
technical advancements of the SS. Our findings indicate that there are still few
more parameters and design aspects to be considered while designing new SS.
The objective of this paper is to highlight design methods so as to allow the
researchers to optimize the SS for further development. Recommendations for
further research have been also proposed.

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 CHAPTER 3
SOLAR STILLS

3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF SOLAR STILLS

3.1.1 Passive Solar Still

Passive solar stills have been manufactured all over the world. The
following are the main types of passive basin type solar stills:
1. Single Slope Solar still

2. Symmetrical doubled-sloped type with continuous basin

3. Symmetrical doubled-sloped type with separate bays

4. Unsymmetrical doubled-sloped type

5. Inverted v-type

6. Cascade solar still type

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 Figure 3.1 Passive Solar Still

Figure 3.2 Various Configurations of Basin Type Solar Still

23
 Figure 3.3 Cascade Solar Still

3.1.1.1 Single-Slope versus Double-Slope Basin Stills

Comparison of the two configurations of basin type stills shown in Figure

3.4, single slope and double slope basin stills, the maximum radiation maybe
higher in double-slope stills. A single slope still gives better performance than a
double slope for cold climatic conditions. For summer climatic conditions the
double slope gives better performance .The first basin glass cover is used as the
base for the second basin with the advantage that the heat of condensation from the
first basin cover is used to heat the water on the bottom of the second basin.

24
 Figure 3.4 Sketch of Single-Basin and Double-Basin Stills

3.1.1.2 Wick Solar Still

It has already been established that a reduction in the depth of brine in the
still improves the productivity, mainly due to the higher basin temperature. The
advantage of the wick still shown in Figure 3.5 is to keep the brine as shallow as
possible (with low heat capacity) while avoiding dry spots.

Figure 3.5 Wick Type Solar Still

3.1.1.3 Hemispherical Solar Still

The design of this solar still is a hemispherical top cover for water
desalination with and without flowing water over the cover as shown Figure 3.6.
The daily distillate output of the system is increased by lowering the temperature
of the cover by water flowing over it. The recorded efficiency was 34%, and it was
increased to 42% with the top cover cooling effect.
Variations of a few important parameters were measured during field

25
experiments such as water temperature, cover temperature, air temperature,
ambient temperature and distillate output, and solar radiation incident on a solar
still.
Figure 3.6.Hemispherical Solar Still

3.1.1.4 Concave Surface Solar Still

A concave shaped wick surface increases an evaporation rate because the

water surface level is lower than the upper limit of the wick surface as indicated in
Figure 3.7 Results show that average distillate productivity in day time was 4.1
L/m 2 and the maximum instantaneous system efficiency was found to be 45% and
the daily efficiency of the still was30%. The maximum hourly yield was 0.5 L/h
per m2after solar noon.

Figure 3.7 Concave Wick Solar Still

3.1.2 Active Solar Still

There is a lot of researchers used many techniques to produce a new systems

combined between the solar water heater and solar still as shown in Figure 3.8 to
improve the productivity and performance. Brackish water is circulated to solar
collector to be preheated before entering solar still. Due to sun radiation, water gets
evaporated and collected on glass cover from where it flows towards distillate

26
channel. It is concluded that passive solar stills can be economical to provide
potable or distilled water. On the other hand, active solar still can be economical
from a commercial point of view.

Figure 3.8 Active Solar Still Coupled with Flat Plate Collector

3.2 DIFFERENT DESIGNS OF WICK-TYPE SOLAR STILLS

The following are the various designs of wick type solar stills:

• Basin wick type

• Wick-basin type

• Floating-wick type

• Multi-wick type

• Floating cum tilted-wick type

• Tilted wick-type with flat plate reflectors

• V-Type solar still with-wick as absorbing material

27
 • Concave wick-type

• Single basin wick type with fin

• Clothes moving wick-type

The solar radiation falling on the glass cover is transmitted to

the wick surface. A part of the energy is utilized for heating the water
flowing through the wick due to capillary action. A large amount of heat
gets trapped inside the still, and transfer of energy takes place from the wick
surface to the glass cover and to the ambient air.

The heat transfers in the distillation system are governed by

external and internal modes. The external heat transfer mode occurs due to
convection and radiation, which are in dependent of each other and occurs
outside the still. The heat transfer within the solar distillation unit is
referred to as the internal heat transfer mode, which occurs due to
radiation, convection and evaporation. In internal heat transfer mode, the
mass transfer accompanied with radiation and convective heat transfer. Water
flowing through the wick surface gets heated and evaporated into vapour. The
saturated water vapour condenses in the lower surface of the glass cover
after releasing the latent heat of vaporization. The condensed water
droplets trickle down due to gravity and get collected in the drainage
channel.

3.2.1 Basin Wick-Type Solar Still

The basin wick-type solar stills, with jute and charcoal as wick
materials are very simple in construction. The system consists of a simple
basin enclosed in a thermally insulated wooden box and covered by a glass.

28
 Charcoal wick material is introduced in the tilted basin and
analysed. The analyses have been carried with the following assumptions:

• The wick type solar still is made vapour tight.

• The absorptivity of glass cover and water are negligible.

•
The
stills
are

perfectly insulated.

• The wick material used is blackened for more absorption.

• The heat capacity of the glass cover and insulating material of the
solar still are negligible.

Figure 3.9 Cross Sectional View of the Basin Wick Type Solar Still

29
 The jute wick material in the basin sucks water and due to capillary
action, the upper surface of the wick material is always wet during peak
sunny hours. The water gets evaporated and the water vapour condensed in
the condensing surface which is pure distilled water. The thermal capacity of
the still is less as the jute wick is made to float in the basin water. The
charcoal wick material introduced in the tilted basin acts as the
evaporating surface during the working hours of the still and water flows
throughout the wick material due to good capillary action which serves as thin
film of water surface for evaporation. The schematic diagram of the design is
shown in Figure 3.9, which is provided with an option of changing the
angle of inclination of the still for maximum interception of solar
radiation.

The results of the study have proven that the wick-type solar still is
more effective than the conventional basin type solar still due to limited
thermal capacity.

3.2.2 Wick-Basin Type Solar Still

A wick-basin type solar still has great potential due to its higher
productivity compared to the other type stills. The construction of the still
is quite simple. The basin and the wick type are integrated to form a wick-basin
type solar still. The still consists of metallic basin made of galvanized iron
sheets and a glass cover. The bottom and sides are well insulated. The black
painted wick used to absorb the solar energy is enclosed by a wooden frame.

30
 Figure 3.10 Wick Basin Type Solar Still

(1) Galvanised steel tray, (2) glass cover, (3) support board, (4)
Thermocol, (5) charcoal cloth, (6) aluminum channel, (7) rubber gasket, (8)
steel strip, (9) styrofoam, (10) brine gutter, (11) distillate gutter, and (12)
distillate outlet channel.

The preheated water from the tilted-wick type solar still is fed into the
conventional basin type solar still through a connecting pipe. Both the units
work together as a single unit for the production of distillate. The schematic
diagram of the wick-basin type is shown in Figure 3.10

3.2.3 Floating Wick Type Solar Still

A floating wick type solar still with blackened jute wick and
aluminium black plate as floating materials inside the still. Floating-wick
type solar still can produce more fresh water than basin type and tilted wick

type solar still. Floating-wick type solar still produces maximum 10,025 ml/m -
2 day-1 in peak summer.

31
 Figure 3.11 Experimental Still-Floating Wick-Type

Using the floating aluminum perforated black plate in the solar still
increases the solar still productivity by 15% for a water depth of 3 cm and
40% for a water depth of 6 cm.

3.2.4 Multi-Wick Type Solar Stills

A multi-wick type solar still has great potential due to its high
productivity, simplicity and less maintenance. The still consists of an
evaporating wick, condensing wick and a poly tetra fluoro ethylene (PTFE)
net sandwiched between them as shown in Figure 3.12. Water vapour diffuses
through the spaces in the net from the evaporating wick to the condensing
wick. The sandwiched 2 mm thick PTFE net reduces the gap between
evaporating and condensing surfaces considerably, yet prevents
contamination of the condensate with saline water due to its very low
wettability. By using wick-net-wick unit distillate contains less than 10 ppm.

32
 Figure 3.12 Multi-Wick Still with Wick/PTFE Net/Wick Layer Units

3.2.5 Floating Cum Tilted Wick Type Stills

The blackened jute wick is spread along with a 15º tilted portion. The
remaining part of the wick has been prepared in a corrugated shape and
floated in the water reservoir inside the still with a thermo coal sheet of
thickness 2½ cm. The water level in the reservoir is always maintained to stay
below the reservoir by 0.25 cm to make sure that the water does not overflow
in the tilted portion.

Figure 3.13 Sectional View and Energy Flow Diagram for a Closed Cycle
System of a Floating Tilted Wick Solar Still

33
 (A) Constant water level inlet; (B) Thermocol sheet 2½ cm thick; (C)
Floating wick surface; (D) Tilted wick surface; (E) Outer plywood; (F)
Glass wool insulation; (G) Glass cover 4 mm thick; (H) Wooden frame;
(I) Distilled water outlet; (J) Distilled water collection channel (K)
Excess saline water outlet.

The solar radiation through the glass cover is absorbed by the

tilted wick and floating wick surfaces. A part of the energy is utilized to heat
the water flowing through the wicks due to capillary action. There is a
transfer of energy from the tilted wick and floating wick surfaces to the
glass cover and to the ambient air by evaporation, convection and
radiation. The system achieves average water temperature 29.07 ºC and
instantaneous efficiency 18% at 12.30 pm.

3.2.6 Concave Wick Type Solar Still

The working of the still is like that of the normal wick type solar still
and the advancement used in this type of still is, the concave wick
arrangement and the four side condensing covers. Use of glass covers at four
sides of the still reduces the shading effect compared with that of
conventional solar still. This study has revealed that the instantaneous
efficiency is 45%, and average daily efficiency is 30% more than the
conventional type stills.

34
 Figure 3.16 Concave Wick Type Solar Still

CHAPTER 4

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always
be plentiful. However, freshwater—the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our
farm fields with—is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh
water, and
two-
thirds of
that is

tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.

35
 As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a
total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year.
Inadequate sanitation is also a problem for 2.4 billion people—they are exposed
to diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses.
Two million people, mostly children, die each year from diarrheal diseases
alone.

Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a
growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are
drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half the world’s wetlands
have disappeared. Agriculture consumes more water than any other source and
wastes much of that through inefficiencies. Climate change is altering patterns
of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some
areas and floods in others.

At the current consumption rate, this situation will only get worse. By
2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. And
ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.

While RO water purifier removes dissolved impurities, it removes natural

minerals such as Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and Sodium which are essential to
the human body and cause a mineral deficiency in the body. Approximately
more water is flushed down as waste water when compared to the filtered water.
RO water purifier costlier compared to counterpart water purifiers UV and RO
water purifier consumes much more electricity.

While the conventional solar stills are in use now, the angle of the solar
still cannot be changed. But the solar stills performances better only if the Sun’s
radiation falls on the surface of the solar still at 90º. Hence the conventional
solar stills doesn’t quite perform efficiently and its performance is very bad in
winter.
36
 Conventional solar stills are less efficient since not all water given is
converted to fresh water. There is always some water in the still which are not
exposed to the Sun’s direct radiation.

Many solar stills use mild steel as their base material. The problem with it
is it undergoes rusting very easily if it doesn’t have any proper coating. This
makes the solar still not usable for long durations. Also the thermal conductivity
of mild steel is quite low.

Leakage of vapour through joints are also a big concern in conventional

solar stills which makes the system even more inefficient. These are the
problems in conventional solar sills.

37
 CHAPTER 5

METHODOLOGY

5.1 PRINCIPLE

The principles of the solar still mainly depends upon the method of solar
energy collection and its conversion to useful thermal energy for desalinating.
Conversion of energy is which one form of energy is converted into another
form of energy. Black body absorbs the heat of the incident sunlight and makes
the temperature of the chamber more than the surrounding temperature.

5.2 WORKING

The radiation from the Sun falls on the glass cover which is placed above
the base box. The wick material is allowed to absorb the saline water. The
temperature inside the solar still is higher than the atmospheric temperature due
to the black colour of the system. The radiation passes through the glass cover
and falls on the wick materials such as cotton and jute cloths placed in the
aluminium tray. Aluminium tray is used for more heat absorption since it is a
good thermal conductor. Due to thermal heat, the water evaporates in its purest
form. The evaporated water condenses in the glass cover and slides to the
collector. Pure water is collected in the collector which is stored and used in
future.

Determining the optimum tilt angle

1 Determining the dimensions of the solar still

Collection of raw materials for fabrication

2 Collection of other required components

Fabrication of components
3 Assemblage of the entire system

Testing the system to get the required output

4 Preparing heat balance sheet and finding the efficiency of the system

38
Figure 5.1 Methodology

39
 CHAPTER 6

COMPONENTS

S.No COMPONENTS REQUIREMENTS

1 Glass Cover 1
2 Aluminum Tray 1
3 Steel Frame As required
4 Digital Thermometer 5
5 Insulating Materials As required
6 Wick Materials As required

Table 6.1 List of Components

6.1 GLASS COVER

Figure 6.1 Glass Cover

Glass is a non-crystalline amorphous solid that is often transparent and

has widespread practical, technological, and decorative usage in, for example,
window panes, tableware, and optoelectronics. The most familiar, and

40
historically the oldest, types of glass are "silicate glasses" based on the chemical
compound: silica (silicon dioxide, or quartz), the primary constituent of sand as
shown in the Figure 6.1. which is the term glass, in popular usage, is often used
to refer only to this type of material, which is familiar from use as window glass
and in glass bottles. Of the many silica-based glasses that exist, ordinary glazing
and container glass is formed from a specific type called soda-lime glass,
composed of approximately 75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), sodium oxide (Na20)
from sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), calcium oxide, also called lime (CaO), and
several minor additives.

6.2 ALUMINIUM TRAY

Figure 6.2 Aluminium Tray

Aluminium is a silvery-white, lightweight metal. It is soft and malleable.

Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at
approximately one third that of steel. It has a great affinity towards oxygen,
and forms a protective layer of oxide on the surface when exposed to air.
Aluminium visually resembles silver, both in its colour and in its great ability to
reflect light. It is soft, non-magnetic and ductile. Aluminium has high thermal
conductivity as compared to other material suitable for using as an absorber

41
plate, and this property has increased heat transfer rate of water from basin to
form vapour. Thus, it enhanced the productivity of solar still.

6.3 STEEL FRAME

Figure 6.3 Steel Frame

Steel is an alloy made up of iron with typically a few tenths of a percent

of carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other
forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels
that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant need typically an additional
11% chromium. Because of its high tensile strength and low cost, steel is used
in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, trains, cars, machines, electrical
appliances, weapons, and rockets. Iron is the base metal of steel. Steel frame is

42
typically consisting of vertical column and horizontal steel which are riveted,
bolted or welded together in a rectilinear grid.

6.4 DIGITAL THERMOMETER

Figure 6.4 Digital Thermometer

A digital thermometer is used to verify a smart temperature transmitter

under flowing conditions and a successful calibration of the smart temperature
transmitter. Portable electronic thermometers (PETs) are designed to measure
temperature in a RTD-type thermowell using a thermistor.

6.5 INSULATING MATERIALS

6.5.1 Thermocol

43
 Figure 6.5 Thermocol
Thermocol is a synthetic aromatic hydrocarbon polymer made from
the monomer known as styrene. Thermocol can be solid or foamed. General-
purpose Thermocol is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive. Thermocol is
one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several
million tonnes per year. In its expanded form, Thermocol has low thermal
conductivity which makes it a great insulator. Thermocol foam contains a lot of
small pockets of air within its structure, and this is an important key to its
insulating properties.

6.5.2 Glass Wool

44
 Figure 6.6 Glass Wool

Glass wool is an insulating material made from fibers of glass arranged

using a binder into a texture similar to wool. The process traps many small
pockets of air between the glass, and these small air pockets result in high
thermal insulation properties. Glass wool is produced in rolls or in slabs, with
different thermal and mechanical properties. It may also be produced as a
material that can be sprayed or applied in place, on the surface to be insulated.

6.6 WICK MATERIALS

6.6.1 Jute Cloth

45
 Figure 6.7 Jute Cloth

Water absorbency increases with the increase in jute content. Water

absorbency decreases with the increase in fabric weight and needling density.
Highest water absorbency (720%) of the fabric can be obtained at 60% jute
content level with lower needling density and lower fabric weight. Jute is in
great demand due to its cheapness, softness, length, lustre and uniformity of its
fibre. It is called the 'brown paper bag' as it is also the most used product
in gunny sacks to store rice, wheat, grains, etc. India is the world's largest
producer of jute

6.6.2 Cotton Cloth

46
 Figure 6.8 Cotton Cloth

Cotton fibers are natural hollow fibers; they are soft, cool, known
as breathable fibers and absorbent. Cotton fibers can hold water 24–27
times their own weight. They are strong, dye absorbent and can stand up
against abrasion wear and high temperature. In addition to the textile
industry, cotton is used in fishing nets, coffee filters, tents, cotton paper,
and in bookbinding. India is one of the largest producer of cotton in the
world accounting for about 22% of the world cotton production. They are
cheap and readily available.

47
 CHAPTER 7

SPECIFICATIONS AND DESIGN CONDITIONS

7.1 DIMENSIONS
7.1.1 Dimensions of Glass Cover
 Length of the glass: 1250 mm
 Breadth of the glass: 800 mm
 Thickness of the glass: 6 mm

7.1.2 Dimensions of Base Box

 Length of the box: 1250 mm
 Breadth of the box: 800 mm
 Depth of the box: 200 mm

7.1.3 Dimensions of Aluminium Tray

 Length of the tray: 1200 mm
 Breadth of the tray: 750 mm
 Thickness of the tray: 2 mm

7.2 CAD MODEL

Figure 7.1 CAD Model

48
7.3 DESIGN CONDITIONS

S. NO PARAMETER DATA

1 Location Tuticorin (latitude 8°76°)

2 During Period May to June

Thermocol
3 Insulation
Glass Wool

Cotton Cloth
4 Wick Material
Jute Cloth

5 Ambient Temperature 38° C

6 Maximum Temperature Reached 70° C

7 Observation Time 12 hours

8 Angle 25º

Table 7.1 Design Conditions and Assumptions

49
 CHAPTER 8

DESIGN CALCULATIONS

Ambient Glass Tray Chamber

Productivity
Time Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
(ml)
(°C) (°C) (°C) (°C)
07:00
28 32 36 37 -
AM
08:00
30 34 39 40 10
AM
09:00
31 38 43 45 50
AM
10:00
33 45 48 48 110
AM
11:00
34 47 57 59 350
AM
12:00
36 52 60 61 570
PM
01:00
39 59 68 70 720
PM
02:00
39 57 65 68 530
PM
03:00
36 51 58 59 210
PM
04:00
33 43 52 54 140
PM
05:00
31 38 45 47 60
PM
06:00
28 31 36 36 20
PM
8.1 OBSERVATION

Table 8.1 Received Data from Thermocol Insulation using Cotton Cloth

50
8.2 CALCULATIONS

8.2.1 Internal Heat Transfer

Convection:

= 57.185 W

= 2.8592 W/m2K

= 6835.05 N/m2

= 18453.77 N/m2

Radiation:

= 135.54 W

51
 = 6.777 W/m2K

= 0.895
Evaporation:

= 440.9 W

= 22.045 W/m2K

Total Internal Heat Transfer

= 633.625 W

8.2.2 External Heat Transfer

Convection:

= 56 W

= 2.80 W/m2K

52
Radiation:

= 178.3 W

= 8.9158 W/m2K

= 33 ºC

= 234.3 W

8.2.3 Overall Heat Loss Co-Efficient

Top Surface:

= 10.22 W/m2K

53
 = 11.715 W/m2K

= 9.9 W/m2K

Bottom Surface:

= 0.21 W/m2K

= 0.0215 W/m2K

= 5.70 W/m2K

54
Side Surface:

= 0.3822 W/m2K

Bottom and Side:

= 0.59 W/m2K

Total Heat Loss Co-Efficient:

= 10.492 W/m2K

55
 CHAPTER 9

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

From Table 8.1, we can observe the variation of temperature in the glass
cover, aluminium tray and chamber of the solar still using solar energy between
06:00 AM to 06:00 PM when cotton cloth was used as the wick material and
thermocol was used as the insulation material. The solar still received maximum
chamber temperature of 70°C and average ambient temperature was 30.67°C
and the average chamber temperature was 52°C.

We can also observe from the calculations that the total internal heat
transfer is 633.625 W and the total external heat transfer is 234.3 W. The
overall heat loss co-efficient was found to be 10.492 W/m2K.

Time Vs Temperature
80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
7:00 AM 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM
AM AM PM

Column1 Glass Temperature Tray Temperature Chamber Temperature

Figure 9.1 Time vs Temperature Graph

56
 Time vs Productivity
800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
7:00 AM 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM
AM AM PM

Time vs Productivity

Figure 9.2 Time vs Productivity Graph

Figure 9.1 represents the Time vs Temperature graph and Figure 9.2
represents the Time vs Productivity graph. We can observe that the maximum
chamber temperature (70ºC) and maximum productiviity (720 ml) is reached at
01:00 PM. These data proves that our wick type solar still design is efficient and
the results are satisfactory.

57
 CHAPTER 10

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

10.1 ADVANTAGES

 Simple Construction
 Low Cost
 Good efficiency
 No Fuel Cost
 No Electricity required
 No Pollution
 No Global Warming Effects
 Has a Long life
 Low maintenance

10.2 DISADVANTAGES

 Takes more time than conventional RO method

 Output is uncertain due to the changes in weather
 Deposition of salts
 Low production capacity
 More space required

58
 CHAPTER 11
COST ESTIMATION

S. NO MATERIALS COST (Rs.)

1 Glass 3000

2 GI Sheet 4500

3 Aluminum 4000

4 Digital Thermometer 950

5 Paint 680

6 Piping 710

7 Araldite gum 430

8 Transportation 1050

9 Cutting and Bending Charges 1450

11 Wick Materials 600

12 Insulation Materials 350

13 Other Expenditure 500

TOTAL 18220

Table 11.1 Cost Estimation

59
 CHAPTER 12

CONCLUSION

This section summarizes and presents the investigations carried out:

 The inclination of basin referred with the sun angle could bring good
efficiency.
 The wick solar still could produce high efficiency compared to the
normal basin type stills.
 Decreasing the feed water flow rate down to substantially increases the
productivity
 The daily yield of distillate can be increased by around 14% to 34% by
using various inclination angles
 The fresh water generation rate increased two to three times when wicks
were used instead of a bare plate
 The various wick materials like jute cloth and black cotton cloth were
used to improve the distillate output. Among these jute cloth produced
good efficiency.

Finally, it can be concluded from this project that using wick cloths as
absorber-evaporating surface inside the solar still have significant and
sustainable effects on the solar distillation process. Moreover, more efforts
are required to investigate several design parameters such as condensing
surface, insulation materials and wick materials and specially to focus more
optimizing the chemical, physical and biological parameters of the produced
drinking water. Furthermore, several improvements could be achieved to
build an efficient solar still like using system automation and alternative

60
mode of condensation, in order to make the solar distillation device more
viable, environmentally friendly and beneficial for humankind.

REFERENCES

1. Abdullah, A. S. and Essa, F. A. and Omara, Z. M. (2021), ‘Effect of

Different Wick Materials on Solar Still Performance – A
Review’, International Journal of Ambient Energy, Vol.42, No.9, pp.1-
70.
2. Anburaj, P. and Hansen, Samuel and Kalidasa Murugavel, K. (2013)
‘Performance of an Inclined Solar Still with Rectangular Grooves and
Ridges’, Applied Solar Energy Vol.49, No.1, pp.22-26.
3. Jobrane, Mariem and Kopmeier, Achim and Kahn Aliza and Cauchie
Henry-Michel and Adel Kharroubi and Penny Christian (2021) ‘Internal
and External Improvements of Wick Type Solar Stills in Different
Configurations for Drinking Water Production – A Review’,
Groundwater for Sustainable Development, Vol.12, No.1, pp.500-519.
4. Manikandan, V. and Shanmugasundaram, K. and Shanmugan, S. and
Janarthanan, B. and Chandrasekaran J. (2013), ‘Wick type solar stills: A
review’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol.20, No.1,
pp.322-335.
5. Mahdi Jassim and Smith, B.E. and Sharif, Adel. (2011), ‘An
Experimental Wick-Type Solar Still System: Design and Construction’,
Desalination, Vol.267, No.1, pp.233-238.
6. Samuel Hansen, R. and Surya Narayanan, C. and Kalidasa Murugavel, K.
(2015). ‘Performance Analysis on Inclined Solar Still with Different New
Wick Materials and Wire Mesh’, Desalination, Vol.358, No.1, pp.1-8.
7. Samuel Hansen, R. and Kalidasa Murugavel K. (2017). Enhancement of
integrated solar still using different new absorber configurations: An

61
 experimental approach, Desalination. Vol.422, No.1, pp.59-67.
8. Sharshir, S. W. and Swellam W. and Elsheikh, A. H. and Ammar and
Peng, Guilong and Yang, Nuo and Osama, Mohammed and Kabeel, Abd
Elnaby (2017), ‘Thermal performance and exergy analysis of solar stills –
A review’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 73, No.1,
pp.521-544. 
9. Udhayabharathi, K. and Baskar, P. and Shafee, S. M. and Babu Sathish,
R. (2015) ‘Performance Analysis of Wick type Solar Stills’, International
Journal of Chemical Sciences, Vol.13, No.1, pp.1109-1122.
10.Vinay Yadav, Aman Barange, Mradul Sable, Vikas Pawar, Praveen
Barde, Abdul Basit and Akshay Shewalkar (2018), ‘Design and
Implementation of Solar Still Distillation’, International Journal of Trend
in Research and Development (IJTRD), Vol.5, No.3, pp.7-8.

62
63
 PHOTOGRAPH

Wick Type Solar Still

64