Performance evaluation of a modified pyramid solar still employing wick, reflectors, glass cooling and TiO2 nanomaterial

In this work pyramid-shaped two solar still units were tested experimentally, one of them is a traditional unit and the other is a modified pyramid solar still unit with wick material, reflectors, glass cover cooling, and adding nano-TiO2 particles. Five cases for modified pyramid solar still were considered, MPSS-Case 1 (modified pyramid solar still with hanging wick), MPSS-Case 2 (modified pyramid solar still with hanging wick and glass cooling), MPSS-Case 3 (modified pyramid solar still with hanging wick and reflectors), MPSS-Case 4 (modified pyramid solar still with hanging wick, glass cooling, and reflectors), and Case 5 (modified pyramid solar still with hanging wick, glass cooling, reflectors, and nano-Tio2 particles). The performance of MPSS-Case 5 was the best when compared with the other cases. The total productivity during the day for the Traditional Solar Still (TSS) was 3080 ml/m2/day and for the Modified Pyramid Solar Still Case 5 (MPSS-Case 5) was 7000 ml/m2/day, which means that the yield of the modified unit enhanced by 127.27 % over TSS. Additionally, the daily thermal efficiency was 83.8 %, 37.87 % for MPSS-Case 5 and TSS, respectively. The cost per liter for MPSS-Case 5 was 0.021$ which is lower than that for TSS by about 52.38 %.