Experimental study of single slope solar still coupled with parabolic trough collector
Anil Kumar, Savita Vyas, Dan Nchelatebe Nkwetta
Abstract
After a comprehensive review, it was found that very few research has been conducted on single slope solar still coupled with parabolic trough collector. In this research article, the behavior of parabolic trough collector integrated solar still was experimentally evaluated. An experimental study dealing with the energy analysis of a single slope solar still coupled with a parabolic trough collector was investigated for three different brine depths (5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm) and results are presented. Three different brine depths of 5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm water level were configured for flow rates of 4.1 l/m2, 3.645 l/m2 and 3.2 l/m2, respectively and daily productivity was investigated. The energy analysis includes annual energy output, energy payback period, CO2 mitigation, and embodied energy. It was observed that the annual energy output, energy payback time and CO2 mitigation decrease with increasing water depth while a reduction in water level from 15 cm to 5 cm showed an increased in daily energy yield of 22%. The embodied energy of the experimental setup is estimated at 856.72 kWh, and 5 cm of water depth resulted in the highest range of carbon credit earned (₹10,169.86–₹40,679.44). Energy and economic analysis were also conducted for parabolic trough collector integrated solar still to evaluate the viability of the developed system. The payback period of the setup was found to be 246 days, 253 days, and 341 days at 5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm water level, respectively.