Experimental investigation of double basin solar still integrated with solar flat plate collector and solar pond with modified design

There has been a practice of converting saltwater into potable water using solar stills for more than a century. Their production is only 2,000-5,000 mL/m2 center dot d, considering all the modifications. The process of production is expensive and inconvenient. The double basin solar stills are the only recommended solution to this problem. In this work, the performance of a double basin solar still with exterior reflectors, lower basin with flat plate collector (FPC) and mini solar pond has been examined and it was executed in Francis Xavier Engineering College, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India (latitude 11.9089 degrees N, longitude 79.7589 degrees E) with 09.00 to 19:00 h on a daily basis for a period of 20 d. Further, it has been examined whether the modifications have an impact on the effectiveness of double basin. Even in double basins, the 100 cm2 x 100 cm2 upper basins have a 5-step tray inside the lower basins for stability. There is a total of 25 compartments in each tray, having five portions each section. Materials, such as granite, for storing the heat is present in each unit. The yield of distilled water has been increased to 5,650 mL/m2 center dot d, when the external reflectors were installed. The yield has further increased to 6,249 mL/m2 center dot d when the double basin solar still is connected to the FPC and small solar ponds. The overall yield due to the modifications has been increased by 127.5%.