Evaluation of Efficiency of a Finned Corrugation Basin in Inclined Basin-Type Solar Stills in Regulating the Water Supply of the CaspiCement Plant

Abstract

The need for fresh water production is especially high in hot dry climates without any sources of drinking water but with an abundance of sea and underground water. The solution is water desalination with efficient solar-powered water treatment plants. This article proposes a new modification of a basin made of thin-finned corrugation with 43°-angle-inclined sides, equal to the region’s latitude, which provide strong heating. The experiments were carried out in the hot climate of Aktau city (43°49′ N, 51°1′ E). The study’s outcomes can be useful for regions with drinking water scarcity. To define the level of the corrugated basin’s efficiency, two versions (SS-1, SS-2) of experiments were carried out on a two-slope distiller, complete with two basins. In SS-1, basin-2 was heated by air. By 15:00, basin-2 had heated up to 98.5 °C, and the acrylic cover above had heated up to 101.6 °C, which led to its “deformation”. By 12.00 p.m., the temperature differentials between the glass (40.7 °C), the air–water mixture (57.3 °C), and basin-1 (61.1 °C) were 16.6 °C and 20.4 °C. This resulted from the wind speed increasing up to 5.9 m/s. The large temperature differential contributed to the condensate yield increasing from 0.128 kg at 11 o’clock to 0.293 kg at 12 o’clock. The throughput capability of basin-1 per day was equal to 2.094 kg. Basin-2’s input to the performance in SS-1 was only the thermal effect. In SS-2, basin-2 was used as a regular basin. The plexiglass temperature was lower than the temperatures of the water and basin-2. The temperature differential between the glass and air–water mixture at 10:00 a.m. was 20 °C; at 12:00 p.m. it was 30.6 °C; and a value of 30.6 °C was recorded at 3:00 p.m. The thermal differential between the glass and the air-water mixture provided the highest condensate yield of 1.114 kg at 3.00 p.m. The condensate yield from the basins in SS-2 was 8.72 kg, including 3.5 kg from basin-1, which is 1.7 times more than from basin-1 in SS-1. The experimental results are consistent with the equations coming from the models of Clark J.A. and Dunkle R.V. Tcondensation ≠ Tevaporation is an irreversible process. When the basins are heated, the heat is consumed; when the glass cools down, the heat is given off. Heat losses are minimized due to the “gap” and positive energy is provided. The still’s throughput capability can be made larger by increasing the basin’s area, reducing the water layer thickness, and regulating the flowrate of the desalinated water.