Integrated Iron Rods Impact on Enhanced Output of Conic Solar Still

Imad Kemarchou, Abdelkader Bellila, Ayoub Barkat, Nabil Elsharif

Abstract

This experimental study investigated the performance of modified solar stills (MSS) incorporating structural iron rods in the still basin. The experiment, conducted on September 13, 2024 at the University of El Oued, southeastern Algeria. Three identical conical  solar stills: CSS, an MSS0 with 0 cm rod spacing, and an MSS1 with 1 cm rod spacing. Results indicate a negligible impact of the modifications on internal glass temperature, with all stills peaking around 43−43.5°C. However, the presence of iron rods significantly enhanced water temperature and distillation output. Both MSS0 and MSS1 achieved peak water temperatures of approximately 60°C, notably higher than the CSS's peak of 55°C. This thermal advantage translated directly into increased distilled water production. Hourly output data showed MSS0 and MSS1 consistently producing around 93-95 ml during peak hours (12:00-14:00h), compared to the CSS's 88 ml. Cumulatively, MSS0 yielded the highest total output at approximately 740 ml, followed by MSS1 at 720 ml, both substantially exceeding the CSS's 600 ml. These findings highlight the effectiveness of integrating iron rods to improve solar still efficiency, with MSS0 demonstrating marginally superior overall performance.

Keywords

Modified solar still, Water temperature, Solar distillation, Cumulative output.

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References

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.47238/ijeca.v10i1.273

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