Experimental Study of the Performance of Cylindrical Solar Still with a Hemispherical Dome
Mohammed. Abd Al -Amir Khadim, Wisam A. Abd Al‐wahid, Dhafer Manea Hachim, Kamaruzzaman Sopian
Abstract
Developing solar still glass cover is an important key to increasing both productivity and thermal efficiency. In present work, a new glass cover shape adopted of a vertical cylinder with spherical dome on the top. This design run under the climatic conditions of Najaf city in Iraq. A comparison done with traditional single slope still of the same basin area. Three cases of cylinder height taken 5 cm, 15 cm, and 20 cm. Two sets of experiments done, one in winter, and the other in summer. In each experimental day all climatic variables recorded by using a weather station, while another recording done for stills parts temperatures and hourly productivity. A yield amount of 5.8 l/m2.day for 5 cm height, 6.7 l/m2.day for 15 cm height, 7.25 l/m2.day for 20 cm height, and 4 l/m2.day for single slope solar still. Thermal efficiency measured was 18.8% for 5 cm height, 22% for 15 cm height, 23.3% for 20 cm height, and 15% for single slope solar still. Summer measurements may suggest that hemispherical solar still is more efficient than cylindrical solar still with hemispherical dome (CSSHD), but winter measurements show the opposite.